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ey everybody, I'm Shane Ireland and welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes. I am excited to talk about and smoke the latest release from Drucquer & Sons': King's Fool. King's Fool is an English flake-cut — It's a blend after my own heart as it's primarily Virginia based, and I would say it's a lighter all-day English blend. The mixture is seasoned with Latakia, a little bit of vintage Burley from 2014, a touch of Black Cavendish for body, and of course Cornell & Diehl's proprietary genuine St. James Parish Perique from 31 Farms in Louisiana.

King's Fool: A Well-Balanced, All-Day Smoke

Drucquer & Sons' revival is brought to you by the good folks at Cornell & Diehl and G.L. Pease, "The Dark Lord" himself. Again, these blends are a reimagining of blends that are nostalgic and sentimental to Greg. who started his foray into blending pipe tobacco at the Drucquer's shop in California. I've been a super big fan of pretty much everything Greg has ever done that involves Latakia. I think that's kind of how he earned his moniker there, the "Dark Lord," which I'm going to keep saying. He is absolutely fantastic working with Oriental leaf and Latakia mixtures in general. And when I see something that is billed as being an all-day or a lighter English, it piques my interest because I'm primarily a Virginia smoker, so I'm always looking for stuff that occupies that space. This blend falls between your heavier English- and Balkan-style mixtures and the straight Virginias and Virginia/Periques that I smoke most of the time throughout the year. So on paper, like I said, this one caught my attention and definitely does not disappoint in the pipe.

Medium-to-Bright Flakes Indicative Of A High Sugar Content

In the tin, there're beautiful flakes that are mostly medium-to-bright in color. I think this is a pretty good indication visually of the profile of the blend overall, which is primarily really high sugar content. Bright Virginia leaf from 2019 and a really nice grade of Red Virginias from 2017. That's the base and the bulk of this mixture — even in the tin note — you're getting a flavor that's vaguely citrusy and definitely malty, grain-like, and with bready notes from the Virginias. There's a little bit of tang, a little bit of some darker fruit notes, earthiness, woodiness, and just the faintest hint of a mesquite, barbecue, smoky kind of a vibe in the background. Really complex actually on the nose alone. And like I said, that is pretty much what the smoke itself has in store for you as well.

King's Fool Components

This mixture has components of 2019 Bright Virginia, 2017 Red Virginia, and a pinch of Vintage White Burley from 2014. Of course there's Latakia, a very light-handed dash of Black Cavendish, and a little bit of genuine St. James Parish Perique from 31 Farms for good measure. The flakes themselves are really supple, really easy to handle, and easy to rub out if that's your preference. And they also take to the flame really well when stuffed directly into the pipe. As usual, since I'm smoking indoors, I did rub this out fully. I also want to experience the full character of the blend in the initial pop of flavor. What I get is something that is frankly right up the Virginia smoker's alley. I'm getting sweetness, tang, bready characters, malty characters, cereal notes; the Virginias are front and center, especially right off the bat. Yes, Perique and Latakia are there, but they are supporting characters. With this one, I do get a little bit of nuttiness, maybe even a little bit of a light cocoa flavor, which I attribute to those 2014 White Burleys and the Cavendish. Again, at this point you're pretty much just talking about adding a little bit of body, which this blend has a lot of, given that it is not the most robust-flavored English flake I've ever smoked.

King's Fool Is Excellent For English And Latakia Fans

King's Fool, ironically, is all about elegance and finesse, in my opinion, the blend itself and the smoke. You have a very well-balanced, all-day smoke for English and Latakia fans. I think this is an excellent crossover mixture for those of us who do not normally smoke Latakia on a daily basis. For this time of year, the weather cools down a little bit, and perhaps you're looking for something a little more exotic in your pipe and a little more full-flavored. This is going to be a fantastic option. I expect that with the high content of pretty sugary Virginias, both the Bright and the Red Leaf, this one is going to age very well. I think you're going to end up with something that is very interesting. Once it has matured, maybe beyond five years, even longer, there'll be a lot of sweetness and a lot more fruity notes.

Rich, Complex Tasting Notes

As this blend progresses in the bowl, even fresh, I get almost a wine-like character from the Latakia and the Perique interplaying with each other. It is not terribly spicy, not even on the retrohale, but you do have a little bit of warming spice notes, a little bit of that incense-like quality and a little bit of that loamy, earthy, and umami undertone approaching the halfway point of the bowl. I would say that maybe Latakia and Perique are coming more forward. I'm getting more of that spice on the retrohale still, as well as some of those nice dark fruit notes, the woody notes, and just a little bit of smokiness.

An English Flake-Cut For Virginia Fans

But really, like I said, this is an English flake-cut for the Virginia guys. I would say that if you are a fan of Early Morning, maybe something like Sam Gawith Skiff Mixture or McConnell Oriental in the yellow tin, give this one a try. Or really any mixture that's a little bit lighter on the Latakia and a little bit more Oriental forward. This one will likely be of interest to you. And I would go one step further and say that being a fan of Greg's tobaccos, I think that something like Piccadilly or even something like Fillmore, and if you're into either of those, which I think are kind of sleepers in his portfolio, highly recommend checking 'em out. If you're into either of those, King's Fool is going to be right up your alley. It's a unique, all-day English that I think has a lot of aging potential, and right now it is hitting the spot as an early morning/all-day smoke for me.

Discover King's Fool By Drucquer & Sons', Available Now

Today I'm smoking Drucquer & Sons' King's Fool in a little sandblasted Ben Apple with bamboo by J. Alan, one of my go-to Latakia pipes and it is loving this blend for sure. Thanks everybody, we'll see you next time. In the meantime, check out Drucquer & Sons' King's Fool, the latest and greatest from "The Dark Lord" himself. Thanks Greg, and thanks everybody for watching.