Tobacco Rating Sheet

Name: Kingfisher by Butera Date: 12/9/08
Tin Description: Virginia, Burley, & Perique


Before the smoke 15 total points possible: 14/15
Package Presentation/Performance 1-5 pts.: 5 points. Great tin art, tobacco nicely
preserved.

Tobacco Appearance 1-5 pts.: 5 points. I love the “Krumble Kake” cut

Tin Aroma 1-5 pts.: 4 Points. Figs, Sweet Virginias.

Tobacco Performance 35 total points possible: 31/35
Packs 1-5 pts.: 4 points
Lights 1-10 pts.: 10 points
Burns 1-10 pts.: 10 points
Taste 1-10 pts.: 7 points
Total Score: 45/50
Review:
The tin description is simply: Virginia, Burley, & Perique.
The cut is characterized as a Double Cut Krumble Kake, and I can really get behind this cut. Nice thick slices sitting on edge packed tightly in the tin. The slices crumble when removed and are ready to pack in your favorite bowl.
Kingfisher’s presentation is first rate across the board, the tin art, krumble kake cut, tin aroma, and the visual complexion work great together to create a splendid beginning to your smoking experience.
Kingfisher is one of the tobaccos that I select when I want something that will satisfy body wise, but not a nicotine bomb that will keep you up at night if you smoke it too close to bedtime.
When you crack open the tin you will find a most pleasant aroma of, Figs melding with the sweet scent of quality Virginias. I then just crumble a couple of flakes on one end of the tin and sprinkle in the bowl of a favorite briar until the bowl is full, lightly tamp down and repeat once or twice more, being careful not to pack too tightly. This tobacco loves the match, requiring only one charring light, a light tamp, another light and I’m pretty much set for a quite enjoyable commute to work with no relights needed.
I don’t find Kingfisher to be an overly complex smoking experience. The bowl starts off nutty sweet with the Perique pepper there but staying in the background like the shy kid at a junior high mixer. The Perique flavor does build some and becomes noticed more by the end of the bowl, but never comes to the front. The earthy sweet, nutty flavors you start with pretty much remain consistent throughout the smoke, the only change I notice is the slight building of the Perique.
Recommended pairings: A generous pour of Famous Grouse Scotch and Chieli Minucci’s Got it Goin’ on CD, if I’m staying in. Since I’m getting ready to drive to work it will be a bottle of water and XM radio’s Watercolors 71 smooth jazz station. Kingfisher holds up well in either situation.

McClelland’s Royal Cajun Special

Tin Description: Two dark stoved Virginias and one wide-cut lemon Virginia expertly blended with Cajun Black. This blend is one of a kind, ethereally smoky, deeply rich and incredibly complex. Virginia’s natural sweetness cooled by Cajun Black’s fire-curing and Perique-style fermentation.

My take on RCS:
This is the first of McClellands Royal Cajun trio that I have tried, and I will just say right off that I was not disappointed. This is an excellent change of pace smoke that is quite unique.
When I opened the thin I was greeted by a woodsy aroma reminiscent of the smell of damp leaf and twig covered earth. If you spent any time in the woods like I did when I was a kid, I think when you pop the top on your own tin you will recall the aroma.
The tobacco is course cut, with a spot on moisture level right out of the tin. I find the packing qualities to be easier than some of the more difficult flakes but not as convenient as a fine ribbon, due to the “chunky” nature of part of the cut.
I found Royal Cajun to be a bit hard to fire up and it does command attention to stay lit, but is so worth the effort. One of my favorite things about this tobacco is the flavor that greets you at the match. You are immediately introduced to the sweetness of fine Virginias followed by a nice dose of spice that is a little different that any of my regular smokes. This flavor stays consistent throughout the bowl and never gets overly spicy or hot and doesn’t bite. The spice is unique, almost Perique like, but minus the pepper “edge” of Perique. I would recommend RCS to Va/Perique smokers as a change of pace. It may also appeal to those that have not been fans of, or are adversely affected by Perique, because this is definitely different.
Royal Cajun Special would probably be a good tobacco for the daytime when you are busy with other things, as there is an abundance of flavor to keep you interested, but in my opinion it lacks the depth or complexity for that late evening contemplative smoke.
I would rate it 83 on the 100 point Scottymeter.

