Tobacco: Troost Special Cavendish 2013

Pipe: MM Great Dane Spool

Tin Note: Out of the pouch I smell the familiar scent of a nutty Burley, Chocolate, and a little bit of sweet Virginia hints.

Cut/Burn: Special Cavendish comes in a loose/broken flake cut. The quality of this OTC tobacco vs. other OTC's I have smoked is quite a bit higher. Unlike the processed and chopped findings that appear in most OTC pouches, this blend actually looks, feels, and smells like a quality tobacco product. Definitely not a tobacco that you would expect to find inside of an OTC pouch! Being called Special Cavendish, I expected to see some wet, black matter in the pouch but was shocked to see nice brown with light yellow speckled bits of tobacco instead. The tobacco packs well enough and takes light easily. It did require a couple relights and minor maintenance, but overall a "worry free" kind of smoke.

Flavors: From the initial light you are hit with some nutty Burley and chocolate flavors. It almost immediately mellows out into a mild, easy burning Virginia/Burley blend moving forward with a slight sweetness on the aftertaste. As the bowl warms up and you move into the half way point, you begin to notice a bit of that distinctive "black licorice" taste. I believe that the special part of this particular Cavendish must be an anise topping of some kind, seeing as there is a certain spice to it and a black licorice like taste as well. This topping works well with the coaco flavor from the Burley and the sweet hints from the Virginia's. The tobacco retains these flavor characteristics all the way down to the bottom of the bowl

Conclusion: A very nice tobacco, especially for the OTC variety. Please note; however, that to truly enjoy the flavors of this tobacco, it is going to have to be sipped. Puffing on it like a freight train will only result in bland and boring Burley flavors and a burnt up tongue. This blend will bite. Take it slow though and you're in for a decent and mannered smoke. My only qualm is it is a little on the weak side for me, in both flavor complexity and N hit. The flavor profiles are all there, but they are not what I would consider to be a "full-bodied" flavor...if that makes sense. On the "OTC rating scale" I would put this just after CH and PA for quality and taste out of all the OTC tobaccos that I have smoked...I would probably have it tied for 3rd best with Half & Half.

Thank you Tobias for sending me something that I have never smoked before! This was fun!