I just finished a bowl of HH current year tobacco. I’ve never smoked HH before and I have to say I enjoyed it very much. Definitely different than the vintage tobacco. Some initial assessments include the following:
Tin Note-
Vintage- has an amazing cinnamon graham cracker subtle sweet note that is very pleasing.
New- when I openEd the new pouch of HH, I was immediately greeted with mild tobacco scent with a sweet, somewhat floral note. I kept mixing the tobacco and re-smelling it. Trying to figure out what the sweet notes may have come from? At one point I picked up a subtle rum maybe maple note? Overall-pleasing.
Smoking Notes-
The real difference in these two tobaccos is in the flavor while smoking. I think it’s only fair to try and rehydrate some of the vintage tobacco and see if it doesn’t allow some of the flavors to come out a little more. Initial tasting comparison is summarized by saying:
The vintage tobacco was smooth straightforward tobacco flavor and very little else. I did pick up an occasional light cocoa, nutty flavor but little or no sweetness. I thought the dry tobacco would smoke quickly, but it actually was a challenge to keep lit. I was concerned about tamping too heavily, thinking it would crush what little structure was left and create a powder.
The newer HH packed easily, lit well and smoked nice and cool. I was surprised at how wonderfully smooth the smoke was. Nice clean tobacco flavor with nutty ,cocoa, sweet flavors even all the way through to the bottom of the bowl. Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about HH. I can see how this blend has survived over the years and still garners strong support. I can see myself enjoying this tobacco as part of a weekly rotation change up. It’s an excellent smoke with a cup of coffee. Not to mention a value for the price.
I think I need to smoke another bowl or two of each tobacco to get a better understanding of the subtle differences between the vintage and the new.
I’m off to rehydrate the vintage HH. Once I get it ready to smoke, I think I will pack two separate Cobs with each tobacco and Smoke them side by side to get a better comparison. Maybe I could play a “dueling banjos” track while I’m smoking ?
