Tobaccos Rattray - Exotic Orange (a.k.a. Exotic Passion)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2016-11-29		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The Virginias offer a little dark fruit and earth along with some tangy citrus and grass. They form the base of the blend. The nutty, earthy burleys play back up. The black cavendish is a supporting player that provides a little brown sugar, and a few drops of vanilla and caramel. There is a very light tea-like quality that likely comes from one of the Virginias, but may also come from a topping. The orange, passion fruit, and floral (rose, I’d say) toppings has a bit of richness and depth. There’s a little maple and mango added as well. The tobaccos are sublimated a little, but the tangy citrus from them doesn’t seem to have been muted much by the toppings. The taste level is just above medium. The nic-hit is almost mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no dull or weak moments. A little moist out of the tin, it burns a little slow, cool and clean with very smooth, rather creamy consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights as it burns to ash. Has a very pleasant sweet, floral after taste and room note, both of which linger a mite. Can be an all day smoke with little trouble. It will ghost a pipe.

-JimInks

37 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skoma (32)	2016-07-14		Mild	Strong	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Typical aromtaic blended by Kohlhase & kopp. Not the easiest blend around but perfectly smokable for the average pipe smoker. The taste offers lots of orange and after drying out a little more and more of the vanilla, caramell taste that´s so typical for K&K aromtaics. I recomend this mixture for fans of fruity blends and the one´s that really like orange since it is very prominent in taste. Just sometimes it gets a little biting... And of course it comes in one of the most beautiful tins available!

Three stars!

Pipe Used: various

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2017-10-21		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

An absolutely stellar aromatic by Rattray's. The tin I purchased is labeled Exotic Orange although it came with a paper insert describing the name of the blend as being Exotic Passion. The rich smelling tin note is a cocktail of honey, maple, sweet orange, citrus blossom and a hint of a treatment that is nearly identical to cognac scent of Bagpiper's Dream.

The tobacco is a variegated mix of mostly tan and brown course cut pieces accented with a small amount of dark Black Cavendish. The moisture content is near perfect, although I prefer to set it out to dry for about 15 minutes. It’s easy to pack, burns slow and stays lit with very few relights.

The beginning of each bowl is sweet but not cloying. The topping is noticeable but it does not get in the way of the grassy, lemony taste of the Virginias. The biggest surprise comes along further into the bowl where Exotic Orange settles into a groove where the taste of the tobaccos come into focus with the flavorings coming through balanced to perfection in the side stream. Each puff finishes with a light lingering spice and a delicate, fruity floral note.

The experience of smoking Exotic Orange reminds me of often overlooked tobaccos like Davidoff's Danish Mixture and Mac Baren’s Mixture Modern, which taste entirely different but are designed to let you know that you're actually smoking tobacco despite the added flavor enhancements and the pleasant room note.

This is an excellent blend for aromatic smokers and for pipers like myself who tend to prefer more natural mixtures but like to dabble in well made aromatics.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2018-01-26		Mild to Medium	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Very Strong

This stuff and Bagpiper's Dream are the two most awful mixtures I've ever had the misfortune to try. Its taste reminded me of the fragrance from cheap perfume and it gagged me. I couldn't even finish the pipe full of it.

Similar Blends: Bagpiper's Dream.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	W.B. (13)	2019-02-09		Medium	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Strong

I really wanted to like this blend. I waited, like so many others, for it to finally become available. I read the reviews. Jim inks gave it a great review and he is the best at giving great and evenhanded perspective on blends. I love certain heavily cased aromatics such as Devil's Holiday which i can readily agree is not for everyone. All that said, I truly hated this tobacco. Cloying, artificial, nauseating and overpowering come to mind immediately. It really is like smoking a scented candle and not a high quality one at that. Finally, please be careful as this will absolutely ghost a pipe in a major way. I made the mistake of trying it in a Castello 10 and have had a difficult time since saying farewell to it.

Pipe Used: Castello

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Sp

Similar Blends: Nothing else. However, for an aromatic with some orange flavor try C&D's 2018 jolly old st Nicholas. Much, much better.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2018-02-01		Very Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

As others...I am not into aromatic blends but I did enjoy this one.

The tin note is beautiful. Arrives in a beautiful tin. The tobacco itself is in a plastic bag that to me is obviously intended for shipping purposes only. Cheap and thin! Subtle on the citrus note when smoked.

Jar it up and dabble in it time to time. Nice change of pace with zero tongue bite for me.

Pipe Used: Briars and cobs.

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: Various

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Liquid360 (10)	2017-08-08		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I admit. I don't think highly of aromatics, but was curious since this has attracted much attention. I hate to say it, but I simply adore this aro. It's beautiful beyond discription. The tin note, construction, moisture content.. everything. I have zero complaints ☹️ Please, don't tell anyone.

Pipe Used: Davidoff Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Entirely new and unique to me..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tfanelli (3)	2018-05-12		Medium	Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

Warning- will ghost a briar! (As others have said.) This is an amazing blend. Pure quality from packaging to cut to smoke. I have gifted this to 3 pipe smoker friends to Rave Reviews! The nose is intense and rich. Orange blossoms is what it reminds me of. This is a treat, not an everyday smoke. Something to be enjoyed, like an aperitif. Highly recommended.

For the last year this blend has been extremely hard to find. I had mine shipped from Germany to the USA using eBay. I picked one up at a local tobacconist in Minneapolis and could not find it at any of the major retailers, hence going to ebay. If you have this treasure it!

Pipe Used: Cobb

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: Ebay

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2018-05-01		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a wonderful smoke, the orange flavor lasts through the entire bowl, but never tastes overwhelming. The Virginia tobacco flavor is dominant and the orange flavor gives a nice push throughout the smoke. This is not your average aromatic, no goopy tobacco here, this is an excellent smoke and heartily recommended....if you can find it.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noctivagant (11)	2018-08-03		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This stuff can be hard to find. I was fortunate enough to receive some from a friend in Portugal since it's readily available in the EU. If you catch a Rattrays drop early you can find it from SmokingPipes or TobaccoPipes. Be aware, it sells out as quick or quicker than Hal O' the Wynd.

This​ blend is an absolutely wonderful aromatic. I do not find myself smoking aros very often, but when I get the itch, this stuff is what I reach for. The top note is a wonderful mix of tea, orange, citrus florals, and maybe a little booze. It's not goopy or sopping wet like some aros and like everything from K&K/Rattrays it is made with top notch leaf.

I'm not aware of any other aromatic (aside from Lakelands) that retains its top note on the sidestream or retrohale as well as this blend. It actually tastes like it smells while still retaining some tobacco flavor.

It does lack a little strength for me and nicotine as well. I've taken to mixing it with Haddo's Delight at a close to even ratio. Those two together become a truly wonderful experience.

Pipe Used: IMP Meerschaum, cobs

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: Nothing.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2018-03-16		Mild	Very Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

WARNING: This Will Ghost A Briar! I have a dedicated pipe for the blend. The pipe on it's own now smells heavenly. haha

Orange blossoms and honey. Intoxicating in it's strength with some nice virginia and quality burley under it all.

The flavour is very rich and will stay with you in mouth, beard, and clothes all day. The orange blossom is foremost, followed by the sweet honey/maple flavour, and the mango is noticeable later when the orange wanes slightly. From first light till the embers die, this is a dreamscape of flavour. This is the one aro to rule them all.

You're room will also smell like heaven. I almost get a little wet around the eyes because it reminds me of my grandmother's perfume from when I was very young. She and grandpa getting all dressed up and taking the Lincoln into town. haha What a pair.

This is a must smoke tobacco for aro lovers and a must try for any pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Grabow Royalton

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Nothing Like It.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Sunday Evening Pipe Smoker (54)	2017-09-04		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

So this is the blend you smoke if you're craving a citrusy Virginia Flake but you have company and want to have an aromatic room note.

The taste is very reminiscent of a Virginia flake.

This blend hit me in the following way. There is something a bit cloying about the casing. For one thing, the tin note and room note is rather off putting; it smells like Orange Tang crystals. Do you remember that fake orange drink Tang that you used to mix up in water? Well that's the sort of smell it has, and from what I can tell it comes out in the room note. Not exactly nice in my estimation, and not a natural citrus smell.

