My first english experience

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billmess

billmess

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I cracked open my first english tin. Instead of opening a tin of Squadron Leader, I opted for the Savinelli enlish blend.
Why? I dont really know why. Most likely I just wanted to age the SL.
So I pack a nice big bowl full of the savinelli and WHOA! That's alot of pine!
Is that what they mean by earthy? Are all english blends like this?
It wasnt terrible. However, I cant see smoking this too often.

Thanks,
Bill
 
Yes, English blends are not for everyone. While I enjoy a bowl of EMP on occasion, but I don't smoke this stuff every day.

For me, I guess it's like an acquired taste. Strangely enough, I love the taste, but don't care for the room note as much (neither does my Wife). I keep EMP and Dunnhill 965 on hand at all times, but they only get smoked on occasion. I dedicated a briar and a cob to English blends, in order to prevent ghosting.
 
It is definitely an acquired taste and some real strong Lat-bombs still don't set with me very well. I like some of the milder blends and now pretty much exclusively smoke them.
 
Hi Riff Raff,

The Savinelli is 30% Lat, which seems like it might be alot. Maybe that was the problem.


Bill
 
I love that smokiness everywhere but in my food. Tea. Scotch. Tobacco. Air. Keep it away from my food.

Does building up to latakia help? I'm asking. Not rhetorical. I adored it from the first puff. Struck me as a love it or hate it flavor.
 
I found Pipeworks and Wilke's "#5" was a most enjoyable first English experience. Light but solid. I want more like them!

 
Give it time, you'll come around, they always do :twisted:.

Also, I've never smoked the Savinelli blend, but don't write of the category as whole until you try the Squadron Leader, its more of a light to medium English.
 
I couldn't smoke English blends for years as they literally made me ill. I was gifted a tin of Davidoff Royalty from September of 1999 and it just sat in my cellar for a while. Something got into my head to give it a shot one night and I actually enjoyed it. I think I was spouting off about it because I was so excited to finally be able to enjoy something with Latakia. A few days later I received a box of English samples from one of our most esteemed members here that would make most of the box pass boxes look empty.

I've smoked quite a few of them now and while I don't like them as much as my standards, when I'm in the mood for them nothing else will do.
 
billmess":9f8vu2w4 said:
Hi Riff Raff,

The Savinelli is 30% Lat, which seems like it might be alot. Maybe that was the problem.


Bill
Click to expand...
30% Latakia is quite a bit. There are some stronger Lat bombs on the market, though. Two that come to mind are Old Ironsides and C&D Pirate Kake.

Smokey
 
I keep forgetting about trying Squadron Leader, I have to add that to the list.
 
Don't know about the Savinelli blend, but if that didn't tickle your fancy, I'd say put it aside and crack that tin of SQ Leader. That stuff is excellent.

Some other awesome English blends to try: Dunhill EMP, 965, and Nightcap; GLP Chelsea Morning, Lagonda, Barbary Coast, Quiet Nights, and Blackpoint; Anything Capt. Earle. There are tons of other excellent blends, but those are some of my favorite Englishes.
 
Really potentially obvious or dumb question time (but the asker is quite shameless):

...what, exactly, makes an "English" tobacco?

* Origin?
* Tobacco make-up?
* Specific blend?
* Certain Casing/Flavoring?
* Cut?
* All or parts of the above?

I only know a true English if it says, "a blah blah blah blah English (blend)." So, I'm being a label slave.

Free me, please.
 
I don't know if this is right or not, but I consider anything with Latakia in it to be an English blend.
 
Kyle Weiss":vg3d8pvw said:
Really potentially obvious or dumb question time (but the asker is quite shameless):

...what, exactly, makes an "English" tobacco?
Click to expand...
Actually, this is an awesome question and one which is a matter of contention. I've asked this question so many times I've lost count and gotten as many answers.

I've had tobacconists tell me that an English blend is simply one that is not a straight VA blend. Tobacconist University uses this definition.

I've had tobacconists tell me that an English contains a higher percentage of Latakia than other blends; Balkans containing more orientals.

I've had tobacconists tell me that English tobaccos are blends that come exclusively from England!

While all of this may be true (except the last one. Sheesh!), my experience tells me that the most accurate differentiation lies in the second explanation. A good English is going to be a blend which has a Latakia presence which is greater than the percentage of orientals. That's the best that I've got. :p
 
Interesting.

Considering there's not usually a way to gauge exactly (that I know of...) how much Latakia is actually IN something, what's the base of comparison? Just more Latakia than...any other tobacco, or just Oriental? Is this via perception or taste?

...so my reliance on the blender telling me this is an "English blend" is about one-half percent more accurate than guessing. Great.

:lol:
 
GLP wrote an article lately about the definition of a Balkan and English tobaccos in that online magazine that he's been writing a lot for lately, "PipesMagazine.com. It can be found below:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/what-is-a-balkan-blend/

As usual he has a lot of insight into terms, but at the end his conclusion is that they have been so often ill-used that by now, they mean nothing. He admits he has contributed to the confusion by his blend descriptions.

But I think a useful way of thinking about it is that both Balkans and English tobaccos all contain latakia, VA and orientals. But while Balkans have more orientals than VA, English tobaccos have more VA than orientals. Get it? Balkan countries produce orientals, and thus the name on a tobacco that favors them.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pease swung by this thread and commented.
 
"English Blend" seems to be a term used loosely by the industry. The way I've read it is english blends are natural blends that don't have flavorings added during the curing process. That they typically contain Latakia, Perique, and/or Oriental in any combination.

Balkan seems to be more defined. Thick, creamy, and spicy is what I've come to expect of them. With my luck, scientists will discover Balkans contribute to global warming and I will be nailed with more tax.
 
To me, the classic English blend is Va, Orientals (other than Latakia), and Latakia, nothing else. I consider Dunhill London Mixture to be the benchmark English.
 
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