Reviews
Date Added: Friday 17 July, 2015
This is the last of the aromatics that I’m going to test for this blog and I’ve got to say I was a little disappointed. I’m not saying this is a bad blend, as I thoroughly enjoyed smoking several bowls of it yesterday afternoon. My main issue with it is that the whiskey taste is very indistinct and I dare say I may not have even identified it as a whiskey blend, had I been smoking it under blind testing conditions. I’m always of the opinion that even less popular/good blends still have some good characteristics (more on that soon!) and this is still the case with this blend; It is a very pleasant and light blend, that can easily be smoked all day without destroying your palate, but if you’ve gone in expecting a whiskey flavour, you may be disappointed.
Date Added: Friday 17 July, 2015
At the other end of the scale we have Old Dublin, a potent and traditional English style mixture consisting of Virginia, latakia and Oriental Tobaccos. The cold aroma may be a little off-putting for those not too well acquainted with English Mixes, as the latakia is extremely powerful, giving a crazily pungent, smoke and leather aroma. However, this blend may surprise you when lit, as it mellows out incredibly into a beautifully rounded blend. The latakia and orientals are still the main players in the taste, but they harmonise with the Virginia base to give a great, naturally sweet flavour. - Calum
Date Added: Friday 17 July, 2015
One of the last few plug style tobaccos left on the market and one of my favourites. It is a solid, dark block of tobacco that gives off a rich, slightly fruity aroma. It takes a few firm slices to cut it down into slightly waxy flakes that break up easily for smoking, but it is well worth it. The flavour is about what the smell would imply: strong tobacco notes with a hint of fruit and a slightly spicy edge. As with all twists and plugs, the act of slowly preparing the tobacco for your pipe can almost be as satisfying as smoking it! - Calum
Date Added: Monday 29 June, 2015
Solani Festival Pipe Tobacco 50g Tin
by Staff
On opening the sample, your senses are immediately inundated by the aromatic aroma of plums, which gives you a good guide of treats to come. The tobacco is in coarse cut form, and the mix of the different tobacco leaf of black Cavendish---burley & Virginia looks very attractive, and in my sample had just the right moisture content. I found that it helps if you choose the correct size pipe, for using a small bowl makes the blend smoking experience slightly sharp on first lighting, so use a larger bowl to allow the blend to burn better, giving a smoother smoking experience. Try also moving between a briar pipe and a meerschaum, as the meerschaum adds a little extra to the overall experience, as a briar burns hotter with this blend. A cooler smoke allows the tobacco blenders art to come to its true fruition.
Using a meerschaum for my sampling, I found the following;
Strength; Mild to Medium.
Burning; Slow and cool.
Taste; A very pleasant plum like taste, with overtones hints from the mix of black Cavendish and Burley, of spicy nuts.
Date Added: Monday 29 June, 2015
Appearance; A close cut flake, very easy to break down in the hand resulting in a nice flake, easy to place in the pipe. Aroma; [before smoking] = pleasantly nutty. Smoking is as folows; A very deep and extremely pleasant taste from the mature Burley tobacco, with a hint of nuts, sweet after tastes and a hint of faint background spice. Cool and slow burning, if correctly packed into a briar pipe. [Note; if packed too tight, it will not burn smoothly, resulting in clinkers, however, if packed correctly, will burn to a white ash] Strength; Medium to strong [dependant on the experience of the smoker] Overall impression; An excellent Pipe Tobacco showing the best of the tobacco blenders art. Recommended for experienced Pipe Smokers only.
Alfie - Turmeaus Liverpool
Date Added: Saturday 02 May, 2015
I am just starting to smoke a pipe and this blend is the best one I have tried it is not to strong in taste it doesn't burn your mouth and it's got a lovely aroma would recommend it to any body that smokes a pipe.
