I. Scottish Mixture
This blend smells very unadulterated in the tin, though it supposedly has a slight topping of whiskey. The Virginias are rich and more on the side of dry hay than grassy. The only hint I had of the topping was a slight “zing” when I initially took the lid off. After it sat for 30 seconds it had completely abated. The burley and oriental leaf and a secondary dimension of tobacco reminiscent to a good RYO blend. It is rubbed out (for the most part) and cut into a medium ribbon. The moisture is decent, requiring about 15 minutes sitting out. These are not polished Virginias- they are grassy, but not particularly sweet. There is a tough of whiskey to enhance the fuller strength with more nuances. I found it to burn hot, but not bite. However, I would say this is better for a more experienced smoker because it will taste a bit ashy of it is not sipped slowly.
II. Royalty
This one smells very balanced in the tin. It has a pleasant smokiness that permeates it via the Latakia, but in reality it isn’t a large percentage of the blend. The Virginias offer a sweet grassiness and the Orientals are faintly floral- like mowing the clover in your lawn. It is a springy ribbon that packs great directly out of the package- no drying necessary. In the pipe the blend had a body and strength on the light side, with a honey-like sweetness coming from the Virginia. It had a distinct note similar to placing a plum on a smoker, and the oriental leaf reminded me of Drama. Very good blend that burned well and sipped nicely.
III. Danish Mixture
I’m always curious to see what “upscale” blenders do when they take on the challenge of blending a quality aromatic. The tin note of this blend is still chock full of hay, nuttiness, and a natural sweetness- but it has wisps of maple and vanilla. While it includes Cavendish- it is more caramel in color and not the heavily processed black variety. The moisture level is a bit high for my tastes and so I let it sit for about an hour before loading up the thin ribbons. This a pleasant blend that is stronger on the Virginias with the Cavendish playing “second fiddle”. I enjoyed three flavors, in the following order of strength: grassiness, hazelnut, and caramel. One of the best things about this blend is, like most Danish mixtures, it had a pleasant room note without being artificial like a drugstore aro. It stayed lit easily and didn’t bite.
IV. English Mixture
The description of this blend can be pretty confusing. The name is, obviously, “English Mixture”, and the lid reads “a medium aromatic blend”. It is neither in the commonly understood sense. It utilizes about as much Latakia as one might pinch perique into a blend for finishing, and in turn it is not noticeable in the tin note. Instead it smells like Virginias that are not very sweet, and even has a touch of that McClelland ketchup note. It is cut into ribbons that are slightly larger than shag, and should be dried out for a few before firing it up. The conundrum as to what this blend actually is does not clear up when you smoke it. It has fuller tasting Virginias that produce a very dry smoke which is light on the tongue. Primary flavors are dry hay and a burley nuttiness. The touch of perique is easy to pick up, but the Latakia is MIA. This isn’t a bad blend, in fact, I think it would be great in a clay pipe- but it is neither an English, nor an aro. The burn was great and it was bite free. What’s in a name, I guess?
V. Flake Medallions
I could be mistaken, but I think pretty much any tobacco presents better in flake or coin form. This has a straight-up, hay loft on a damp afternoon smell that any Virginia lover would enjoy. The spice of Perique is evident and there is a bit of a bit of raisin and some almost lemony notes to top it off. It crumble beautifully with just two fingers and quickly turns into a very supple shag cut which is dry enough to smoke immediately. This had sour, medium to medium/full Virginias that reminded me of McClelland Dark Star. The Cavendish adds a pleasant toasted pecan note. It is mildly sweet, but it is a nuanced sweetness with more than one layer, like molasses or honey, as opposed to a sugary dessert aro. It burns a bit warm and can bite if you allow it.
