Butera Kingfisher

There's a good amount of Burley here I'm guessing, and the burley seems somewhat similar to the kind of Burley I've found in University Flake...strong, cool but slightly flavorless or "empty", not the nutty kind.

However the VA component is much more pronounced here than in UF, so the overall smoke isn't as powerful and never gets bitter. And of course there's no Perique in UF at all. All in all this a very smooth and delectable Krumble Kake that still has that signature Germain mustines, presumably from the VA. The Perique is at about the level found in Elizabethan Mixture, in my estimation. I do believe I'll have to dedicate a pipe to this to get everything out of the experience.

This is Perique done correctly. It is cool and rich and the Perique provides a wonderful zest to the blend.It comes in krumble kake and is incredibly similar in cut and burning charateristics to Penzance (same company).I normally do not smoke flake or Perique, but this is true magic.It has a sour taste but in a good way -think ESOTERICA. I would encourage anyone who likes a different English blend to buy this, it provides a little relief from Latakia, yet yields a potent and natural flavor. 3 of 4 stars.

A medium strength va/p/burley mixture. This blend focuses more on earthy, fruity tastes than the cigar and pepper mixture normally associated with the ingredients. Smooth and well behaved, I could imagine this being a great transitional blend into the VA/P realm. There is enough Perique to create a tingle, but not so much that you run for the water bucket. The texture and aroma is reminiscient of McClelland's - but not quite so sticky and pungent.

An autumnal sweetness not unlike Dorchester peaks into the smoke. This is counterbalanced by a much more defined cigarette flavor and aroma - ala Stratford.

It is a quality smoke from an expert blender - but as others have noted seems to be slightly understated. However this could easily be a va/p mixture which fills the niche of easy to enjoy yet slightly earthy and rich.

A strong dark dominate Burley with a touch of Perique & Virginia.

Tin aroma, IMO, was light. I had difficulty in reaching an aroma. Slight Virginia Wine.

The room note gave no bad reviews. In fact, my wife liked the smell. She rated it as a very good and true "tobacco smell".

Taste was definitly a dominate Burley. The Perique was there but it enhanced the Burley and did not try and over-ride. The Va was slightly noticable.

Took me back to days inwhich I would smoke my step-father's Black Petes and Ibolds.

Good occasional smoke. A very good change of pace from Va's

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Burley fans, .......Try This One!

This is a nice, easy to smoke tobacco. Similar to Haddo's Delight fomr Pease, but a bit lighter and with a touch of finesse. It is good when you want something different and on the light side, but when smoked consistently it tends to lose its appeal, at least for me.

I have smoked this natural blend periodically since it was introduced into the market several years ago. I have several English and Italian pipes dedicated to it, including a small McArris (originally made for McCranie by Bill Taylor), a smallish Costello (kkk), a medium small Spanu, and a medium Ashton (XXX). Each has several ounces of the blend in the cake. This blend is a masterpiece, but is not for everyone.

This is a Krumble Kake, meaning it is packed in flakes in a tin, but the flakes easily break upon removing them. It is good to break them up a little more than a push down (or stop) of a flake in the bowl. It burns better that way. Don't rub the flakes too much, as the perique will produce a sharper flavor then. Also secure the tin in a wrapper after opening, or else the tobacco will start to dry out within two weeks. If too dry, the blend will smoke somewhat harshly.

Upon first smoking this in the McArris several years ago, it was obvously a natural, seemingly mild, but didn't seem like it had much flavor. The flavor crept in after several more bowlfulls. After a little more experience with it, the perique was definitely there, giving a charming spicy note to a straight tobacco blend. In fact, to me this is one of the first perique blends that you can taste the perique edge without the blend being either harsh or sharpe. Other scented va./perique blends may mask the perique.

I was told by one Texas tobacco proprietor back then that Mike Butera was trying to capture in this blend the tradition, not exact flavor or strength, of the then extinct Escudo. Having tried several tins of the re-introduced Escudo since then, I believe that is a fair statement (the newer Escudo to me is sweeter with more virginias and only slightly spicy with a perique note).

Kingfisher has burley too, so it has more heft but not the sweetness of a straight virginia blend. If you don't react well with burley, this blend may not be for you. Once you get the flavor in your pipe, this blend seems as natural with perique as can be. The perique is not at all overwhelming as C&D's Exclusive mixture can be, but to me the perique flavor comes through in every puff of Kingfisher. Being from Louisiana, I like it. But I admit the overall flavor is not as complex as Pease's Haddo's Delight. It doesn't have to be, especially if aged a wee bit.

To me, it is spicier than Edgeworth flake, stronger than MacBaren's sweeter Navy Flake, competitive with Orlik's Dark Strong Kentucky, and just plain different from Peterson's University Flake, all of which have varous degrees of burley in them.

I am smoking a tin of Kingfisher which has aged for several years now (with more in cellar). About the same but, as expected, with more of a perique nose and taste and a little bit more strength. Just slightly fuller overall. I would say a new tin would be more of a medium, so if you like a straight tobacco and want a note of perique there, try a tin of this. It's dry smoking, biteless, and cool. It is spicy, more bitter than sweet, but has a very interesing natural taste. It goes best in a small pipe, especially if aged some. Not all like the indoor aroma.

Kingfisher was my favorite tobacco for about two months a few years back. I love the lemon-like musty smell in the tin. It is sold under the Butera name but is made by Germain in the British Isles, the same factory as Penzance and is similar in it's krumble cake form which is very fill friendly and compact. the taste is very elusive and can be somewhat addictive at first. It is a good Burley-Perique smoke but make sure you smoke it fresh, because the taste gets very harsh when it drys out. A good change of pace for the English smoker that needs a break from Latakia for a while. And I cannot say that Kingfisher reminds me of anything else, except maybe a milder version of Three Nuns. Recommended. Arnold Smith