After going through my last little bit of Murrays era EMP I was left wanting more. Unfortunately the prices I see on the Bay for the Murrays Dunhill blends are (of course) ridiculously overblown, so I broke down and ordered a couple of fresh tins, just to give the newest Dunhill iteration a go. Just recieved EMP, London Mixture and Aperitif. After rummaging through my stash I had located a tin of 965 that I believe I got when you dirty rotten scoundrels bombed me, and judging by the label and the condition of the tobacco when opened, I'm sure it is also an Orlik version.
Starting with EMP. I recall feeling so-so about EMP back in the Murray era. I never got to try anything earler than Murrays. I recall thinking the tinned version was OK, kind of fleeting, the bulk was not so good. I didn't really enjoy the stuff until the sealed tins I had left for dead had several years of age on them and suddenly they were a lot more flavorful, a lot smoother. Obviously this was both the magic of age and the fact that I had progressed a lot as a pipe smoker. The tobacco in those aged tins got nice and dark and rich smelling, and the edge was completely off when smoking. Nice and smooth and quite rich tasting.
The Orlik tin I cracked yesterday smelled quite good, better than I thought it would. The tobacco is pretty light in color, the ribbon cut is pretty fine, the moisture was slightly on the damp side but not too bad. After a bit of drying I filled a Stanwell Nanna N3 and lit up. The initial flavor is very good, better than I expected. It's definitely EMP, though not surprisingly a couple notches below the aged stuff. That's not a knock on Orlik, as age is obviously what darkens and smooths out this blend. There is a slight unmarried edge in this new stuff which suggests the components could use a couple of years in the tin, but the overall flavor is very good. The one thing I did notice that I don't recall ever tasting in the Murray EMP is a crisp, citrus/grassy virginia note that would pop up for a brief moment here and there. Again, I think this stuff just needs time to meld. All in all, I like it and look forward to seeing how it ages (As fate would have it, I got an email from P&C last night for buy 3 get 1 free on dunhill tins so I grabbed some for the cellar).
I tried the 965 a few days ago. It's not bad, a bit more latakia than I like, but I like the pungeant sour edge it has. I won't cellar any of this but I will jar it and revisit it after a while.
Did try one bowl of London Mixture last night. I don't believe I allowed it to dry enough as it was a bit steamy and hard to keep lit and the flavor wasn't there at all. Will dry some out today and give it another go.
Have not cracked the Aperitif yet.