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Greetings punters, and welcome to the preliminary finals of our Spring Showdown. We're down to the final four now, and our judges, having kept their tongues on ice and their palates rested, are ready to pare it down to our two finalists. All bets are final ladies and gentleman, and windows are closing presently.
Round Two Rundown
Dunhill - Flake vs Samuel Gawith - Grousemoor
I'm actually a little mad I have to pick between these two, Dunhill Flake being an old favourite, and Grousemoore being a new one. The Spring Showdown being my idea, I have no-one to blame but myself.
On presentation, Dunhill is the clear winner. I'd say that it's an unfair comparison, with one being a flake and another a ribbon, but we've all seen Samuel Gawith flakes, and as tasty as they can be, they'll never be winning any beauty pageants. Grousemoor takes the tin note, as while Dunhill Flake's earthy, hay, leather and citrus aroma is enticing, Grousemoor just reminds me more of spring - fresh cut grass and Thai food on the deck.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and smoking both of these tobaccos — now having been opened for a couple of weeks apiece, it's the Grousemoor I find myself wanting to reach for again. Dunhill won last week on the metric of providing a better balance of cool, dry, easy smoking for all day puffing, yet with enough complexity to contemplate over a cup of tea in the early evening. This week, it's the Grousemoor that has the upper hand, as the variety of flavours to be found in the tobacco and its topping just edges over the Dunhill Flake.
So yeah, Grousemoor wins it for me. Luckily I need only choose one over the other for the purposes of this tournament, as a spring without both of these tobaccos on hand would be a dreary spring indeed.
Winner: Samuel Gawith - Grousemoor
Fribourg & Treyer - Cut Virginia Plug vs G.L. Pease - Navigator
We're approaching the end of this showdown, and it's a tight match all around. Navigator vs. CVP? It's a hard choice, and one I've been deliberating for almost a week now.
On the one hand, Cut Virginia Plug is just such a great all-day smoke. Morning, day, or night, it fits the bill. The citrus and dried-fruit notes really shine in this blend, yet are careful not to overpower, allowing a subtle spiciness in the background. There's a slight creaminess to the smoke as well, which works to tie in all those aforementioned flavors into one cohesive, celebrated tobacco. But is it enough to push it to the mantle of Top Spring Tobacco?
Unfortunately, it doesn't. Navigator offers a similarly citrusy and pure tobacco flavor, but it's the generous amount of earthy dark-fired Kentucky and the subtle rum topping that set Navigator apart. Rich and fairly full-bodied, it's not quite the all-day smoke CVP is, but for me, at least, it's far more evocative of the season.
I've smoked a lot of Navigator in the past, and it just has that Old World feel. The flakes aren't quite as nice as those by F&T, but I would suggest rubbing this blend out anyway. The complexity and rum topping are much more intriguing with a greater burning surface area, and just lighting it up again brought back memories. The combination conjured up rainy spring afternoons and old-school salsa music — of crisp evening walks along the beach; of sharing a drink or two with friends. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I've ever even smoked this blend in any other season (perhaps overlapping a touch in summer). So, for that and many other reasons, if you were to ask me for my favorite spring tobacco, I would likely point you to Pease and his wonderful Navigator.
Winner: G.L. Pease - Navigator
The Final Showdown
There were some tough choices to be made in this round, but next week is looking to be even tougher, with Grousemoor and Navigator being firm favourites around the office. Even still, our judges are committed to finding the ultimate spring tobacco for the 2015 season. It's hard work smoking all these wonderful blends, but we're dedicated.
Once again we'll be back next week with the final two contestants in the championship match of 2015's Spring Showdown. If you have any thoughts on who the winner should be, or just want to suggest your own spring time blends, feel free to leave a comment below.
Tagged in: Dunhill Fribourg and Treyer G. L. Pease Reviews Samuel Gawith Spring Showdown Tobacco
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Comments
looking forward to see who the winner is!
I am currently puffing on G.L.Pease chelsea morning blend which after a week of opening is revealing a base of sweet creamy plum notes ( excuse my raw description as i am new to this) initial opening of the tin revealed a leathery -spicy note.
There are shock tobaccos, dreaming tobaccos and those who demand silence and reverence like some P.L. Pease