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Erinmore - Erinmore Flake 50g
Perfect for the Tonqurious
This tobacco is basically perfect, I wouldn’t change anything. I like the thin flakes. I can’t really think of any reason it shouldn’t get five stars, but 4.5 just felt accurate. I guess I would like if it had more nicotine, but not at the expense of the wonderful balance it exudes. It’s sweet, citrusy, a little peppery and nutty because of the burley. I wish they made a version of this with some really good perique. I would be very interested to try that. It has just enough of the tonquin essence to titillate the senses, but it is by no means a Lakeland. This is the ultimate starter tobacco for the tonqurious among you. The topping is actually divine if you get into the subtleties of how it plays off the natural tobacco flavors. Don’t let “Juicy Fruit” make you feel some type of way. It is an inaccurate descriptor.

Cornell & Diehl - Bijou 2oz
Cellar this for at least a few months
My tin of this molded over in its jar before I finished it. Had about an ounce left. It was pretty disappointing. If not for that, I would rate this a 3.5, above average. When you crack the tin, the orientals tend to dominate the bowl. I've encountered this with a lot of C&D blends. Initially, fresh out the tin, the condiment tobaccos tend to dominate the taste profile in the bowl, start to finish, it's very noticeable sometimes. So with Bijou, the spicy oriental poked it's head out and really reminded me of a kretek or bidi. The VAs were there, but way in the back and playing a supporting role. With just a few months in a mason jar, the VAs and topping take the front seat and the orientals become the 3rd and the 5th instead of the root note, rather, the "other" notes in a chord. The chord though, may not be a simple a major, I suspect we are not playing Canon in D but something rather more ominous. The VAs are a dark, raisiny, figgy affair, this is not bright, and where there is tang, it is sour, vinegar, not citrus. This is fairly heavy and redolent for a VA blend. It smokes very with a thick, luxurious feel despite lacking tobaccos that usually give a blend that character. Maybe it is the orientals.

Cornell & Diehl - Yorktown
Wispy Honey
This stuff is okay. It’s very light on the palette. There’s not a lot to be said. Less citrus, more hay and honey. Not especially sour, its only prominent characteristic is that it is sort of boring. My bulk order had too many huge stems and a ton of smaller stem material.

Mac Baren - Burley: London Blend 3.5oz
This should not be a limited release but I’m glad I tried it
This is a great blend. It has an incredible room note and smokes really smooth with no bite at all. The cocoa flavor is most evident in the first third after which the nuttiness of the burley dominates with notes of walnut, pecan, coffee and a cakey sort of sweetness that is mild and very balanced. This stuff isn’t a super nuanced, heady, complicated smoke. It’s a really no-nonsense-full-time-all-day-every-day smoke. It’s got like 3 flavors in the whole bowl but they’re delicious and really well defined. It’s a perfect smoke for when you don’t want to pay attention to your bowl and don’t want other people to pay attention to your bowl beyond saying, “That smells nice.” It should be a bulk blend, I really sincerely believe that is this blend’s place. I won’t get another tin as a limited release, I like to reserve those spots in the shopping cart for stuff that is exceptional, and this is exceptional only in how incredibly normal it is. I intend to smoke the whole tin at work. I don’t think I would cellar this, seems like a blend that would smoke best a little fresh.

Mac Baren - HH Rustica Ready Rubbed
I thought this was too wet, but it smokes well if sipped.
This tobacco tastes great. It isn't quite as smokey as something really lat heavy, but it's definitely there. The smoke actually comes across sort of sweet, it's a really nice smoke. Mellower than I expected, but it definitely has a sting and a spicy sort of heat that is almost perique-esque at times. I like it quite a bit. It's a bit wet, I wish there was less humectant. I get lots of cereal notes, barley, sorghum, etc. There is also a pronounced sourness.

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