t plain strong. When I do catch a whiff of it, it smells almost exactly like burning leaves in the fall. Personally, I find this to be quite pleasant but be aware of this when you are smoking it indoors. There is a fairly strong Lakeland essence flavor to this. It actually seems to overpower the DFK and the Virginias until midway through the bowl then the DFK and Virginias come out. If you're unfamiliar with the Lakeland essence, it is a flavoring that GH&C adds to many of their blends. It is a floralesque type flavor that is perfume-like and it is noticeable in most of their tobaccos and especially in this one. Some people like it, some hate it. If you don't like it, you won't like this one. I don't mind it so much but this isn't an everyday smoke for me anyways so once in awhile is ok with me. Do not, I repeat, do not smoke this one on an empty stomach. The nic hit is pretty immediate and it will hit you pretty hard. I like the high nic tobaccos but this is one of the strongest ones I've found thus far. Normally, when I am smoking any of the other high nic blends I like, I can sometimes get the dizzys but that's about it. With this one, wow, it will make you down right sick if you're not careful. Prep for smoking would include some drying time as this 'plug' is quite moist right out of the bag. It will also require a bit more cutting and rubbing out than other plugs I've tried. Overall, this is a pretty good tobacco and did I say that it is strong? It surely is... Read Less