hyper_dermic
02-04-2007, 12:38 AM
I finally ventured into the world of aromatics..
and im very glad i did.. i was definatly missing out on some nice blends.
The term "aromatics" scared me off at first. Being somewhat of a tobacco snob, i thought aromatics was the crap that newbies smoked... like drug store baccys.
i have flashbacks to the cherry cavandash blends carried by the local walgreens pharmacy. Ugh *shudders*
I placed an order with pipesandcigars.com after some reccomendations and reviews (tobaccoreviews.com)
pipesandcigars seems to carry a very nice line of bulk blends.
I ended up getting
Grousemoor, Autumn evening, Butternut Burley, Mcbarrens Vanillia cream loose cut, and Samuel gawith's chocolate flake.
the 1st three were bulk, and the last 2 were in tins.
So here are my early impressions. ive only smoked 1-2 bowls of each
Grousemoor.
This one is a keeper for sure. Its a VERY unique flavor. The initial aroma of the tobaccos reminds me of english tea. upon lighting im greeted by a very plesant, light flavors. The aromatic part definatly takes center stage in this tobacco. Slight sweetness, very floral, with hints of lemony/orange zest, almost a Tea like flavor. The aromatic flavors are balanced well with the tobacco, they are strong, but not overpowering. This blend goes well as a morning smoke. Its light, sweet, and refreshing. I will probably enjoy it more in the summertime.
Its not overly moist, but it does need some time to dry before packing
i normally let all my tobaccos dry atleast 10min and sometimes 30min before packing into my bowl.
scotty's bulk blends Butternut burley.
Yup, another keeper.
The unlit aroma of this is just amazing. slightly sweet and buttery with a background of nuts... maybe pecan... yea, thats it... like a pecan glaze!
The aromatics do not overpower this tobacco, infact the burley is the main player in this smoke, but lingering in the background is that buttery, nutty flavor. i noticed a SLIGHT artificial taste when i smoked it too fast. I would suggest taking smaller puffs to avoid this off taste. The taste could have been from my cob burning.. so your exp may vary.
the tobacco is a bit on the moist side, and takes quite a while to dry out.
after 20 min i grow impatient and just smoke it anyways. on the plus side, it didnt turn into soup in my bowl.. it smoked relativly dry and cool (for an aromatic). the flavors in this blend are simple and straightfoward. Not much complexity. what you see is what you get. and with this blend, thats not bad.
this was the cheapest of the bunch at 6.49 for 4oz. at thats price its hard to pass up!
Cornell & Diehl's Autumn evening bulk
This one will stay around to satisfy my sweet tooth!
the unlit aroma is an all out assault of buttery maple syrup!
while smoking this blend the sweetness centers of my tounge were definatly stimulated, Very tasty if you like sweet things. The maple aroma was also very prominant. Tobacco takes a backseat to the maple/butter flavorings. Not a bad thing really, because when i smoke this, im in the mood for sweet buttery maple! The other aromatics ive tried were somewhat sweet, but this one was definatly sweet! i detected the artifical taste again with this blend when taking too large puffs, but it was in the same cob, so it could be from the pipe burning. Again, not a complex blend, sweet, maple, simple.
This blend had the most moisture out of the bunch, i had to let it dry for 20min before it was even close to smokeable... i leave the jar uncovered for the duration of my smoke to help dry it out a little.
If your a fan of maple syrup, and have a sweet tooth, then give this one a shot! it may be a bit much for some, but i enjoy it.
Mcbarrens Vanilla cream
I got a tin of this from a different source.
the tin aroma was just mouthwatering! made me want to grab a pinch and just eat it.
But alas, after packing it into the bowl and lighting, it wasnt really a vanilla taste... it wasnt bad, but not vanilla.. only mildly sweet, the tobaccos were the main player. The aroma was VERY plesant though, probably the best smelling of the bunch. To me, this is the "classic" aromatic. when i think of aromatic tobaccos and how they should smell, this is what comes to mind.
taste is not to sweet, and not too flavored. slightly more complex then the others, but not as complex as grousemoor. i may or may not buy another tin when this runs out. this blend has the possibility to grow on me. (funny taste was detected again... im almost certain is the cob now that i write these reviews... i need to try these in my meer and see what happens)
the moisture of this tin was low, this is smokable right out of the tin.
and finally
SG's Chocolate Flake.
Im smoking this blend right now.
The tin reveals a very elegant looking chocolate flake. long dark strips of tobacco with a slightly gritty feeling, there seems to be little crystals on the flake. the smell reveals lakatika in the blend... i dont detect any chocolate.
after rubbing out, only 5-10 min drying is required before the bowl is packed.
This one really wasnt my cup of tea, the name chocolate flake is misleading to me, as i cant detect any chocolate flavors.. There is some sweetness, somewhat floral in nature, and a bit of smokyness, but not as much as say.. penzance...
overall, im not a huge fan and wont be buying this again.
its a fine blend to be sure, i can taste a great deal of complexity and refinement in the tobacco, but laktakia just doesnt float my boat. If you like english blends, then definatly give this a shot...
I will probably put this tin up for trade very soon, along with some other english blends...
(if your looking for chocolate flavor, check out stonehaven.. Deep chocolate, red wine, tobacco... oh so yummy... but thats another review!)
