Col. Kurtz received a couple samples of tobacco from me. We're both going to review them we'll call this series, Col. & Rev.Views. He'll start a thread to review one of the tobaccos I sent, then I'll review it. To keep things consistent we'll use the same format. The Col. hasn't chimed in on this yet, but what I will suggest is:
How about a standardized form for rating tobaccos here. It gives us something to look at and hopefully, with the broad range of things described.
0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior
1) Aesthetics: the look of the tobacco - rough cut, ribbon cut, cubed cut, brick, flake, what colors, maybe even the tobacco’s aesthetic appeal (maybe this is better for describing a pipe)
Score for aesthetics:
2) Pre-light Construction: moist? dry? Difficult to rub out? easy to pack? ease of lighting? does it smell cased, naturally sweet, smoky, reminds you of a particular fruit?
Score for Pre-light construction:
3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: burns evenly? smokes hot or cool? What is ash like? color of ash? flaky or solid? did it get overly wet?
Score for post-light construction:
4) Flavor and strength: English, Oriental, Aromatic, etc... What does it taste like? Full-bodied, med. or mild? Does it taste earthy, spicy, fruity (which one?), vegetal, sweet, rich, harsh, floral, robust, woodsy, acidic, salty, nutty, caramelly, marshmallowy, etc...? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does it build in flavor and/or complexity as you smoke it? Is it bland, flavorful, complex? Did it get bitter?
Score for flavor and strength:
5) Aftertaste/Finish: aftertaste is the sensation &/or flavor on you palate after each puff, not the taste left after you finish the bowl. Is it heavy - light? Spicy, nutty, fruity, bitter, hot, grassy? Mild - strong? Pleasant or not? Harsh?
Score for aftertaste:
6) Aroma: What does it smell like? Good - bad? light or heavy? pervasive - mild? overpowering, unpleasant, magnificent? nutty, spicy, earthy, smoky?
Score for aroma:
7) General Comments Did you particlarily enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Does this blend appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy it again? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That tobacco was awesome!") and give it an overall score.
Overall score for the tobacco:
8) Recommendation: Would you recommend this blend? Pick one of the following and explain: Not Recommended/Possibly Recommended/Recommended/Highly Recommended
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