Time for my thoughts on Gold for Pipe
First thing's first. You've got to abandon the idea of this being a classic "gold" tobacco. It's not that gentle, 555 style of vape at all. It's much more "for Pipe" than it is "Gold." By that, I mean that the flavor has some consistency with what I've tasted in the rest of the line (Dark/Black/Captain Jack).
The first thing I noticed was that this stuff (mixed at 3.33, as I have all of the others) has a funk to it ("funk" is not necessarily a bad thing to me). I don't know how to describe it. Earthy, I guess, but not in the way Dark or Captain Jack is earthy. Almost a mustiness, though that's not quite the right adjective either. On my first few pulls, I did not care for it. But I really sat down with it last night, dripping it for a long session while I watched some TV. The flavor did grow on me. It's got the complexity you'd expect from the For Pipe line, but the notes are quite different from the others. I'm not sure just what notes I'm getting, but I do know what I'm not getting. Nothing woody, nothing fruity. If there's nuttiness, it's in the background.
Will be interesting to see what a few weeks does with this one. I'm glad I got it, and I will keep in the rotation. It's distinctly different from anything else I have, and I like that. Not sure it's in the league of Dark and Black, but we'll see how it develops.