Taste wise, it comes off better, but I'd rather just have the Virginia flake if I want that citrusy taste -- one that is more natural -- and there are plenty of better aromatics out there.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2020-06-29		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

For those who are in a hurry, the thumbnail version of the following review of Rattray’s Exotic Passion is: OK tobacco swamped by not OK topping. If you’re still there, this (apparently) sought after blend from the Storied Marque comes in an un-sealed plastic bag inside an attractive, colorful, unsealed metal box. The blend consists of moist ribbons ‘n chunks that range from golden tan, to light, reddish brown, to black. The tin note is quite a burst initially, but it eventually settles down to a tropical version of one of those plug-in air fresheners, orange-ish and passion fruit-ish, with vanillin. It handles, loads, lights and smokes down with no problems after a little air time. The topping takes and holds the lead through the smoke. I prefer a light snork to the tastes I get because this blend oils my mouth right away, probably due to my old nemesis, propylene glycol, but possibly due to chemicals used as aromatics and flavorings. The tobacco, way down there, is meadow grassy and nutty, and mildly floral, and it might get three stars on its own; but it certainly is not on its own. Strength is medium, with scant nicotine. Tastes rise past medium. Room note is not awful, but it’s somewhat insipid. Aftertaste lingers, starting out as icky, combusted chemicals and morphing into a nice VA/Bur afterword as it trails off.

What can I say? I own the PG problem that really kills this for me. But, truth be told, I couldn’t give this more than 2 stars apart from the PG because I just don’t care for the topping. Taken as a whole, I can’t recommend it.

Pipe Used: aro-friendly briars

Age When Smoked: fresh and rested

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Compare/contrast to Peterson's Founder's Choice.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bbrown626 (150)	2022-10-27		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Strong

This one seems to be a "love it or hate it" blend. I love it! I was intrigued by the concept of an orange blend - so after a year of searching, I found a tin and ordered it. A very complex blend that smokes with a consistent taste to the bottom of the bowl. The orange and floral are the primary elements of the taste, but I also detected mango and a touch of vanilla. The Virginia's are a fine host to the toppings. The tobacco slowly burns to a fine ash with no moisture in the bowl. An all-day smoke. I have heeded the advice of other reviews and dedicated a pipe (a Forseti with an orange stem) to this to negate ghosting

Pipe Used: Forseti Billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	snow901 (12)	2021-12-14		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium	Strong

This is a heavy aromatic with orange and floral notes dominating the aroma. No tobacco notes can be detected behind the aromatics. The orange flavorings leave a strong chemical aftertaste that coats the inside of your mouth.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	raybrown55 (46)	2019-09-26		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Ahhh this is a great aromatic! A kaleidoscope of aromas reaches your nose as you smell the tin and a festival of mainly fruity flavors stimulate your taste buds as you smoke it, but you can also taste a bit the tabacco underlying the topping. A bowl of this tobacco is really a joy for my soul and the obvious orange flavor makes me remind of the winter time and the Christmas Eve... Wonderful and highly recommended!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2021-05-26		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Exotic Orange is one of the best aromatic blends that I have smoked. I can taste both the tobacco and the topping. I really like the mixture of orange with a little maple syrupy sweetness. It is a unique blend and bites less than the run-of-the-mill aromatic.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2021-05-09		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I was finally able to find some in stock, so I decided to have a fruit showdown with some other blends I was meaning to try (Sillem's Red and Reiner's Professional) - who will reign supreme?

After tossing aside the useless, yet decorative tin, I tore the bag open to find a bounty of fruit and spicy flavors, all competing for your nose's attention. It reminded me of a floral tea. There was of course plenty of fruit in there, but nothing overly obnoxious or chemical.

The mix was light and bouncy to pack, without any sticky topping, and fired up without issue. The smoke was complex in that I couldn't place the individual flavors, and unique for an Aromatic, as it left a sweet finish (again, like sipping a floral tea). It's pretty mild, so you 'could' smoke successive bowls, but like any good dessert wine, it would overpower the buds.

For those seeking a full throttle Orange experience, no one tops Planta's Anno MMXIII, but for those who want to smoke some incense (and I mean that in a good way here), Exotic Passion can't be beat.

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wally Frank Collector (46)	2020-07-08		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

A very nice friend gave me this and this is one of his favorite baccas. He also gave me the pipe I smoked this in. A huge thank you to my friend cloudbear.

