Public Profile

Kai W.

Reviews

Sillem's - Mayor 1814 Flake 50g
no flavour
The Virginias are barely sweet with a touch of citrus. There's an earth note that is sublimated by the grass and hay. The nic-hit is extremely mild. Burns at a moderate pace with no bite or harshness, little moisture in the bowl, and consistently dull flavor. Needs an average number of relights. The after taste is hardly noticeable.

McConnell - Scottish Cake 50g
very very good
The Virginias here are very smooth, and not as quite as sugary as the tin note would suggest. While I couldn't initially smell the Kentucky, I can definitely taste it. There is a subtle Kentucky tang that interplays fantastically with the Virginias. Again, the Kentucky here is more of a supporting act - not quite as overt as those of, say, GL Pease's Cumberland. By mid-bowl, this blend really shines. All of the flavors merge so harmoniously: sweet Virginias, tangy Kentucky, plummy Perique. Despite being tinned on the wet side, after some dry time and by mid-bowl, Scottish Cake delivers thick clouds of creamy smoke with absolutely no bite. Unlike many sipper's blends, Scottish Cake is very forgiving of heavy puffers. I should add that despite the initially moist tobacco, after some dry time this blend burned straight through after a charring and then true light, with only one re-light required. Interestingly, in the final third of the bowl there are some peppery notes from the Perique. This is one of those rare blends that showcases both sides of the Perique flavor spectrum: stewed fruit at the onset and a hint of spice towards the close. But as much as the Kentucky and Perique add to this blend, the real stars in my opinion are the Virginias. You just can't make a great VaPer or VaBurPer blend without smooth, kind Virginias. Overall, this is a very smooth and harmonious blend with the constituent tobaccos each playing their part flawlessly. Those diehard VaPer aficionados should be aware, however, that this is a relatively mild Perique blend. And that's ok: not every VaPer needs to be a "Perique bomb". This is simply a superb blend showcasing what a talented blender is capable of: balance, flavor, subtlety, and creamy deliciousness.

Peterson - Nightcap 50g
i don‘t like
I've read that this stuff is a Latakia bomb, so I opted for a couple ounces of the bulk match. When I opened the bag, I was hit with the smell of Latakia and nothing else. I'm not a big Latakia fan. It's okay to me in tiny doses as a condiment, but too much just smells like leather to me. The taste is what I imagine it would be like to put a stem on a charcoal grill or hibachi and puff away. To each their own . . . I'll pass on this one. Threw the pouch away after a few bowls.

McConnell - Scottish Cake 50g
good
The tin note is full-blast fruitcake, VA forward, Perique noticeable, and clearly a goodly amount of Orient in there (the back label says Carolina, though). The KY is seriously outvoted in the scent, but it will come into play during the smoke. The slices are easy to rub out or to fold-and-sink, either way it's a cool smoke. The flavour starts out sweet, with plum and figs in there, Red VA sweetness, somewhat honey-ish, a little spice... the flavour does not change overly much during the smoke, but there are all these nuances popping up in between, simply beautiful. Lights up well from the fresh tin for me, burns slowly, coolly, uncomplicatedly, and leaves no dottle when rubbed out. This blend has a wonderful aftertaste that lingers on for a good while, reminding me of the wonderful smoke I had.

McConnell - Pure Latakia 50g
This is good, quality stuff
Upon opening, the fresh earthy Latakia scent off the tin hit my nostrils, but surprisingly it was sweet and did not kick in to my brain! It was just amazing to fill a noseful of smelling while enjoying the aromas. It burns amazingly cool, knowing that I went for a strong not-slow-at-all smoke (the bowl lasted for a quick 40 minutes)! The Latakia aromas tend to dry your palate, yet the way it does it is so smooth that you actually enjoy this mild dryness since it allows the smoker to even have a better taste of the subtleties of the aromas. It tastes earthy, strong but gentle, reminding me of an iron hand with velvet gloves. Evolves well through the bowl, loosing a small bit of taste by the end of it. Ashes go really thin and with practically zero residue in the stem and chamber. A definitive amazing smoke for me, delivering the great earthiness of Latakia leaves with enough density to keep on wanting to puff one more time!

Fribourg & Treyer - Vintage Flake 50g
very good
Presentation is nice. The flakes are neat, moist and soft. I absolutely love it. The tin note is like grains, oats, sultanas and raisins, but the raisin notes don't come through in the taste. I let this dry for a bit to keep the heat low for smoking and make the combustion better. You could probably smoke it at tin moisture, but I prefer not to risk the tongue bite. In the smoke I get notes of of topping of vanilla, sweet bread, slight honey, fermented overripe banana, cashew sweetness, shortbread cookie, some spice which is kind of tingly on the tongue and on the retrohale, oats, some molasses, a nuttiness develops, sultanas, some wood notes, a floral aspect too, pastry notes. Sometimes it seems like there is a vanilla note, and maybe cocoa. The end of the bowl is okay. It gets quite smokey and earthy with some spice, yet there is still an underlying sweetness. I get the barest hint of cinnamon and brown sugar as well. Nicotine strength is maybe medium, for me, and so is the tobacco strength. The taste is medium. There are a lot of flavors. What makes this Virginia flake special is the sweetness and spiciness and slight pungency of the fermented taste quality. It also gets earthier than most Virginia flakes, and when I say "earthy", I mean like soil or mustiness of wood. Things like that. It's similar to Capstan blue in it's sweet, oat-like taste, but the fermented taste is unique, and different than the fermented taste imparted by Perique in Virginia Perique flakes. It's a pretty rich, tasty straight Virginia flake, and a good expression of Virginia complexity.