Fribourg & Treyer Evans Blend

Sand to black ribbon with a tin nose of a sugary Cavendish on top of a very light tobacco aroma. Smelled more aromatic than non. It came pretty dry in the tin which was a big plus.

In the bowl, the red and lemon Virginias were pleasant tasting, with a very light sweetness and the Cavendish added a little sugar but little else. I did not get "vanilla" or anything specific as far as flavoring so I assume this is basic sugar-processed Cavendish without extra sauce. It smoked very dry with no goop and left a fine white ash at the bottom. Overall it was nice and inoffensive but nothing much to relish. It was only when I tested its mettle by puffing a bit more authoritatively that this one showed its strengths. While it is often true that tobaccos should be smoked slowly to get the most flavor from them, it is also often not true in my experience. With some blends, cooking them at a bit higher temp yields some massive improvements. This one reacted so. With a cadence fairly well above sipping, this one did not bite, turn harsh or go into "cigarette mode". Instead the Virginias became more prominent with the Cavendish receding just a bit and the blend turned more robust and fuller of flavor. Definitely not a complex blend, but this one showed some serious depth when puffed faster. I hasten to add that truly quick puffing got this one hot and bothered, but on the other hand slow sipping turned it into something to dainty and wispy. A happy medium really made this one shine and took it to 3.5 star territory. The Virginias played better together while not trying to lay too far back or outdo one another. The blend became sweeter as well, even though the Cavendish move to the rear. All in all, this blend is very good but not a rotation maker. Nicotine hounds should puff faster, although this probably still won't satisfy fully. Try it if you want two blends in one.

This is a pretty good smoke. It appears to be red Virginia ribbon with bits and strands of darker Cavendish. I like it better than Vanners but not as well as Golden. It has a very mild Virginia effect with a neutral sweetener, probably from the Cavendish. It burns a bit quickly although not as fast nor as hot as Vanners. If you bought a tin of this, you will probably smoke it with no hesitation. It also, I think, does not deliver much nicotine which may cause the smoker a tendency to puff a bit too fast. It does not bite so it may be just the ticket for someone starting out on Virginias. I'll give it three stars because I enjoyed it. However, it is not distinctive enough for the price that I would buy it again.

I bought Evans Blend because I think highly of Frebourg.

Most of all I liked Vanners.

This one also contains pure red and gold Virginia, in addition to Black Cavendish. It is quite dry leaving behind beautiful white ash in the end. The bad thing is that it dries very fast (this can be a good sign; lack of preservatives). It needs calm smoking in order not to create any tongue biting.

Quite high consistency in nicotine.