physiognomy
11-15-2009, 11:39 AM
This morning I grabbed for the baggies kindly gifted by Daniel at the 2nd Annual Herf... Decided on McC Grey Havens since I hadn't fired up my burley pipe (Blackruf volcano) in quite a while and felt like trying something new.
Aroma from the bag was very unlike most McC blends (no vinegary sweetness) & I faintly detected some topping that I couldn't quite place. Surprised me really as I thought this blend was a natural BurVaPer... I need to do some more reading on this one. Tobacco is a broad rough ribbon cut dominated by short darker ribbons (prob. 60:40 dark to light) which pack very easily.
The light was very easy & we were away after a few false starts followed by a light tamp. One of my criteria for liking any blend is how well it burns, and this one doesn't disappoint. I sat back on the couch slowly puffing without worrying that my lighter was out of arms reach. Initial flavors reminded me more of a light aromatic than a burley blend to be honest... I was trying to pick up on the earthy nuttiness or some sweetness from the VAs, but all I got was the topping with a little perique spice (that was very nice in itself).
At about the 1/2 way point the topping started to gain more of a chemical flavor, I'm still not sure what it is, although I get hints of some sort of liquor that dominated the tobacco flavors. A shame really, since I think there could have been good balance between the components with less topping. Maybe adding some stoved or sweet red VAs would turn this one around for me. Towards the end of the bowl the smoke got warm and slightly ashy telling me we were done...
I will give this another go in a cob next time as I've found all aromatics do better in cobs... I'm not into giving ratings because everyone's tastes are so different, but I think this would be a good blend for someone looking for a mild aromatic with a little added spice. Definitely high quality tobacco and worth trying at least once!
Thanks again Daniel!
Aroma from the bag was very unlike most McC blends (no vinegary sweetness) & I faintly detected some topping that I couldn't quite place. Surprised me really as I thought this blend was a natural BurVaPer... I need to do some more reading on this one. Tobacco is a broad rough ribbon cut dominated by short darker ribbons (prob. 60:40 dark to light) which pack very easily.
The light was very easy & we were away after a few false starts followed by a light tamp. One of my criteria for liking any blend is how well it burns, and this one doesn't disappoint. I sat back on the couch slowly puffing without worrying that my lighter was out of arms reach. Initial flavors reminded me more of a light aromatic than a burley blend to be honest... I was trying to pick up on the earthy nuttiness or some sweetness from the VAs, but all I got was the topping with a little perique spice (that was very nice in itself).
At about the 1/2 way point the topping started to gain more of a chemical flavor, I'm still not sure what it is, although I get hints of some sort of liquor that dominated the tobacco flavors. A shame really, since I think there could have been good balance between the components with less topping. Maybe adding some stoved or sweet red VAs would turn this one around for me. Towards the end of the bowl the smoke got warm and slightly ashy telling me we were done...
I will give this another go in a cob next time as I've found all aromatics do better in cobs... I'm not into giving ratings because everyone's tastes are so different, but I think this would be a good blend for someone looking for a mild aromatic with a little added spice. Definitely high quality tobacco and worth trying at least once!
Thanks again Daniel!