Tobaccos Sillem's - London Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-12-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sillim's London Mixture is one of those overlooked gems. I can't but help think that some of the reviews mistook the rich flavor of the blend for “flavoring” as this is not an aromatic tobacco. Either that, or London is being mistaken for Sillim's Black as both tins are black. London is an extremely lightly cased English blend is has very deep rich flavors. I agree with longlost100 that this is a “kitchen sink “blend that offers a lot of complex flavors. I find some bowls to be showing deep Latakia flavor and others the Orientals seem to lead. London can be puffed fairly hard with no tongue bite. I prefer it in a wide bowl and dried out some prior to lighting up. There is an underlying sweetness to London Blend that I find very enjoyable. I think that lovers of McClelland style English blends should have this on the “must try” list. Highly Recommended!

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joeray (61)	2014-07-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is another english blend that I really love it. The taste is full, loud, and clear. Nice and tempting tin note, really mouth watering look when I open it and just made me can't wait to pack it nicely on my Peterson Dublin 999 pipe.

The cut is very nice, is easy to pack at almost my pipes, even I think to my self if this blend taste more better at wide bowl such a pot or prince shape but this blend smokes so great at almost any of my pipe. Just give a nice cherring light, tamp it and I'm enjoying pleasant smokes for an hour or more.

The taste is full, nice smokey with a little sweetness and the power is not too strong. The nicotine amount just at proper size to make a delightful smoking time. I'm enjoying the smokey herbal taste, almost similar with oriental spice or oriental herbal with an exotic taste and the taste is quite consistent until I finish a bowl.

So without doubt I put this blend at my favorite list. For me who loves a full taste blends, sure this blend will be come a favorite too. Full taste, nice strength, well burnt, great smokes, and no tendency to harm my tongue, that is my smoking experiences with this wonderful Sillem's London European Blend.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dublin Castle 999

Age When Smoked: 1 year

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2013-12-06		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

Well, you never know what you're going to get in an english blend these days as the field is very crowded and everyone is trying to get your attention. No problem here; this tobacco blend is wonderful and it comes through loud and clear!

First off, some observations based on prior reviews. Mr. Big - we've done it again. I'm first to review this blend after you just as in our reviews of C&D Crooked Lane, however, I seem to like this one more than you do. Jacques 1960 - I agree; the blond bits in this blend are very big and flag-like and must be torn down into smaller pieces. FFDan - I had the same reaction you did on opening the tin. I pulled the paper disc out and thought "what, another rough-cut english". I sniffed it and said to myself "this blend has the same sweetish aroma of the lightly cased Peter Heinrichs english blend #39 that I'm smoking".
Since the're both German-tinned it makes me wonder. Steel Cowboy - this slightly sweet and faint casing must be what you were reacting to in your review. Brother K - I agree, this tobacco blend rocketed right up to the top of my favorites list.

As you can tell, I really like this blend. It smokes wonderfully, thick and creamy and very varigated in its aromas and tastes. It is a delight to look at with its color range from extremely light blond ranging down-scale to very dark brown. I rank it right up there with the likes of Wilderness, Blue Mountain, Ambassador's Blend and Black House. I highly recommend it to all english smokers and rate it a very solid four stars.

Pipe Used: charatan and ashton

Age When Smoked: 1 year old

Purchased From: internet - tsmwhite

Similar Blends: wilderness, blue mountain and black house.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clive Moses Apikouris (41)	2012-11-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

My new favorite. Perfection in a pipe. I loaded my first taste into the bowl of my Peterson Kildare and from the moment I lit up I experienced nothing but pleasure. This is an incredibly smooth, flavorful and complex tobacco. Sillem's London blend is perfectly balanced. I love Latakia and this has just the right measure to blend with but not overpower the other tobaccos. The addition of the Cavendish adds a fabulous velvety texture to the smoke. I'm not usually a big fan of Perique but a just enough here is present to add a bit of nice dried fruit essence. I perceived a bit of nuttiness, I believe that must be from the addition of the Burley. No tongue bite, just the right moisture content it burned dry and cool but never acrid. Perhaps it is the Kentucky that helps this blend offer just the right degree of natural sweetness. As for the nicotine content it is not overpowering, something that I appreciated as I don't enjoy tobaccos that are nic-bombs. Most highly recommended. Note: this tobacco is listed here as originating in the UK. It is actually blended in Germany.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-05-31		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Strong

This is hands down my favorite tobacco. It is my daily tobacco and I always have it on hand when possible. It is the most complex of all the English blends I have tried and found it to be mixed just right, not too strong, not to spicy, but just right. And of course with just the right amount of Nic in it also. This is the tobacco I do not just recommend but I preach.

