ATTENTION: CB Pipe Tobacco Review Bombing Run Version 2.0

[cpmcdill]

Got a chance to do my first review sooner than I planned. Maybe I'll do "Pink U" tomorrow.

Details-
Date: April 06, 2015
Name: cpmcdill
Tobacco: Yellow E Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake
Pipe: BBB Superfine straight lovat
Site: Indoors

Observations-

Examination: (how it looked, felt and smelled).
Tobacco was short pressed intact flakes (tin-size, none broken or rubbed out), of a medium reddish brown color flecked with yellow. flakes are flexible and seem to have a good moisture level for smoking. The aroma of the blend was the grass/hay of Virginia and another subtly floral note which makes me wonder if this is a Lakeland. I do not suspect the presence of perique or burley. After a bit of airing the floral note seemed to fade a bit, so it may not have been a significant topping.

Preparation: (how did you prepare and pack it).
Rubbed it out and allowed it to air a few minutes before packing. Stuffed in two generous pinches and got it nicely packed while still allowing a good draw. Didn't feel like using Frank or air pocket methods.

Burn: Matches were used to light the tobacco. Took on a nice burn after the initial light-tamp-relight. Stayed lit most of the way through and burned cool with no tongue bite. Had to relight once about 85% through, when I had to dump some ashes off. After that, smoked all the way down, with minimal dottle at the end and no residual "juice" to deal with.

Flavor: Starts off with a toasty-bready flavors which broadens into a semi-sweet and complex mix of flavors I associate with Virginias, but not monochromatic. Still plenty of grass/hay, so I suspect at most a blend of several Virginia varietals and no other tobaccos. Picking up that other note again, which reminds me of tobacco in the Gawith family.
Halfway, the flavor remains much the same, but in the last quarter some bitter notes creep in. Was I being unmindful and puffing too hard? I wouldn't know, as it's still smoking rather cool. It does sort of remind me of the faint garlic chives flavor I've noticed with Bosun Cut Plug. No criticism there, as I'm still enjoying it. Toward the end that Lakeland-y character gets more pronounced, but subtle and in a good way.

Comments and conclusion:
From the very first puffs, what a delightful first impression. The taste from the first light conveyed a tobacco of high quality. Have I had this before? It's not something I have in my cellar presently, but might have gotten as a bomblet sample long ago. This was a fine smoke, and I'm thrilled I was given enough to carry me through many more enjoyable pipe sessions. I'm grateful to have this opportunity to have such a focused smoking experience, where I can put all my attention on the nuances of the tobacco.