Recommendations

[Trekkerdude]

I have two requests for tobacco recommendations that I hope you can help with:

Firstly im smoking aromatics at the moment and I'm wondering if anyone has ideas for coffee/carmel flavoured tobacco.

Secondly I'm interested in trying something other than aromatics and I'm wondering if anybody can recommend something for a newbie in non aromatic tobaccos.

The only things is that they must be available in the Uk.

Thanks for your help.

 

[williamcharles]

Try the McClellands site. The have some coffee tobacs. Their #710 is good. Pipes and cigars also have some worth trying. Since most of those on that site are good it's hard to recommend anything specific.

 

[Storm_Crow]

I also enjoy aromatics, so I can make a few good recommendations.

There is a coffee aromatic from Boswells called Autumn blend. Boswells is the best, and I recommend them for your aromatic consumption in general. McClellend also has a decent selection of aromatics, as does 4noggins (Essence of Vermont is a great maple burley/perique semi aro...a real masterpiece IMO), and Pipeworks and Wilke.

For non-aromatics its tough to recommend because I don't know what you're going to like. It seems something on the slightly sweeter might be your thing given your enjoyment of aromatics, so I would probably recommend something with VA and a bit of cavendish...I got it... Rattray Marlin Flake...that's stuff is outstanding. Mostly VA with a bit of cav and perique. It's sweet and smooth with a sort of fig-like natural tobacco note.

My first recommendation if latakia tobacco is something you plan to venture into (smoky, campfire taste) is Sillem's Black. It is again smooth with cav added in there, and a light aromatic something as well.

For burleys, I would probably first suggest Carter Hall, or maybe Classic Burley Kake from Hearth and Home. My personal favorite burley is Stormfront which throws some cigar leaf into the mix.

...and then there are orientals...

 

[monbla256]

I have two requests for tobacco recommendations that I hope you can help with:

Firstly im smoking aromatics at the moment and I'm wondering if anyone has ideas for coffee/carmel flavoured tobacco.

Secondly I'm interested in trying something other than aromatics and I'm wondering if anybody can recommend something for a newbie in non aromatic tobaccos.

The only things is that they must be available in the Uk.

Thanks for your help.

I'm not sure of their availability in the UK, but I can HIGHLY reccomend just about ANY of the blends McClelland makes, especialy their aromatics which I can assure you are made from some of the BEST tobaccos available. As for non-aromatics, their Oriental mixtures and Premium Virginias are GREAT to smoke !

 

[Gumball]

For UK pipe smokers (like myself) availability of the Samuel Gawith blends should be no problem.

Ideally I suggest a trip to your local bricks-and-mortar tobacconist and speak to the wise old merchant behind the counter However, these are thin on the ground in some parts of the UK so you may be forced to use online shops. I have used the following myself, or have heard reliable report that they are good;

http://www.smoke.co.uk/index.html
http://www.smoke-king.co.uk/acatalog/home-page.html

You are also not that far from Blakemar briars shop http://www.blakemar.co.uk/

I started on Aromatics but never found one that I enjoyed smoking very much. The epiphany for me was Squadron Leader...

"This tobacco epitomises the traditional English tobacco. Blended dark and bright Virginias, together with Latakia and Turkish leaf results in a perfect, medium bodied product which gives a rich slow burning smoke."

... and I also enjoy another SG blend called Skiff Mixture, which is (to my taste buds) a slightly milder flavour but very similar to Squadron Leader. Another blend that you should also have little difficulty acquiring in the UK is Presbyterian Mixture...

"Extraordinarily soft blend of finest US Virginia grades and a number of selected Latakia leaf tips. Ideal mixture also for beginners with English tobaccos."

...any of these should give you a nice introduction to the joys of latakia

Gawith Hoggarth blends will probably be easy to find, and you could try some of their Balkan Mixture, which has a rich earthy flavour.

