Butera Kingfisher

Objective: Nice tin for storing the tobacco. A little bit pricey at my local B&M, $13.00. Flake form which crumbles easily. Packed well, lit well, moderate volume of smoke.

Subjective: I like this blend. The perique is not that prominent, more of a burley blend with the virginia supporting it nicely. A good smoke and a nice change from the heavier Englishes I usually smoke.

Mild and not as sweet as most va flakes. A unique experience.

As I sit here smoking Kingfisher from my clay pipe, I reflect on how this blend changes nuances in taste and aroma from pipe to pipe. For example, in this clay pipe the perique becomes more dominate. Other pipes the burley comes through more. Smoking Kingfisher in my jack of all trades Savinelli, (that I smoke both Virginia blends as well as Latakia), took on a completely different, yet pleasant, flavor. Kingfisher is a great blend suitable for any time of day. I will be keeping a tin of this on hand, whenever I can find it.

Soli Deo gloria.

A funny cookie that one. As it's hard to find, an acquaintance was kind enough to send me a generous sampler.

Stoved VA with PER and a pinch of BU.

VAs and PER alternate and the Per peppery taste becomes dominant during the last third. The stoved VA leaves a bittersweet chocolate taste every once in a while, after puffing, for 5-6 seconds then vanishes.

The nicotine punch is above average. Worth the try.

For me this blend was not one that stood out among the crowd, however I did enjoy it. I only had a small sample, from a baggie, so I can't comment on the tin note, but the flavor was exceptional, stayed consistent throughout the bowl although for me it did not peak at any particular point in the smoke. Again I enjoyed this one, I found that it smoked best in smaller diameter pipes, a good early evening smoke for me with a wee bit of body for that after meal pipe. I especially enjoy blends with some perique for that after dinner smoke, so this one was nice for that, just the right amount of perique, not overwhelming. I would like to smoke this one again as I don't feel like I have smoked enough of it to really be an authority on the blend, however I did enjoy it although I may or may not come back to it, I rather hope that I will.

Well, I just finished my last tin of Kingfisher, and Im a little sad to hear it may be discontinued. This is a very decent smoke. A nice dark crumbled flake. Opening the tin at first I was a little apprehensive to smoke it indoors, but the room note is surprisingly tolerable. The perique blend is a little peppery but well balanced. I prefer to smoke smaller amounts at a time as it becomes a little overwhelming in my bigger pipes after a while. Not my favorite by any stretch but a very nice smoke.

I am totally re-writing my review on this one (2-27-11). At first, I didn't care for this. I felt it was very bland excepting that the Perique took the entire stage. As I am not a big fan of Perique, Kingfisher wasn't my cup of tea. I did like the tin note - very molasses/raisiny. That was a plus. It burned exceptionally well and never produced any moisture nor did it bite - quite a cool smoke actually. Not being a bird fancier, as much as I wanted to like this bird, I could not. I gave it 2 stars, and reluctantly.

Well, I decided to re-visit after many months of it sitting in its tin. It was very dry, and as a crumble cake, well, it was already in a state of crumble. I filled a pipe full and lit up. It wasn't bad, and I managed to snag 3 more tins of it (now out of stock all around). I'm still holding to 2 stars. I wish the wonderful tin note translated into the smoke as Kingfisher is basically a bland smoke with very little flavor. The only thing it has going in the way of flavor is the pepper-like quality from the Perique (which I don't like at all in this blend), and nothing else.

UPDATE 2-27-13: On a whim I just opened a half smoked tin that I got fresh and first opened 2 years ago. The tobacco was bone dry and the kakes were all crumbled. Tin note, although less than when fresh, was still present. It loaded like dry crumbling cereal and if squezzed too hard would turn to dust. This time around it was way better than previous which deserves another star from me. I have two unopened tins that I was going to sell, but now I think I'll hold on to them since I believe it is no longer being produced.

Update: An extra star for this blend worthy of high recommendation. Loading this in a stack billiard intensified the flavors and strength, making it a year 'rounder for me. Quite versatile. Cigar lovers should give this a whirl, especially if it is a touch on the dry side.

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I chose Summer heat as the right time of year to delve into this mysterious mixture. The reviews on this site overall gave me the impression that this would ?float? as a warm-weather blend due to its alleged light character and modicum of complexity (if any at all).

I had an instant sensory flashback to Brown Flake by Germain?s when I open my well-aged tin of Kingfisher. The two blends share a musty, citrus aroma in the tin (even a bit of chocolate was noted), along with a strong Burley resemblance between the two. On strength alone, Brown Flake is hardier and deeper flavored overall. Kingfisher was at the right humidification from the onset, whereas Brown Flake was a bit moist in the last tin I enjoyed. That said, the similarities end and Kingfisher takes on its own, fine characteristic.

Think of this as Barbary Coast without the topping, Barclay Mixture with Perique, Cumberland with all the subtlety and much more flavor (and less nicotine shock), MOB 111 altogether more refined and with more Perique, Back Porch without the taste of cut grass and hay, and Grey Havens without the moisture and with flavor.

Kingfisher is really not in the family of Virginia/Perique blends, as Kingfisher is burley, sweetened a bit by Virginias and enriched with Perique. There is a cigar note of some complexity here, not the sweet and deep, swirling high?s and low?s of better V/P mixtures. Three Nuns, Elizabethan Mixture, Haddo?s Delight, Escudo, and Limmerick are not interchangeable with Kingfisher.

I get the most flavor by gently crumbling the slices into chunks, avoiding both sawdust and folded flake. Crumbling the slices allows for easier packing and more surface area to burn without a real downside of increased temperature.

My verdict after testing my impressions of Kingfisher? This is a great Summer blend and one for all year round minus, perhaps, the dead of winter nights (if you have to smoke outside as do I). Hardly boring, mundane or undistinguished and not a nicotine wash either, Kingfisher is easily a satisfying smoke before and through dinner, unless you have eaten the heaviest of fare. Whatever you do, use a very clean pipe dedicated to non-aromatic, non-Latakia/Oriental blends. Try it in a meerschaum.

Remarkably cool, clean and smooth, ending with just a wee touch of the bitters. A charmer, and the nice tin artwork makes it a fine present to a fellow pipester prejudiced toward Burley blends (either way).

I love Krumble Kakes! When Mike Butera first presented this blend I was as happy as a pig in slop. This is a balanced blend of burley, virginia and perique. Hardcore VaPer smokers will not necessarily be overjoyed as the burley tones down the perique. The burley also provides a slight nicotine kick. I find this blend smokes best in small bowls. I don't know why it just does. Although I don't smoke it as much as I used to, I always keep a tin on hand.