Georgetown's Cube Cut Pipe Tobacco Reviews

Perhaps typical for a cube-cut, medium-dark burley mix. Strong and unequivocally non-aromatic, with a distinctive heavy and tangy nutty flavour that I can find most enjoyable under certain circumstances, yet rather harsh under others. It doesn't even have the slightest hint of sweetness and it rides the line between being smooth and biting, probably depending on the smoker's individual palate.

 

I find this to be a somewhat smoother and cooler smoke than the Edward's Colonial sample that I recently finished; they are very similar mixtures in terms of flavour. I smoked them in the same pipe, my Genod 1/2 bent curved-bore. The difference I perceived may be as simple as the fact that I've had this Georgetown Tobacco sample for probably about a year, so maybe it's mellowed out a bit.

 

Or maybe my sample of Colonial was a little too dry. In either case, it's a tobacco with a strong natural aroma and contains a good helping of nicotine. It burns well due to its short cut-style, so take care if you're a fast smoker because it can become bitter-tasting in no time. Slow smoking guarantees full appreciation of the full nutty taste.

 

I like its uncomplicated room aroma quite a bit, it reminds me somehow of my grandfather's old house. This is a pretty good tobacco, but I have a penchant for more complex aromas and flavours after a while. Burns down to a dusty grey ash. Thanks to Dr. Ray for the sample.

Gawith's Best Brown Flake Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This comes in long, wide slices, dark in colour with light speckles. It doesn't break up easily at all; it tends to crumble rather than flake apart. Lighting up is a slow process, perhaps I don't crumble it finely enough. My very first impression is that this is hot and not all that flavourful. I persevere. A mellow, earthy, almost burley-like taste is what I am receiving, with a pale sweetness blended in.

 

I make a point of puffing as gently as possible. It's still a little hot, but I'm noticing it less now. The flavour seems infinitesimally richer with each small puff. Better yet, I'm picking up a little of its subtle, unique aroma, which reminds me of fresh whole-wheat toast with honey on it.

 

I suddenly realize that the musty aroma has more sweetness than what I am actually tasting and that the heat of the smoke has just transformed into a slightly spicy seasoning. Out of the blue, the smoke has developed a nice body to it and I can tell that it's still slowly increasinging its flavour density. I'm feeling nicely relaxed too... this is proving to be medium-strength, though I was expecting less.

 

This reminds me of a strong brew of orange pekoe tea (without cream or sugar)... somehow rich, yet always a bit watery and light at the same time - never as full-bodied as a cup of coffee. It even leaves a dryness on the palate that mimics the effect of several cups of black tea.

 

The flavour doesn't evolve much in the lower half of the bowl, but the occasional puff is now suggesting more sweetness than ever. Also, the sidestream smoke, when I catch a whiff of it, seems far stronger than it was earlier. I haven't had a tobacco quite like this one before, where the earthiness is so pronounced (and one-dimensional, really) and yet so delicate at the same time.

 

The puffs at the bottom of the bowl are quite tasty and its finish leaves me feeling that I just smoked a big, rich tobacco. Puffing on the pipe is still sweet even after all the tobacco has burned. The room aroma is nice and sweet in an earthy, leafy way, like autumn foliage. I'd never call this an exciting smoke, but it sure is an interesting and contemplative one.

 

It took several bowls of this before I really started to appreciate it at all. Burns with no moisture build-up whatsoever.

G.Smith & Son's Old London Mixture Pipe Tobacco Reviews

An overall darkish brown, medium-cut mixture, composed of about 40% darker tobacco. In the tin, this medium-strength mixture has a rather sweet, nutty aroma that suggests the inclusion of a good quantity of high-quality Oriental and Virginia tobaccos. It is a rich-tasting English that bears some traits in common with McConnell's Oriental Mixture, but it's much less intense and invigourating, and it provides a much smoother smoke.

 

It is perhaps akin to Rattray's Accountant's Mixture, although lighter in flavour and body, in that it is not as dark-tasting as it may first appear and in that it succeeds in giving a rich English flavour without being heavy or cloying in terms of latakia taste. Although I generally find this to be not more than a medium-strength mixture, depending on my mood or the time of day, I have sometimes found it to be a bit fuller, especially at the outset of a smoke.

