jolly
Well-Known Member
So, I couldn't wait. In my WLT package there were two half pound bags of bright leaf. Yes, I weighed them -- when I saw two bags I thought someone made a mistake and sent me two pounds.
My plan is to use this in combination with my homegrown for pipe blending. I'm also a big fan of VA flakes. So I thought I'd start by firing up a bowl of straight bright leaf.
One of the bags had some leaf shatter, so I thought I'd start there. It's not an issue since I'm chopping it with a pocket knife anyway. The moisture content is closer to what I prefer when smoking. The aroma in the bag was a mix of straw and fall leaves, very nice. I loaded up a black clay that I reserve for VA's and headed to the porch.
The first light was all it needed to burn well to the bottom of the bowl. The flavor was toasty with a bit of sweetness and a citrusy sour note. There is also the flavor and smell of fall leaves. When I lived in Kentucky I worked for a while at a local golf course. The trees on the area were mostly sugar maple, and in the fall they would put all the leaves into a few huge piles. They would steam in the morning and the smell was amazing. This smell is what I attribute to good VA blends, and there's a hint of it here. Takes me back there every time. Towards the bottom of the bowl the sweetness fades a bit and the citrusy sour flavor gets a bit stronger. I found myself wishing for a bit of bursa lugs to add some spice, but very good on its own. I'm used to VAs being delicate and mild, but this has a stronger flavor. I don't perceive any nicotine to speak of, which is as expected. Burned cleanly to a nice white ash.
Overall it's very good. It'll need a bit of blending to tone down the sourness, but I can see myself craving that from time to time. I think this mixed with an oriental would be awesome.
My plan is to use this in combination with my homegrown for pipe blending. I'm also a big fan of VA flakes. So I thought I'd start by firing up a bowl of straight bright leaf. One of the bags had some leaf shatter, so I thought I'd start there. It's not an issue since I'm chopping it with a pocket knife anyway. The moisture content is closer to what I prefer when smoking. The aroma in the bag was a mix of straw and fall leaves, very nice. I loaded up a black clay that I reserve for VA's and headed to the porch.
The first light was all it needed to burn well to the bottom of the bowl. The flavor was toasty with a bit of sweetness and a citrusy sour note. There is also the flavor and smell of fall leaves. When I lived in Kentucky I worked for a while at a local golf course. The trees on the area were mostly sugar maple, and in the fall they would put all the leaves into a few huge piles. They would steam in the morning and the smell was amazing. This smell is what I attribute to good VA blends, and there's a hint of it here. Takes me back there every time. Towards the bottom of the bowl the sweetness fades a bit and the citrusy sour flavor gets a bit stronger. I found myself wishing for a bit of bursa lugs to add some spice, but very good on its own. I'm used to VAs being delicate and mild, but this has a stronger flavor. I don't perceive any nicotine to speak of, which is as expected. Burned cleanly to a nice white ash.
Overall it's very good. It'll need a bit of blending to tone down the sourness, but I can see myself craving that from time to time. I think this mixed with an oriental would be awesome.
