THE TOBACCO CELLAR... a place for pipe tobacco reviews

I thought a place dedicated to pipe tobacco reviews would be nice, let's try to keep it STRICTLY A PLACE FOR TOBACCO REVIEWS if you don't mind it will just make things easier for all.
If we keep a good format it should be simple to find the review you are looking for...

TITLE: Manufacturers name and the name of the blend of the tobacco only, that way it will create a nice easy to read catalog.

EXAMPLES: Sillem's Black
G.L. Pease's Westminster
Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake
McClelland's Wilderness
Boswell's Northwoods

As for the review I would say that can be freeform, I am not trying to dictate I am simply trying to make suggestions to make for an easy to use catalog of reviews.
Also feel free to review a previously reviewed tobacco as it will give a broader perspective on the blend, thanks for your reviews, Blade Boy.

Why don't you start us off with your own review?? I'm sure you might have a sample or two you can write about...

A traditional English blend consisting of Red & Bright Virginias, Orientals & a generous measure of Cyprus Mountain Latakia. It is a rich, well balanced and full-bodied english which is an exceptional late evening smoke.

This is a unique blend in my book when you open the bag your greeted with super smoky scent but upon lighting it up I found it much smoother and milder than the smell would lead you to believe, It like smoking a camp fire without all the choking and watering eyes, and very smooth cool smoky sweet & salty smoke very enjoyable anything of day IMO and I would highly recommend it if your like smoky blends.

Tin note: Very rich, sweet aroma, reminds me of raisins and fermented tobacco. Almost makes me want to chew it.
Cut: Flake(duh!), in long strips, fairly moist, needs a bit of drying before smoking.
Review: I like to smoke this blend in a tall bowled pipe, using the fold and stuff method. It usually takes two or three re-lights to get it going, and slow steady puffs to keep it burning. The flavor is a nice thick tobacco flavor with kind of a fig sweetness, it actually tastes like a hint of Dr. Pepper to me. When paired with a strong black coffee, it really brings the sweetness out of this blend. Paired with a bourbon or a sweet drink, the tobacco takes on a more earthy flavor. If you like Hal O' The Wynd, this is it's darker, sweeter cousin in pure flake form. It smokes cool, dry and long if you smoke it right, but can bite if you puff too fast, like any VA. The flavors tend to get more complex the further down the bowl as I smoke it. The overall Va/fig is always there, but occasionaly a hint of burnt marshmallow, bitter chocolate and a musty earth creep in an out of the smoke. This is a blend that I like to dedicate my attention to while smoking, and one that I have in "the cellar" for years to come. This is another blend that James turned me on to, and I am very pleased he did.

This the best Black Raspberry I have tried, It has a wonderful aroma, it seems to have a raspberry liquor casing, I do not inhale but I still get that warm sensation in my chest when smoking it as if I took a shot of raspberry liquor, if you are looking for a great raspberry aromatic I would highly recommend this blend.

Great idea Aaron.

I retired after my review of Haddo's Delight on tobaccoreviews.

ouch said:

I retired after my review of Haddo's Delight on tobaccoreviews.

Click to expand...

My favorite tobacco related limerick......


as you might imagine the competition was steep.

Hello Gents! I recently was blessed with 5oz of Boswell's "Piper's Pleasure". It's an aromatic blend of Cav, Burley and Virginias. The aroma from the bag smells like straight-up chocolate malted milk balls. However, despite it's sweetness, it did pack some very nice tobacco flavors and almost no tongue bite. Trust me, if you're into aromatics, buy this one by the kilo!

A nice pleasant aromatic, composed of VA & Burley, my favorite of the three "Lakeland" blends I have tried (I like all three, BTW). Flake cut, definitely needs some dry time after opening. I get mostly almond & and an indistinct "fruitiness" among the aromas in the tin, and the smoke has a very pleasant "room note". The flavoring is on the heavy side, but not overpowering, and the tobacco taste does come through. I'd say the strength is on the light side of medium, but it's got more punch than most of the (admittedly few) aromatics I've tried. Overall, I'd say it is a very nice, balanced blend, and I really enjoy it.

