Watch City Cigar Nor'Easter

Ernie was kind enough to put a sample of this into an order I placed back when tobacconists could give samples; I am glad that he did as I likely would not have tried this one otherwise. This is an everything and the kitchen sink, old timey, American English type of blend, that is a real pleasure to smoke.

It is hard too decipher which of the elemental leaves takes the lead in this as they tend to coalesce and shift as you work your way through the bowl. There is ample sweetness, much more than one would expect from a blend with these leaves in their natural state. I assumed this to be due to be a topping; however, it could be that the cavendish or burley have been cased. In any case, I am fairly certain there is a flavoring added.

In terms of properties of this smoke. It comes in a crumble cake that is easy to crumble. It is slightly moist, but it lights easy and smokes dry. It is a simple blend to smoke as your tempo can very wildly with no harm to your tongue. It is not a very strong blend in terms of nicotine, but it satisfied my needs each time I smoked it.

I am between 3 and 4 stars on this one, and am giving it 3 as there are a few other blends of this type that I enjoy slightly more, but this is good and a bit of a sleeper, so I do recommend it, particularly to those who like these types of blends.

I must admit, in my 20 years of pipesmoking, I haven't had a lot of experience with the Krumble Cake varieties. I'd say the best I've ever had is Smokers' Haven Krumble Kake. And that is a high watermark to reach!

Nor'Easter arrived in the mail at the perfect smoking humidity. No drying time needed. I rubbed out a quarter of one of the thick slabs and filled my pipe. It loaded easily and stayed springy in the bowl. The act of rubbing released a nice meaty aroma.

I toasted it with a false light, tamped a bit, and then followed with a true light and it sprang to life.

The first thing that came to mind as I began smoking was "Wow, this reminds me of McClelland's 3 Oaks!" It's charred, smokey Latakia meets with a tart black cavendish that is sweet but not too sweet. 3 Oaks may be a little sweeter in fact. The semisweet, bitter, tartness almost tastes like underripe cherries and it is the main player and hits hard. The tart bitterness may be a bit too much for some, but I don't mind it.

The Perique makes itself known as a light raisin undertone and a tingle on the tongue and in the nose. The Oriental/Turkish is there with a spicy exotic wind that picks up and dies down.The Virginia tobaccos sit way in the back and whisper with a bit of citrus and hay.

The room note is pleasant if you like Latakia, but if not then beware. This is not one I could smoke around my partner Amanda.

I'm about halfway through the bowl and the initial tart smokey punch in the face has died down. The storm is calming a bit, but still there. The rest of the elements remain the same, just coming forward a little because of the main players waning.

This is a very engaging tobacco. I'd only smoke it if I was doing nothing else because it's a thinker. Definitely not a yardwork smoke. It hits hard and fast and is aptly named.

It burned cool to the very end with no hint of bite. The bowl finished dry with a fine, light gray ash.

In the end, I think this is a very good Krumble Cake, not the best I've had, but solid. I think it would benefit from a year or two in the cellar to grind down the sharp, tart, bitter edges, perhaps sweeten a bit, and further meld the array of tastes.

I personally will be buying more. Some to age. Some to smoke on that occasion when my palettes needs a reset. I'd like to smoke this during a thunderstorm!

This is a 4/5 and I highly recommend it!