Cornell & Diehl Sunday Picnic

5:30 AM and I’m getting ready for my morning commute to work. It is time to make a selection of what to smoke on the 30 min. trip. I just received a shipment of tobaccos yesterday evening and there are many to choose from. I end up choosing the Sunday Picnic because of the great tin art and I just love Virginia/Perique mixtures. I normally wait to smoke my first bowl of a tobacco until I can devote my full attention to it, but I just can’t resist going for this beautiful VaPer Flake this morning. About 3 minuets into my drive I know I have made the right decision, because of the sweet va’s are really coming through and are being enhanced by the peppery finish of the perique. I will have to write a more complete review of Sunday Picnic after I have smoked more of the 2oz tin, but right now I am really digging it. My one mistake was under estimating how slow this flake smokes. It burns very cool and goes on forever as I find myself at work with nearly half a bowl left. I set in my car as long as I can before finally giving up and going in to work with only a couple of minuets to spare. More to come on this fine blend later.
Scott.

Squadron Leader by Samuel Gawith

Squadron Leader by Samuel Gawith

The tin description is as follows:
Bright and Dark Virginias blended together with Latakia and Turkish leaf to make this a cool medium bodied smoke.

Squadron Leader is first and foremost an English blend, and a pretty good one at that. It’s not my favorite but I think this would be a nice English for newer pipe smokers to try. First off it is easy to tell that the tobaccos in the blend are all of a high quality. The Latakia is of an exceptional quality. You get a nice Latakia experience without being overpowered.
I would classify SL as a medium English blend that can be enjoyed all day long.
Personally I don’t smoke all day so I tend to reach for a more full bodied smoke when I venture into the Sin Den in the evening.
I find Samuel Gawith blends to be competitively priced high quality tobaccos, and worth giving a go if you are looking for a nice medium bodied English.

Summary: Recommended 7 of 10 Stars.

Lombard by G.L. Pease
Tin Description:
Named for the famed winding, twisting street in San Francisco. Lombard starts with a base of red and bright Virginias. It is then enhanced with American “condimental” leaf, including an angel’s share of perique. The twist in this Lombard? A delicate breath of Cyprus Latakia is added for a whisper of smokiness and a slightly deeper flavor. A gentle introduction to Latakia for the Virginia smoker, or just a delightful change of pace.

This is a very unusual but very nice Virginia based blend. The tin states that Lombard is a delightful change of pace, and that is exactly the way I would classify it. I can’t think of another tobacco out there like it.
The Perique and Latakia are used as accompaniments to the exceptional quality Virginias that we expect in a Pease blend. This is pulled of nicely. I love the way I can taste the Latakia without it overpowering everything else. So many times Latakia will just take over a blend and thus becomes monochromatic. I don’t mean to imply that I don’t enjoy Latakia heavy blends, because I do. What I do want to say is it is refreshing to find a blend that uses it as a complement so nicely. The perique is also used discretely. It just seems to touch the Virginias without squaring off with them. They never compete, but instead work together beautifully. Teamwork is the name of the game with the three tobaccos making up Lombard.
I suspect Lombard will be under powered for some, and possibly a gateway to more full English blends for those who have not yet made that journey.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Ennerdale Flake

Ennerdale Tin Description.
Our best selling flake by a wide margin. Predominately virginia leaf from Brazil, Zimbabwe and Malawi (86%) but with the addition of sun cured Malawi (10%) to add sweetness, strength and to cool the smoke and Malawi Burley (4%) to "carry the flavor" in addition to its cooling and strength qualities. (Burley is very good at absorbing casings and flavors) A background flavor of Almond is enhanced with the addition of fruit flavors, vanilla, and the special 'English type' flavors which give this tobacco its distinctive, yet typical 'English' Aroma associated with the UK best selling brands such as Condor, St Bruno and mellow virginia.

When I lit a bowl of this while sitting on the deck with my daughter she said the aroma reminded her of “clean laundry”. That didn’t surprise me as the “soapy” Lakeland flavors and aroma are prevalent at the startup of a bowl.
Ennerdale is an exceptionally well behaved tobacco. Nice flakes that rubout with little to no effort. This tobacco burns so well that you don’t even need to rub it out. I tried just folding the flakes and stuffing in the bowl and it worked fine. Very easy to light and keeps burning. Burns cool and slow just as you would expect from G&H flakes.
The floral notes are much more pronounced in Ennerdale than with Bob’s Chocolate Flake (which is another G&H favorite). They can be overpowering at first. But they do settle down nicely. It is easy to taste the high quality tobaccos after the quieting of the florals.
This tobacco is a bit too floral for me to smoke often, but I do reach for it on occasion to satisfy the occasional craving that hits me once in a while.
This is one tobacco that simply must be tried. I suggest finishing the tin before making final evaluations .I have been through two tins and I still don’t really know how I feel about this tobacco. You simply will have to try it for yourself. I do want to encourage you to try it though. Mostly because on rare occasions nothing else seems to satisfy.



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