Since I posted in this thread 3 years ago, Cumberland has become one of my favorite tobaccos. The aroma is reminiscent of stewed fruit, providing a full bodied, savory smoke with some good complexity!
I made sure to load up on some extra tins for the cellar!
I am a huge fan of the 1855 Blend. It is a great straight VA. It comes as a beautiful broken flake of bright yellow Virginias, offering the smoker flavors of dried rains and honey.
Honestly, one of my favorite blends.
It was noted on another forum, discussing the same topic, that McCrannies Red Ribbon and Red Flake are actually single crop productions where McClelland 5100 is a blend of multiple redVA vintages to maintain consistency. So the Red Ribbon and Red Flake are similar to Christmas Cheer and 5100 is...
This might open up Cuban leaf to other manufacturers as well. Right now Cuban leaf is not used in any other blends due to embargo. So even if Cuban Cigars aren't all that great, the possibility of available blending options will been exciting!
I have a couple of tins McClelland Grand Oriental Yenice Agonya from 2007 and they are amazing. I feel the Orientals have aged really well along with the Virginias in the blend.
Take a look at C&D's Burley Flake #3. It is a blend of burley's with a bit of Virginia and Perique. It contains the Nutty aspect you are looking for with a little fruit from the Virginia and Perique at least to my tastes.
You will probably have a hard time finding it online. If you are lucky enough to have a tobacconist close I would recommend checking there. The little guys will have a better chance of maintaining stock then the more popular sites.
Good luck on your hunt.
Is $150 reasonable for 8oz of Stonehaven? Depends how you look at it. If you live in the USA, I would say no. A little patience and some persistence, you will find it at the regular price. Just keep hunting.
Now, if you live anywhere else in the world, $150 is pretty reasonable assuming it does...
I have grabbed a couple tins of each blend, but have not yet tried any of them to date. My plan is to try this blend at 1 year old, 5 years old, 10 years old and 15 years old. I would love to be able to try one every year until it hits it's peak. But I just cannot make that kind of investment at...