The earthy, woody, floral, spicy, rather dry, sour, nutty, tart dark fired Kentucky is the lead component. The earthy, woody, tangy dark fruity, mildly citrus sweet Virginias are a secondary player. They are a couple of notches below the support level. The sweet burleys provide some earth, wood, and nuts. They are as obvious as the Virginias. There is a mildly tart vinegar/barbecue casing. The strength is a couple of rungs past the medium mark. The taste level is a step past that. The nic-hit is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, though there are a few small rough notes. The plug is fairly easy to break apart, and may need a light dry time. Burns cool, clean, and slow with a very consistent, deeply rich sweet, spicy, floral, campfire flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Requires a fair number of relights. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable.
John Cotton - John Cotton's Double Pressed Dark Fired.
Note: this was from Tobaccopipes.com and arrives in a black tin, marked John Cotton's Double Pressed Dark Fired. Unlike the tin pictured here.
My tin held a single block of kake, dark brown in colour, a few brighter specks, and a wonderfully tangy aroma; very reminiscent of the McClelland ''ketchup'' aroma. A course ribbon, very coarse, can be achieved with a delicate touch, and then it's ready to go!
The smoke? PERFECT for cooler weather; suiting the onset of Autumn. The tangy, BBQ-esc, slightly astringent Kentucky accounts for the majority of the smoke; unequivocally, IMO. I notice a far lower proportion of Virginia. If ''deliberately'' looked for there's a very subtle fruit nuance, maybe a little hay, but nothing that seems particularly preeminent and jumps out; the Kentucky rules the roost! On a whole the smoke has a pleasant, to me, touch of vinegar; making it vibrant and fervent. How does it burn? Perfectly; slow, even, cool. I doubt it'd bite anyone!
Nicotine: quite strong. Room-note: also quite strong!
Double Pressed Dark Fired? After a quarter bowl I ordered another few tins to cellar! Highly recommended:
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