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HU - Louisiana Broken 100g
Weak, but delicious!
I like this blend. Heck, I downright love it. It rewards patience and a slow draw with measurable depth and sweetness fresh out of the tin. A year in the jar later, and the sweetness is only magnified; sweet bread, hay, fruit, plum-sweetness, that Kentucky smoke lingering in the background and never abrasive. This is a blend for contemplation on a weekend afternoon. Only thing is, it's weak. Barely any vitamin N. It's boring in that aspect. This blend does belong in a stressful work week. Heck, you'll still be furious smoking this after a hard day at work. You'll be wanting to mix Rustica leaf with it just to feel something, like I did. If you like nice, mild, sweet blends with zero bite and no full stomach requirement, this is what you're looking for. A 'grandpa's tea time' tobacco, if you will. I still plan to buy more, on account of the deliciousness. If you want a VAperKY with some cajones, I suggest GLPeese Triple Play.

G. L. Pease - Triple Play 2oz
Respectable VAper.
I like Triple Play, because it broke my prejudice concerning Virginia blends and VApers being too weak for meaningful smoking. After opening a 3 year old tin, I found the overall flavor a combination of smoky, raisin-like, and just a little bit sweet. The strength of the blend isn't 4 stars- more like 3. The nicotine hit is there, but I bet a newbie could smoke this on an empty stomach and only catch the hiccups. Still, it's a tasty plug, and a good VA blend for guys that like Virginias but also appreciate a stout smoke. I'd say this would be a nice early afternoon blend. Doesn't blow your mind, but, good. Update; This blend has grown on me substantially. It is very satisfying and rewards you with wonderful flavor upon slowing down. The smoke is remarkably smooth. The nicotine is also quite nice. I'd say this is a Virginia blend with actual taste and strength. Try it. You owe it to yourself. Update to the Update. I'm doing 4.5 stars after smoking this in a cob for a month. This stuff is awesome; sweet, peppery, satisfying. A credit to the race of VA blends. Give me a 1lb block of it. Seriously, what a wonderful blend.

G. L. Pease - Géométrie 2oz
(VA+OR) x time = bubblegum!?
Someone help me solve this equation. I bought Geometrie on an impulse purchase a couple years back. Figured what the heck, might as well. This stuff is pretty good! It's sweet, zesty, and the retrohale is spicy without the need of perique. And to top it all off, this blend gets crazy in the final 3rd. It tastes like bubblegum. That hubba bubba gum from the 90's. How does that work? Either way, it's tasty. There's a common gripe in my reviews of these VA blends. Where's the nicotine? The flavor, cut, and room note are each pretty good. Above average. But it's quickly forgotten by the bowl of Old Joe Krantz I have soon after. Geometrie couldn't scratch my itch even if it was Mr Fantastic with a back scratcher. Good blend, but way too weak.

Cornell & Diehl - Dreams of Kadath 2oz
Don't be fooled.
This stuff is deceptive. Fresh out the tin, Dreams of Kadath is awful. The topping overpowers everything, the VAs bite, and it is so flame resistant, I listed it as a key ingredient in a 'potion of resist flame' in D&D. But some eldritch stuff went on over a year in the jar I put it in. Opening it, I smelled straight up wine. I salivated, man. I could cut it into flakes and cube it flawlessly with zero breaking. The ribbons took to flame like my 6 year old takes to pb&j; joyous and continuous. A year later, the flavors have married to the point that the topping aids it marvelously. Grapes, molasses, berry tea, raisin bread. And the nicotine is absolutely on point; relaxing and made me reach for my ginger ale. My God, this stuff is delicious. With absolutely zero bite. See? Eldritch nonsense. I will be stocking up on this blend heavily. In my opinion, this is probably the second best plug I've ever had. I had to dock half a star on account that this plug takes a year to activate its eldritch powers, but once it does, it is absolutely wondrous.

HU - Edward G. 100g
Sweet and tasty, but...
It's too weak. It's more like a 2 in strength. Don't get me wrong! I actually like this stuff. The flavor reminds me of sweet tea or a nice Arnold Palmer. Plus, the room note got a nod from my wife. (That alone is worth a star!) I just wish the flavor came with more vitamin N. My nicotine addiction aside, I feel like this is a great smoke for folk that like a sweet and unique VA blend with no risk of nicotine sickness. It's a blend you smoke in the middle of the day, on your lunch break while drinking an iced tea. Maybe use it to train your cadence- it bites if you smoke too fast, but not too bad.

Cornell & Diehl - Dark Fired Kentucky 2oz
Good alone, wondrous mixed
My goodly goodness. I had a great bit of fun smoking this in my Wizard Cobbit the first time. The bbq flavor, the mushroom aftertaste, and unbridled nicotine stapled me to my lawn chair. I thought, 'finally, a tobacco with some balls!' But then imagine my excitement when I began to do as good Beans316 said and mixed in just a smidgen of my favorite Virginias. This stuff loves red Virginia, oriental leaf, and even perique. Even blends i bought, tried and consigned to the back of my cellar got seriously upgraded by this Kentucky leaf. That's what makes this a 5 for me. Not only is it strong and tasty on its own, but it makes even trash blends into A-tier smokes with just a few pinches. This stuff will be a staple in my collection, no doubt.

Per Jensen - Legacy Collection: Brothers in Arms 2oz
Spiritual Successor to Bold Kentucky
The dark fire is center stage in this blend, no question. There is plenty of the earthy, savory flavor that I used to associate with HH Bold Kentucky. Yet, it doesn't stop there. Where Bold Kentucky stops in flavor and complexity, Brothers in Arms picks up the ball and punts it to the field goal. The perique offers spice and a sweet retrohale. The dfk merges with the Burley for a wondrous note of dark chocolate. Even the oriental comes in right at the end with a tangy aftertaste that makes one salivate for the next puff. A man could lose control and power through this if he isn't careful. This is especially true because of the second wonderful part of this blend; how consistent and *smooth* it is. Even if one rips through it, there's never any bite! There's no bite, but there's plenty of kick. The nicotine in this blend rivals Bold Kentucky, even surpasses it in some places. Yet through it all, the flavor and smoothness make me want to sit through and enjoy it, rather than endure it. Per Jensen, if you're reading this, you're a genius and a gentleman. What else could one expect from the mind behind the divine HH line? Absolute favorite. 5/5

HU - White Horses 100g
What a comfortable smoke.
White Horses is quite a comfortable, easy smoke. No component fights with another. I taste sugar and fruit. The overall mouthfeel of the smoke is soft and velvety, which I contribute to the cigar leaf. There's spice from the perique, particularly when you don't control your pace and puff hard. Yet there is never any bite. There's this tasty sweetness that's wonderful for a midday smoke. Out of the tin, the moisture content is perfect; not moist or dry, just right to put in a pipe and toke away. The description says its a ribbon cut, but i find that there is a LOT of broken flake here. This isn't a negative at all. The presentation is overall lovely. I give it 4.5 stars instead of 5 because while I find this blend absolutely delicious, nicotine fiends like myself would be underwhelmed by the medium ranged nic hit. For taste like this, I don't mind. There are far too many Virginia blends that are weak in nicotine, but offer only tongue bite, regret, and the taste of hot air. This is blend is a friend that visits you on a Saturday afternoon with a chessboard and a case of Dr.Pepper in the trunk, promising an easy afternoon as you laugh about Takeshi's boy from down the street, remembering how he bit the clown's leg at the town fair last week. What a comfortable smoke.

Cornell & Diehl - Easy Times 2oz
Easy Times, easy smoking
This blend is such a chill blend. It earns its name. The flavor is simple; sweet VA's come first, providing a good sweetness present in every puff. It quickly gives way to the Burley and dark fired, which provides this odd earthy light coffee taste, like I'm munching on dirty coffee beans, but in a good way. It's easy on the tongue, too. No bite at all, even if I decide to freight train it. This blend is easy on the nose, too. There's a pepper here, which tickles the nose just enough to amuse without making me grab the tissues for a quick sneeze. Then there's the nicotine. That's easy, too; it locks you to your lawn chair and relaxes without making your head spin. My gripe with this blend comes from the temperamental nature of it. This blend tasted bad in every bowl I traditionally use for English blends; wide, deep bowls. I was honestly prepared to toss it, until a friend tried it in a bulldog and swore to me its efficacy. After testing his theory, my mind was changed. Would I choose this blend over others of its type? Probably not. However, it is a wonderful tobacco that I'd give to anyone looking for a nice, easy time smoking in the afternoon while you watch the kids throw rocks across the pond.

Mac Baren - HH Rustica Ready Rubbed
Perfection. Simple as.
I first bought this blend a couple years ago, trying to challenge myself with a high nicotine blend. In that time, I've come to see more in this blend than a buzz bomb; it is wondrous. Everything, from the convenient ready rubbed format, to the deep, earthy yet almost sweet-sour sauce-like flavor, to the fine white ash it leaves in every bowl. This blend is absolutely perfect for me. I will be very sad if this goes away.

Cornell & Diehl - Bayou Night
It grows on you after time in a jar!
When I first bought my 4oz bag o' bulk last year, I smoked it and forgot about it. However I found it again when I opened the jar and smelled all that lovely perique in there. Then I smoked it. I kept smoking it. Every time, I loved the plummy taste of the perique, the tang of the orientals, the smokiness of the latakia, all wrapped up in that earthy nutty Burley aftertaste. It was just what I needed during my late night reading time. This stuff grew on me. It's smoky, spicy, sweet, and satisfying. I'll be buying a lot more in the future.

Cornell & Diehl - Old Joe Krantz
Solid Burley blend for the price.
When I reach for a Burley blend, I want strong flavor, strong nicotine and NO bite. Simple as. OJK delivers this in spades. It is a tad one dimensional to some, but time spent with this blend reveals nutty flavor, a tinge of sweetness from the VA's, and pleasant spiciness from the ample perique. Perfect for an all day smoke for us burley folk. For the price, you can't beat it.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Flake Aromatic
Delicious, but hard to deal with.
I love Gawith Hoggarth blends. Coniston Cut Plug and 1792 flake are both two of my forever blends. I thought the dark flake aromatic would fall somewhere between the two. It's flavorful and strong, but that's where the similarities end. It bites like a pit bull with a hemorrhoid. It's wetter than a Mississippi summer. It's higher maintenance than a trust fund chick on holiday. In India. I can see the appeal the flavor has. It's delicious. But I'm no masochist. I'll stick with the other options that don't leave my tongue feeling like a dominatrix just stepped on my tongue in stilettos.

Cornell & Diehl - Burley Flake #3 2oz
Sweet, spicy, rich, satisfying!
This blend is extremely good. It has all the qualities I personally look for in a tobacco. The taste is sweet, with the red VA's never straying towards a sour note. The smoke is billowing and rich, with a noticeable tingle of spice on the tongue and in the nose. The nicotine, while high, is not overbearing or head spinning; it satisfies without debilitating me. The flaked are dry, but there's an advantage there. This blend is easy-to-break apart, while the reasonable moisture content makes for little to no tongue bite, even if I smoke it like a freight train. The fact that y'all don't sell this in 8oz tins is shameful. I'll be buying much more of this blend from here on out.

Toscano - Maestro Puccini 2oz
Wondrous...
This stuff us everything I've ever wanted in a night time smoke. Dark, rich, intense, spicy, satisfying. The perfect smoke to root you to a chair while you brood and think on the hard day you've had. White, thick clouds, nicotine rich haze in the head. A pleasant aftertaste of earth, Dark chocolate and a hint of dark licorice. Please, please, PLEASE C&D. I beg you. Make this a regular production. I want this as my nighttime smoke every day.

HU - Director's Cut 100g
Good, but overhyped
Going into this, I was very excited to taste the so-called legendary blend of HU tobaccos. However, this experience has left me wanting. It's good, honestly very good. The VAs mesh very well with the perique, but it leaves the Burley behind. The chocolate flavor of the Burley is muted greatly by the vanilla topping and robust VAs. In all, I like this blend, but it didn't wow me. It's far outclassed by Dark Moor. Update. I've finished my tin, and I'm truly not impressed. It's good, but it's also a bity, topped to the gills mess. It is delicious, but overall leaves me wishing I was smoking Dark Moor. I'm lowering the score to 3 stars.

Savinelli - Doblone d'Oro 100g
Gold coins are gold standard.
Malty, sweet, savory, spicy, with notes of honey, nuts, burned meat and bbq sauce. Never biting, ever flavorful, always satisfying. The dark fired Kentucky and Burley easily take center stage, but the VA sweetness permeates through out the bowl. The perique is a wonderful tingle on the nose, never once getting harsh. Leaves behind a soft white ash in the bowl of my Nording Freehand, next to no moisture in the chamber. And the room note! Even the wife approves! This is my most ordered blend for a reason. I've smoked many blends so far, and Doblone D'Oro is one of the precious few blends I keep coming back to, because I know the smoke will aways be golden.

Drucquer & Sons - The Merry Monk 100g
Unique and excellent English blend.
I've come to really love this blend as one of my favorites. Merry Monk is a unique English for many reasons. I believe the burley makes all the difference. Where orientals with Latakia would give your classic smoky sweet&sour vibe, the burley substitutes it with a nuttiness that meshes incredibly well with the smoky Latakia, sweet Virginias and fruity perique. It's given further body and balance with the Cavendish. Every change in this blend, throughout the bowl, is a welcome one. I reach for this one far more often than I reach for something like Nightcap or 3 Nuns. Incredibly delicious, down to the end of the bowl.

HU - Khoisaan 100g
Tasty, but there's better.
This English blend gets right what many English blends for me get wrong. It has FLAVOR. The Latakia is there, but it does not lead the pack. It's smoky, sweet, rich and oh so bloody satisfying. On first light, you're tickled with notes of dates, cocoa, hay and I swear by my blood; salted butter. As the bowl burns down, the flavor changes. There is no tasting just Latakia or Virginia. Only the glorious spectrum of flavors that captivate me every bowl. From Cocoa and dates, to woods and spice, to toasted mushrooms and cream. Not one change is unwelcome, not one note is bland, and the nicotine is perfectly balanced; satisfying, yet never overpowering. All with absolutely NO tongue bite. Update; I'm knocking it down to a 3.5, purely on the basis that it doesn't stand out nearly as much as blends in the same genre. Drucquer and Sons Levant Mixture and the new C&D plum pudding special reserve, as well as the Maestro Sinfonia flake quite easily trounce this blend in all areas I mentioned, and at a far better price point. Though I believe this is a wonderful blend, t does not enjoy legend status in my cellar any more, especially since its brother, the Zulu Mixture, is virtually the perfect English.

Sillem's - Commodore Flake 50g
I tip my hat, Sir Commodore!
This is the first review I've ever made on this site. I was compelled to do so. Commodore flake is a marvel of impeccable balance, stupendous flavor and sumptuous smoking style. I smoked this in my Peterson Christmas billiard; my standard Latakia pipe. Forget our the tin. Dry this stuff to a crisp. The flavors present themselves stunningly; dark cherries married with smoky campfire, pine and old boot. The smoke is thick, creamy and oh so easy on the retrohale, despite the little kick of vitamin N. This stuff has ensnared me completely. I grab it for my evening smokes more than 1792 flake or bayou night (two other great night time smokes) I will buy more tins of this. I never want to be without this blend again. Do yourself a favor and tip your hat to the Commodore.

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