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Reviews
Rattray's - Bagpiper's Dream 100g
Tobacco poo poo platter
I mean “poo poo” in a very good way. Yes. That’s what it is as far as the tobacco contents go. It’s a mixed bag of cuts of tobacco; ribbon, flake, medallion, etc. Personally, I like it. It’s different. It’s easier/best to smoke this in a larger bowl though. Given the melee of cuts, it may be difficult to get it packed into a small bowl properly without the top of the bowl looking like Medusa’s hair. As far as the tin note goes, I thought it smelled exceptionally great. It had a pleasantly different kind of smell I never encountered before in a tobacco. It probably had something to do with the Cognac. And the taste, I would rank it as very good to very very good! It wasn’t overly sweet. I would call it a no-nonsense, down to earth tobacco.....with an added touch. I sensed some bitterness on the back of my tongue on top and on both sides. Not complaining at all. In a way it was more on the “tangy” side rather than bitter. That might be the Cognac as well. Not sure. Never smoked tobacco with Cognac in it before. All in all, I liked it a lot. It was different. And isn’t that what we’re constantly looking for? Something different - something new - something unusual that we never tried before? As long as it’s a GOOD type of “different “!
McConnell - Scottish Blend 50g
Like extra virgin olive oil
When I was young, my grandmother taught me how to tell the difference between an average olive oil and an exceptionally good one. Swish it around in your mouth and if you get some burning on the sides of you tongue towards the back , it’s good. Something to do with the acidity content in the olives. Well, I found the same telltale sign with this tobacco. It left , not a burning, but a good sensation/taste on the back sides of my tongue. A very good one. Flavor. And as it states, Scottish tobacco emphasizes more on the Virginia’s rather than Latakia & Orientals, which to me is great. I’m not a big fan of Latakia or Orientals, especially Latakia. To me, this one is just right. There is only a slight hint of it, very slight. As a matter of fact, I had to look up the ingredients for this blend to see if there was any Latakia in it at all. That’s the way I like it, just a very slight hint of it. It taste like good, fine tobacco. There is “the right time & the right place” for everything. I can see me smoking this tobacco in an OoPaul or a calabash shape pipe while watching some Celtic Highland Game on a chilly but bright sunny Autumn day. I like this one a lot. It’s like the Woodstock of concerts, the Elvis of entertainers, the Pink Floyd “Dark Side of The Moon” of albums, the Monaco of Grand Prix racing, the Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce of Sherlock Holmes, the Peterson 4AB of pipes, the fine wine of tobaccos, the extra virgin variety of olive oils! To me, for my own personal taste, this is the quintessential tobacco mix/blend in the “English” family of tobaccos. Great Scot, they nailed this one! Pure and simple.
G. L. Pease - Key Largo 2oz
So-so
I usually don’t write negative reviews, mostly just good ones when I come across exceptionally good tobaccos. I found Key Largo not “bad” so to speak, but just so-so. The flavor was just ok, nothing to rave about, but I also found it to be more on the harsh side (rather than being a smooth tobacco) and some tongue bite and it left an unpleasant bitter taste in my mouth. No “nuance” here with this one. More like “no-ance” at all. Just my opinion on how I found it for my own personal taste.
CAO - Eileen's Dream 50g
St. Patrick’s day smoke
I’m somewhat of a situational/seasonal pipe smoker when it comes to choosing the type of pipe tobacco I’m going to smoke at the time. An example: I’m more likely to smoke Cornell & Diehl’s “Autumn Evening” sometime in Autumn rather than on a hot summer day, etc.,etc. So, in and around St. Patrick’s Day time of year, I’ll break out the Irish cream, drink Irish Cream coffee and smoke Irish Cream flavored pipe tobacco in my Peterson Irish pipe! And that’s what it tastes like to me.....Irish Cream. Rich, smooth and creamy. In my opinion, it’s the best in that category. The next best thing would be Peterson’s “St. Patrick’s Day” (which is also great), but I have to give the edge to LCAO. It’s one of only a handful of tobaccos I smoke where people actually came up to me and asked me what is was because it smelled so good. And it tastes just as good, if not better, than the aroma. It’s like Creme Brulee in a pipe!
G. L. Pease - Gaslight 2oz
“A Lot of Kia”
A lot of Latakia. I taste Latakia first and foremost big time and then just a little oriental, but no Virginia. If you like Latakia as the dominating taste, this is a good one. I rated it “average “because it is what it’s supposed to be, an English family tobacco w/ Latakia. Their description of their product is what it states. But, personally myself, for my own personal taste, I’m not a real big fan of a lot of Latakia in a mix. I do get a hankering for it from time to time, but just a touch of it like in Dunhill’s My Mixture 965. So, for me, this mix is too strong with Latakia. And being tightly compacted into 2 small rectangles, it’s like a concentrate with an overwhelming scent and taste of Latakia. I wouldn’t say it’s “bad”, just Latakia overkill.
Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream 3.5oz
Vanilla all around
With some aromatics you sometimes get 1 or maybe 2 out of the 3 characteristics (strength - room note - taste). To me, this one gets high marks for all 3. I have at least a half a dozen other vanilla aromatics and this one is by far the best in all 3 categories. The strength isn't too powerful nor too weak. The room note of vanilla is very distinct ( I don't know why the review only gives it a 1 dot ). And the taste is great as well. Vanilla all the way. So, to me anyway, MacBarrens Vanilla Cream is the best tasting, best smelling vanilla flavored tobacco that's not too under or over powering to smoke that I've tried so far. This is another one of only a few tobaccos that people actually came up to me and asked me what it was I was smoking because it had such a pleasing room note aroma. I’m very pleased with the mild but distinctive taste and apparently others are pleased with the aroma also.
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding Special Reserve 4oz
A little levity
I agree with Olmstead's Nov. 2017 opinion about the packaging: "The only criticism I have is that S.P.C. should wrap up their cakes in paper like other blenders. Seems a shame to let these beautiful cakes bang around inside the tin". I too have a passion for fine tobacco. From it's humble beginning as a lonesome seed-through it's nurturing-it's cultivating-it's drying-it's cutting and processing, it just seems ashamed that it's final "resting place" should be in an unlined " tin coffin" before it is finally "cremated" in the "briar oven" and it's ashes are spread in the backyard garden. I mean, this is a well made fine quality product that deserves better. Don't you think? With some tobaccos, I'll take out the cob and have a quick bowl. But with this fine product, I'll "reserve" the time to smoke it slowly in only my finest briars. It deserves better. It deserves the best as an "end means" for entering it's afterlife. A little levity, but seriously, I too think it should be shipped in a more confined lined container to "reserve" it's structure & aroma. Also, this tobacco is like a concentrate. It burns extremely slow. One bowl goes a long, long way. If you look at it that way (smoke time), you get more bang for your buck compared to many other tobaccos.
Sutliff - 19 Coconut Almond
My "go to" summertime tobacco
I'm a "seasonal" pipe smoker. Where as, I have certain tobaccos I smoke for all 4 seasons. Aromatics/tropical flavored for summer, Burley & English in autumn & winter, and virginia tobacco in springtime. Even though it's a Burley/Virginia based tobacco, it's the coconut flavor that really comes through. I don't recognize much with the almond, but the taste and room scent of coconut is the main characteristic component in this blend. Coconut always reminds me of summer and that's why I usually "go to" this one in the summer season.
Savinelli - Brunello Flake 100g
Alluring aroma
Sometimes your sense of smell will give you a correct indication of what the tobacco might taste like before you even smoke it...and sometimes not. This one does. Upon opening the tin, I smell Virginia and a citrus aroma. When smoking it, I taste Virginia and citrus. And the room note is also one of Virginia and citrus. To me, it's a very refreshing taste and aroma. Also, when I walk pass my jars of tobacco I sometimes grab one and open it just for the aroma of it. It's practically always the Brunello I open up. It just has that somewhat different stronger scent to it that I really enjoy. This one I like the smell before and after I light it up...with a great smoking flavor as well. For me, this one really hits my senses in a good way.
Dunhill - My Mixture 965 50g
Good quality burn
I'm not a big fan of Latakia, but there are times when I do enjoy the taste of it a little. That's one of the reasons why I like 965. The Latakia is there for sure, but it's not too strong, not overpowering. To me, it's like Latakia "lite". Put in order in strength with Dunhill latakia's it would be Nightcap (strongest), then Morning Pipe, then 965(mildest). But the main reason why I like 965 is because of how it burns. This tobacco burned to a fine white ash all the way to the bottom of the bowl with no moisture, no residue, and no leftover tobacco. I's a good quality tobacco blend that smokes quite well. I really enjoy smoking this one.
McClelland - Club Blends: CPCC Scottish Woods 50g
Nice blend
In the English tobacco line, I was looking for one that wasn't too overpowering with latakia. This is one of them. The latakia is there but it is not the main characteristic flavor in this blend. That's what I was looking for. Scottish Woods is blended just right for what I was seeking in an English blend.
Drew Estate - Toasted Black Cavendish 50g
Another favorite
I've tried many types of tobacco & brands and only came across a few that I have on my favorite list. This is one of them. As a matter of fact, as of now, this one is currently on the top of my list. I "bulked up" on this one. To me, this is one of those tobaccos that when you smoke it you say to yourself "now this is what tobacco is supposed to taste like".
Mac Baren - 7 Seas Black 3.5oz
Mixed review about this one
I've tried several MacBaren tobaccos and was always satisfied with their products. Mac Baren 7 Seas Regular is one of my all time favorites. But, when I received a tin of the Black version, I was surprised at the condition the tobacco was in. It was very soppy, sticky wet. Even the paper liner was saturated on the bottom. I dumped it out on to a paper towel and put another one on top of it and pressed on it. I did this a few times before it stopped absorbing the goop. I tried smoking it, but couldn't keep it lit. What taste I did achieve from keeping a flame on it was half decent, but I really couldn't smoke it. I don't know if this tin was an isolated incident or not, or if the Black version has overkill with what it's flavored with. Like I said, what flavor I did get wasn't bad, but I couldn't smoke it enough to give it a fair review. That's why I gave it at least 2 stars. No complaints about Mac Baren tobacco at all.....just this one tin.
Mac Baren - 7 Seas Regular 3.5oz
Good all around tobacco
There are only a few tobaccos that I have in bulk because I like the flavor so much. Mac Baren 7 Seas Regular is one of them (Mac Baren Modern Virginia & Peterson Nutty Cut the other ones). Again, this is another one of those good, anywhere, anytime, all around tobaccos. Tin note, room note, taste, etc.....it has it all without being too overpowering with any one of it's characteristics. A "Grab n' Go"...or an "R & R" tobacco. Either way, you can't go wrong with this tobacco. Or, in other words, it's "the cats meow".
Peterson - Nutty Cut 50g
Great taste
When I sample a tobacco for the first time, I keep the remainder in small airtight jar. If I really like it, i'll buy several tins(or bulk bags) of it and store it in a large airtight glass container. I only have a few bulk containers that I bought for my favorite tobaccos. Peterson Nutty Cut is in one of them. It is one of only a few that are on the top of my list. Because of it's tasty, very notable nutty rum flavor, I made it my favorite after dinner smoke. Red wine with spaghetti, white wine with fish, and Peterson Nutty Cut as an after dinner cordial. To me, it's a nice touch after a good dinner meal.
Mac Baren - Modern Virginia Loose Cut 100g
Very good tobacco blend
I received a free promotion sample while purchasing other items. After trying it I ordered a 100g tin with my next order. I've tried many tobacco blends and flavors from several different manufacturers. Modern Virginia is not only one of my favorite Mac Baren tobaccos, but also one of my all time favorite tobaccos of any brand. I think it has a very smooth no-nonsense flavor that isn't overwhelming with any one particular characteristic. A nice cut that is blended very well. A good all around, any time smoke.