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Which blend is playing Master Blaster to the other's Mad Max, I'll leave to you, but either way I guess that puts me in Tina Turner's rather angry looking spiked stilettos. As we proceed to the match, remember the law: two blends enter, one blend leaves.
The Championship Round
Marlin Flake vs St James Flake
And this is where it gets tough folks. As Sid mentioned in the comments of our last round, I may have backed myself into a corner here. Both of these blends take some drying and preparation time (St James maybe a shade more, but it's a negligible difference), and both have exactly what I'm looking for in an all day smoke: that perfect mix that makes a blend simple enough to smoke while inattentive, yet complex enough to hold the attention when sitting down to a bowl at the end of the day.
Luckily, aside from these admittedly large similarities, these are generally two very different blends, with very different profiles built around the Perique. Again, the Marlin Flake deals more with the dried fruit aspects of the Perique, choosing to pair it with both the more traditional Virginias, plus some Cavendish and Dark Fired, to create a creamy, smoky base for the plum and fig notes (and tiniest amount of spice). Meanwhile St James concentrates more on a traditional interplay between VAs and Perique, with additional sweetness from the topping, and the overall profile leaning to a Virginia hay/grass sweetness, with a peppery kick and mild notes of boozy chocolate.
Though I guess that additional points should go to Samuel Gawith for sticking with a more traditional VAPer, to my taste there's just all around more to Marlin. More body, more creaminess, and importantly to my interests, more complexity in the interplay of tobaccos. St James fulfills that certain craving I (more than) occasionally get for the Kendal district's sweet, distinctive Virginias combined with a peppery dose of Perique. To me though, Marlin Flake is close to perfection, and I find that even my muscle memory has attuned to the blend; I find myself reaching for it by pure instinct when desiring a pipe.
Winner: Marlin Flake
And that's it for another year. Marlin Flake is our Spring Champion, joining G.L. Pease's Navigator in our budding Hall of Fame. Kudos to St James Flake for making it to the final, and to all of the blends for making it to the final eight in a fairly wide field.
Who will be next year's champ? What will the field be? If you have some ideas, or even just thoughts on this year's showdown, feel free to comment below.
Tagged in: At Smokingpipes Rattray's Reviews Samuel Gawith Spring Showdown Tobacco
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Comments
Great! Well deserved!
(...now if i could just get my hands on some.........)
I am glad to see Marlin Flake triumphant, although I was hoping that Irish Oak and Doblone d'Oro would make it into the final round. Or even one of my favorite Va/Pers... The Beast!
The King is dead, long live the King!
Wonderful conclusion and a deserved winner!
Tried my hand at some Bayou morning flake and while I like the initial half bowl or so, it gets very dark and a bit heavy for me quickly. Maybe with some airtime in a jar, it might smoothen? Overall, I'm very happy I got two excellent tobacco's out of this lineup!!!
Based on a clear preference for Escudo, St James and Marlin taste profiles, would you recommend Fillmore or Elizabethan?
Thank you for a very entertaining series.
What about to take a look on some "English style" blends in the next year? That would be very interesting...
@Joseph Magnuson Haha, yeah, we had quite a bit more of it when we started this year's showdown.
@DEATH METAL Sorry DM, maybe next time Royal Yacht will make an appearance ;)
@Sid It'll definitely settle nicely if you have the patience to cellar it for 2-3 years. As for Fillmore and Elizabethan, I think you'll really like Fillmore, Elizabethan is good, but it is quite mild.
@Alter Egon We might have to move it up a little for an English series, I don't know how I feel about smoking that much Latakia in April/May ;)
Marlin Flake has been my all times choice for about 20 years. Pairs well with some California reds ,especially cabs and aged ,hard cheeses.
@Alexander Gerbakher Ooh, I'll have to break some (Australian) Cabernet Sauvignon ;)
So, does this mean the Marlin Flake sets the bar for Va/Pers this season? I personally will try these two blends just because of this context.
@Tony Suvie I do believe so my friend.