Butera Kingfisher

I have to admit that I have a sentimental attachment to this tobacco. It is the first I tried when I decided to move away from the Grabow /Borkum Riff combination that I had understandably forgotten about years before.

Now, keep in mind that I was used to getting my tobacco out of a plastic and paper pouch, so when I opened that tin of Krumble Kake I was a little perplexed. The strips were very dark and smelled earthy, sweet and borderline pungent; when I tried to get them out of the tin they, well?krumbled.

That winter night I tried my first Kingfisher out of a small Dublin bowl I knew that fine pipes and tobaccos were in my life for good. I also found that, quite miraculously, I had a winning combination with tobacco/pipe/temperature combination on my very first smoke! Since then, I have tried Kingfisher out of a wide/shallow bowl and a deep/wide bowl just to find absolute wrongness throughout the entire ordeal. Also, I have found that on summer days the spice in the nose is left un-rounded due to the heat and humidity of the day. I have smoked Kingfisher now in all the ranges of temperature, humidity, and bowl shapes that Iowa and my pipe rack have to offer. Again, the original combination is essential to get this tobacco to behave.

As far as any flavor is concerned, it is definitely a subtle, familiar smoke that I had trouble pinpointing. It wasn?t until I had a friend come back from Turkey and brought with him a tin full of whole dried figs that I knew what it was. When I popped the fig in my mouth I instantly thought of Butera?s Kingfisher blend on that first winter?s night.

A very peculiar note: the first tin I tried was dark, robust, sweet, and a favorably pungent; also, the tin was barely two thirds full. The second tin I bought was much lighter in color, not as rich, and the tin was completely full. If not for the tin, I would have thought that these were two different blends (the first being the better). I am trying to find another tin of Kingfisher so I can get an idea of what ?normal? is for the blend but am finding that, due to Katrina, it will probably be close to winter again before I do.

So, until next time, I'll leave my judgment as this: If done right, Kingfisher is an even burning, cool smoke with subtle, earthy, delightful, well rounded, tones... It has the potential to be nasty and the potential to be outstanding! Stick to the prescribed smoking method and this finicky smoke will not do you wrong!

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.

This is a very straightforward Virginia Burley mix, with just a bit of Perique to give a slightly figgy thing to it. I'm not too impressed with the overall smoke -- it is a very dry, mildly unflavored experience, much like a high-quality cigarette. The manner in which it delivers a "Burley hit" through the medium of the Virginia is really well-balanced -- no bite and no excessive "mouthy" taste. Opening the tin and then packing this flake into a pipe is the most enjoyable part of the smoke, for me. It's a rather sticky crumbly cake, with a horizontal cut that runs across the direction which most of the cubes of flake I'm familiar with are cut. You can take two flakes -- about 1/2 inch by 3/4 inches apiece -- for a given average-to-large pipe size. I stuck it vertically in a Jirsa canted Dublin and just let the vertical lines of flake crumble themselves into the bowl as I packed it. That much was fun. It's mildly difficult to get to its first light (not unlike most cake tobaccos) but then it pretty much stays lit easily. Well, until the bottom of the bowl. I have a helluva time keeping the bottom bit lit, to the point that the dottle is about twice or three times as much as would be usual. Maybe it's just how I pack it.

I recommend this for an all-day smoke if you like a little bit of Burley and have a high tolerance for "the curse." The figgy Perique aids in delivering that nicotine but the main experience is a straightforward mild Virginia.

I find this to be a very odd little tobacco. The smell in the tin is almost nauseating, like band aids or overly-sweetened fig preserve. However, it does not taste like it smells. It is a fine little smoke.

Delicious. That's what comes to mind when I think of Kingfisher. Sweet, earthy, fig-like scents jump out of the tin, and presentation is great.

I love the Krumble Kake format, and Kingfisher rubs out to what I consider a perfect consistency. I never use too much pressure when loading a pipe with this tasty tobacco. I stick to a moderately firm pack, and I'm rewarded with a cool, easy, and flavorful smoke.

Age does wonders to this blend. The obviously high quality of the leaf contributes to the wondeful effects of time. I've never experienced bite from Kingfisher.

I'm surprised by what can be done with mixtures of Virginias, Burley, and Perique (I'm also a big fan of Greg Pease's Cumberland). The variety of flavors, and depth of flavor, makes Kingfisher a hard one to set aside. Great stuff.

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.

Nice tin, though I like the older one they display here on the site better. This is esoterica without the heavy anise topping. The perique is milder than most others. Though not bad, it's not something I'd go out of my way to try again. If I'm going to tread the crumble cake route, I'd much rather enjoy the great Penzance. And now I've learned that Old Ironsides is also splendid, and I plan on trying some of that very soon. For those who enjoy something different: burley & va/pq, you might want to give this one a try. Otherwise, don't bother.

Two of five stars

9/19 - i was hard on this one, i admit. after trying it again, it's really in a class by itself, though germain is stamped all over it. it's penzance light: fruitier & less aggressive. more of a piccolo than a flute. i enjoyed this in late summer. it had dried out a bit & provided a pleasant diversion for when old ironsides & penzance were simply too heavy. this might be better as a warm weather blend in a smaller pipe.

upgrade to three and a half of five stars

I'm not into crumble cakes, but I thought I'd give this a try. Beautiful packaging had much to do with my decision to give it a go. I'm very much into pretty packaging.

I didn't like this much at all. I've just got a bit to finish off, then I'll be done with it forever. It smells and tastes musty. Even stale. Never had anything else like it. If you have had other musty tobaccos and liked them you'll probably love this.

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.