Holy Cow! This blend is both sublime and powerful. There's a healthy done of Vitamin N in here. Also, next to no topping that I can detect, a goodly helping of dark Kentucky leaf, and just enough Virginny leaf to give it some sweetness. I'd say it's equivalent to Pete IF, but where IF is dark and brooding this has a nice sunny side to it. I'm smoking it right now in a Falcon smooth billiard bowl, which is on the smallish side. Not tiny, but small - and it seems like the perfect sized bowl. Any smaller and I wouldn't be able to get the full measure of this wonderful blend. Any bigger, and I might need to be resuscitated due to nicotine overdose.
Do I believe that this is the strongest blend in the MacB line-up? Yes, yes I do. Do I think that this is a blend for experienced pipe smokers? Yes, yes it is. I'm sure that some newer pipe smokers would really enjoy this, but I'd say that they'd be few and far between. What I get out of this is a deep and earthy nuttiness with an underlying sweet hay flavor - as would be expected from this blend. If I could compare it to a meal, it would be a savory steak that has been seasoned and grilled to perfection. (If you're familiar with the San Angelo, TX, area, we're talking a steak from the Lowake Steak House back in it's heyday type of steak).
