New Mac Baren Dark Fired Kentucky

[Kyle Weiss]

Now I'm mooching. Send me some. Oh, and a pony, too. :cheers:

 

[Blackhorse]

The pony is no problem. Tobacco, however, is another matter completely.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

The pony is no problem. Tobacco, however, is another matter completely.

A pony that craps Latakia? :cheers:

 

[Puff Daddy]

A pony that craps Latakia? :cheers:

Shhhhh!!! The secret formula for Walnut, you're not supposed to tell!!

If you feed the pony tonquin you get Sweet Dung Twist :shock:

 

[Blackhorse]

So THAT'S where Latakia comes from? Just as I always suspected!

 

[MisterE]

A pony that craps Latakia? :cheers:

Shhhhh!!! The secret formula for Walnut, you're not supposed to tell!!

If you feed the pony tonquin you get Sweet Dung Twist :shock:

Yes, that's the mysterious Dung-quin topping.

 

[Brewdude]

Nice review BH. Also checked the one one the review site.

I got my 2 tins from Iwan Ries yesterday and will fire up a bowl probably sometime this weekend. I'll be looking forward to it, for sure!


Cheers,

RR

 

[scottbtdmb]

The pony is no problem. Tobacco, however, is another matter completely.

A pony that craps Latakia? :cheers:

I'm sending you a Lakeland pony, one that grazes out back of the Gawith&Hoggarth factory and has thus absorbed years and years worth of Lakeland essence. Enjoy!

-Scott

 

[Blackhorse]

Likely it farts petunias.

 

[Brewdude]

Tried some today, after pressure washing my deck which took several hrs....

Took 2 flakes out of the tin and they were sticky and moist. Tin aroma was like beef jerky. Rubbed them out and left to dry in a saucer. After 1/2 hr they were still too moist. OK, so leave it for later.

Chose my Karl Erik Volcano after the power washing lark. Got it from our own BH and it smokes flakes well. The moisture content was just about right at this point.

Lit and burned well. Dark smoky character, although somewhat one dimensional. No nic hit like I was expecting. Not a bad thing either!

The best flavor was in the first third of the bowl. After that it became somewhat insipid. Could have been anything! Muddled flavor.

Perhaps this is going to require some age to come into it's own. I'll try it again in another pipe but suspect this may require some age before it comes into it's own.

As always ymmv.....


Cheers,

RR

 

[Blackhorse]

Try it in a different pipe.

 

[Brewdude]

Try it in a different pipe.

Yes of course. I'll be doing just that tomorrow.

:rabbit:


Cheers,

R

 

[Smoker99]

Blend sounds good, but I read where it is flavored, like the old DSK. That pretty much makes it a non starter for me.

 

[Blackhorse]

Where did you read that?

 

[scottbtdmb]

Tried some today, after pressure washing my deck which took several hrs....

Took 2 flakes out of the tin and they were sticky and moist. Tin aroma was like beef jerky. Rubbed them out and left to dry in a saucer. After 1/2 hr they were still too moist. OK, so leave it for later.

Chose my Karl Erik Volcano after the power washing lark. Got it from our own BH and it smokes flakes well. The moisture content was just about right at this point.

Lit and burned well. Dark smoky character, although somewhat one dimensional. No nic hit like I was expecting. Not a bad thing either!

The best flavor was in the first third of the bowl. After that it became somewhat insipid. Could have been anything! Muddled flavor.

Perhaps this is going to require some age to come into it's own. I'll try it again in another pipe but suspect this may require some age before it comes into it's own.

As always ymmv.....

Surprised that with you being a brewer and all, you didn't mention the smoked porter/rauchbier like taste. To me that is the most predominant flavor profile going on with Old Dark Fired. Also, I have smoked it in a variety of different shaped pipes from wider pot shaped pipes to deeper chimney shaped pipes. I don't find a huge difference in flavor, but as you said YMMV. ODF is definitely not a complex smoke, but seems to be consistent for me and I can't wait to sit up at my pool next weekend and smoke a bowl of it while sipping some Stone Smoked Porter.

-Scott


Cheers,

RR

 

[Blackhorse]

After a dozen bowls of this in a variety of pipes, I still find it an excellent blend in terms of value, management, burn (esp. when well dried...or it wants to die at the very end instead of burning to a clean ash...like many other dense flakes) and overall flavor. Does it develop as it burns down...or produce flavor shifts...and dance in and out like sugarplumb fairies? No so much. It's just a straight, dark, full flavored blend that has a moderate note of Dark Fired K to it. Nothing wrong with that in my book.

