Dark Strong Kentucky

First- a shout out to @Tgs679 for shooting a tin of this out to me the other week, thanks again, Thomas! The first thing that strikes me upon opening the tin is the stripe of caramel colored tobacco that runs down the center of each otherwise mocha colored flake. The flakes themselves are cut down to ~1.5" pieces, and can almost be rubbed out with just two fingers. There is a pleasant note of anise, and a scent I can only describe by saying it reminds me of the smell of shavings that flew off the circular saw in our high school shop classroom. It is sweet, but only faintly, with notes of hay and the anise being predominate. I found the medium width ribbons to be slightly moist, and I allowed them to dry for a bit prior to packing. When they were dry enough to not mash together and stick, but still moist enough to be springy, I loaded a bowl. I found this to be less “strong”, and more “medium”. It had a good, easy burn and was absent of any bite. The licorice note was quite faint, and the smoke itself was extremely smooth. The Virginia hay notes combined with nuttiness from the Kentucky to make it a satisfying all-day smoke. Towards the end of the bowl I got the most sweetness- particularly of a molasses variety. I can see why everybody was excited about this one returning to the market. I realize it may sound odd, but I’m curious to rub out the dark leaf, separate from the Virginia in the center of the flake and see how each component smokes independently.