 

Being a smooth, medium-bodied smoke that is not overly strong, this would make an excellent all-day smoke for latakia and Oriental fans. Its flavour is not extremely contrasting, but one does pick up on the simultaneous variety of dark and light flavours, as well as the mixture of sweet, nutty and smoky aspects in the bouquet.

 

I like smoking this in an Oom Paul-style pipe so that my nose gets to smell some of the smoke that rolls off the top of the pipe. It leaves a fragrant, distinctively English, aroma in the room that most people would find quite agreeable. From start to finish, it's a very consistent smoke, with little flavour variation, other than perhaps getting a little bit hot toward the bottom of the pipe, thereby causing some diluting of taste.

 

It does burn quite well though and I find it easy to overheat it if I advertently begin to puff on it overzealously. Due to its pleasant flavour and good smoking qualities, I would definitely recommend this to someone wishing to experiment with English blends for the first time.

 

At the bottom of your pipe, you are left with a fine, grey ash. From G. Smith & Sons, 74 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0BG. Many thanks to Ron Blackner, who has a web page that you must visit, for the tin of this; it's rather difficult to come by here in North America.

Fox's Banker's Mixture Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This is a ribbon-cut English latakia blend for those who like their tobacco with a rich and dark flavor. Upon opening the tin, one smells that intense and smoky, slightly sweet, slightly fermented aroma that characterizes many quality English blends.

 

Its mottled appearance spans a range of browns from light to very dark. This heavy, smooth-smoking blend contains Virginias, Orientals and latakia in a very good balance. From its full taste, one might at first think that it contains more latakia than it actually does.

 

The Virginias in the mixture lend a nice background sweetness to the smoky-spicy taste of the darker tobaccos in the mixture. The flavours are fairly complex, but well integrated with each other. The fact that it reminds me of Esoterica's Pembroke makes me wonder if maybe it has an alcohol topping like Pembroke (I doubt I would be able to identify it as such).

 

Mild on the tongue, deliciously rich and burns dry. Unfortunately, it's difficult to obtain in North America; if you run across it, pick up a tin or two for later.

Erinmore Mixture Pipe Tobacco Reviews

The first thing I notice about this blend is that its pouch aroma, and then its flavour, don't seem nearly as concentrated as I recall in Erinmore Flake. This is the ready-rubbed version, mainly yellowish medium-cut with frequent flecks of darker-coloured tobacco, likely black cavendish.

 

As much as enjoy the intensity of the taste in Erinmore Flake, I find the lighter flavour of this version equally appealing and certainly more refreshing. The expected flavour is there - something that resembles a unified blend of pineapple and liquorice - but the taste of the sweet Virginia tobacco comes through quite well too, more so than in the flake version if I remember correctly.

 

The body of the smoke is medium, perhaps even a little on the light side of medium. Still, it's not a weak smoke by any means, I find it quite satisfying and relaxing, but neither is it full like Condor or Saint Bruno. One of its better qualities is that the flavour is quite consistent from the beginning to the end of a smoke, without significant degradation of taste, the way many non-flavoured tobaccos smoke.

 

Only as you get quite close to the end of a smoke does its flavour wane, and you then become quite conscious that you are indeed smoking Virginia. Because it is predominately a light and not-fully matured Virginia blend, it may have a tendency to bite your tongue a bit if you smoke it too fast (I wouldn't recommend it for outdoor smoking, the flake version would likely be a better alternative) or too frequently, depending ultimately on the sensitivity of your tongue. For me, this blend rides that line of being neither a smooth nor biting tobacco.

 

Make no mistake about it, Erinmore IS an aromatic tobacco, but its distinctive qualities (it's a high-quality Virginia blend, not just an aromatic) seems to make it acceptable to some smokers of English blends and unacceptable to some who usually smoke aromatics. Some have rightfully pointed out that this blend, like many distinctive tobaccos, imparts a strong flavour to the pipe in which it is smoked and have suggested that a pipe should be dedicated to Erinmore only.

 

I have found that Condor's even stronger flavour will cover up Erinmore's in no time at all. Erinmore Mixture burns dry to the bottom of the pipe and leaves me with a small, dry dottle. I found its room aroma to be pleasant: fairly mild and slightly sweet; I can't imagine anyone ever complaining about it.
 

Erinmore Flake Pipe Tobacco Reviews

There's so much flavour in this Irish-style cavendish that it's way too much for many smokers. Some have compared the taste to Juicy Fruit gum, which is not too far off, although this is much richer than the gum. My guess is that there's liquorice essence in here as well.

 

The added flavour seems to be in the form of essences and not a syrupy casing, so they blend in with the naturally sweet Virginia base. Unlike many American aromatics, the tobacco plays an important role in this blend. Further, the room aroma is not at all what one might expect: it is somewhat sweet and rich, but not fruity like its taste when smoked or its aroma in the tin.

 

This is quite a satisfying tobacco and might be enjoyed by aromatic smokers who would like something stronger without going into latakia-based Englishes. On the negative side, I find it rather aggressive on the tongue, so I smoke it slow and not too frequently.

 

Not crumbling the flakes too finely seems to help keep the smoke cooler, but makes the flavour more intense.
 

Edgeworth Sliced Pipe Tobacco Reviews

Made in the U.K. "under licence from the successors to House of Edgeworth, Richmond, Virginia, USA," these long slices of light and dark swirls are moist, pliable, and break up easily. The aroma in the tin is mellow and slightly leafy.

 

This is a simple, American-style burley blend that is subjected to pressing and aging in a way usually reserved for higher-end tobaccos. The processing seems to bring out the best that burleys have to offer. It tastes pleasantly nut-like and earthy, almost toasted, not really smoky, and even a little bit green.

 

What it offers most is a concentrate of traditional burley flavour, with little of the bitterness sometimes associated with burleys. It starts out giving an impression of mildness. Then it slowly builds strength and, although the flavor doesn't really change, more of that traditional burley spiciness develops during the second half of the bowl.

 

As well, a shade of that hollow flavor common in less-refined burley mixtures appears as one smokes onward. It burns slowly and produces a good quantity of cool smoke with a moist, almost creamy, feeling to it. This degree of body - roughly that of a medium English mixture - is rare in a burley blend.

 

I don't detect any appreciable bite from this, even though the smoke is strong. Any smoke exhaled through the nose produces a tingle that perique fans would enjoy. Be aware that this is a very satisfying blend nicotine-wise that some might wish to smoke in a smaller pipe at first.

 

It smokes dry to a fine, light-grey ash and leaves a rather neutral, but prominent, tobacco scent in the room.

Danske Club Black Luxury Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This is an all-black, medium-cut cavendish blend from Denmark with a pronounced sweet, perfumy aroma. As usual, I have difficulty identifying the components of the aroma, but in addition to vanilla there might be a nut-like (almond?) flavour as well.

 

Unlike many American black cavendishes, which are often moist and a bit sticky, this is a fairly dry tobacco that does not tend to clump together despite its casing. It follows that this is a dry smoke as well, as many Danish aromatics seem to be.

 

It is mild on the tongue, but still a degree or two less than I expected. This blend actually has a little bit of punch for a black cavendish, probably due to the burley it contains. A slightly earthy flavour lurks beneath its sweet top flavour, which makes it remind me of Edward's Buccaneer and many of Cornell & Diehl's aromatic blends.

 

It's fresh-tasting, not syrupy-tasting. As one gets further down a bowl of this stuff, this earthy flavour becomes a little more apparent as some of the aromatic flavour seems to fade and, especially, lose its sweetness. It's quite a nice smoke if you like aromatics at all - medium-bodied and cool-smoking by nature, although its mildness makes it easy for you to smoke it a little hot inadvertently.

 

It burns down to a fine whitish-grey ash and leaves a notable vanilla-tobacco aroma in the room. Thanks Ken for the generous sample.

Craven Mixture Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This is reputed to be the famed Arcadia Mix around which the late 1800s' book My Lady Nicotine revolves. It's an interesting blend to say the least because there have been moments where I haven't thought it was that good and then others where it seemed excellent.

While going through my 50-gram sample, it became mainly a morning or early-day smoke for me, in my 3/4-bent Genod pipe. It looks like a typical medium-to-full English blend: medium-cut, various shades and tones of dark brown punctuated by some lighter and yellower flecks.

