JimInks
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Here's my reviews of Standard Tobacco Company's War Horse Bar and War Horse Green blends, which are due for a mid-to-late September release:
War Horse Bar:
The dark air cured tobacco is toasty and boldly earthy with a little smoky, woodiness, and fair amount of spice. The dark fired Kentucky also has a bit of smoke and wood, and a touch of cocoa along with a little spice. In a support role is a tangy ripe, fermented dark fruit red Virginia, which also offers a little earth. The toppings are the very rich Valerian root, a deep anise extract along with a tonquin-like essence. While they do tone down the tobaccos just a little, they also work well together to create a sweet, floral synergistic contrast to the varietals. The strength and taste levels are very strong, as is the powerful nicotine content. I recommend you do not smoke this on an empty stomach. There’s no chance of bite, and there are no harsh spots or dull moments. The plug has a little density, but is easily broken apart to suit your preference. It’s a little moist, but needs no dry time. Packs well and lights with no trouble. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a very smooth, consistent flavor from start to finish. Easily burns to ash, and requires only a few relights; less than expected. Leaves a slight dampness in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers. The room note is potent. It most certainly is not an all day smoke, but if you like really strong tobaccos with a deeply filling quality of taste, you’ll have more than one bowl a day.
In comparison to the 1970s and 1980s versions that I have smoked, I find the amount of the various tobaccos in the new release are not far off from the earlier versions regarding the flavor. The only differences I note are that this is mildly more spicy, and a shade less earthy. The toppings are close as well, though the new version is a little sweeter. However, the toppings on the earlier incarnations may have faded just a little, which furthered my impression of the sweetness level of this plug.
War House Green:
A companion to the new War Horse Bar, it has the same constituent tobaccos. The dark air cured tobacco is toasty and boldly earthy with a little smoky, woodiness, and fair amount of spice. The dark fired Kentucky also has a bit of smoke and wood, and a touch of cocoa along with a little spice. In a support role is a tangy ripe, fermented dark fruit red Virginia, which also offers a little earth. The toppings are the very richly sweet, incense/floral, and fairly perfumy heliotrope along with a deep anise extract, and a tonquin-like essence. They do tone down the tobaccos a bit; more so than the toppings do for the Bar. They also work well together to create a compatible contrast to the varietals. The strength and taste levels are not quite as strong as the Bar, and I would rate them as full for this plug. The nicotine content is just past the medium threshold. It won’t bite, and has no dull or harsh spots even when pushed. The plug has a little density, but is easily broken apart to suit your preference. It’s a little moist, but needs no dry time. Packs well and lights with no trouble. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a very smooth, very consistent sweet, earthy floral flavor from top to bottom as it easily burns to ash. Needs few relights, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers while the strong room note is a little sweet, spicy and very floral. It’s not quite an all day smoke, though experienced smokers may consider it to be one.
Designed to be in the same family as Condor, this is not a copy of it. There are several differences. This is a little stronger, a little more floral, perfumy, sweeter and spicier. You won’t mistake this for being a Condor clone, but it should appeal to those who smoke it.
War Horse Bar:
The dark air cured tobacco is toasty and boldly earthy with a little smoky, woodiness, and fair amount of spice. The dark fired Kentucky also has a bit of smoke and wood, and a touch of cocoa along with a little spice. In a support role is a tangy ripe, fermented dark fruit red Virginia, which also offers a little earth. The toppings are the very rich Valerian root, a deep anise extract along with a tonquin-like essence. While they do tone down the tobaccos just a little, they also work well together to create a sweet, floral synergistic contrast to the varietals. The strength and taste levels are very strong, as is the powerful nicotine content. I recommend you do not smoke this on an empty stomach. There’s no chance of bite, and there are no harsh spots or dull moments. The plug has a little density, but is easily broken apart to suit your preference. It’s a little moist, but needs no dry time. Packs well and lights with no trouble. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a very smooth, consistent flavor from start to finish. Easily burns to ash, and requires only a few relights; less than expected. Leaves a slight dampness in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers. The room note is potent. It most certainly is not an all day smoke, but if you like really strong tobaccos with a deeply filling quality of taste, you’ll have more than one bowl a day.
In comparison to the 1970s and 1980s versions that I have smoked, I find the amount of the various tobaccos in the new release are not far off from the earlier versions regarding the flavor. The only differences I note are that this is mildly more spicy, and a shade less earthy. The toppings are close as well, though the new version is a little sweeter. However, the toppings on the earlier incarnations may have faded just a little, which furthered my impression of the sweetness level of this plug.
War House Green:
A companion to the new War Horse Bar, it has the same constituent tobaccos. The dark air cured tobacco is toasty and boldly earthy with a little smoky, woodiness, and fair amount of spice. The dark fired Kentucky also has a bit of smoke and wood, and a touch of cocoa along with a little spice. In a support role is a tangy ripe, fermented dark fruit red Virginia, which also offers a little earth. The toppings are the very richly sweet, incense/floral, and fairly perfumy heliotrope along with a deep anise extract, and a tonquin-like essence. They do tone down the tobaccos a bit; more so than the toppings do for the Bar. They also work well together to create a compatible contrast to the varietals. The strength and taste levels are not quite as strong as the Bar, and I would rate them as full for this plug. The nicotine content is just past the medium threshold. It won’t bite, and has no dull or harsh spots even when pushed. The plug has a little density, but is easily broken apart to suit your preference. It’s a little moist, but needs no dry time. Packs well and lights with no trouble. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a very smooth, very consistent sweet, earthy floral flavor from top to bottom as it easily burns to ash. Needs few relights, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers while the strong room note is a little sweet, spicy and very floral. It’s not quite an all day smoke, though experienced smokers may consider it to be one.
Designed to be in the same family as Condor, this is not a copy of it. There are several differences. This is a little stronger, a little more floral, perfumy, sweeter and spicier. You won’t mistake this for being a Condor clone, but it should appeal to those who smoke it.
