I just tried Rattray's Hal O' the Wynd

[Kyle Weiss]

A few months ago when I was first lighting up my first bowls of Virginias, "Hal" came up frequently as something to try. With a sensitive palate, I was leery of trying it just because of the talk of what a wallop it had. Yet, with good (yet foolish) judgement, I dove headlong into Jackknife soon thereafter with no ill effects--figurative or literal. In fact, I love JKP, it just needed the right pace, which I luckily found. Billy Budd was another strong bacca that I found to have wonderful characteristics and spirit, too...

...it was way past time to try some Hal, and my first Peterson "Thurston" was just the pipe.

A big fan of the Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie that Natch got me hooked on a while back, and this stuff took no time at all to get used to.

A little lighter in color in the tin, but the same cut and moisture level made for an easy dry time and then bowl pack. Smells grassy and sweet, with something a little extra, before it is lit.

First light/tamp really released a ton of flavors. I found baked bread, grass-like brightness, extremely distant and subtle top and finishing notes of caramel and molasses. Yes, even the Perique in there satisfied me--just enough to not take me to "bitter town" but experience a little pleasant spice. I was surprised at how mellow, yet bold and sweet this stuff is!
Middle bowl the flavors come together nicely--still ever-so-slightly sweet, still punchy, still dynamic. Flavors thicken a little and the Perique even died down a bit for me...hallelujah! :lol: End of the bowl was remarkably different--the sweetness dwindles into an even more mellow, almost Maduro-like meatiness (though there is no cigar leaf in here). Lady "N" was moderate to strong for me. DGT wasn't helpful nor a hindrance. I was disappointed this bowl ended so soon, but VERY happy with the experience.

Cool smoking, flexible, easy to keep lit, many dimensions to keep me happy, Hal had plenty of contemplative smiles to "wynd" my clock!

While I'm really pleased by these so-called "strong" tobaccos, what's interesting is how complex they are. I have discovered there's plenty of "manly" tobaccos that will bite the hell out of you, or deliver some unbalanced single aspect to your tongue, but I've been quite lucky to be steered toward elegant, complex--and still no-nonsense & bold. Refined and gentlemanly though-and-through. I can't wait to pair this up with a single malt or a rye!!!

Thanks to fishnrust, who gave me this tin (haven't seen ya 'round, brother, hope you're alright)!

8)

 

[DustyRoundup]

Kyle, you are a lucky man , to have such a sensitive palate.
I try hard to taste ,, but dang , I just dont have it.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

"Lucky" in this case means expensive, I'll tell you that much. :lol: You start tasting the "right" stuff and usually it leads you down a spendy path. Scotch, craft beer, regional espresso, good food...I had to start finding ways to support my spoiled tongue on a pauper's budget. 8)

You're getting your senses refined, Dusty, I can tell from your posts! That's a double-edged sword.

 

[KevinM]

Taste is really interesting. I recall that Kyle and I have the same preference for cheap suds (Miller HL), but on tobacco I peak at the broadest descriptors -- sweet, smokey, woodsy, peppery . . .

If you want to see how much variety there is in individua tastes, check the wildly different descriptions on the Tobacco Reviews board. Examp: I was told that I might like Spillman's Mixture. I turned to the board to get the verdicts. Hilarious! One smoker would say it bites. The next would say it never does such a thing. The next would say the smoke is thin. The next, that its plenty smokey. One would say it's a moderate English. The next an aromatic. One says it's burley, another Latakia. The next would praise its all-day smokability . . . Well, you get the idea. Lot of subjectivity and some smokers just have a talent in their taste buds.

There's also The Professor's Pipe Page in which one talented smoker reviews tobaccos and is pretty consistent in his reports. I don't see much new being added by the good prof, but it's a place to compare one's own impressions with someone who's skilled at it.

Finally, even the experts in P&T mag's "Trial by Fire" sometimes are on quite different pages.

'Course once you find what you like it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Even I can tell you that Hal is great stuff. It's sweet.

