Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The delight and terror of blending your own.

I have a small Hermetic jar simply labeled "English". When I have a non-aromatic blend that just doesn't quite cut it, for one reason or another, in to this jar it goes. The first was far too strong, the next, too pungent, Then too mild, and so on. An English blend only requires a strong base of Orientals, and hopefully a good portion of Latakia, so it all works out in the end. I have managed to balance a tasty and dark blend in this manner, adding some blending Latakia to the mix every now and again, when it gets too light for my taste. Delight!
  Now, the terror. As the jar gets more and more full, I find it harder to actually BLEND said blend. Simply shaking and rolling the jar is no longer possible to mix the interred leaves. I have taken to stirring it with a dowel, but alas, this morning I find it quite insufficient. While smoking my customary morning bowl, I found the flavor pleasantly spiced with copious light Orientals. At first. then a brief period of quite strong spice, then several minutes of pure black Latakia, and finally, at the base of the pipe, all the flavors hit ma at once and changed dramatically. It might seems exciting to experience these layers of flavor. A gobstopper pipe, you may say, but it wasn't. While trying to relax with a morning smoke, it's downright disappointing. Maybe I need a paint-can shaker like they have at the hardware store....

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Long time gone. Oh, and two different so-so blends.

I haven't had much keyboard time lately, and I know that you're all torn up about it. Wait for the laugh......and continue. Now while I will USUALLY dedicate an article to one individual blend, neither of these seem do deserve a dedicated spotlight. Neither were great, neither were terrible, they were just....there.

  Cherry Bonbon: This blend started life as Stokebye's wonderful black cavendish, (which is mild, mellow, and delicious by itself) and then they flavored the hell out of it. It smokes easily, it's fanciful, it's tasty, and you'll be washing the sickeningly sweet smell of cherries out of your hair for a day and a half. You take the good with the bad, I suppose. I'm exaggerating the smell, but it is EXTREMELY sweet smelling.

  Mocha: There are so many blends labeled mocha, that I'm not sure which one Cigars Ltd. carries. It's not bad, it smokes well, has a pleasant room note (like coffee and vanilla) and a mellow flavor. All in all, it's a real feast for the senses, just not the senses you'd expect. In the pouch, it smells like fine coffee candy, and feels like spun velvet. I almost don't want to lite it on fire. All of that adds up to a totally mediocre smoke.

In conclusion, these weren't bad smokes, I just didn't have alot to say about either. I may keep some Mocha on hand, as my wife seems to like the smell, but the Cherry Bonbon isn't something I'll be getting more of any time soon.
  Tune in next time (which hopefully will be soon) because I've got a whole variety of flake tobaccos to investigate, and more pipe-wise educational topics to tackle!