Two Friends Celtic Mist

Having tried other offerings from the Two Friends, I had high expectations for Celtic Mist.

Reading the reviews posted here led me to wonder ? why is it that there is such a wide variance of opinion as to the casing on this tobacco? Some call it overwhelming, while others wonder if it is there at all. I ended up in the latter category. What happened to the liquor? Did somebody use it as a ?topping? in a cup at coffee break instead of using it on the tobacco? There would appear to be some major problems with consistency.

The description made this sound like something I might enjoy. But from the start, the Cavendish ruled like a Third-World dictator. The Burley and the lighter Virginia never stood a chance. Every time they would attempt to make their presence known, the iron-fisted dictator would quickly squash the rebellion and retighten the grip.

The tobacco burned well, and left the pipe nice and dry. Unfortunately, the unflavored Cavendish gets tiresome in a hurry. There was no tendency to bite ? the sweet-bitter-dry smoky flavor that was pleasant at the beginning just stayed in power too long for me.

Celtic Mist is kind of like Duvalier for your pipe.

This tobacco smells and tastes exactly like the bubble gum I chewed as a youth. I do not like it in my pipe. Paddy.

This is a very interesting tobacco; I don't believe I've seen anything quite like it. Since Two Friends is a cooperative effort between two of my favorite blenders, GL Pease and C&D, I ordered it hoping to find the best of both. The first major difference is that it comes in a partially clear heavy plastic pouch. This is sealed very well, the strong vacuum making the lump of tobacco inside as firm as a brick. Through the plastic, I notice a visually attractive mix of blacks, browns and yellows, all in roughly equal amounts and well mixed. When I open the bag, I am struck immediately by the very strong aroma of Irish Mist; I can tell at once that this is a C&D blend! What surprises me is how close the casing aroma is to Irish Cream Dairy Creamers - I almost want to flavor my coffee with this stuff. The tobacco is on the dry side, but not near as dry as most C&D blends; about on a par with the GLP blends I've tried. A mixture of medium cut with a few long strands, it packs nicely, and lights quickly, puffing up on the charring light. In the first third of the bowl, the casing is fairly strong, especially at the very beginning. On first light, and at each relight thereafter, I get a "sharp" flavor, almost a sweet and sour taste. And while I can smell the Irish Mist, I certainly don't taste it in the smoke. I quickly notice the tobacco base of this blend, a mild smoothness with a bit of a sharper, dryer flavor as well. There is a spiciness here, too, but it's difficult at this stage to determine how much flavor is from the tobacco and how much from the casing. In the second third, the "sweet-and-sour" effect diminishes somewhat, and the sharp Virginias and Burley mingle with the mild Cavendish base. Thus far, there has been no hint of tongue bite or moisture. There is a bit of sweetness as well, I believe from the Virginias as it seems different than the initial casing flavor. I am still getting bursts of the casing, however, and it does not detract from the taste of the tobacco. Onto the last part of the bowl, and interesting things are happening. I'm noticing a bit of a punch from the nicotine; though I would not term this a strong tobacco, it is noticeable. There is a spiciness and additional complexity here, reminiscent of other GLP tobaccos. I don't taste much of the casing any more, and there is a bit of moisture at the bottom. It is not severe, however, and there is still no bite that I can sense. The tobacco burns cleanly to the bottom, with only a little left when I empty my pipe. Overall, this was an enjoyable smoke. The room odor was very pleasant, and the casing did not overwhelm what is a very good tobacco base (except at the very beginning). This is a nice, clean-smoking aromatic with good complexity and a bit of a nicotine kick; I believe I will be smoking more of this in the future.

The aroma is reminescient of coconut, and that does not bode well for this blend and I. You see, coconut is one of my least favorite flavors ever. Ah well, let us not be put off by aroma alone. I approached sampling this tobacco with a bit of trepidation, given the coconut aroma, and the fact that aromatic blends are not my forte. I decided to play it safe and first try this out in a corncob. During packing I had to remove a twig or two, but no real problems. The light was easy, and the first puff a great suprise. There was not even a hint of coconut taste! Instead, I was treated to a very mild 'Southern' flavor of Burley and Cavendish, though leaning towards the Cavendish side more than the Burley. The first half of the bowl proceeded without incident, with me savoring the burley and cavendish flavors as they danced around. Presently, the Virginias began to peek their heads out, and heralded the beginning of the second half of the bowl. Now, the combination of Burley and sweet, sugary Virginias is a sure recipe for tongue-bite for the unwary, so I slowed down and 'breathe-smoked' the second half of the bowl, and it was delightful. The only rea lissue I have with this blend is that the transition from the Burley/Cavendish flavor to the Virginia flavor is a nbit mpre abrupt and pronounced than I would have liked.

Having tried and enjoyed both English Chocolate and Valle Crucis by Two Friends, I was eager for more, but I wouldn't be much of a third friend if I didn't warn you of the dangers ahead. Celtic Mist is disgusting.

This is not the first time I've opened an Aromatic in which the blender dumped a whole bottle (or two) of stinky casing juice over the tobacco. On a rare occasion this technique can work (Cult's Blood Moon, East India's Officer's Club, many Dan products), but more often than not, you get a sticky mess. While the intense aroma of brown liquor and burnt sugar is pleasing enough to the nose, it didn't translate when smoked.

If you should attempt to smoke it, make sure you dry out the damp mix for at least a few days. What follows is a strong acrid smoke that gets caught in your throat without any pleasant flavor. Just a lot of stewed Cavendish taking you on a tour of the chemical factory.

While I still have no clue what Irish Mist is, it surely doesn't work by the bucket here, consider instead, smoking Kramer's Blend for Danny Kane to experience just the right amount of it.

At first, I really detested this tobacco. From some reason, I thought this blend would be a good tobacco to break in a new pipe with, but I was surely mistaken. It burned hot and tasted pretty awful. Then I decided to switch to an old broken in Dr. Grabow that I had reserved for aromatics only. The tobacco was very different this time around. The flavoring was very subtle on the tongue. A little sweet paired with just a touch of that flavoring that I haven't quite been able to put into any words except 'irish mist'. It had just a bit of bite towards the tail end of the bowl, but I've learned that this comes with the territory. Regardless, this blend is a solid one, with, in my opinion, the right amount of sweet and aromatic, but was lacking in the taste of the tobacco. I don't make this a regular smoke, but once in a blue moon I get a craving for it. I don't really regret the purchase of a tin of this, but I don't think I'll be buying another anytime soon, either.

This one is hit or miss. Maybe I let this dry out a bit too much, but at first I thought this was great, then sometimes I would say merely good. All in all, not a bad smoke.

I've tried all but one of the Two Friends blends, and this is the only one that gets a one star rating. The taste isn't pleasant (it reminds me of really cheap coffee creamers), and the flavor sticks to your pipe like Superglue. I might actually have ruined a cob with this, which would be a first. The tobaccos themselves seem to be of decent quality, but this was a genuinely unpleasant experience for me (and I enjoy quality aromatics).

If Pease doesn't bail and Tarler doesn't screw this one up, this stands to be one of the finest aromatics on the market today. I don't like Bailey's Irish Cream type drinks, and especially in tobacco format. It's there, but it's so perfectly blended in the leaf, you'd think each cell had been individually treated with loving care. The tin aroma is flat and uninspiring, but give it a few minutes upon lighting, and let the tastebuds dance begin. I've been shying away from spicy English and oriental blends during this hot summer, so this one has really filled the bill. So far, I've enjoyed other Two Friends mixtures, and have a tin of Valle Crucis I'm aging for fall and winter. With all the other disappointing changes going on, this is one you will want to have around for when a sweeter repast is desired. A wonderful collaboration of the blender's art!

Four of five stars