Straus Tobacco Ault Park

The black cavendish offers a mild vanilla flavor, though I believe there's some in the topping, too. The Virginia is grassy, though it's fairly muted by the mild rum and custard toppings. The nutty, earthy burley is just a little more noticeable than the Virginia, and I taste it on a fairly regular basis throughout the smoke. Has very little nicotine. Burns at a reasonable pace, smooth and cool with no harsh or dull spots, and leaves just a trace of moisture at the finish. Needs an average number of relights. Has a weak after taste. An pleasant all day experience, though it does suffer from depth of flavor. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

This is a pleasant smoke, but it is a mild/light experience. It get a little vanilla and rum. I can believe it is intended to be a custard flavor, and as I said it is pleasant.

The black cavendish gives it a thin quality, and I had a tendency to puff to try to get a little more out of it. There are a few tobacco notes - a little grass from the Virginia and a little nutty from the burley.

This one is a solid 2 on the scale. There is not much here to excite me. I have no regrets.

Introducing for your smoking amusement now appears a docile and foreseeably mild-medium tempered blend, Straus Tobacconist’s very own acclaimed Ault Park. This celebrated production comes to our avail from a general selection of house brand originals made right here in Ohio, presumably. Officially arranged for the stylish entertainment of Straus’ very own in-house pipe club, this recipe is composed by the inclusion of plentiful Brown and modest Black Cavendish strains, common White Burley, and a complementary parceling of Gold Virginia leaf.

In order to enliven the experienced jollies, Ault Park comes lightly spritzed with an application of popular vanilla and basic pure rum. Named in honor of the 112-year-old Cincinnati park, this moist beefy mixed ensemble of coarse cut morsels and hearty ribbon neatly poses as a prime alternative for those aromatic tobacco enthusiasts. Predominately brunette in its casting, the blend enfolds a twisted purse of sable, chocolate, reddish golds, assorted streams of warming browns, and a scant feathering of distinctly black speckles.

With a vigilant sampling of this bulk tobacco’s native aroma, the response rendered evokes a good-natured feeling that absolutely delights the unsuspecting senses. Explicitly, the fragrant pouched nose accommodates the sweetest charm of bold scrumptious vanilla and toothsome sugary goodness. Once that air finds root invading your nasal receptors, a trace hint of some spirited alcohol spice and delicate murmurs of cocoa round out the top perfume. Underneath this spray lies a main supporting body that takes the form of buttered nuttiness, crisp agreeable earthiness, and the fleeting highlight of fresh grass. And if that were not quite enough, down deep within, secretive inklings of minor tart and softened sourness seep their way forward for recognition. Just a lovely fragrance.

As it surfaced, the subject coatings applied to the Ault Park tobaccos proved to bring more of an immediate interest during the first two-thirds of the bowl. From that point on, their registerable influence really quieted down to something substantially less. Even with that, speaking to generalities, the original potency of these applied dressings were not overly ambitious in character, yet I found with reasonable focus their individual contributions became genuinely recognizable. Subsequent, as you might imagine, by the closing of the bowl the coatings presence had effectively diminished to a more progressed whisper of their beginning muted selves.

Largely with the greater part of the session however, these featured top coatings tended to enmesh together mostly, achieving a general ambience of spiced sweetness. But, as previously stated, I could just piece out the differentiated elements all the same. The most prominent influence registered from a classic vanilla note, which was similar to many other comparable aromatics. This creamy vanilla chord did however demonstrate a nice buttery undertone, which at times made the main affair rightly assume an almost butterscotch flavored sensation, pleasing and a bit distinct.

Additionally, I did meagerly record a moving impression of a sweet, spirited pale rum. For the most part this remarking hinged upon a typical plain or more appropriately white variety in lending some acerbic alcohol sharpness and grainy spiced temperament. Furthermore, a final garnishing accent was denoted as a slight tracing of a cocoa-tempered sweetness which came to play nicely with the two former ingredients. When combined it fancied a projected feeling of passive boozy nougat of all things.

Much like the described additives, overall, I discovered that the influence of the native tobacco to be about average in dimension and magnitude. Although I must profess that these natural constituents did tend to shine a little more brightly as compared to the coatings themselves. And while there were moments that transpired with a lovely run of their commenting, the Burley in particular that is, these instances were inconsistent in truth.

By design, Ault Park is a Cavendish heavy recipe, so I was not totally surprised to come to learn of its prominence in the overall taste profile for the inclusive strains. Sugary in nature, the principle earthy Cavendish notation endowed a consistent thread of softer sourwood and a lighter touch of quelled minty freshness. Likewise, the Brown and Black Cavendish were more decidedly smooth and polite in tone which was a commendably nice attribute taken as a whole.

Regarding the Virginia and Burley, these leaves seemed to want to off-set each other with the latter being the most prevalent. In fact, the Virginia’s contribution was exceptionally contained and preferably elusive at best. As for the White leaf, its standard toasty walnut character dominated the mixed footing as it brought some tasteful relishing of brown sugar, and properly seated molasses. Comparatively, the Virginia strain circulated in the bottom space showing primarily some dark fruit and an affinity for a minor tinge of tangy grass. In sum, the native tobaccos were not too distinguished in strength nor depth but were reasonably acceptable in the end as a positive reference.

You know the funny thing about this blend that I discovered was, even though it produced handsomely generous clouds of impressive smoke, the expired presence was all but obscure. Namely, even with repeated samplings of the collected room essence, I was unable to detect much of an aroma. I guess that could be a good thing if you were in the company of those adverse to our wonderful passion. At best, I would classify it as a fleeting lighter air of general sweetness and nondistinctive earthiness. In manifesting, Ault Park’s residual ghosting lightly floats within the immediate smoking chamber without much clamor but instead with a guise of pure stealth. Its aura is almost nothing in a word, and I am not quite sure how long it actually endured given the absence of suggestive fortitude. Mark this Straus blend as acceptably tolerable I do suppose.

On the final measure of importance, we come to the base mechanical properties. Generally speaking, Ault Park demonstrated amiable physical performance features. Specifically, it tended to burn with consistently cool temperatures and progressed evenness. I did witness a bit of moisture in the smoking despite a small interval of set-up time for drying. As such, the blend does carry a desire to want to hiss and chirp at you during the session. Additionally, it is not too hateful on nicotine disturbance, perhaps a medium grade rating at the worst. No bite and full combustion leaving a clean chamber when all said and done.

In closing, as I experienced it, Ault Park produced a smooth and creamy natured excursion, which is noteworthy in itself. By and large, categorically it is a relaxed aromatic offering that could be quite enjoyable for some as a daylong adventure. For myself, as a vanilla forward blending, I do deem this one to be properly sitting in the middle of the road, relatively. And by that, I mean to say that the tobacco is neither detracting in what it has to bring, nor is it stellar in favorable appeal. You may find by your own assessment something entirely different and that is perfectly fine as always, my friends. So, while you can, grab your pipe, a bowl of this tobacco and find your way to the nearest park bench for winter is posturing to spoil the possibilities of that timeless pleasure. 2.4 Pipes