Manufacturer Description:
Virginia from Zambia and Mysore with a nicotine content of originally about 3.5%, which was slowly degraded by long storage. In addition, two pinches of the best Oriental and 10% Perique are pressed for 2 days at 50 bar, then stored in the screw press for three months to maturity, cut and packaged.
Characterisation:
The No. 2 Castle Blend is a predominantly dark brown Mixture with light and dark brown components. The fragrance is reminiscent of dried fruit and dark chocolate with a very slight smoky undertone, in which the Oriental reveals itself. Freshly opened, the tobacco can be pre-dried briefly, but the moisture soon regulates itself, because the small can (50g), in which the No. 2 Castle Blend is packed, comes with a tear-open lid. There is also an additional plastic lid, but who prefers a really airtight seal, should transfer the opened tobacco (especially in the economy pack) for longer storage in a tight-closing vessel.
Plugging:
The elastic fibers of the No. 2 Castle Blend are a bit stubborn to plug, but you can rub them finer and so the plugging with a little practice quickly succeeds easier.
Light up:
After the first flame, it is sufficient to smooth the surface slightly with the tamper, as the tobacco hardly rises under the flame. After another flame, No. 2 Castle Blend then evenly burns until the end.
Smoking properties:
The No. 2 Castle Blend is already full in the first puffs. The smoke is lush and especially the Orient is smoky and spicy with leather notes in the foreground. Overall, the aroma is full, but without being heavy, which is also due to the moderate nicotine content. But you should keep the pipe cool, otherwise the tobacco tends to gargle a little. If this succeeds, then one tastes also the combination of Virginia and Perique with the typical sweet and sour black bread-aroma. After the quiet burning remains in the pipe only lighter fine ash and virtually no condensate, which makes cleaning very easy.
Redolency:
The redolence of No. 2 Castle Blend is tart and spicy with its contained Orient, making the tobacco better suited to smoking company or fresh air.
Conclusion:
The No. 2 Castle Blend is a rather dark Mixture, which also scores with stronger notes in the taste. Without being bulky, No. 2 Castle Blend shows all the spice that can be found in an English Mixture, because it is dominated by a tart and spicy Oriental. But not at the expense of the Virginias and the Perique used, which provide the not so inexperienced connoisseurs with a cool smoke the popular black bread-flavors. The No. 2 Castle Blend is a typical English blend for smokers looking for just that.
Copyright © 2013 by TECON GmbH
with friendly support of Dennis Hübel
