Quote Originally Posted by tmoran View Post
Tobacco: Borkum Riff Special Mixture No 8
Age: 6/11/2013
Blend Contents: Maryland, Burley, Cavendish, Kentucky, Virginia, Black Cavendish, Oriental/Turkish
Pipes: No name meer, MM Missouri Pride, MM Legend, Jima
Tin Note: Vanilla, honey, fruit
Prep: Varied.



Notes:
The tobacco is a bit damp upon initial opening of the pouch, but not too damp to smoke. The cut is a fairly consistent ribbon with tobaccos ranging from very light to almost black, and everything in between. Their is a strong aroma of vanilla from the Cavendish, and also some sweet fruit and a little bit of honey.

While I mentioned this tobacco was smokeable right out of the pouch, I found the flavors and smoking quality to be greatly enhanced when given some time to dry. The best smoke I got from it was when I left some on a plate by accident overnight and packed it in a pipe for my morning commute.
Once dried, I found this tobacco to burn and stay light fairly easily. Only an occasional relight was needed.

The flavors were sweet, and to me, the vanilla from the Cavendish was more of a background flavor. The fruit and honey were more dominant, with a bit of nuttiness from the burley and some very faint VA flavors. The various other tobaccos I could not distinguish. The flavors and topping stayed true to the bottom of the bowl. The topping never burned off or diminished.

At times, the tobacco seemed on the very edge of biting, but never got there. If you pushed it, this tobacco could definitely fry your tongue. A moderate amount of temperature control is required. Ash was fine and medium gray in color.

I was pleasantly surprised by this tobacco. I've never had a Borkum Riff blend, and to be honest, I actively avoided them. Needless to say, I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I've smoked quite a few bowls so far, and plan on finishing the pouch. I don't think I'll buy more of this stuff, but it opened my mind about the various Borkum Riff offerings. Thanks for prying my mind open, Tobias!

Careful, Tim!
You just might find everyone else's Borkum Riff leftovers in your mailbox!