4noggins Harvest Moon

I am not a burley fan. I can't think of any burley blends that I buy a lot of, or have greedily finished a tin of. It is the cigarettey, washed out bane of my pipesmoking experience. That said, this is not a burley blend. It's a blend that happens to contain a little burley, and the burley serves as a toasty carrier for the sweeter virginia and the heavier latakia.

Some blends live up to the tin description, and some don't. This one does. It's easy smoking, very tasty (I suspect a light topping but it's very light indeed). Almost has a fruity element buried in the layers, and there are a lot of layers to the taste.

A nice pipeful, very pleasant. Well done Rich. I don't know if it's an American English, or what, but it's a nice tasting blend. It is NOT real heavy... this is no Nightcap, nor even Squadron Leader. The latakia is condimental, and the whole thing is good.

Anything that starts off with Cube Cut Burley, usualy gets ignored by moi, I read no futher, I am a self confessed SNOB, to put it very mildly, with leanings toward fine virginia's and latakia, this pleasant suprise, contains both, and, as it's creator IMHO is a Master Blender, it was worth a very small risk, and one which did not dissapoint.

Opening the pouch, one is greeted by a black, brown and reds with a little lighter cube cut. Load is easy and a single match is all I need for ignition. The Latakia stays in the background giving a nice smokiness without being overpowering at all, something I find unusual when a Latakia is present. The wonderful sweet Red Virginia (one of my favourites) is carried manfully on the shoulders of the Burley with just a gentle hint of it's nutiness.

Now I love McC's 5100, but a pipe or two in the evening is enough, else it may come over as being to cloying or sickly, but this, this is something else, even those who dislike Latakia could smoke this, so tame in the background is it, but just enough to let you know it is there.

I tend to smoke Latakia in the winter and Virginia's in the summer, this however, can be smoked in any season and a good all day blend at that.

Here in the Houston, Texas area we have hot weather for 6 or more months out of the year. Often steamy, muggy hot. For me, not the best weather in which to enjoy latakia blends.

Today, while warm, the morning was not especially muggy, so I fired up a bowl of Harvest Moon.

This is an enjoyable blend. Quintessentially American. Burley base, with latakia and Virginia providing spice and sweetness.

According to the 4Noggins website, there is no topping. Yet there is a distinctive sweetness in the background. I'd guess it comes from the Virginia and perhaps the casing, if the burley was cased.

There is plenty of latakia, but the blend isn't a lat bomb. The smoke would be perfect on a very crisp, cool autumn or early spring day. And would also be quite satisfying in the dead of winter.

I wouldn't call this an all day smoke for me. Too much latakia and nicotine. But it might be repeatable, with a few bowls of something on the mild side in between.

I'm retired and smoke in my garage with the door open -- unless it's blazing hot, then I keep the door closed and run the portable AC unit.

Today, the door was open and I enjoyed the warm breeze and the smoky sweetness of Harvest Moon. Another enjoyable aspect of this blend is that the burley doesn't bite or get bitter.

This is a superb American blend. A workable alternative to the now discontinued Match Barking Dog.

I'm very sad the dog has been at last silenced, but as the woman at Sutliff said, "They have to carry their weight." And apparently, with all the young smokers going English, there just aren't enough interested in carrying on the iconic American blends of the past. A shame that. A big shame.

But there is Harvest Moon. And Rich has done a marvelous job in creating a blend that carries on how we Americans do latakia. Good going.

Highly recommended.

Like Britt's Balkan, Harvest Moon had quite a bit of stems in the pouch. These aren't small. These are matchstick sized pieces.

Pouch aroma is sweet and smoky. Moisture is comparable with every other 4Noggins blend. Easy to pack with a bit of spring.

Each leaf presented is quite obvious due to color and cut. I don't recall smoking a blend that was cube cut that contained ribbon leaf.

Initial lighting takes more than average matches when fresh and the cube cut is not rubbed out.

Harvest Moon is smoky and sweet. I'm curious what the sweet topping is in this. It's complementary and done right. The Virgina is sweet and slightly fruity. The saltiness of the Latakia is in perfect harmony with the sweet VA. The Burley is toasty, with cocoa and nuttiness.

I am not the biggest burley smoker around. In fact, I don't smoke many at all. But this blend is probably my favorite of any I've purchased.

Unlike most burley blends, this doesn't get harsh, acrid or sharp like most can.

This was my first taste of latakia so bear with me, please. The tin note, or rather pouch/bag note was something that rekindled old memories. It smelt just like burnt wood in the forest, or one of those autumn mornings long ago when the entire neighborhood smelt like that out of every chimney.

The taste is very similar, the burley and stoved virginias are clearly present, but the latakia works it's magic on this blend. I don't really have anything to compare it too, but if you are like me and want to slowly get into English blends, this is heavily recommended!

As every tobaccos from 4noggins, I had to dry it first otherwise it burns hardly and give me headache. This blend is smooth with a good taste. If you are an aromatic smoker, it will be surely strong to you but if you like this type of blend, go try it.

I feel that this is Rich's best blend. I really like flakes, but this is the blend that I go too when not smoking flakes. Also Rich is a great person to deal with.

I just got my first pound of Harvest Moon from Rich over in Vermont. An outstanding burley blend, with enough virginia to give it a little bounce.

I don't know why, but I can't seem to handle Virginia blends. They all tend to bite. But the Virginias in this one are biteless. The Latakia is there, but not so predominant as in Balkan and English blends.

I reckon Harvest Moon as similar to Morley's Best, but that may just be me. You can see the burley in big chunks, and taste it right the way through. No bitterness, as this one burns smooth all the way to the end.

Like all the 4Noggins blends I have tried so far, this one is a winner. In fact, ordering from Rich is now a seriously challenging process as I can never make up my mind which of them I want more of.

If you are partial to burley, but like Latakia and want both in one blend, look no further. A fantastic smooth smoke with enough N punch to satisfy.