pipesandcigars.com Snow Drift

Pipesandcigars.com - Snow Drift (Russ' Monthly Blend).

Another Aromatic Sunday and Snow Drift fits the bill today!

The blend includes a healthy amount of black Cavendish. Although not completely consumed by it I see more black pieces than brown. The pouch-note's of chocolate and vanilla, I find no issue with the moisture.

Unlike the prominent number of reviews to date I rate this higher than one or two stars. I get a 'comforting' character from it! The tobaccos are driven by the black Cavendish, I taste some Burley but no Virginia comes over to my palate. I feel quite indifferent toward the tobaccos, they're neither here nor there; just a standard aromatic blend. What makes me rate this higher are the toppings. The chocolate leads, without being bitter, and the touch of vanilla gives the smoke a little creaminess. This causes the flavour to be one of luxurious, indulgent, chocolate, as opposed to cheap, nasty, stuff! The burn's of a good standard, fairly cool, and it doesn't bite me.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: nice.

Snow Drift? A nice blend which I have no problem recommending:

Three stars.

I bought a couple ounces of this to try over the Christmas season. The first few bowls I thought I had made a mistake as it burned hotter than the sun and torched my tongue. After letting it dry down for a few days I had a much better smoke and really enjoyed it. It leaves a pleasant mocha/coffee room note and is great with a good stout beer while you hang Christmas lights. Pairs with: Stout beers, Christmas lights, Christmas tree lots, candy canes, elves

Opening a fresh sample of Snow Drift revealed small ribbons of dark and light brown tobaccos dominated by the black of the Cavendish. It had a rich cocoa smell with a hint of marshmallow like a Mississippi Mud cake. It was moist to the touch, but not too moist and ready to burn. An unlit sip brought cocoa to the tongue as did the charring light. The charring light also brought forth an underlying note of the Cavendish. As I progressed down the bowl the cocoa taste became stronger with a lighter creamier taste playing backup. By the second half of the bowl there was a good interplay between the cocoa and Cavendish, and at times the two melded together to form a milk chocolate taste as the top note became weaker. There was no bite no matter how hard I puffed and the finish was short with an excellent mustache note. The room note was very pleasant, and left a toasted cocoa smell inside my vehicle when returning to it for lunch after smoking on the way to work.

I think this blend would be good for any aromatic lovers and for those who love chocolate aromatics in particular. I'd say anyone could smoke this blend as I tried to get it to burn hot and I never could accomplish that goal. I liked this blend but I don't think I need to smoke it again and I probably won't be buying more. It is a pretty standard chocolate aromatic, and while I've smoked some that really sings for me, this one was pretty unremarkable to my palate.