Allen C.
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Sutliff - Eastfarthing 1.5oz
Adventure awaits
This blend is like an old friend waiting for you right where you expect to find them. The burley shines through with earthy flavor, undertones of molasses and subtle notes of cocoa, friends and admirers of Prince Albert will taste it right away. The red virginias are present, but only in a background role, they add a very subtle tartness to the end of the draw and provide a robust flavor that compliments the burley and latakia nicely. The latakia is dancing around with both tobaccos, adding its unique smoky qualities and a tinge of charred leather. Then the topping, a sweet and balanced vanilla that's present all the way down but tapers off toward the last third of the bowl. It's soft and reminiscent of many fine blends and the room note is very pleasant. The components meld together perfectly, this blend is silky smooth, rightly sweet and retains a certain amount of stoutness throughout the smoke. Will definitely be buying alot more of this in the future to have around, Sutliff did it right with this one.

Cornell & Diehl - Atlas Balkan
Atlas Balkan
The taste of this blend reminds me of burnt pumpkin seeds or burnt chestnuts, the burley really dominates this blend and the latakia barely comes through until halfway down the bowl and even then it's a weak supporting role, every once in a while you get a whisper of spice from the perique or a taste of smoky sweetness but overall it's like smoking cardboard with a burnt nut or seed aftertaste that's borderline sour and off-putting. Took no relights, smells pretty good in the bag, burned down to a fine white-grey ash, the nicotine was medium strength for me and the cut itself is nice and lends to a nice even burn all the way down. This for me is a far cry from an actual Balkan, it's more of an American mixture and the burley is just too strong, it really overwhelms the other components and tastes poorly balanced in that regard. Try this is if you really like burley, but it's a pass for me.

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