It's a fairly strong smoke, stronger than it is rich. Although it seems to contain a fair amount of latakia, it's not as soft as I might expect. On the other hand, it's not quite harsh either, although an unexperienced smoker could possibly find it harsh. It's this strength that isn't tempered by a heavy smoothness that I found slightly offputting at first. The flavour is quite unified and the smoke has a constant and consistent taste and body from start to end.

I have a great deal of difficulty identifying the individual elements in this mixture. It might be the presence of a certain quantity of perique or burleys, or the lack or soft Orientals, or even the usage of a particular Virginia in the blend that gives this blend a strong, yet lively taste that grew on me.

There isn't any of the natural sweetness in this blend that charaterizes many English blends, just straight, pure, strong tobacco flavour, and at times I have even found the taste to have a vaguely sourish note―which suggests perique to me. However, the more I smoke it, the more I like it. The smoke is of medium body, even though its flavour is full.

When I try to think why someone would like this blend, it would inevitably be because it provides straight up-front tobacco taste in the English style, but without a heavy, creamy latakia or oriental character underneath. This means that it is somewhat sharper than many heavy English blends, though I still wouldn't characterize it as a sharp tobacco.

Although I don't find to be a tongue-biter, I can imagine that constant smoking of this mixture would be pretty strong on the tongue in the long run. Leaves a strong English-style aroma in the room that, like its flavour, is full and bears no sweetness.

If I try to compare it to other tobaccos I've had, I can't say that one comes to mind, but I could fathom it being a bit like Balkan Sobranie 759 in strength, but with all the rich, sweet Orientals subtracted. From what I understand, this is the same tobacco that used to come in a pink tin and is now only made occasionally.

It was being sold in bulk by Blatter and Blatter, Montreal, but I've heard that it has become unavailable again.

Capstan Medium Navy Cut Pipe Tobacco Reviews

These long strips of English-made, Virginia-burley flake tobacco contain a variety of brown tones, from light to dark. A rich, sweetish, slightly fermented aroma greets you when you open the tin. This is one of those scents that has a distinctly plant-like aspect to it, and it is topped off with notes of something richer and almost chocolate-like.

It is moist and sticks together well, but is not difficult to crumble up. Once the pipe is packed, a puff on the unlit tobacco provides the taste equivalent of the scent in the tin. Not only does the aroma in the tin remind me of Orlik Golden Sliced, but the smoke's taste also reminds me of it, although this is a little richer and less "green" in flavour.

The smoke is thick and cool, rich-tasting, but not with a very heavy flavour. It possesses a certain neutrality in that it is neither sweet nor bitter; if one had to choose between the two, one would have to say that it is barely sweet. It has a stimulating sidestream smoke that tickles the nostrils quite nicely.

This might suggest that this is a tangy, biting tobacco, but it doesn't bite the tongue at all. In terms of strength, this is a nice, satisfying smoke, a definite medium. Its subtle balance of Virginia and burley, smoothness and medium strength make it ideal for frequent smoking.

I think this would be a great alternative for someone who is tired of aromatics, doesn't care for the latakia-based English blends and has found some Virginia blends to be too spicy. It leaves a light, natural tobacco aroma in the room that shouldn't disturb too many people.

Bengal Slices Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This is a wonderful blend for latakia lovers. Heavy, smoky, and rich-tasting, this smokes incredibly smooth. A great solution to any pipe that tends to smoke a bit hot. Its flavour is unified, to the point that it may come off as a bit flat at times, lacking a sufficient amount of the perky Virginias that many heavy latakia blends contain.

Although the room aroma is similar to what one would expect given its flavour (smoky and earthy), the former is relatively mild in comparison with the latter. The less the dark-brown slices are crumbled before smoking, the more concentrated the flavour becomes. Burns slow, but well.

Balkan Sobranie 759 Pipe Tobacco Reviews

Puffing on a big bowl of this is one of the finer things in life. It provides full flavour from the moment it receives the gentle stroke of a match. This dark brown tobacco is quite rich and heavy, as is its aroma, owing to its high oriental (including latakia) content.

Still, it contains enough Virginia to have a lively flavour. The receptionist at work, who is generally anti-smoke, enjoys its smell, as it reminds her of being out in the woods with a campfire. It burns well, smokes smooth, produces a fine grey ash, and doesn't burn the tongue. Its slight bitterness is perfectly balanced by its slight sweetness. Not only is this excellent in a briar, it is great in a clay or in a corncob.

