Excellent stuff. Far better than what you get from the usual suspects of mass production – C&D, McConnell's, Sutliff, etc. This usually arrives at perfect moisture level, but if you need to bring it up to case for a special application it holds a case very well without losing what we cherish in latakia. Sometimes it's a bit too dry and won't shred without casing, but I don't mind that. When it's dry it doesn't require a lot of fuss to store it long term. Just leave it bagged and throw it in the cellar (maybe put the bags into a larger bag first). One thing I've noticed is that the cure is not consistent from year to year, or even batch to batch. So if you're a meticulous blender looking to reproduce an exacting recipe very reliably, it's not going to be possible with this product. Often you'll get pounds in the same order that come from different batches and are thus rather dissimilar. But hang on a second, that's not a bad thing in my opinion: I rather enjoy the variation. Sometimes you'll get leaf that smokes very bright and colorful with lots of incense-like notes, sometimes it's more floral, sometimes earthy and nutty, sometimes deep and spicy and full of creosote. This variety lends itself to producing blends with unexpected aromas, flavors, characters, and chords. It's always latakia so there will always be the minimal threshold characteristics, but you'll find exciting little things to appreciate about what you get each time. I've been very happy with this product. I have several pounds aging away in various blends and applications, and I plan to purchase several more in October. Highest recommendation.