Be warned, these blends, whilst enjoyable to smoke, do not produce the same kind of room note that you may be used to from your aromatic blends, and non-pipe smokers may not be as appreciative of your hobby :lol!:

 

[Trekkerdude]

Thank you all for your recommendations, I think for my first lot i'm going to try the following:

Gawith Balkan Mixture
Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader
Mac Baren Navy Flake
Peterson's Sweet Kilarney

Also just to try it and I'm going to order some Cafe Noir from the Snuffstore.co.uk

 

[Gumball]

Thank you all for your recommendations, I think for my first lot i'm going to try the following:

Peterson's Sweet Kilarney

:x

Not an aromatic that I would recommend. It has a pleasant tin note, but has a rather nasty chemical tang when smoked.

Of course, this is just my experience, and others like this blend.
Ashton 'Smooth Sailing' does not suffer from such chemical nastiness, though (to my taste) is a bit bland.

 

[user 2027]

I've always been a fan of Dunhill London Mixture

 

[Derg]

Based on what you are smoking, I would echo Storm_Crow's suggestion of Rattray's Marlin Flake. That stuff is seriously delicious.. Do add some to you list. You won't regret it.

 

[Blackhorse]

Here's what I would do...

Go to the 'tobacco reviews' website (http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/browse_all.cfm).

In the upper right corner is the advanced search thing. Click on it and enter perameters that suit you. I did this just now and came up with the following:

As just one example, I entered the flavor 'caramel' and disallowed 'latakia' as a component...and the search produced the following:

10 Records matching your search criteria

# / Blend / Brand / Reviews

1 Club Blends: CPCC Caramel Rush McClelland 7
2 D58 Dulce de Leche Altadis 1
3 J-2: Caramello Consolidated 0
4 Limited Edition 2009 Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG 2
5 Private Stock No.1 Davidoff 0
6 Private Stock No.5 Davidoff 0
7 Sweet Killarney Peterson 101
8 TGB-1 Lane Limited 1
9 Three Blind Moose 4noggins 14
10 Winding Road Ashton 20

There's also a 'star rating' at the end of each line...the average score from all reviews...but that doesn't come through via the copy thing.

I'd try the same thing with your coffee flavor and see what pops up.

By looking at the manufacturer you can tell the origin of the blend and if it's a UK company, you're likely in good luck.

As you progress into your coming years as a pipe guy, this site will provide invaluable service to you in many ways. First, it lists new blends at the upper left...these are always fun to keep up with. Second, you can search by several different key aspects, ie. brands, blend names, how highly rated, etc. Then there's the advanced search with allows you to fill in one or all of the search criteria. I often look for things like 'a blend that has burley, Virginia and cigar leaf...but no latakia' - or whatever your preference is. You can also add in specific flavorings...like your coffee/caramel, etc. Then...and perhaps most important, I would look up my favorite blends and see who thought they were really excellent (like you) and then check out their other reviews, looking for blends similar to the one you looked up, but a different blend. Get to know the guys that like the same things you like and follow their lead...it's a proven method.

Anyway...first entry into the world of 'real' blends for me was with Escudo. I would also recommend Bjarne's Flake de Luxe. Both are very friendly. I just got hold of some Sam ual Gawith Kendal Plug...and am amazed at the mild and delicate flavors of this totally unflavored blend. Slice it thin, rub it til it's fluffy...or break it up into large pieces...whatever. Smoke it slowely and you'll be rewarded with an excellent smoke. I sure wish I'd found this one early on.

So the above thing is an example of the..."Give a man a fish and you feed him for a night, teach him how to fish and you feed him for life." kind of thing. The review website is, however, slightly addictive...so beware on that score.

Good luck and good fishing.

PS: In looking up the coffee flavor I came up with 72 blends and one of them is by Gawith, Hogarth & Co. - Coffee Caramel. It had the following description: A smooth background of caramel combines with a deep rich coffee aroma to complement the rich black Cavendish tobacco. You might look for that one!

 

[Trekkerdude]

Hey all,

I got myself to my local B&M today and picked up a few things, I didn't get everything i wanted but here is what I did get:

A tin of squadron leader
A tin of marlin flake
A tin of presbyterian mixture
Some Gaelic

Also picked up a new pipe and will post pics in the PAD/TAD forum when I Have taken some.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Congratulations! MF, Pres and SL are all in the pantheon of the multi-hundred blends commonly smoked by pipe smokers. Those blends are in the first order; there are that many more in the second.