pipesandcigars.com Yule Log

Opening the bag Yule Log came in revealed dominate brown and tan ribbons mixed with black flecks. It feels too dry like paper out of the bag, but I did not bother rehydrating it and as long as I kept my cadence slow it smoked fine. It had a campfire smoke smell, like when your hands have that smoke smell after messing with the fire when camping. An unlit sip revealed a dark and resinous taste, despite the dryness with sweet and smoky undertones.

The charring light brought forth a spicy and sweet taste with a sour finish. A little latakia sourness came through when I first started puffing that progressed into exotic incense like sweetness. At times it had a creamy smoke with a rich, dark, and sweet taste that reminded me of a quality salted caramel. When puffed hard this blend was a demon to the mouth, but gentle puffing made for a rich and luxurious smoke. The finish was long and I could still taste this blend in the back of my through up to an half hour from being finished. It had a taste like I just ate a burned pipe crust from a pie with a dark fruity filling. The room note was spicy and sweet with a hint of smoke, again like incense.

I like this blend well enough, and I actually enjoy the after taste quite a bit. The moments when that creamy dark richness comes into play make this blend worthwhile. This blend forced me to pay attention to my puffing, and that is a good thing. The downside was it was not enjoyable to smoke when my attention was elsewhere, like driving to work. I'd recommend this to folks looking for a festive seasonal that do not like the aromatic offerings for the holidays. I'm not certain I would like this blend any other time, but I would certainly buy it around this time every year to break up the rum and figs.