Butera Kingfisher

This is one of my top 5 favorite tobaccos! To me it tastes like Edgeworth sliced with the addition of perique. The only other tobacco I know of that is a Burley/virginia/perique blend is Grey Havens which I like but not as much as this. Maybe it's because this is a Flake tobacco and Grey Havens is a loose tobacco. The pressing of the tobaccos to make the flake might have something to do with the better flavors and blending of the flavors. But I'm sure the tobacco's used are different too.

this one is a very uniqur blend. i allways take care to find the right pipe for a tobacco. in most briars this one fades out, but who ever have the chance to smoke this kingfisher in a morta pipe wont believe its the same stuff. i let it crumble dow in a fantastic big prammer morta billiard and am fully satisfied each time. of cause mortas are not easy to find but its worth every penny to buy one. kingfisher and morta makes a real fantastic smoking expriance.

I picked up a tin of this and forgot about it for six months. Saw it, and opened it up. Had an awesome tin aroma. Kind of an apricot like note. The krumble kake is nice also. You hardly have to roll it around to break it up into almost a powder. Pack carefully.

Burns adequately.

Smoke it most often in a Kirsten that I have dedicated to Va/perique combos. It has a subtle sweetness from the Virginias, a slight peppery note from the perique and a nice toastiness from the burley.

If you are a fan of perique, you might not like this one as there is little of it present. The amount here lends just the right effect for me, however. This is my favorite Va/perique blend.

I purchased a tin of Kingfisher back in July,03 and smoked some of it right away. I noted that the tobacco was a little on the damp side,so I smoked a few more bowls here and there and put it away for a while. Well just last week I got back to the old Kingfisher,and boy what a few months made! Lately, I have found myself smoking this more than any other tobacco in my stock. The Burleys are outstanding,and the Perique,oh my goodness what a great combination together.The perique adds that warm stewed fruit to the nutty round taste of the Burley. The Virgiia leaf is suttle and not to tangy,though it is there. This tobacco does have a BIG nicotene lift and I have dedicated a pipe to it.Wonderful tobacco.

Update-2005 I still like this tobacco blend and if it weren't for the steep price I'd probaly smoke it on a more regular basis-( wish I could get it in bulk).

The pipe that I have found best suited for this IMO is my Dunhill Cumberland group 4 size,(small bowl). The smaller chamber seems to really burst the flavour out.

Sipped softly this is a great tasting tobacco.It is mellowy,and high in nicotene.The ash does turn yellow indicating to me there is old belt North Carlina Virgina leaf here. Sip-Sip- Sip. If you are one who rated this tobacco low, try it again sometime,I'll just bet your taste buds have changed,and you'll like it. Hey,it happens with me.

I don't know why people write reviews of tobacco blends they know they won't like! If you like Virginnia-Burley-Perique Flakes then I highly recommend this one. The Burley is fairly understated the Virg. and Perique dominate. The one negative is there is very little tobacco in this 50 gram tin. Seriously, there couldn't be more than 5 or 6 pipefulls in this tin! I used the gravity fill method with the very lightest tamp after first light. It smoked perfectly.

Tin Aroma: The combination of Burley and Perique in this blend combine to form a rather odd smell. It took me some time to be able to pin down anything that this smells like, and the best I can come up with; soured fruit, is a poor attempt. There is a dusky heady scent that is almost impossible to quantify, but is very intriguing.

Physical Characteristics: This is called, on the tin, "double cut krumble kake", and that may just be the best way to describe it, unless you want something more blunt, in which case, "pressed cube cut" would do. Smallish flakes, packed in a 2oz tin, these rub out to a nice cube at the slightest provocation. Once rubbed out, they pack nicely, easily filling a bowl in such a manner as to provide a nice even burn throughout.

Notes: If there is a continium of Burley/Perique blends, Edgeworth Slices is at one end (bright and lively) and this is at the other end (dark and strong). I enjoy both, and would probably enjoy any Burley blend, given half a chance. As with any cube cut blend, the possibility to pack too tightly is greatly enhanced, as is your chance of accidentaly inhaling a small globule of flaming tobacco, but once the avoidance of these two situations is mastered, this is a delightful blend. I find myself smoking this more in the evening than in the morning, as I find it's heavier character more appealing then. This is also a good Autumn blend for those of us living in climates warm enough to make our beloved Latakia uncomfortable to smoke in Summer.

Verdict: A solid additio nto tthe smoking repetoire of any Burley/Perique fan, and one I heartily endorse!

A krumble kake-style cut blend of virginias, burleys, and perique. It's a fairly light blend that is generous on the burley, which gives it a slightly nutty, musty taste at first. The virginias add a bit of sweetness from the first light, but as you pass the one-third point the virginias build strength and (when combined with the burley flavors) create a noticeable toasted-almonds and raspberry-honey flavor and complementary aroma, like a nice aged champagne. The perique keeps the virginia's acidity under control and provides a balancing sourness to add additional complexity.



Like most burley blends, Kingfisher really responds well if you dedicate a pipe to it -- burley is so mild that the constant seasoning the pipe receives really helps bring out the flavor and complexity, while smoking anything else in the pipe can easily overwhelm the burley's flavors. Kingfisher's toasted-almond and raspberry-and-honey flavors really started jumping out at me after I'd run about a tin through my Radice kingfisher pipe.



This blend is a wonderful summer smoke (I'm in Houston where "summer" means 100+ degF), and is mild enough for all-day smoking.



WARNING! Do not smoke this in a latakia pipe as the resulting flavor is pretty nasty. Dedicate a pipe to it, or smoke it in a fresh cob.