Welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes with Shane Ireland. Our friends at HU Tobacco over in Germany have released a handful of new blends, so now I have some more stuff to add to my list to smoke through. I went ahead and jumped one blend in particular to the front of the line that piqued my interest. Today I'm super excited to try the new HU Dark Sea.

Dark Sea is really interesting. On paper, it definitely sounded right up my alley, which is the reason I chose to start here out of all of the blends that I still need to smoke through from the HU series.

It is basically a riff on a Navy mixture. It is not a flake, it is a ribbon-cut blend. There are some chunks in there that are tobacco that look like it was pressed at one point. Dark Sea is comprised of ready-rubbed Virginias, Kentucky, Burley, Perique, and a hint of Latakia. Since Kentucky and Burley are both listed, I'm assuming that some of that Kentucky leaf is Dark-Fired.

Rich and Spicy Character

There's a very rich, smoky, and spicy character from this blend, both in the tin note and in the smoke. I tend to think of a Navy blend as a Virginia, or a Virginia/Perique that has the addition of some rum. This definitely has the addition of rum and anise.

Before smoking it, I wondered how much the Latakia and the Dark-Fired Kentucky were gonna come through and I'm pleased to say that everything here is really balanced. Basically what you end up with is a spicy Virginia mixture that has a little bit of a boozy quality and a little bit of something extra from the anise.

Dark Sea comes in the signature large 100g tins here. The mixture itself is gorgeous. It's mostly medium brown to chestnut, there's some darker black pieces in here. There's some ready-rubbed Virginia, some bright flecks, and brighter pieces of ribbon.

The tin note is crazy. It does remind me of a handful of other Navy-type blends, like blends that have a boozy quality to them. The spice is very apparent, though I actually don't detect a ton of Latakia spice here, or I should say smokiness. I'm getting more of the Kentucky Dark-Fired/Burley notes and maybe a hint of the Perique funk and fruitiness.

It is very deep, rich, spicy, and malty. There's something really floral about it. I think, possibly, the licorice and the rum are exacerbating that quality and making it more noticeable. There's definitely a vegetal quality, and a little bit of an earthiness and a healthy spice there.

Not too much of the booze coming through in the tin note. Really, blindly going into this, I would probably assume this was a very natural Virginia blend with maybe a little bit of something extra in there in terms of condimental tobacco.

I do find that the spice builds a little bit over the bowl. Off the first charring light and relight, through maybe the first quarter of the bowl, it's a lot more delicate on the retrohale than it is later on in the smoke.

A Well-Rounded Evolution of Flavors

This is a tobacco that evolves quite a bit throughout the course of the bowl but I find that even though it's on the richer, spicier, and heavier side in terms of strength and flavor for a Virginia, it is still very well-rounded on the edges, almost like an aged tobacco would be.

There's nothing harsh or spiky here, especially on the retrohale, and I get more sweetness and more maltiness from the Virginias, initially, and then as the bowl progresses, the condimental leaves become a little bit more apparent and some of the nuance, complexity, and spice becomes more intense.

I think one of the most remarkable things about Dark Sea is how well integrated the rum and the anise flavoring are into the blend. Neither of them are obviously perceivable to the smoker, so again, going into this blind, it would take me a little while to even identify that there was an additional flavoring. I might land on that it was a boozy additional flavoring, but it's so well done and so subtle that the natural tobaccos here and really, specifically, the Virginias are the stars of the show, which is really interesting in a blend that has so much in its makeup, in terms of Perique, Dark-Fired, Burley, and a touch of Latakia, plus you have two very noticeable flavorings, rum and anise. These are all typical components in a variety of tobacco blends but having them all together in this particular combination is not something that you come across every day.

The complexity factor is high, and sometimes I find that those blends can be engaging and consuming in a way that you're forced to really pay attention to them and the nuance. Sometimes you're even forced to pay attention to your technique in a way that allows you to appreciate all of those complexities, whereas Dark Sea, for me, so far, seems to be one of those pack-and-go, really comfortable blends that can fade into the background.

This one definitely has enough flavor to stand up to smoking outside or for pairing with a strong black coffee, or a strong alcoholic beverage. At the same time, it's really easy to just enjoy.

A Versatile, All-Day Blend

I think if you're a medium-to-full Virginia smoker, or even if you're a crossover English smoker, this could absolutely be an all-day blend for you. I would say that the strength and the flavor is just a hair past medium, and maybe for those of us that prefer something a little more mild, this would be better suited to the evening. It's an excellent, richer, and darker Virginia blend with a perfectly balanced addition of several condimental tobaccos. I expected all of the condimental stuff to be way more in my face when I started smoking Dark Sea, and I'm really pleased with how balanced it is.

Dark Sea performs very well. I love the spontaneity of the burn. I love how much smoke volume you can get without it ever being harsh on the palate. The retrohale is crazy, and as the bowl progresses, it just gets more and more interesting. Definitely the spice factor is amplified after a little while there. You do get a little bit of warming spices and that barrel and vanilla character from the rum. The licorice is just present enough that every now and then I get a little wisp of it but mostly it enhances the natural flavors and the spice from the Burley and the Kentucky tobaccos. I do get a touch of sweetness every once in a while, and that's probably coming from both the Perique and the Virginias. The Latakia is barely detectable.

I would smoke this in either something neutral, like a Meerschaum or a cob, or one of your Virginia pipes. I actually chose a little J. Alan sandblasted Apple with bamboo. I have smoked a variety of Dark-Fired and Latakia blends out of this pipe, and even still, I'm finding the Latakia to be just barely there. It adds volume to the smoke, a little bit of creaminess, and just a touch of that woody and barely smoky character.

This is a versatile and complex take on the Navy blend that's pretty unlike anything else on the market. I definitely recommend this for all the Virginia, Virginia/Perique folks out there. If you like Latakia mixtures that are a little bit more like McConnell's Latakia Flake or Sillem's Commodore, and if you like McConnell's Folded Flake, or even things like Marlin Flake, this one's gonna be right up your alley. It's just different enough from the other Navy flakes and Virginias on the market, and I think that the condimental tobaccos here, the Perique, the Kentucky, the Burley, and the Latakia, are done so well. They're balanced so none of them are in your face. This is a very harmonious smoke, from top to bottom, and so complex that I think it will take a couple more tins for me to really wrap my head around it. It also has great aging potential. Long legs on this blend, for sure. Dark Sea is another winner from HU.