*


* Ennerdale gets 3 out of 3 smiley guys on my semi-sorta-not-really-official-ish "Like It/Love It/Steer Clear of It" scale, a solid "Love It".





Edit: I think these tobacco reviews are a great addition to the BL forum. Keep 'em coming!

This is one of three blends in the JFH Uncle Bob's Symphony Of Tobacco series, it has a sweet nutty,buttery,creamy taste, JFH describes it to be pistachio, butterscotch and strawberry as well but I don't taste the strawberry, it is a tasty light aromatic that I would recommend especially as a dessert blend.

Tin note: Smells like tea, bergamot? Whatever Earl Grey smells like
Cut: ribbon/shag
This is without a doubt, the oddest pipe tobacco I have encountered, and one of my favorites. If you've had it, you know why it's hard to describe. It has a flowery, perfume essence, with maybe a light citrus flavor? It's so far outside the normal realm of pipe tobacco that it's hard to believe it's one of the oldest blends out there. Occasionallly, I get a whiff of honey. Mostly it's like being in a small room, full of scantily clad women, wearing a mixture of perfumes(don't ask me how I know, or tell my wife)! This is a "love it or hate it" blend for sure. It burns fast, dry, and cool to a light grey ash. I smoke this blend three or four times a week. I intend to try the plug version if I can ever find it.

A review I wrote a couple years ago.

Well, I finally cracked the seal on the 8oz bag. WHOAAAA!!! Almost got a buzz doing it. I wasn't really thinking aromatic, but I guess I should have known better. The Alittle essence" of Irish Mist (an Irish Cream?) that is suggested on the advertisement for this blend is, as you might guess, the first thing that catches you when you open this up. I like what I see and touch. It is aesthetically pleasing to the eye with stark contrasts between the black and bright yellow tobaccos used to make up this blend. It is fairly dry, compared to most aromatics. Another thing that struck me on opening the sealed bag was that it could have been pulled out as a brick, the seal was that tight.The only unfortunate drawback is that the Irish Mist is so strong that I have no clue whatsoever as to the smells of the tobaccos. On the other hand, I think I am getting a light buzz as my nose is buried in the jar I have put it in trying to catch the faintest whisper of the nature of the tobacco itself and not the liqueur.This is definitely not a Agoopy@ aromatic - if indeed that is what this is considered. It is described on Tim's Tins website as follows: "A base of the highest grades of Cavendish, with just a bit of Burley, is enhanced with wonderfully sweet Virginia tobaccos. A delightful tobacco flavor sets the stage, enhanced, not overwhelmed, by the addition of a little essence of Irish Mist. The room aroma is equally enchanting to those fortunate enough to be in the presence of the smoker"

It was snowing earlier ever so lightly, and I just love to walk after everything is fresh and clean ‑ covered in the pristine crystalline whiteness.

So, I packed my Stanwell Golden Danish 217 with CM and headed outside. The snow had stopped and the temp was hovering around 34 ‑ warm and clean ‑ no need for gloves, perfect smoking weather.

It packed easily, not to dry, but definitely much drier than a normal aromatic. It took easily to match after an initial charring light. It burned cool and dry throughout, producing a firm white ash - a credit to the pure high grade of tobaccos obviously used in the blend.

First, the Irish Mist (tasted and smelled like Irish Cream) dominated. This wasn't a bad thing, just unusual from the Latakia blends I have been smoking recently. It seemed to mellow a bit and then earthy tones of nut and butter developed ‑ while the IM flavor hovered always in the background.

As I walked, the trees glistening under their weighty burdens, gave their silent nod of approval to the aroma drifting their way, gently prodded as they were by light breezes. Or where they too getting a slight buzz from the Irish Mist?