Since there's been no response from Smoker99 as to where it was written that it was 'flavored' - I still wonder where that came up. Without knowing I'll pull out the fact that nearly all blends are flavored...or at least cased, as 99.9% of all tobaccos are cased by the processor prior to the leaves going to the blender, where they are very likely hit again with some kind of sweetener or flavoring prior to blending. This is especially true of Burleys, which Smoker99 lists as among his favored types...and Lakelands as well. If he's listing those as his preferred types, yet says that he doesn't want to try a blend that's flavored...I gotta wonder what he's referring to that would be a negative. So common' back Smoker99 and give me a clue. I do value your opinion and would like to hear more.

 

[Brewdude]

Try it in a different pipe.

Yes of course. I'll be doing just that tomorrow.

:rabbit:


Cheers,

R

Well, what a difference it made in another pipe!

Fired up my estate Savinelli I haven't used for ages - an inexpensive rusticated 1/4 bent billiard I picked up at a silent auction at the annual dinner of my local SPC (Seattle Pipe Club) many years ago. Used to be one of my favorite pipes, and looks like it's going to be again.

Anyway, rubbed out 2 flakes and let dry for a couple hrs. This rendered them to the right moisture level, packed it and fired 'er up.

This time the flavor came through loud and clear. Rich, dark, and somewhat smoky. In fact the beef jerky aroma also carried through into the taste as well. Pretty unique!

Smouldered just fine for about 45 min, at which point I was just past the halfway mark. Left it to play guitar for a while, and came back and finished the bowl, which still took about 1/2 hr! I normally don't do this but it lit and burned fine all the way down.

Never really got much of a nic hit, but again that's a plus for me.

So looks like I've probably found the right combination for this one. And having it as the first of the day also figured large into the equation. I'll remember that next time. Probably had a bit of palate fatigue going on yesterday as I had that as the 4th pipe of the day.

So count me in on finding this one a real winner and one that I'll be stocking up on!



Cheers,

RR

 

[Smoker99]

After a dozen bowls of this in a variety of pipes, I still find it an excellent blend in terms of value, management, burn (esp. when well dried...or it wants to die at the very end instead of burning to a clean ash...like many other dense flakes) and overall flavor. Does it develop as it burns down...or produce flavor shifts...and dance in and out like sugarplumb fairies? No so much. It's just a straight, dark, full flavored blend that has a moderate note of Dark Fired K to it. Nothing wrong with that in my book.

Since there's been no response from Smoker99 as to where it was written that it was 'flavored' - I still wonder where that came up. Without knowing I'll pull out the fact that nearly all blends are flavored...or at least cased, as 99.9% of all tobaccos are cased by the processor prior to the leaves going to the blender, where they are very likely hit again with some kind of sweetener or flavoring prior to blending. This is especially true of Burleys, which Smoker99 lists as among his favored types...and Lakelands as well. If he's listing those as his preferred types, yet says that he doesn't want to try a blend that's flavored...I gotta wonder what he's referring to that would be a negative. So common' back Smoker99 and give me a clue. I do value your opinion and would like to hear more.

Haven't been on in a few days, and just saw your post.. Honestly don't remember where I saw the comments about H&H. I frequent several forums and expect I saw it on one or more of them. McB is well known for applying a heavy sweetener to most all their offerings. Most think it is honey, but don't know for sure. I do like burley, but not the heavily cased, topped types. Mostly smoke C&D burley, which most nearly approaches field burley, which I have smoked. I do smoke a few Lakelands for their strength and lake of bite. They are produced from mostly African and Indian tobaccos that are low nitrogen, and with no additional sweeteners, both of which makes them pretty biteless.

 

[Blackhorse]

Hmmm. Interesting. I've long since ceased to pay any attention at all to claims of something being a 'totally natural blend' since I assumed thet means it includes no plastic. But aside from that I'm thinking that the newer HH line of MadBarens is far less cased than their other lines. I find the HH Arcadian Perique to have minimal flavorings, if any, outside the 'semi-natural' tobaccos. And even if the Old Dark Fired does have some flavoring added...it doesn't seem to have been done iin the Danish way or the American...but more along the Lakeland tradition...which is performed at a different point in the overall process and results in something completely different.

I too appreciate the Dark Fired offerings of the Gawith boyos...Dark Flake and Plug being among their best IMHO...but think that the twists come out better with just a little of the edge taken off...as has been done via Sweet Rum, Sweet Whiskey, etc. (just not the cocoanut...that's weird stuff). The black xxxxxxx stuff is too smokey for me. The named Dark blends...almost all versions from Dark Kentucky to Dark Plug, I enjoy and have a lot on hand. BUT - there are times when it's just too much. Too strong, too hard a flavor, too much of an edge...and that's where the Mickey B Old Dark Fired comes in. In a way it performs the same as a change of pace from the Dark Side that GLP JackKnife Plug does...a good bonafide Kentucky Dark Fired essence...but smoother and more forgiving.

I think you should try some. It's got your name all over it, man!

 

[TheSmokeamater]

Is this anything like Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky?