Kyle Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2011
- Messages
- 11,988
- Reaction score
- 7
Dan Tobacco--not available at my tobacco shop, anyway, nor any I've chanced on in-person in recent memory (which is at times limited and short). This is the first one I've given a shot to, and unlike reviews of the past, I not only just tried it, the tin was gone inside three weeks.
A VaPer blend even I could finish in that quick of time. There's something going on here--either I had some terrible luck, or I'm that picky, but this is the second mixture with Perique in it that I've rather enjoyed lately. Sixpence being the last, and I still can't get enough of that stuff.
Foreshadowing be damned, yep, I'm saying it: I dug Tordenskjold.
The long and short of it is, Reno had no winter to speak of. It was a lazy, leaning harsh autumn, that then blended into what I affectionately termed "Juneuary," as unprecidented 60°F days were dotting the weather forecast just after New Years rather than the dry snow and 30°F days we typically have in Northern Nevada. Yes, for you East Coast folks, Reno is not hot all the time nor is it "right next to Las Vegas."
What does this mean? Aside from being glad Reno is not Las Vegas in any sense, because Vegas is a Los Angeles suburb with gambling, but I wasn't able to really dive into my cold weather love of smoking Latakia with full enjoyment. I felt conned. By the time the weather decided it really wasn't going to get cold, it went from warm to hotter than hell. This is week two of 105°F temperatures, and in an odd turn of events, one of my favorite tobaccos, GLP Embarcadero, was even settling on my tongue and my senses poorly. O, tobacco gods, grant me something bright, light and appropriate to smoke on this, thine hottest of days come early...
...a good friend in Mexico, a trumpet player no less, read my mind two years earlier and sent me a tin of this stuff. It sat, and it sat, and it sat... likely because Escudo tasted to me (at the time) like licking cold road tar. Perique and I, we are tepid friends if not enemies. At this point, nothing was working in any of my pipes. I smoke nearly exclusively outside, because I like being outside, rain or shine, hot or cold. I've a fine, covered porch, the waft of this morning's bacon isn't interfering with my tongue, and my vintage synthesizers and books aren't being coated in tarry goo.
Tordenskjold, here goes nothing. The crumbly flakes, golden and inviting, have a faintly citrus aroma and is some of the blondest flake I've ever seen. They broke apart quite nicely not being pressed into petrified oblivion. This also meant they took to a flame without trouble.
Flavors in the beginning were what I was hoping for, or it was desperation--pleasantly acidic, light, bright, delicately sweet without a hint of bite. I expected such a blonde beauty to have a raw, grassy taste to it, but never once was it unbalanced or "green" tasting.
The remarkable part is what happens mid-way to the end of the bowl. I'm one of those guys who smokes to the heel of the pipe, unless I'm consumed by the nicotine-shakes or I'm not jiving with the leaf I chose. I love the saturated, strong flavors at the end, I believe that to be the honesty of any pipe tobacco. Tordenskjold loses some of that lemon-like citrus and takes on a mellow and bread-like and almost yeasty finish. Think hefeweizen with... yeah, a touch of citrus. This was repeated bowl after bowl, pipe after pipe. Nicotine levels are moderate, it's nothing strong, but it won't leave you wondering where your journey of a fix went. For those not interested in Lady N, she is a quiet passenger and a pleasant navigator on this journey. Perique sits in the back seat, quietly reading a book like a good child, or these days, engrossed in an electronic tablet with the latest candy game.
I'm impressed with Dan Tobacco so far, this being my first encounter. Tordenskjold flakes are ideal for the seasoned flake guy, and yet undaunting to the newly curious. The same could be said for the performance, flavors and balance of tobaccos used. It's unpretentious, forgiving and refreshing. It's very largely (and obviously) a bright Virginia-leaning smoke with Perique barely noticeable--this could be a concern for those who love large doses of Perique, however.
Very rarely is there a tobacco I'd feel comfortable suggesting to a broad-spectrum of folks, but this just might be one. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is the flake toward the end of the tin tends to really blow apart and dry out. Occasionally, a sniper of loose leaf would block the draft of my pipes and I'd have to prod around with a pipe cleaner to dislodge it for efficient smoking.
In summary, Tordenskjold--a bitch to say and type, easy and delightful to smoke.
8)
A VaPer blend even I could finish in that quick of time. There's something going on here--either I had some terrible luck, or I'm that picky, but this is the second mixture with Perique in it that I've rather enjoyed lately. Sixpence being the last, and I still can't get enough of that stuff.
Foreshadowing be damned, yep, I'm saying it: I dug Tordenskjold.
The long and short of it is, Reno had no winter to speak of. It was a lazy, leaning harsh autumn, that then blended into what I affectionately termed "Juneuary," as unprecidented 60°F days were dotting the weather forecast just after New Years rather than the dry snow and 30°F days we typically have in Northern Nevada. Yes, for you East Coast folks, Reno is not hot all the time nor is it "right next to Las Vegas."
What does this mean? Aside from being glad Reno is not Las Vegas in any sense, because Vegas is a Los Angeles suburb with gambling, but I wasn't able to really dive into my cold weather love of smoking Latakia with full enjoyment. I felt conned. By the time the weather decided it really wasn't going to get cold, it went from warm to hotter than hell. This is week two of 105°F temperatures, and in an odd turn of events, one of my favorite tobaccos, GLP Embarcadero, was even settling on my tongue and my senses poorly. O, tobacco gods, grant me something bright, light and appropriate to smoke on this, thine hottest of days come early...
...a good friend in Mexico, a trumpet player no less, read my mind two years earlier and sent me a tin of this stuff. It sat, and it sat, and it sat... likely because Escudo tasted to me (at the time) like licking cold road tar. Perique and I, we are tepid friends if not enemies. At this point, nothing was working in any of my pipes. I smoke nearly exclusively outside, because I like being outside, rain or shine, hot or cold. I've a fine, covered porch, the waft of this morning's bacon isn't interfering with my tongue, and my vintage synthesizers and books aren't being coated in tarry goo.
Tordenskjold, here goes nothing. The crumbly flakes, golden and inviting, have a faintly citrus aroma and is some of the blondest flake I've ever seen. They broke apart quite nicely not being pressed into petrified oblivion. This also meant they took to a flame without trouble.
Flavors in the beginning were what I was hoping for, or it was desperation--pleasantly acidic, light, bright, delicately sweet without a hint of bite. I expected such a blonde beauty to have a raw, grassy taste to it, but never once was it unbalanced or "green" tasting.
The remarkable part is what happens mid-way to the end of the bowl. I'm one of those guys who smokes to the heel of the pipe, unless I'm consumed by the nicotine-shakes or I'm not jiving with the leaf I chose. I love the saturated, strong flavors at the end, I believe that to be the honesty of any pipe tobacco. Tordenskjold loses some of that lemon-like citrus and takes on a mellow and bread-like and almost yeasty finish. Think hefeweizen with... yeah, a touch of citrus. This was repeated bowl after bowl, pipe after pipe. Nicotine levels are moderate, it's nothing strong, but it won't leave you wondering where your journey of a fix went. For those not interested in Lady N, she is a quiet passenger and a pleasant navigator on this journey. Perique sits in the back seat, quietly reading a book like a good child, or these days, engrossed in an electronic tablet with the latest candy game.
I'm impressed with Dan Tobacco so far, this being my first encounter. Tordenskjold flakes are ideal for the seasoned flake guy, and yet undaunting to the newly curious. The same could be said for the performance, flavors and balance of tobaccos used. It's unpretentious, forgiving and refreshing. It's very largely (and obviously) a bright Virginia-leaning smoke with Perique barely noticeable--this could be a concern for those who love large doses of Perique, however.
Very rarely is there a tobacco I'd feel comfortable suggesting to a broad-spectrum of folks, but this just might be one. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is the flake toward the end of the tin tends to really blow apart and dry out. Occasionally, a sniper of loose leaf would block the draft of my pipes and I'd have to prod around with a pipe cleaner to dislodge it for efficient smoking.
In summary, Tordenskjold--a bitch to say and type, easy and delightful to smoke.
8)
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