HU Tobacco Director's Cut

I agree with JimInks and the other reviewers who have talked about the similarity of this blend (DC) to the re-released Bell's Three Nuns, including it's 'curly, coin-like' looks. The tin notes though are dissimilar. While Three Nuns (TN) has a plum and fruity fragrance in the tin, DC seems to have an aroma suggestive of some flavouring, some additive which I can't place a finger on.

It is ready to smoke right out of the tin like TN but has a stronger, spicier taste that lends itself to the conclusion that there is more Perique in it than in TN. IMO, it seems also to have a higher Vitamin 'N' content than TN. For those who love a stronger Perique content to TN, DC makes that 'cut'.

Here goes my initial review of Director's Cut:

It comes in a 100g tin with an interesting pop lid feature which is recloseable. I don't believe this is vacuum sealed but it is airtight so far as I can tell.

The tin aroma is a little sweet/fruity, a little spice with an afternote of smoke. The smoke note is most interesting, it is different than latakia leaf aroma, very light but noticeable right at the end of a sniff, perhaps contributed by the fire cured Virginia.

The cut is one of a kind. As noted from the description, the base is the curly cut, which are quite small, perhaps 1/2"-3/4" diameter. Also mixed in is the Virginia loose cut as well as some broken flake, which I imagine is the fire cured virginia. This will make for perhaps some flavor variation depending on which parts you pack more of in a bowl.

It does not come very moist but the fresh smoke revealed it did need a bit more drying time. I dried it for a couple hours, occasionally stirring the cuts to expose them to the air.

I packed up a Grant's Tanshell straight bulldog, which has a wide open draw and has been a good smoker for me. I grabbed a couple random pinches with the different cuts mixed in and finished off the top with some of the loose cut. The tobacco lights easily with an initial sweet flavor, one good char and then a true light. Gee, I packed the Virginia loose cut on top and that is what I tasted first. The virginias are very good quality, sweet and more to the golden color that I like. In the first third, I'm tasting mostly the loose cut virginia sweetness with perhaps a little citrus, and then a background flavor begins to come into play. Must be my first coin burning! In the second third, there is a richer deeper flavor developing. I get my first sneeze, which is an indicator of perique for me. The up front sweetness is dwindling while the deep notes are growing. I begin to notice the nicotine a little. In the last third, the burley starts to impart it's typical nuttiness, which I quite enjoy in this case. I don't particularly enjoy a whole bowl of nuttiness but it melds well in this, coming in the last third and mingling with the deep/rich notes that started in the second third. I don't have a complete grasp on the nuance flavors yet, without enough experience with the blend yet. Just to re-emphasize, due to the different cuts, this will vary from bowl to bowl depending on how you pack it. I did really enjoy it with a little of the ribbon on top which kickstarted the bowl with the Va sweetness and made it easy to light. I give it a medium/medium on the flavor/nic scale. Excellent burn characteristics, and easy on the tongue. This blend is every bit as good as the initial reviews have promised. I give it 3 stars, although it is probably worth 4 but I don't give 4 stars until I've had enough experience to merit a 4 star blend.

Like most HU blends, this one comes in a paint-like tin, identical to that contained in Reiner's popular Blend 71: Long Golden Flake blend. I believe that this allows its conservation, once opened, without the need to transfer it to another container. Although I have also seen reviews that advise transferring these tobaccos to a glass jar. Time and experience will tell me which is the best solution. At the moment, after three months of opening the tin, it holds its moisture well.

The cut is a nice mix between ribbon and curly cut that can be loaded if you need to rub it. It is a tasty, full-bodied tobacco, slightly sweet and a bit spicy, where the presence of Kentucky is clearly noticeable to the detriment of the perique, which I hardly notice, although in general it is quite balanced. If you are looking for the burley, you will also find it in the background, but only occasionally. If I had not read that it contains burley it is very likely that I would go unnoticed.

Perhaps a comparison could be made and say that in terms of flavor and strength, this blend has struck me as a middle ground between Savinelli D’Oro and Three Nuns, to name similar blends. If you are interested in this type of mix, you can also try the famous Old Gowrie, by Rattray’s, with the difference that the latter comes with a ribbon cut. Let's say that the order of my preferences among the Tobaccos cited is, first Old Gowrie, followed by Savinelli D’Oro, Director’s Cut and lastly Three Nuns.

I need to borrow from countryman Stefanos's review as my experience/expectations have been identical, he says:

"I was slightly disappointed with Director’s Cut because I was expecting ... a Va/Per with the added dimension of Kentucky and Burley’s which to some extent it is, but not wholly."

I echo this 100% so there is no point to add anything to it.

The smell from the tin is delicious, quite unlike what I think of as the typical VaPer smell of hay and apricots, it is sweet, honeyish, a hint of spice, and perhaps a hint of some fruit.

Packing and lighting was easy, so far I've chosen not to play around with the tobacco I pinch from the tin, so I didn't try to get more or less coins vs ribbon.

Initial taste is sweet, to the point I think there is something added to it, and this sweetness remains and underlines the smoke from start to finish. The general taste, for me, is that of sweet Virginia spiced with dark-fired Kentucky. I cannot detect Perique but I am not very sensitive to it, and actually love when there is a lot of Perique in a blend (see my Cornel and Diehl Bayou Morning Flake review). I can fully believe that depending on how you pack this tobacco you get a different profile, as tastes play with each other during the bowl with the Virginia dominating some puffs and dark-fired Kentucky dominating others. The spicyness of the Kentucky along with the sweetness of the Virginia and the topping - there is definitely a topping - is what makes the blend, in my opinion. Overall it is very enjoyable, quite light without being very weak or bland, and benefits from being smoked in as large a bowl as you can get to get more taste and nuance out of it, and smoke it for longer.

So why did I put 3 stars when I clearly enjoy the blend a lot, and so many others consider it among the best tobaccos on the market at the moment? Because I was expecting a VaPer, with the added dimension of Kentucky, which it is not. It is a Virginia blend with the added dimension of Kentucky and a sweetening topping. I am sure that the Perique is somewhere in there, and does its magic, but my blunt tastebuds cannot detect it. The second reason is that I gravitate towards strong and heavy tobaccos, both in taste and in nicotine, which it is not. This is also not a criticism to the blend, it is a fact related to my personal tastes. For those who are experienced enough to appreciate Virginia it is probably a powerhouse of flavour and nuance, for me it is an aperitif to be had in the middle of the day, while the morning and evening are dominated by rougher and stronger blends.

A very good Virginia with perique, delivering a mild to medium nicotine dose. The inclusion of other leaf and various cuts allows for a pleasant change of pace in this genre. However, I was expecting more complexity from DC, considering its components. I believe this little downfall is probably due to its tinning format; which is not vaccum sealed like, say, Old Fredder's, preventing it from aging appropriately. I find this puzzling as DC has great potential for aging! I am not sure, under these conditions that I would buy regularly as I fancy cellaring my tobaccos. Nonetheless, I am truly enjoying my current tin.