John B. Hayes' Tom's Red and Black Pipe Tobacco Reviews

I like this one because it provides matured red Virginia flavour and with a good amount of sweetness with less bite and more body than some similar mixtures. Still, it is by no means mild on the tongue.

In this satisfying tan-through-dark-brown blend, fruity red Virginia is mixed with a good helping of darker, richer Virginia similar in flavour to Dunhill's Royal Yacht.

This is another one that I seem to prefer as a morning smoke. I also like it when I think a bowl of Royal Yacht would be appropriate, but when I would like a little less kick. Burns well, best smoked not too fast.

Japan Tobacco's Momoyama Pipe Tobacco Reviews

Welcome to Japan Tobacco's oldest pipe tobacco, produced since April 1934. This ribbon-cut, medium-to-dark brown mixture has a subtle, fermented sweetness in its aroma that I can't quite place. Suffice it to say that it (possibly a rum and fruit combination according to Shigeho-san) tends toward the sweet and not toward the sour.

This sounds sweet and heavy, but it's not. It's a clean taste and, as a smoking experience, it's somewhat reminiscent of Amphora Red, but much less perfumy and less sweet. I would call this "semi-aromatic." The smoke is lively without being harsh, and a decent, simple tobacco flavour comes.

This blend does have a kick and a medium-light body, which makes me aware that I am smoking a mixture containing a lot of burleys. Shigeho-san's translation of Momoyama's description says that it's "Mainly of Brights, with Burley, Oriental, Perique etc. and some casing added."

It is a very well-balanced mixture in that no one element stands out, but it's not as complex as the description might suggest. Those most likely to enjoy this would probably like the Dutch cavendish blends and natural, non-latakia mixtures - some smokers might find it bland. It's definitely worth trying though.

It smokes clean to a dry, medium-grey ash and leaves a genuine, slightly sweet, tobacco aroma in the room where it was smoked.

Japan Tobacco's Asuka Smoking Mixture Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This is reputed to be the heaviest latakia blend offered by the Japan Tobacco Company. It's a medium-cut mixture of medium-to-dark brown tobaccos that contains Virginias, Orientals and latakia, in a proportion that reminds me quite a bit of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe.

Like Early Morning Pipe, it's full and natural tasting with just a touch of a bittersweet nuttiness, but medium rather than full-bodied and with a slight tang to its flavour. However, Asuka is more aromatic and a bit darker in flavour. I think that there is some kind of topping being used here to sweeten the flavour and aroma a bit, but it's nothing that is sugary or clearly identifiable to me, and it's not enough to make this blend be anything other than a decent, medium English blend.

I suspect the possible addition of an alcoholic spirit, such as cognac, for this extra flavour. I offer this "wild guess" because there is a similar fragrance and flavour that comes through in Esoterica's Pembroke, which is a cognac-flavoured English blend.

The only way I can really describe this flavour overlay is by saying that it resembles tasting that fermented aroma that you often smell upon opening a tin of tobacco - except that in many cases, this fermented aroma doesn't penetrate the actual taste of the smoke in any obvious way.

I suspect the presence of a small quantity of burley in the mixture due to the slight tang it leaves at the back of the tongue. This provides a nice, smooth, satisfying smoke without being at all heavy. To me, it's a lot like Early Morning Pipe, but a bit more vibrant in flavour and simply a bit better overall for my tastes.

It burns easily, but not fast, and reduces to a light grey ash. I am not aware of any store where this can be purchased outside of Japan. However, Monoyama is available in the USA.

Indian Summer Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This wide-cut aromatic tobacco, made in the United Kingdom, is "Indian-cut" and "refined with tobacco cultivated by Amish people," according to the pouch. Its distinct reddish, golden-brown colour reminds me visually of some bulk burley mixtures I've seen in jars in tobacconists' shelves.

The occasional fleck of dark tobacco appears just frequently enough for you to assume that it occurs naturally in the mixture. The A.I.T.S. index says that Indian Summer includes "flue cured Virginias, Burleys, Oriental, and a mixture of fired and air cured leaf." What the added flavourings are, I really can't tell, probably a mixture of fruit and flower essences.

The result is very strong, perfumy and potpourri-like, but neither syrupy nor intensely sweet on the palate. It's not nearly as fragrant on the taste buds as it in the pouch. Something in here has an almost lemony-fresh, air-freshener-like quality to it, which I find unusual in a nice way. As for actual tobacco flavour, forget it, this one is purely for aromatic lovers.

It smokes quite mild strength-wise, without bite, and with just the slightest "zing" to it (mild enough to smoke on an empty stomach!). It produces a smoke of reasonably rich body considering its mildness. Still, it's easy to smoke this one fast and a little hot since it's so light.

It smokes fairly dry for an aromatic, moreso than American aromatics like Captain Black, but a little moister than Cornell & Diehl aromatics. Toward the very bottom of the bowl, it does get moister in the pipe and the essences become slightly bitter, but not to the point of becoming unpleasant.

Slower smoking does help to prevent this. Although not as aggressively aromatic as a tobacco such as Erinmore, its scent will remain in the pipe for a few bowls. I had this pouch for about a year, during which time it did become fairly dry once.

After re-humidification, it tended to remain moist for a long time, even when there wasn't much left in the pouch, which suggests that it contains additives of some sort. It leaves a rich, slightly sweet scent in the room after smoking that is not nearly as perfumy as might be expected.

I've never seen this tobacco for sale in North America; my pouch came from Germany (thanks Ken).

Grand Cut Pipe Tobacco Reviews

A British Virginia-based tobacco of the old style. This comes in flake form in an attractive medium-to-dark brown colour that has a distinct orangish cast. There are also some lighter yellowish flecks from the inclusion of some stem material. Where the slices appear darkest, the tobacco has the appearance of having been melted together; the lighter portions come apart more easily while rubbing out.

Its pouch aroma is a little bit perfumy, a little bit spicy, and a little bit sweet, but not fruity. Based on these observations, I was expecting something with at least a slight bite to it and of a strength that leans on the mild side of medium. However, I find it more satisfying than that, as I find numerous British blends of this style to be.

Although it does have a slight, but not irritating, bite, this is a smooth-smoking blend that is on the fuller side of medium as far as strength is concerned and makes for a nice, slow, relaxing smoke. The flavour mimics the pouch aroma, with its subtle spiciness dominating overall and providing a lively flavour, which makes me guess that the mixture contains some perique.

In fact, its flavour is somewhat like a heavier, richer, more mature version of Cornell & Diehl's #502 Stanhope. The smoke is quite rich and medium-full in body, almost buttery in texture. Although I generally smoke my tobacco fairly dry, I noticed that this one seemed to smoke a bit smoother and had less tendency to heat up at first, while my sample was a bit moister.

It begins creating a fine, white ash right from the beginning and it burns cleanly and slowly all the way to the bottom of the pipe. While not excessively strong, it is strong enough to perhaps surprise a new pipe smoker, especially given its outwardly mild character. Thanks to Mark Shelor, I have learned that there is a copy of an old advert for Grand Cut in the Winter/Spring 1994 edition of The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, which was supplied by Mr. Robert Hahn of Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

At the time the advert was published, this tobacco was "issued by Godfrey Phillips Limited." I don't know who manufactures it today, but Ron Blackner (check out his Pipe and Pouch web page) has informed me that Grand Cut is available at Josiah Brown Tobacconist, Nottingham, England, in loose form and that he once spotted it in tinned form somewhere.

Unfortunately, Josiah Brown does not have a tobacco-export licence. It has a pleasant room aroma that is a bit sweet and quite mild and unobtrusive. Thanks much to Tony Curley for introducing me to this delicious blend.

Georgetown's Night Owl Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This is a smooth-smoking black-cavendish based blend with a distinct vanilla flavour and probably with chocolate as well. I always find chocolate flavouring difficult to identify, so I may be out of line here, but there is a flavour in this that reminds me of something I tasted in Finck's Imperial Chocolate.

It also has a discreet tanginess that develops mainly during the second half of the bowl (could it be a touch of an alcohol flavouring?). Unlike many black-cavendish blends, this one is dry on the fingers and it smokes dry as well, reminding me of Russell's Quintessence #1.

Medium-cut and consisting of about 80% black tobaccos and occasional light-yellowish speckles, this provides a rich-bodied, creamy, bite-free smoke that you could easily smoke all day. It is very mild in nicotine content, yet a satisfying smoke due to its fairly full body.

Something I like about this blend is that I do seem to taste its aroma as I smoke, which although fairly sweet, still has a little bit (a very little bit) of a slightly musty tobacco aroma underneath that I find appealing. Then again, I have been smoking this in a short, stubby Royal Danish whose bowl sits close to my nose while smoking.

I guess I have a bit of a weakness for black cavendish blends as far as aromatics go, but this is defintitely amongst the better ones I've tried, with its rich, full, and yet very soft, taste. In fact, it's soft enough that it's still a good smoke if you've been unfortunate enough to get tongue bite. It's one of the coolest smokes I've had in a long time. Very pleasant blown out the nose and it's even mild if inhaled.

I suspect that the small quantity of lighter tobaccos in the mixture liven it up a bit, making it not as flat in character as some black-cavendish blends are. It burns down to a fine, pale-grey ash, mixed with a bit of dry dottle. Thanks Spiffyng for the generous sample.

Ogden's BK Flake Pipe Tobacco Reviews

Blackish brown and reddish brown, thin slices of old-fashioned, English-style Virginia tobacco that rub out quite nicely. This is one of the stronger English flakes I've had so far. When I first received my sample in the mail, its pouch aroma was very strong with that perfumy or soapy aroma that English Virginias often have.

Something about this one's aroma struck me as fruity, almost as if it contained some kind of concentrated orange essence. I found it overwhelming to the point of being almost sickening. Now, a couple of months later, some of the top aroma has dissipated and I find it most pleasant.

I smoked my first bowl of this in a small pipe the day I received it, but it was too early in the day for me to be smoking such a strong tobacco. This mistake combined with its strong aroma while very fresh, left me with a bad impression. I came back a month later only to find that I actually like this blend a lot. First of all, you have to really like nicotine to like this blend - it will relax you.

Its flavour reminds me a bit of Saint Bruno, somewhat tart, fruity and wine-like, and with a very subtle nutty character underneath. In terms of body, its smoke is a bit lighter than Condor, and a bit sharper. However, its sharpness is refreshing in the way it tickles the tongue - and the nose as stray smoke drifts around.

At first, its strength of flavour while in the mouth makes it seems like it might bite, but it doesn't. Its refreshing taste might be due to some perique in the mixture, which wouldn't surprise me because there is a peppery taste mixed in here as well, but I would expect a perique blend to have more bite.

This burns very well, but slowly, to a pale grey powder, and it's a joy to sit down with and smoke slowly. It leaves a heavy, nut-like aroma something like that which Saint Bruno leaves behind, although a little bit sweeter to my recollection.

Mick McQuaid Square Cut Pipe Tobacco Reviews

Dark brown with orange and reddish tones, but with some lighter flecks, this tobacco comes in short flakes, about 1" long (about half the length of the typical flake). It rubs out quite easily and has the heavy, rather aromatic, fermented pouch aroma of many old-style British blends.

The flavour is that of well matured Virginia through and through. It is less aromatic however than many other of the more popular heavy Virginias that come to mind - Condor, Saint Bruno and Erinmore. This is very strong (lots of nicotine) with a straightforward, uncomplicated matured Virginia flavour that attains a kind of neutrality in that it is neither harsh nor sweet.

The smoke's body could be described as somewhere between medium and heavy. Although it's reasonably smooth on the tongue, the smoke rising from the pipe itself is quite sharp as it hits the nostrils.

I've been smoking this in a bent Peterson with a bowl that is fairly close to my nose and I think it might have been a better choice to smoke it in a pipe with a bowl further from nose's reach. I find its strength and simplicity make it the perfect end-of-the-night smoke when I'm not craving any particular aromatic or latakia flavour but desire a very relaxing smoke.

This means that it's ideal for anyone who enjoys well-matured Virginias, but sometimes finds them too sweet or heavily flavoured. It burns very well, so it could be easy to smoke this a little hot, but it's generally a fairly cool smoke. At the end of a smoke, which I find very pleasant, you are left with a small quantity of dry greyish ash and an old-fashioned room aroma.

However, it leaves a strong burnt taste in the pipe that is quite difficult to get rid of.