So thats part 1 of my TAD of the month.. ive still got a few more coming in from other orders and a contest i won... hopefully that will hold me over until march :)
-hyp
and im very glad i did.. i was definatly missing out on some nice blends.
The term "aromatics" scared me off at first. Being somewhat of a tobacco snob, i thought aromatics was the crap that newbies smoked... like drug store baccys.
i have flashbacks to the cherry cavandash blends carried by the local walgreens pharmacy. Ugh *shudders*
I placed an order with pipesandcigars.com after some reccomendations and reviews (tobaccoreviews.com)
pipesandcigars seems to carry a very nice line of bulk blends.
I ended up getting
Grousemoor, Autumn evening, Butternut Burley, Mcbarrens Vanillia cream loose cut, and Samuel gawith's chocolate flake.
the 1st three were bulk, and the last 2 were in tins.
So here are my early impressions. ive only smoked 1-2 bowls of each
Grousemoor.
This one is a keeper for sure. Its a VERY unique flavor. The initial aroma of the tobaccos reminds me of english tea. upon lighting im greeted by a very plesant, light flavors. The aromatic part definatly takes center stage in this tobacco. Slight sweetness, very floral, with hints of lemony/orange zest, almost a Tea like flavor. The aromatic flavors are balanced well with the tobacco, they are strong, but not overpowering. This blend goes well as a morning smoke. Its light, sweet, and refreshing. I will probably enjoy it more in the summertime.
Its not overly moist, but it does need some time to dry before packing
i normally let all my tobaccos dry atleast 10min and sometimes 30min before packing into my bowl.
scotty's bulk blends Butternut burley.
Yup, another keeper.
The unlit aroma of this is just amazing. slightly sweet and buttery with a background of nuts... maybe pecan... yea, thats it... like a pecan glaze!
The aromatics do not overpower this tobacco, infact the burley is the main player in this smoke, but lingering in the background is that buttery, nutty flavor. i noticed a SLIGHT artificial taste when i smoked it too fast. I would suggest taking smaller puffs to avoid this off taste. The taste could have been from my cob burning.. so your exp may vary.
the tobacco is a bit on the moist side, and takes quite a while to dry out.
after 20 min i grow impatient and just smoke it anyways. on the plus side, it didnt turn into soup in my bowl.. it smoked relativly dry and cool (for an aromatic). the flavors in this blend are simple and straightfoward. Not much complexity. what you see is what you get. and with this blend, thats not bad.
this was the cheapest of the bunch at 6.49 for 4oz. at thats price its hard to pass up!
Cornell & Diehl's Autumn evening bulk
This one will stay around to satisfy my sweet tooth!
the unlit aroma is an all out assault of buttery maple syrup!
while smoking this blend the sweetness centers of my tounge were definatly stimulated, Very tasty if you like sweet things. The maple aroma was also very prominant. Tobacco takes a backseat to the maple/butter flavorings. Not a bad thing really, because when i smoke this, im in the mood for sweet buttery maple! The other aromatics ive tried were somewhat sweet, but this one was definatly sweet! i detected the artifical taste again with this blend when taking too large puffs, but it was in the same cob, so it could be from the pipe burning. Again, not a complex blend, sweet, maple, simple.
This blend had the most moisture out of the bunch, i had to let it dry for 20min before it was even close to smokeable... i leave the jar uncovered for the duration of my smoke to help dry it out a little.
If your a fan of maple syrup, and have a sweet tooth, then give this one a shot! it may be a bit much for some, but i enjoy it.
Mcbarrens Vanilla cream
I got a tin of this from a different source.
the tin aroma was just mouthwatering! made me want to grab a pinch and just eat it.
But alas, after packing it into the bowl and lighting, it wasnt really a vanilla taste... it wasnt bad, but not vanilla.. only mildly sweet, the tobaccos were the main player. The aroma was VERY plesant though, probably the best smelling of the bunch. To me, this is the "classic" aromatic. when i think of aromatic tobaccos and how they should smell, this is what comes to mind.
taste is not to sweet, and not too flavored. slightly more complex then the others, but not as complex as grousemoor. i may or may not buy another tin when this runs out. this blend has the possibility to grow on me. (funny taste was detected again... im almost certain is the cob now that i write these reviews... i need to try these in my meer and see what happens)
the moisture of this tin was low, this is smokable right out of the tin.
and finally
SG's Chocolate Flake.
Im smoking this blend right now.
The tin reveals a very elegant looking chocolate flake. long dark strips of tobacco with a slightly gritty feeling, there seems to be little crystals on the flake. the smell reveals lakatika in the blend... i dont detect any chocolate.
after rubbing out, only 5-10 min drying is required before the bowl is packed.
This one really wasnt my cup of tea, the name chocolate flake is misleading to me, as i cant detect any chocolate flavors.. There is some sweetness, somewhat floral in nature, and a bit of smokyness, but not as much as say.. penzance...
overall, im not a huge fan and wont be buying this again.
its a fine blend to be sure, i can taste a great deal of complexity and refinement in the tobacco, but laktakia just doesnt float my boat. If you like english blends, then definatly give this a shot...
I will probably put this tin up for trade very soon, along with some other english blends...
(if your looking for chocolate flavor, check out stonehaven.. Deep chocolate, red wine, tobacco... oh so yummy... but thats another review!)
So thats part 1 of my TAD of the month.. ive still got a few more coming in from other orders and a contest i won... hopefully that will hold me over until march :)
-hyp