By Cornell & Diehl
I smelled the hay.
I smelled something reminiscent of a vinegary BBQ sauce. (This was the Perique component)
I fell in love with the smell when I opened the half ounce sample pack and stuck my nose into it.
I broke off one corner and rubbed it out, looked at what I had, and decided it wasn’t enough to fill the bowl of the Missouri Meerschaum Shire cobbit I planned on trying it in. So I broke off some more, smelled it again, and something just compelled me to keep breaking it up and rubbing it out. (Sinful, I know but now the entire sample is ready to smoke).
Next step was to light it. Light it. Light it. Light it. For a tobacco that felt fairly dry the Bourbon Bleu just didn’t want to stay lit at first. After the fourth attempt it caught on and rewarded me with a steady cloud of smoke.
And I smelled the hay. It took me back to fresh cut hay fields and early fall hayrides.
Bourbon? I’ve read that it is supposed to have bourbon in it but tobaccoreviews.com says it has no flavoring. If there is it is so subtle that the only time I tasted bourbon was when I sipped the Knobb Creek that was in my glass. There was some sweetness but I attributed this more to the Virginia than anything else.
Anyway, I found it to be a slow burning, cool smoke. Every once in a while I would pick up a hint of pepper which I attributed to the small amount of Perique in the blend. Then when I got down to about a half of bowl, I started noticing less hay and more of that Perique aroma I remember from a tour of the L.A. Poche Perique in October. It was a rich, sweet fruity aroma that slowly gave way to the hay smell of the Virginia.
Other reviews I’ve read has the Bourbon Bleu as a mild-to-medium strength smoke. It may have been because I smoked it on an empty stomach, but I feel it’s more of medium-to-strong. As I got closer to the bottom of the bowl, I could feel the nicotine hit building. I recommend not smoking this on an empty stomach but after a good meal.
All this being said, my personal opinion is that this is a good Virginia based blend that I enjoyed but it probably won’t find its way into my daily rotation. I will buy a tin or two and tuck them away in my cellar though.
