C&D Epiphany

[alfredo_buscatti]

Has anyone tried this? Impressions? Better or worse than Revelation? A worthy burley blend?

 

[Justpipes]

I haven't tried it Mike. I have seen some comments about it from Craig Tarler and heard that it is suppose to be more closer to the very original version than the HOW remake. You might find some of Craig's comments over on Smokers Forum.

Just start investing in a few tubs of Walnut and you will forget all about Revelation.....LOL!

 

[Vito]

Mike:

I mean to try it, but that particular supply of round tuits hasn't shown up yet. I am looking forward to trying it, especially since I've already reviewed original Revelation and HOW Revelation elsewhere.

Vito :joker:

 

[regor]

I got a tin for Christmas from my wife and a sample was sent to me from a friend. The best I can say is that I will get more of it. I did enjoy it a great deal. It was one of the rare times that I could taste the proper "hint" of latakia and it sure was good :cyclops: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny:

 

[Tom Clemons]

Ok, I could not wait until today to start my 4 bowl sample of Epiphany until January 6th, but I've finished it today. Here are my initial impressions - certainly I don't claim to fully know or understand this blend, yet.

This is different from the House of Windsor's Revelation, and I realize it was not meant to be a clone of that blend. I have never tried any earlier version of Revelation, so I can not compare Epiphany with such.

Epiphany appears to me to have much more latakia than HOW's Revelation. Latakia is quite noticeable in the tin aroma and in the smoking. Compared with English-latakia blends, I'd say the latakia content was light-to-moderate in amount. Thus this seems much more of an English-style blend.

Also as salient as the latakia - there also is a fruit topping - I'd guess prune, at least that is what I think I am smelling/tasting. The topping is not goopy, but is noticeable throughout the smoke. HOW's topping seems more like ... grilled pineapple/coconut to me (my best guess). I think the topping of Epiphany is more prominent than in HOW's blend. But it is a very nice flavoring and not overdone. It bears some similarity to to MacBaren's Plumcake to me.

I taste some Virginia, some oriental and perhaps the perique, in that the"stewed fruit" aroma may in part be the Virginia and/or perique contributing. While there is burley, it does not seem as prominent to me as with HOW's blend, and I would not classify Epiphany as primarily a Burley blend, with various little tobacco spice hints, with a light topping. that is how I would classify HOW's Revelation.


Summary - Epiphany is a very nice American-English-aromatic blend that is cool and easy-smoking. It has a noticeable amount of latakia and a mild fruit (prune?) topping that is not goopy. At times I notice Virginia, Burly, oriental perhaps hints of perique. It is easy to smoke and does not bite. Anyone looking for a change of pace (from regular English blends, aromatics, or burley blends) I think will enjoy this. I have enjoyed it and will purchase more.

YMMV,

TC

 

[Vito]

TC:

Thanks for that review, amigo. It sounds like we have three different variations on a theme here, with original Revelation, H.O.W. Revelation, and C&D's Epiphany. I haven't smoked Epiphany yet so I can't compare it to the others, but I agree that Burley is the primary influence in H.O.W. Revelation. It was also the predominant component in the original Revelation when the tobacco was young, but over time it has softened and made room for the fruity, aromatic organics contributed by the Virginias as they've aged.

The Latakia was never prominent in the young original—it existed as a spice note, really. But with age, as so typically happens with Latakia over time, it becomes the sweetest part of the blend. In fact, Latweed often (but not always) goes to mush with long aging. That's just one more reason Latweed blends with added toppings or sweeteners don't tickle my fancy, although I usually dislike the combination for other, more immediate reasons...as a matter of personal taste.

Based on your review, I'd surmise that Epiphany would soften and sweeten even sooner than the original. I get the impression that the Virginia is more prominent. It's detectable in H.O.W. Revelation, but it's buried by the Burleyweed.

In general, I'm not fond of Latakia blends that contain any aromatic essence. There's something in my tastebuds and olfactories that flashes the "Fundamental Incompatibility" warning lights, but there are some noteworthy exceptions. Revelation is one of those exceptions—both the original version and the H.O.W. version. So maybe Epiphany will add itself to the ranks of those rare aromatic+Latakia blends that actually work for me. We'll see...

Vito :joker: