George Kaplan
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- Jan 7, 2012
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First of all, I'd like to thank our brother A.J. (ajn27511) for sending me a tin of this blend. He PM'd me out of the blue one day and asked-Asked, mind you- if he could send me some samples to pass around. Your generosity is the stuff of legend, A.J. I thank you kindly, sir.
Secondly, I do realize that Monbla has posted a recent review of this same blend. (From the same tin, actually) I don't mean to step on Monbla's toes with a competing review. I simply wish to write from my own experience before reading other points of view on this blend, as this is my first proper review on this forum. I look forward to comparing notes with him and others as soon as I finish this.
Finally, before I "get on with it already", I should point out some of what I mentioned on another thread. As I have little experience with straight VAs, which this is, this is the sort of analysis that triggers my inner scientist. Some may use (or misuse) terms like OCD or anal retentive to describe this behavior. I'm neither of those. I simply have a certain fetish for precision when it comes to things like this. (I guess "fetish" is another misused word. :lol: ) I couldn't just smoke a bowl and write about it; I had to set up some parameters first. In the end, I decided to save these details for the end, since in all honesty, they are largely self indulgence on my part. Know then that this review is based on three bowls, smoked over the course of a day. The bowls in question were a somewhat narrow one, a nice wide pot, and an un-smoked cob of a size somewhere between the two.
Dunhill Royal Yacht, in my opinion, a very simple and straightforward blend in all respects. It does have depth of character, but I had to work to discover it.
The cut is a rather narrow ribbon, finer than most I've seen. In color, it's a nearly uniform dark coffee bean brown, with a few small flecks of a lighter caramel shade. The aroma in the tin is quite pleasant. A sort of figgy raisin scent it up front, with subtle hints of leather, wood, and old books. Overall, it smells like good tobacco.
Due to the fine cut, I packed fairly loosely in all three bowls. It took well to the match, and after the second light, burned smoothly. This is a surprisingly cool-burning tobacco, with no real bite unless you really push it.
The flavor at first was a little underwhelming. I got mostly the taste of grass or hay at first, reminding me slightly of cigarettes. Midway through the bowl, though, it starts to show its subtle complexity. It takes on an essence both earthy and light. The flavor of walnuts and hearty oatmeal comes through. Near the end of the bowl, the slightest hint of caramel can be detected. Throughout this smoke, I was haunted by something familiar yet elusive. This has a certain essence of a driftwood fire. This isn't the smokey campfire flavor of latakia at all. Sun-bleached driftwood, rather, burns somewhat cleaner, with a crispness reminiscent of fresh linens. I get that from this.
Royal Yacht is described as having an added flavoring. If this is true, it's like a pinch of salt on a steak, or a splash of spring water in a fine scotch, bringing out the flavors that are already there. At no point did this seem like an aromatic to me.
Of the three pipes I used, I liked this best in a cob. It had a fuller flavor from the start, and seemed to reach its "second act" sooner. As I mentioned, it burned evenly in all three, needing no relights and little tamping. I did allow it to go out halfway through the larger pot, to see if a later relight would change its character. This seemed to have no effect at all. Likewise, exhaling through the nose did nothing but irritate my sinuses. I think this baccy's just too dignified to stand up and do tricks. That was pretty much my impression of this from start to finish. It's a simple, honest tobacco. Some complexity can be coaxed from it, and you efforts will be rewarded. It just doesn't show you all its talents at once. This could seem a bit odd to those used to a "flashier" blend.
Personally, I think I'll buy five or six to cellar, revisiting it annually as it ages and my tastes mature. Hopefully we'll meet up down the road some day, when I can appreciate it to a greater extent. I don't dislike it, mind you; I just feel I may not quite be a straight VA man yet.
Now for the parameters I promised!!!
These were all smoked on Saturday, June 2nd, 2012
Pipe #1...late morning. An old Viking. (in honor of AJ)
Time: 10:35am
Place: My front porch waiting for the rain to stop
Temp: 52F
Humidity: I just told you it was raining. Do try to pay attention!
Accompaniment: Fresh- ground Arabica bean coffee. Black.
Other notes: That squirrel's back. You know the one. The EVIL one. It's Ok. he doesn't know about the spear gun. Not yet.
Pipe #2...Tea time. A fresh, medium-sized MM cob. Not sure of the model. It's a diamond-shanked one they don't make any more.
Time: 3:45pm
Place: The shore of Asylum Lake.(Nicer than it sounds)
Temp: 71F
Humidity: It's early June yet; you can still see through the air, but I AM standing by a lake.
Accompaniment: Bell's Porter. I know it's tea time, but I'm not much of a tea drinker.
Other notes: The dragonflies are hatching en mass today.
Pipe #3...Evening. Sassieni #5 bent pot.
Time: 9:15pm
Place: Favorite chair, an Eames knock-off
Temp: 64F
Humidity: This chair makes my butt sweat a little.
Accompaniment: 2 fingers of Wild Turkey Rye. 2 large ice cubes.
Other notes: Wes Montgomery on vinyl.
Additional details: If anyone's still keeping score, I wore this shirt for the duration of the testing:
I've finished up what you sent to me and am now on a new tin of the Orlik blended stuff and though it's a bit "fresher" or sharp than the aged, it's still the same good, good, st.va 
