I am a sucker for thematic advertising, so whenever I see anything portraying a hunting or fishing scene I am automatically interested. Sometimes this weakness sandbags me. Occasionally, however, it serves me well, and such is the case here. I was perusing my local pipe shop shortly before Christmas when I chanced (Can a Calvinist say that?) upon a tin of tobacco whose cover bore the image of a fly fisherman standing knee deep in a river. In a manner of speaking, providentially, my purchase was already made for me (Have I redeemed myself yet?). All I had to do was come up with the cash.
Now, despite all the seductive power of good graphics, I am not too easily fooled by accompanying words. Thus, I seriously wondered just how "wonderful" a blend could be, "topped with a Cream Caramel flavour." My reckoning was that it would be intolerably sweet, and I am happy to report I was down-right mistaken. There is certainly a significant hint of the flavour, but definitely nothing pervasive or offensive.
As I write this brief review I am smoking a bowl in an old Wally Frank to refresh my memory of the mixture's assets and liabilities. In regard to the latter I can detect only one: namely, that its bite is what one might expect from a mild English blend. Otherwise, the tobacco is delightful. In terms of aromatic quality, my wife says the redolence is pleasantly reminiscent of a wood fire in the evening. But then, her nose is stuffed up; who can really tell? The bane of pipe lovers is that they can never smell their own smoke, but I suspect Sweet Killarney's aroma is equal to its fine taste.
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