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Thomas S.
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Robert Lewis - Tree Mixture 50g
Superb English
Robert Lewis Tree Mixture Blend notes: “This blend is based on a larger amount of the Orient, which is known for its delicious soft and yet aromatic and spicy flavors. A little smoky latakia and a pinch of black cavendish and Virginia perfecting the medium-strong blend harmoniously. Originally this was a "private blend" supplied to a frequent customer - Colonel Tree. Robert Lewis, founded in 1787, is the longest established tobacco merchant in London and one of the oldest in the world. Christopher Lewis, a Welshman, originally started his retail tobacconist business at 14 Long Acre in Covent Garden. Robert Lewis, a relative of Christopher Lewis, later became the administrator of the firm. As the buiness flourished, the firm moved several times and finally located at 19 St. James's Street, where it is trading today. In 1997, Robert Lewis received a Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.” Ingredients: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia. The tin note is very inviting! Some Lat and a fascinating sweetness. Tree Mixture is clearly an English but the Latakia is not overpowering; it gives way to allow the Orientals to shine. These give up a spicy, really yummy taste profile. The Black Cavendish joins with mild sweetesss. The slightly tangy, slightly citrus background Virginia adds flavor as well. I’d suggest this is a OrBCavLatVa type of English. There are so many great English such that a blend really has to stand out to get attention. Tree Mixture has done that with me. The Latakia is well proportioned with the terrific Orientals. Some folk notice a similarity to Squadron Leader. My review of SQ said, in part, ‘Squadron Leader is, on my palate, a light English blend. There is a delightful sweetness from the Virginia. A bit of spice lingers in the background from the Orientals. And there is a balanced, not over-powered creamy, mildly smoky presence of the Latakia. A combination of mildly sweet char and tasty dark fruit Virginia.’ Tree Mixture puts the spice from the Orientals on the same level as the sweetness from the Back Cavendish and recedes the Latakia and the Virginia. Any Latakia will make it’s initial presence known, but here in Tree Mixture the Lat is pushed back. Both Tree Mixture and Squadron Leader are somewhere between mild and medium; not as strong as the medium (taste) strength Maltese Falcon or Wilke #400 or Peretti Omega or McConnel Original Oriental or Bengal Slices White. Tree Mixture is excellent. If you want to try an English that few people know about (despite their longevity in the field of pipe tobacco) and you lean toward English that is past mild but not quite medium, then this might be good for you to try, 4 out of 4 stars.
G. L. Pease - Horizons Flake 2oz
Decent but Just OK
GL Pease Horizons Blend notes: “The third the Zeitgeist Collection, Horizons Flake is an approachable, contemporary, and medium-bodied English blend that's excellently balanced to provide a consistent and delightful all-day smoke. Comprising a mixture of matured Red Virginias, Flue-cured Virginias, Turkish Latakia, and Oriental leaf, all pressed and sliced into flakes, Horizons boasts a sophisticated flavor profile that admirably balances rich smokiness with a gentle sweetness and an enticing spice. Horizons is a new (Spring, 2024) blend. The strength is moderate, akin to a GLP’s Maltese Falcon, Wilke’s Blend 400, or Cornell & Diehl’s Pirate Kake or Captain Earle’s Mystic Blend, but is not as good as any of these. The Red Virginia brings a slight fermentation and a background of dark fruit but the main player here is the Turkish Latakia. The other Virginias and the Oriental leaf are subsumed. The Latakia in Horizons sort of cuts off — that is, the blend lacks a lingering taste. The smokiness is certainly present, but it lacks the sweetness one might align with a campfire and has none of the BBQ tastes that show up in other blends. As most people know, what distinguished Syrian Latakia was less the climate than the particular varieties of wood commonly available. As the political situationin Syria deteriorated over the last 15 years, the genius and talent of creating Latakia didn’t die off, but instead mostly shifted to the island of Cypress. Now some of the production is shifting to Turkey. I’m not unhappy with Horizons but it does not stand out from the excellent crowd of moderate strength English blends. It is good but not stellar. I’d give it 3 out of 4 stars.
Cornell & Diehl - Exclusive
So So
Despite the percentage of Perique this is a simple blend that lacks nuance. There are more interesting VaPers out there — Haddo’s Delight, Windjammer, Escudo, Chenet’s Cake, Doblone d’Oro
Savinelli - 140th Anniversary 100g
Wait for 150
This blend came in a tallish tin and ready to smoke. Sadly the experience was not that pleasant. I always approach pipe tobacco blends with joyful enthusiasm. I have quite a number of personal favs across most categories so why do I keep trying new ones? Hope lives eternal. Notwithstanding the mostly 4 star reviews on 140 so far, this is an odd blend. Sort of a Virginia but not. Some slight topping but not enough to be an Aromatic. Some bits of Orientals to get to very mild spiciness. What throws everything off is (what I believe) to be a high concentration of cigar leaf. I used to smoke cigars. Have some laying around in a humidor. Just don’t really want “that” in pipe tobacco. To be sure the cigar leaf adds tons of structure to this blend. So what do we have? Even with the toppings, even with the Virginias, this can only loosely be called a Virginia. So we say “Virginia Based” when I would have said this is “cigar leaf based” with a bit of Virginia, a bit of Oriental, and a bit of topping. Might well be useful in a new blending at home or with a press with an Aromatic. Maybe.
Cornell & Diehl - Corn Cob Pipe and A Button Nose Ready Rubbed 2oz
Really Not Good
Serves me right for wanting to get into the holiday spirit. This is awful. Tastes harsh and bites. Flavoring so mild as to be vague at best. Yuck.
Balkan Sasieni - Balkan Sasieni 50g
Excellent Balkan
Thus is a superb, easy smoking Balkan, that is, an English with orientals in the blend. Really nice flavor. One can get lost in this heady, moody flavor. One of my four go-to Balkans.
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Ennerdale Flake
Not Thst Good
Not clear why people see this as an aromatic. At least my one ounce had zero flavoring. As a Virginia it had an interesting mix with a tiny bit of burley but not enough to call it a Va/Bur.
