This review is after four ounces of this blend (and draws somewhat on a review I posted on tobaccoreviews.com shortly after it was released):
As I understand it, Epiphany was developed to be reminiscent of the original "Revelation" mixture, the same blend that was widely available 30 years ago and was the favorite smoke of Einstein. I've never tried the original, although my dad smoked it when I was a kid and the room note of Epiphany is a dead ringer for what I smelled way back them. The version available today is supposedly quite different from the original product, but as I've never smoked any incarnation of Revelation I have no way to compare them.
According to the manufacturer's description, Epiphany contains "Va, Burleys, Latakia and Perique" and seems to be an attempt at creating an all-day smoke. The presentation is of a pretty standard ribbon cut, mostly dark brown with occasional bits of bright yellow and black (Va bright and latakia, I believe). This blend is clearly flavored with some kind of fruit topping, and I've heard that this flavor is plum and was an integral part of the original Revelation mixture.
When I first loaded my pipe, I was expecting a typical American-English blend with a mild berry or fruit topping. I was pleasantly surprised when the first flavors that hit my tongue after applying a match were perique and virginia! The burley and latakia chimed in soon afterward, but the first third of the bowl reminded me strongly of Haddo's Delight -- the flavors aren't identical, but there's definitely a family resemblance here. Slowly, however, the fruity taste fades into the background to be replaced by the familiar nuttiness of burley and the smokiness of latakia. The last third of the bowl, in fact, is pretty close to what I'd initially expected, kind of a sweetened version of Junkyard Dawg or Morley's Best. Unlike many other burley concoctions, this one never turns bitter -- it keeps its flavor to the very bottom of the bowl, which signals (to me) that the proportion of burley is far less than what I'd anticipated. Repeated bowls have been exactly the same -- it's very consistent, but not boring.
It seems to do well in every briar I've smoked it in but really excels in a cob, which is often the case with this type of tobacco. Despite the flavoring, it doesn't seem to leave much of a "ghost" in any of my pipes but I'd still recommend either dedicating a briar or sticking with cobs, as I'm not always the best judge of such things. There's a respectable amount of nicotine, and the room note is pleasant. It burns easily, if a little faster than I'd like, but doesn't grow hot unless puffed too quickly. There doesn't seem to be much potential for tongue bite -- I usually smoke this with a pretty strong ginger ale and haven't noticed any adverse effects, even when I've grown careless with my technique.
Conclusion: This is a very impressive "all day" smoke. It clearly falls under the category of an old-fashioned American blend, which means it can be smoked often without much in the way of mouth fatigue. Unlike other mixtures of its type, however, the combination of tobaccos produces an unusual degree of complexity -- it's no Balkan, but it's also a far cry from Prince Albert or my normal faves in this genre, Old Joe Krantz and Morley's Best. The last couple of months have reinforced my initial impressions, and while I don't smoke it every day it has become an essential part of my rotation. It's available for a very reasonable price ($34.50 a pound from C&D), which makes it a great bargain, too!
Highly recommended.
As I understand it, Epiphany was developed to be reminiscent of the original "Revelation" mixture, the same blend that was widely available 30 years ago and was the favorite smoke of Einstein. I've never tried the original, although my dad smoked it when I was a kid and the room note of Epiphany is a dead ringer for what I smelled way back them. The version available today is supposedly quite different from the original product, but as I've never smoked any incarnation of Revelation I have no way to compare them.
According to the manufacturer's description, Epiphany contains "Va, Burleys, Latakia and Perique" and seems to be an attempt at creating an all-day smoke. The presentation is of a pretty standard ribbon cut, mostly dark brown with occasional bits of bright yellow and black (Va bright and latakia, I believe). This blend is clearly flavored with some kind of fruit topping, and I've heard that this flavor is plum and was an integral part of the original Revelation mixture.
When I first loaded my pipe, I was expecting a typical American-English blend with a mild berry or fruit topping. I was pleasantly surprised when the first flavors that hit my tongue after applying a match were perique and virginia! The burley and latakia chimed in soon afterward, but the first third of the bowl reminded me strongly of Haddo's Delight -- the flavors aren't identical, but there's definitely a family resemblance here. Slowly, however, the fruity taste fades into the background to be replaced by the familiar nuttiness of burley and the smokiness of latakia. The last third of the bowl, in fact, is pretty close to what I'd initially expected, kind of a sweetened version of Junkyard Dawg or Morley's Best. Unlike many other burley concoctions, this one never turns bitter -- it keeps its flavor to the very bottom of the bowl, which signals (to me) that the proportion of burley is far less than what I'd anticipated. Repeated bowls have been exactly the same -- it's very consistent, but not boring.
It seems to do well in every briar I've smoked it in but really excels in a cob, which is often the case with this type of tobacco. Despite the flavoring, it doesn't seem to leave much of a "ghost" in any of my pipes but I'd still recommend either dedicating a briar or sticking with cobs, as I'm not always the best judge of such things. There's a respectable amount of nicotine, and the room note is pleasant. It burns easily, if a little faster than I'd like, but doesn't grow hot unless puffed too quickly. There doesn't seem to be much potential for tongue bite -- I usually smoke this with a pretty strong ginger ale and haven't noticed any adverse effects, even when I've grown careless with my technique.
Conclusion: This is a very impressive "all day" smoke. It clearly falls under the category of an old-fashioned American blend, which means it can be smoked often without much in the way of mouth fatigue. Unlike other mixtures of its type, however, the combination of tobaccos produces an unusual degree of complexity -- it's no Balkan, but it's also a far cry from Prince Albert or my normal faves in this genre, Old Joe Krantz and Morley's Best. The last couple of months have reinforced my initial impressions, and while I don't smoke it every day it has become an essential part of my rotation. It's available for a very reasonable price ($34.50 a pound from C&D), which makes it a great bargain, too!
Highly recommended.
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