The finish of this tobacco was surprising, as this is where the flavor of the Irish Mist was lacking. You could taste the nutty undertones of the burley and the slight sweetness of the Cavendish, but it was refreshingly light and pleasant.

While I have really been drifting away from aromatics in favor of the clean tobacco flavors of unadulterated tobaccos, this was a nice excursion back into the aromatic realm.

A nice deep, dark espresso would have gone well with this. Of course, I could envision this being a blend to savor after a nice trip through the pines on X‑country skis. Coming inside, propping up my feet on the coffee table (as long as my wife wasn't around) in front of a roaring fire while sipping a cup of hot chocolate laced with (what else) Irish Cream.

Lovely!

I'm a longtime cigar smoker, and I do tend to like "peppery" stogeys (big Pepin Garcia fan), so I was intrigued by Perique blends. I ordered a tin of Escudo to try it out, but before it arrived I ended up trading for a half-tin of Dunhill Navy Rolls. It is my understanding that the two are fairly similar, so I decided to just let the Escudo sit for a while and started with this. The blend is VA & perique, and it comes in little medallions cut from the roll. I was unsure the best way to load this, so I decided to just rub it out. This packed well, so that's what I've continued to do every time.

It smokes easily, and the taste is pretty much straight tobacco. My pipe tobacco palate is admittedly unrefined, but I could detect no distinct flavoring. A few puffs in, I start to get the pepper on the back of my tongue. It's more prevalent than in most cigars, but it doesn't overpower the tobacco. The VA is front & center, and the pepper is kind of a persistent aftertaste, fairly mild. The "room note" is very much straight tobacco as well, absolutely non-aromatic, I'd say it's almost cigar-like. I would call this a medium strength tobacco, a bit milder than I was expecting. I found the pepperiness interesting, and a nice change of pace, although I wish it were a bit stronger. I haven't tried any other VA/Pers yet to compare the overall flavor to.

On the whole, I'd say I like it.

VaPers often have a bit of pepper, but I also find some plum or raisin in the flavor. You need to have a clean palate of it though.

Nice review.

McClelland's Wilderness is a blend of Syrian Latakia a bit of Cyprian Latakia, Orientals, Yenidje and Red Virginias, It is medium/heavy bodied English and well balanced between the smoky cream of the Lakatia and the sweetness of the Virginias and about half way down the Orientals spice and tanginess begin to become evident. I would call this a sweet and creamy medium/heavy english, very well rounded and recommended when less Latakia and more sweetness are desired, another great blend by McClelland's

One of the first pipe tobaccos I had the opportunity to try, thanks to one of you fine gentlemen. This is another of the "Lakeland" florals, which as I previously mentioned I am rather fond of. BCF is flake-cut (duh), composed of Burley, VA, & Latakia. The Latakia is definitely present, but it seems to be in the background, rather than right up front like some of the "English"-style blends I've tried. The strength is mild/medium, and the flavoring I'd call medium. What's odd is that, when I tried it with the "fold & stuff" method, I didn't get any chocolate at all, just vanilla & the floral, but when I rubbed it out I noticed the chocolate much more significantly. The sample size is only a few bowls either way, so maybe I'll have to delve a bit further to figure that one out. The room note is quite pleasant.

Anyway, although I can't say I'd want to smoke this on a regular basis, it is very enjoyable as a change of pace. I've found it pairs very well with coffee (black, thank you).



One additional note, I was warned from the beginning that BCF is notoriously susceptible to ghosting, so I smoked it in a cob the first two times before deciding I liked it enough to dedicate a briar to it.

This Va blend reminds me of my early teen years working on a horse/cattle ranch. The tin note is of molasses and alfalfa hay. The flavor reminds me of the aroma of the sweet feed I fed to the horses, oats and molasses. It has a hint of fresh cut alfalfa hay. It's a milder Va compared to most I have tried, and burns cool and consistent. The flavor is pretty consistent all the way through the bowl. Even though it's fairly moist from the tin, it burns dryer than any Va I've tried. One of my favorite Va's that has earned a spot in the cellar.