Black Cavendish, Burley and Virginia as well a very nice topping make up this blend.Opening the bag I was greeted by a excellent combination of wonderful aromas that started with a pleasant orange aroma, mild earthy, light sweet smelling grass with pleasant aromas in the background consisting of mild nuttiness, light vanilla and a very mild floral that really came together perfectly in a wonderful and pleasing combination. This is a ribbon cut that came out just a touch moist, was dried on a paper towel for a half hour, and packed very well. The Charring light was pleasant when the true light came there were very, few re-lights. This burned medium , the smoke was medium and disappeared quickly. There was no tongue bite although if puffed a few rough edges do appear. Burned very consistently with a wonderful flavor that stayed lightly creamy and very consistent till the end, Left moisture in the bowl. Burned to dark ash. Each re-light was full of rich orange flavor. The sweet aftertaste stayed throughout the smoke and for almost an hour after the smoke. Can be an all day smoke. As many warn, this does ghost a pipe a briar!!!

Lighting the bowl the first thing I was greeted by was a rich slightly tangy orange flavor. Very pleasing and refreshing. As I was writing down the flavors I kept thinking this is familiar. Then it dawned on me. This tastes like Orange Pekoe Tea. Sure enough after several sips it was and with the orange pekoe tea were added the following flavors that all dances joyfully in the background of this very light and airy tea with the background flavors of a mild earthy, sweet grassy, light nutty, touch of vanilla, light floral and about a 1/4 of the way into the bowl in danced some very light brown sugar flavor. Along the way I kept getting a hint of coconut, but there is no coconut listed on this but I had this flavor doing a zip dance in and out so I only would get a hint of what it was and it seemed like a hint of coconut. the flavors played well together and made this a wonderful smoking experience. More on the Room note, it is very pleasant with a Orange aroma that smells a lot like Orange Pekoe tea brewing. Very pleasant with a hint of brown sugar and a very, very faint hint of coconut.

I enjoyed this smoke very much. It is a delightful change from the everyday and one comes away refreshed from this smoking adventure. This is complex enough to keep one's attention, but it is very consistent with no flavor changes other than a quick and almost missed appearance of what I believe is a touch of coconut. This is not my style to be an everyday smoke but I like it very much. I will buy it and keep it around for special occasions. This receives a 3.7 stars out of 4 stars. Give it a try for it is a refreshing smoke!

Pipe Used: Edwards Saddle Bit Dublin

Age When Smoked: NEW

Purchased From: Gift from friend

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-02-21		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium	Pleasant

20230223 edit: Maybe I was a bit harsh. Found some use for this after testing a particularly unpleasant tobacco, really does make you forget about whatever else you might have been smoking. And while the topping is all I taste, it's not cloying. I probably won't smoke it daily, maybe not even weekly, but I probably will enjoy a bowl once in a while.

Tin note very strong, of tropical fruits. That's all I can taste in the smoke, mango, orange, passionfruit. Tastes like something I should be vaping rather than smoking from a pipe, and I'd be very upset to find one of my pipes ghosted with this. If you like to smoke and don't particularly enjoy the taste of tobacco, or if you're really into very heavy and fruity aromatics, maybe I can recommend this to you. I can say it's not goopy, and it burns pretty well. The flavorings do seem to be of high quality, but this flavor profile is not something I'm generally looking for in a tobacco.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheOtter (70)	2023-02-18		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

The orange blossom notes are complimented by grassiness and a hint of spice from the Virginias. Burley takes a backseat here along with the cavendish that adds a pinch of sweetness. The passionfruit notes are very subtle, but present if you pay attention. Considering the name is Exotic Passion, I was expecting a bit more passionfruit. However, this is a great blend in its own right. Rattray really keeps impressing with their aromatics.

3.5/4, a little more passionfruit would push this to a 4.

Pipe Used: SMS Meerschaum Bent Billiard

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NVan29 (10)	2022-11-28		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Presentation: 10 out of 10 The packaging is beautiful, the tobacco looks appealing with its shades of orange, tan, and black.

Smell: Opening the baggy - it is bagged inside the tin - there is a figgy, fruit tea aroma. It's very sweet and sour like.

Feel: Slight moisture. I allowed it to sit for 15 minutes before trying.

Taste: Can someone say HOT ORANGE JUICE?

Due to the rave reviews and it always being "sold out" within days of restocking, I thought I was missing out on something amazing.

Don't get me wrong, it is amazing that this is an aromatic that tastes as it claims - like oranges- but the reality is not as pleasant as you would think.

If you enjoy drinking your orange juice after it is heated, this will be the smoke for you.

Pipe Used: Clay pipe

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks old from purchase

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Nobody has rated this review yet.