Independence Day 2015 review

PappyJoe

This review was 14 months in the making.

I bought 2 tins in June of 2015 and opened the first one on July 4th 2015. I didn’t so much get the aromatics in the tin note as the Virginias at first and attributed the sweetness to the blending of black Cavendish and burley with the Virginia. The more I smoked it though the more I began to identify a light Amaretto and citrus note.  It was a decent smoke, fairly smooth with only an occasional bite.

I have been slowly smoking this blend but usually only a bowl or two each month when the mood hit me. It’s been probably two or three months since I last opened the tin. When I opened it today, I was frankly expecting it to have become crispy. It wasn’t. It wasn’t moist either but it hadn’t dried out as bad as I was expecting. I also noticed a nice almond cookie scent as opposed to Amaretto. I know some may say there isn’t a difference between the two, but the almond cookie has a more pronounce vanilla scent. It kind of reminded me of fresh baked almond cookies sat in an open window next to a fresh mowed field. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it. Yours may vary.

It lit easy and smoked to the bottom of the Cobbit Shire I was using with no fuss, no tamping and no relighting. It’s was a sweet, creamy smoke with a creamy Amaretto flavor on my palate. The flavor profile was only enhanced by the black coffee I was smoking and I did occasionally ask myself if I was tasting cocoa. That being said, it’s not a punch you in the face aromatic after sitting for a year. 

I have decided that I am glad I bought 2 tins and that I still have one unopened sitting in the bottom of my cellar. I will probably buy another tin or two if they are still available when I make my next tobacco purchase.