|
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JimInks (2595) |  |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
The very tart and tangy, citrusy, mildly grassy, acidic, floral, sugary Virginia honeydew also has a touch of honey as the base of the blend. The other Virginias offer some tangy ripe dark fruit, a touch of stewed fruit, earth, wood and a small spice note. The unsweetened black cavendish is slightly toasty with some brown sugar in a condimental role. The nutty, woody, earthy, lightly floral white burley adds depth and body as a secondary player. The tart and tangy lemon topping takes a little of the lead over the spicy clove and floral rose oil. The cherry and honey are in the background, but all the toppings work seamlessly together, and tone down the tobaccos to a medium extent. They slightly weaken in the last third of the bowl, but you’ll always notice the power of the tobaccos. The strength is almost medium, while the taste does reach the medium mark. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean and a little slow as some broken flake is in the mix. The deep, rich, sweet, mildly spicy, floral flavor is fairly consistent with a touch of floral savoriness, which translates to the very pleasant, lingering after taste and room note. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran aro smoker.
-JimInks
5 people found this review helpful.
|
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mork (68) | |
Very Mild | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
Take Five, HU
Description: Take Five“ – take a five-minute break. "Take Five" is not only the title of a famous jazz classic but also the name of this Virginia ready rubbed blend. Who would not know the vibrant rhythm and the playful tunes by song writer and saxophonist Paul Desmond? This piece by Dave Brubeck and his quartet came to fame all around the world; their interpretation will remain unforgotten.
A Virginia Honeydew Flake forms the basis of this "Take Five" Ready Rubbed Flakes. It has been mixed with White Burley, a little Black Cavendish and assorted Virginias as loose cut. A prominent, spicy and floral aromatization in connection with the syrupy Virginia flake make this blend a special kind of smoking pleasure. A slightly fruity lemon aroma forms the distinctive charm and character, almost demanding for a break and relaxation. Take five. It is a pleasure for fans of sweeter tobacco who appreciate top quality.
...At times it is folly to hasten at other times, to delay. The wise do everything in its proper time. (Ovid)
Storage/Age: A sample from a friend.
Flavor Profile:
Well, it’s pretty much exactly what the topping list says it is. Just executed incredibly well. The fine tobacco base plays very well with the toppings, merging nearly seamlessly into a whole profile where each aspect is balanced to create a delightful melange.
The lemon is probably the most noticeable to me, followed by the cloves. The honey serves as a background note, its inherently floral nature working beautifully with the rose oil. I get just the mildest whiff of a cherry note, not like any cherry aromatic I’ve ever had. It’s fresh, sweet, mildly tart, refreshing in every sense.
But even being able to pick out each part, if one really tries, the whole blend merges rather well when you let it. Sweet floral spice plays out beautifully while never overpowering the solid tobacco base.
Subjective Musings:
If this is anything to base other HU aromatic offerings on, it appears there’s something to be explored here. Much like my beloved Firedance, this is a tobacco forward aromatic which defies an American’s perception of what an aromatic can and should be.
That’s not to say that I would make this an all day smoke, necessarily. But it actually comes the closest to an aromatic I would put in that position. While I adore Firedance, it could never be an all day smoke for me. It’s apparently just too heavy with its profile to make it more than a once a month smoke. This, as I said, is refreshing in its nature. Light with good body. Nuanced while cohesive.
I’m going to have to edit my review of FDF in light of smoking this. Not changing the rating, but… this is kind of nuking it currently as far as a top spot for an aromatic.
Ok, as I get further down the bowl, here’s my gut thinking. This is like a bright VA with its profile, but the best bright VA I’ve ever had. It takes the citrus honey sweet light spice of a good bright VA and accentuates it tremendously. Yes, it is certainly topped. Yes it’s an aromatic. Yes it has cav and burley in it. But it’s like a straight VA on steroids in presentation.
It makes me want to try more of HU’s aromatics. Pretty badly actually.
Cellar Notes/Final Thoughts:
Really, really good. A nearly perfect aromatic. I’d buy a bunch of this.
Rating: 9.3/10.
Rating Scale:
10 - Gods Gift to Pipe Smokers, Buy It All No Matter the Cost
9 - Nearly Perfect, Deep Cellar Worthy
8 - Exceptional, More Than a Few Tins
7 - Very Good, A Few Tins
6 - Good, One Tin is Fine Thanks
5 - Average, but Pleasant Enough, I’ll Finish the Tin/Sample
4 - Smokable, but Wouldn’t Smoke it Again
3 - I’ll Finish the Bowl, I guess
2 - I Wish I Hadn’t Done This
1 - Why Would This Get Produced
0 - Dump the Bowl
Brief Overview of Reviewer’s General Tastes: I am primarily a VA (and it’s variant combination forms) smoker who has great affinity for SG and comparable EU manufactured blends, along with a few of the US micro blender shops. I do enjoy English/Balkan blends on occasion and a few very specific tobacco forward aromatics. I am exceptionally picky about blends and tend to cellar deep and narrow on things, reserving the bulk of my cellar planning and space for items I find to be of significant worth as far as taste and experience. Anything of quality, but not of obsessive value to me, is cellared and purchased as condimental flavor breaks between my regular rotation.
2 people found this review helpful.
|
|
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HKI Pipester (1) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
I just finished a bowl of this and it inspired me to write this review. It is great: cherryish soursweet and a smokey flavour. The different tobacco compounds come through perfectly for my taste. The citrusy sweet virginia, smokey and nutty burley and a hint of brownsugar and vanilla tasting black cavendish. They melt together nicely with the flavoring and provide easy burning consistent smoke from start to finish. I have smoked this with my savinellis (with balsa filter), chacom & stanwell (9mm) and it smokes perfectly in all of them. Easily a four star review and i hope that this one will never go out of production.
1 person found this review helpful.