Fellowship I & II
NASPC 2007
For 2007, and the 10th Anniversary of the NASPC show, a single blend was packaged under two different labels just for fun. The blend was intended to be done in a dark, rich English style, just slightly sweet, with lots of mature red virginia leaf and plenty of Cyprus Latakia.
I began Fellowship with a generous measure of Cyprus Latakia. Ripe red virginias, well matured were added for roundness and a slightly sweet backbone, while fine, small-leaf oriental tobaccos brought some spice and their delightful aromatic quality. The completed blend was then lightly toasted to bring out some of the deeper notes, and subdue some of the brighter ones. Finally, the blend was conditioned and packaged in 2oz tins, in two batches of 325.
From the label:
Sealed barrels of this Middle Earth pipeweed were found perfectly preserved in the extreme cold, 1200 feet below the surface of Lake Tahoe in Northern California. This may have been the ancient site of Mt. Caradhras where the Fellowship attempted to crss the Misty Mountains. It is the finest of the Shire, and has been tinned in two separate batches of 325 each for the 10th anniversary of NASPC. The label illustrates the fellowship of Hobbits, man, elves, dwarfs and wizards. Analysis reveals smoky black Latakia, sweetened with selected New World tobaccos and spiced with just a touch of exotic leaf from the Orient.
At the point the tobacco was packaged, it was already smoking wonderfully, but it's got the structure to develop over time. I expect it to reach its peak about the time of the 20th Anniversary of the show, if anyone can hold onto their tins that long.
Once again, kudos to C. D. Regan of MaelstromGrafx for the his well-crafted illustrations that I was able to translate effortlessly to the final labels.
NOTE: This blend, like all the NASPC special editions, was produced for the pipe show in Columbus, and sold out very, very quickly. This page is provided for historical purposes only.