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Richard R.

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Mac Baren - Vanilla Roll Cake 3.5oz
Virginia Surprise
Thought it was about time to add my 2 cents on this tobacco. If you are looking for a sweet tasting, goopy, tongue scorching, aromatic - look somewhere else! This is a wonderful smelling mixture, my eldest daughter says it smells like a sweet vanilla bread; in fact all I have heard from people is how good it smells to them. As for taste, you DO NOT get that, what I taste is very, very slight nutty toasted notes, almost like a light coffee, you can certainly taste the bready/grassy Virginias and a slight hint of sweetness, but only very very slight from the vanilla topping they used. You certainly do not get a mouthful of vanilla, but a very delightful taste of natural tobacco with 0 artificial flavors. On the retro hale you can get some pepperiness and I also get some citrus flavor profile on the mid palette, however it is slight and it balanced out by that sweetness I mentioned prior. The smoke in itself is very pleasant and I would recommend to anyone looking for a great smoke, that can be had in front of others, but has none of that artificialness that other aros could have. If you are also a fan of Virginias I would recommend this as well. Besides, who doesn't love cracking a tin and having a wonderful natural smell of vanilla beans and bread.... Enjoy!

Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding 2oz
Wonderful
I've only tried one other english blend whic his Presbyterian, which I can say is a very light english good for a coffee in the morning. For Plum Pudding, wow, talk amount flavor, most tobaccos I've tried have some harshness or are tasteless. This one strikes an incredible balance and actually has flavor. The smoke itself is velvet, thick plumes of light smoke, the after taste is almost nil, the room note as one friend, described it, old furniture. The tobacco taste is almost a sweet perfume, something ever evolving and you sort of chase it with each puff. Depening on your cadence the flavors will change, for me I;ve noticed short sips give good texture then one good drag and a retrohale give the best experience. For sure one to take your time with and really enjoy. I do not smoke this all day, but Ido smoke it at least one a day, and it does not overpower you, nic content is mild. One of the best tobaccos I;ve ever tried and if this was all I had to smoke, I;d be a happy piper.

Castello - Sea Rock 2oz (2015 Vintage)
Fruitcake Surprise
Sweet start bitter ending. This is my usual thought on this tobacco when I smoke it. It smells delicious in the tin, a deep smell of almonds, warm bread, subtle vanilla notes, and a background of mabe chocolate cake. as the title states, its like warm fruitcake, but not overly sweet smell like other aromatics. The smoke itself is very smooth, I remember the first time I lighted up, I immeditely was hit by the nutty flavor, no sharp synthetic sweetness (which I despise), and genrally you do get a bready, nutty, creamy smoke throughout the first half of the bowl. The second half is where it looses its shine, it can become harsh, almost acrid at times. I believe this is more to due with the fact that the blend does leave quite a bit of dottle and changes the last 1/4 to 1/2 of the bowl. It is a very good tasting blend however and not something that has stopped me from smoking it, bu tfor a longer smoother smoke, I packa small amount of sutliff J4 then this over it, which nullifies the effect and tames the harshness. The aroma of Old World, lol, is thus: Picture yourself in FRodo Baggin's home, he is cooking sweetbread in his hobbit oven, and pulls out elven sweet bread, that instantly makes you hungry once again and each bite reminds you of home, friends, and peace. It, in short, has a wonderful aroma that is sure to please all; as a friend once told me "it smells like good stuff", indescribable, but inevitably pleasant. I hope this helps, give it a try; its not a complex blend, rather a good smoke to have when you need a change, but you dont want a fake tasting aromatic tobacco.