 

[pipesmoker09]

Kyle good review pretty much how I feel about it.... quite a good VA.
You Mentioned a Pairing with a single malt or Rye May I suggest a sweeter rye like RI1 or a speyside single malt, found them to go quite good with a pipe and cigar

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I've been pretty obsessed with "High West" distillery's Double Rye. I'm not much a sweets guy, but good call on the Speyside. I'm an Islay/Lowland guy usually.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Revisit today. I always know if I revisit a tobacco so soon, something went terribly, horribly right.

Since I used the Pete, on to my Jirsa blowfish. I love this pipe for flakes and VAs, and it didn't disappoint. A little more Perique (dare I say) came out to visit, but the experience was much the same, and 100% pleasant. I'm always impressed with a strong tobacco that isn't overpowering. It also smokes very slowly (maybe it was just me savoring)...a little goes a long way, but I have now twice gotten pleasantly lost in Hal with little effort, fussing or digging for flavor/performance.

It's rare when a smoke can be this enjoyable and fun!

8)

 

[fishnrust]

Glad you are enjoying it, Brother!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I had a rare smoke today, one that suggested an almost ethereal experience.

Yep, it was Hal. It's one of the most forgiving, friendly and dynamic tobaccos I've had the pleasure to come across.

What a true joy. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Kyle, you are a lucky man , to have such a sensitive palate.
I try hard to taste ,, but dang , I just dont have it.

FWIW, the flavor you're looking for is when the pipe's almost going out but not quite. Easy, gentle, slow sips there will reward you with maximum flavor(s).

:face:

 

[s.ireland]

Kyle, you are a lucky man , to have such a sensitive palate.
I try hard to taste ,, but dang , I just dont have it.

FWIW, the flavor you're looking for is when the pipe's almost going out but not quite. Easy, gentle, slow sips there will reward you with maximum flavor(s).

:face:

This. Especially with VA blends and flakes. I don't find that English blends usually require super slow smoking to taste their best. Smoking mostly VA and VA flakes, I've come to realize that while I enjoy every puff from the first light, I don't really start to get the flavor I'm looking for until the pipes been burning a little while and I've slowed down to almost a crawl. Last night I got about an hour and fifteen minute smoke by rolling and stuffing about half a flake of 633 into a little poker.

Dusty, I'd wager that by this time next year you'll be blown away at how much more you'll be tasting in your favorite blends. It took me a few years before I really started having exceptional smokes and you're way ahead of where I was as far as trying quality blends and all that.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

FWIW, the flavor you're looking for is when the pipe's almost going out but not quite. Easy, gentle, slow sips there will reward you with maximum flavor(s).

:face:

So true. When I notice combustion getting to that stage I drop carefully into that "maintaining" gear where it's not as if I'm actually smoking, but taking in the bare minimum each draw just to keep it lit.

Also, to add, if you get to that stage and it goes out, let it sit for a minute or two...many times the relight and DGT will give a burst of flavor, kind of a touch-and-go to get the process started again. 8)

Shane, it depends on the English. EMP likes a nice, slow crawl of a smoke, as does Squadron Leader. Skiff is a bit more forgiving of some puffs and set-downs, which is why it's an easy one for conversation with folks. Penzance is flexible, but I've found a slower pace (with less than gentle winds) does it right.

When everything is going perfectly, I usually realize it about 3/4 the way through the bowl, like waking up from a nap, and sometimes as much as two hours have passed (not kidding). Embarcadero and Hal have both been at the core of some of my longest smokes to date.

 

[s.ireland]

I've been pretty obsessed with "High West" distillery's Double Rye. I'm not much a sweets guy, but good call on the Speyside. I'm an Islay/Lowland guy usually.

Kyle, I've come to enjoy the contrast between a sweet and sometimes sweet and spicy (Perique! Or dark fired KY...) VA blend and a peaty, smokey, briny Islay singlemalt. It just works for me. I drink more Laphroiag than any other spirit and some of my favorite tobacco pairings with it are FVF and Marlin flake. Although, last year I was on a Glenmorangie 10 kick for a while... Just a dab of peat in there to offset the vanilla and slight citrus and not too sweet; it seemed to go well with all my regular VA flakes. I don't usually want sweet from my whisky... If I'm feeling "sweet" I'll pop a bottle of port

And you're right about some English/oriental blends liking to be smoked slowly; I only meant that they don't require slow smoking to taste good lol some VA blends either taste like nothing when burning too fast or even worse they turn acrid.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I've been pretty obsessed with "High West" distillery's Double Rye. I'm not much a sweets guy, but good call on the Speyside. I'm an Islay/Lowland guy usually.

Kyle, I've come to enjoy the contrast between a sweet and sometimes sweet and spicy (Perique! Or dark fired KY...) VA blend and a peaty, smokey, briny Islay singlemalt. It just works for me. I drink more Laphroiag than any other spirit and some of my favorite tobacco pairings with it are FVF and Marlin flake. Although, last year I was on a Glenmorangie 10 kick for a while... Just a dab of peat in there to offset the vanilla and slight citrus and not too sweet; it seemed to go well with all my regular VA flakes. I don't usually want sweet from my whisky... If I'm feeling "sweet" I'll pop a bottle of port

And you're right about some English/oriental blends liking to be smoked slowly; I only meant that they don't require slow smoking to taste good lol some VA blends either taste like nothing when burning too fast or even worse they turn acrid.

I hear ya. I've been "dry" for a while due to my body being a jerk (one drink sends me into not-fun dizzy spells and awful hangovers--yes, I've had my liver checked, just a weird thing that happens) and whatnot. I've been only drinking light tea and seltzer water with my smokes. I can't wait to hang out with a nice Lagavulin, Laphroaig, or Auchentoshan.

That "acrid" VA thing has hit me with Union Square a few times, and it was due to higher wind. I don't know if you notice, but I mention wind here a lot--we get a lot of it. It's a challenge to smoke in it. Lighter or Red VAs do not like wind. Scottish Flake, though, left chunky, works a treat, though!

 

[s.ireland]

That's one of the best traits of flake tobacco! Roll and stuff or leave chunky and the wind doesn't seem to have any adverse affects... It only helps keep your bowl lit lol

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Wind keeps it lit--provided it's not the gusty, punchy kind that zips down my mountains. Those zephyrs have knocked half a bowl's worth of burnin' goodness right out of the pipe and scattered it on my porch. I have to be careful not to set things on fire! :shock:

 

[s.ireland]

Wind keeps it lit--provided it's not the gusty, punchy kind that zips down my mountains. Those zephyrs have knocked half a bowl's worth of burnin' goodness right out of the pipe and scattered it on my porch. I have to be careful not to set things on fire! :shock:

So that's why you advocate the use of those windscreen things lol

I'm just spoiled I guess. I almost always smoke inside when I'm at home. The only time the wind presents a problem is when I'm out and about.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Yeah, I don't like to smoke inside. As Harlock once so eloquently pointed out, I have a love/hate relationship with smoke. I suppose I might have a small shack to hide in eventually, but it'd be nothing fancy, perhaps a glorified wind break. I won't smoke around my pets, books or equipment. Ever. Plus, I like being outside. Excuses to stay inside are many.

So yeah--pipe wind screens. Tested and approved. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

I won't smoke around my pets

It depends. One of our cats used to wake up from her snooze on the couch, give me one of those "looks" and leave in a huff whenever I came from the other room where I smoke & sat down beside her with a pipe going.

But time's passed. Now, she comes & lays down beside me to get some sidestream smoke.

Strangest of all, she finds my used pipe cleaners on the coffee table/computer desk, holds them between her paws, and licks the brown stuff off the ends 'til they're nearly white again.

Cats can be pretty amazing.

:face:

 

[Storm_Crow]

I won't smoke around my pets

Strangest of all, she finds my used pipe cleaners on the coffee table/computer desk, holds them between her paws, and licks the brown stuff off the ends 'til they're nearly white again.

Cats can be pretty amazing.

:face: