F & K Merde de Cheval

An excellent easy-to-smoke tobacco with thrilling taste and room note. It goes well at any time of day.

My rate: 5.0

When I saw "Merde de Cheval" I couldn't resist buying it since I 've lived in Cajun, Louisiana, and speak a bit of French. Literally translated, the name is "horse _hit" in English. Well, this is pretty damn good horse _shit! Nice and mild, nice flavor, and it was a great smoke during a pretty hectic day. I used a Savinelli De Luxe yachtsman pipe to taste it. Also, the latakia is NOT overpowering. It's subtle and combined with the virginia it makes a very nice smoke. So for me, I would rename the brand, Ca c'est Bon Merde de Cheval!

Curiosity got me and I popped my tin and smoked it twice today. I bought it just because of the name, and I'm sure many others did too. It's really pretty good, but not worth the premium it seems to be going for. Maybe they will overproduce trying to cover the initial demand, and the retailers will lower the price when demand goes down. Nevertheless, I don't feel too ripped off since this is a nice mild English (really, Scottish, I tend to think, though I am no expert) without the slightest hint of harshness or bite. There might be a slight topping; fruit maybe? I can't really tell because whatever it is, it is mild. Latakia is not pronounced, so be warned if you are a Latakia-head. This seems like one I will enjoy puffing heavily on, as it puts out lots of smoke yet burns evenly.

1-19-11 Downgrading to two stars. That's really all it deserves. Not horrible, but not turning my crank either. Just so-so. Reminds me of several forgettable bulk blends...

I once ate a two-star Michelin restaurant in Lyon, France which served Cheval Tartar as an appetizer. The scoop of purply minced meat was not very appealing, but to be polite I tried a couple of bites. This polite-with- company business has also led me to poke at sea urchins in squid ink sauce, and in Alicante, Spain, roasted giant ants as a palate-cleanser between courses. So, in comparison, this here Horse Sh_t aint so bad!

So why did I spend money on this dubious proposition? It was a comment about a subtle funkiness to the aroma which caught my attention. You see, my original liking of the Balkan Sobranie from the 1970s has nothing to do with an elusive soda note, or a pinch of some rarified Turkish varietal, but it was the fecund earthy aroma, a certain barnyard funkiness, which I now recognize as a strain of (harmless) Brettanomyces bacteria from Sobranie’s old stockyard storage facility in London. That is why I actually believed the old stories about Syrian Latakia being smoke-cured with burning camel dung. Sadly, despite the reference to Merde, none of those qualities are found here. Instead I do pick up on what reviewer called stale aquarium water.

Popping the tin I was immediately hit with some McClelland like ketchup, like somebody left a packet of ketchup in a hot car to turn vinegary. A little Worchestshire sauce for good measure. Since this appears to be made and canned by Sutliff (somebody needs to update the header info) it seems to have a fair amount of 515 red Virginia and 507 stoved in the blend. In terms of taste I only got the faintest hint of McClelland sauce a few times during the bowl. Basically, this is a smooth, somewhat muted Latakia blend, a kitchen sink of ingredients that kind of meld into one non-offensive but not especially appealing concoction. No barnyard Balkan Sobranie funk, but I can sort of see the one reviewer who talked of fish bowl algae. There is also some subtle wet, decaying winter hay, if that helps.

Anyway, I’ll just say that Merde is an acquired taste! At least I have the funny can to put on my shelf as a memento!