Try it you will not be disappointed.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2017-06-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Color runs the gamut from light tan to black, this is mostly a ribbon cut but there are a lot of wide chunks as well. Tin note is latakia up front, with some muted oriental and perique. I found this worked best dried about halfway to crispy from tin moisture, as fresh out of the tin predictably dumbed down the flavors. Some drying was required to get the flavors to snap into focus.

Unabashedly English in presentation, with the latakia up front and center but nowhere near overpowering. There was some mild complexity as the orientals moved closer to the fore. The perique was lightly noticeable as a slight pepper essence with even slighter fruit and the Cavendish was more of a "smoother-outer", but it (or something) gives the blend a twinge of sweetness. The burley may have been responsible for a very mild nuttiness but overall I couldn't really tell there was burley or Kentucky, specifically - whatever it brought to the table was not overt. This was a wonderfully balanced blend beneath the latakia but far from boring, and the main thing I found interesting about this one is that it never lost its cool, even in extreme circumstances. When I puffed harder, it actually smoothed out... which wasn't necessarily a good thing, as it became more monodimensional, but it never got harsh or hot. It always smoked cool and dry, rich and flavorful. There was never a time that the large amount of constituent tobaccos threatened to turn this one into an unfocused mess, as often occurs when there are two many different leaves. I'm not the biggest fan of English blends (latakia upfront), preferring Balkans (hugely oriental with latakia) or Scottish blends (very light lat, heavy oriental, heavier VA), but if you like things like Dunhill Standard or Squadron Leader, you will most likely love this one. I don't know who blends for Sillem, but the few blends of their's I've smoked have been excellent. 3.5 stars for this rounded up to 4 because it's so well done. Very impressed with this blend.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TorontoSmoker (19)	2015-03-31		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

I thoroughly enjoy smoking this rich, full-flavored blend! Sillem's has knocked-it-out-of-the-park again with this great Latakia-driven English blend.

A very satisfying English-Balkan, without the bitter heaviness that accompanies some latakia-heavy Balkan blends. There's perfect balance between the hints of sweetness and smokey fullness of the tobaccos in this blend.

It isn't too moist or too dry, and it smokes cool, with no bite at all. It lights easily, and burns evenly, producing a thick, dense smoke, and leaving a fine white ash, as a good tobacco tends to do. I can't describe it any better than KingWeed does when he describes it as, "...thick and creamy and very varigated in its aromas and tastes." That's a perfect description of this excellent blend.

I have begun cellaring a few tins of this great blend to see what more it can do with a little age.

Pipe Used: briar; meer

Age When Smoked: new to 6 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Similar to Nightcap in terms of balance and level of latakia flavor, but not a substitute for it., Similar, but more varied and full flavored than Fox's Dorisco Mixture.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2013-11-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

When selecting this tobacco I just gave a quick look at all the 4 star reviews and made a purchase. This was a mistake on my part, as I now see the Burley/Kentucky components ( I'm not a fan). This results in a very nutty blend, void of all sweetness, and a blend that I find bland and boring. As I puff at this to get some flavor, the Perique starts to "Pepper" my tongue. I'm afraid this will be another tin for the back of my cellar

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2082)	2017-09-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sillem's - London Blend.

The mixture's mostly dark brown and black, with just a few specks of gold. Being as it's a fairly coarse ribbon, this means it sadly includes some twigs. Moisture's good.

It's a full tasting smoke, which is quite busy. The Latakia's the forerunner, with the rest giving less. It would be better, to me, if it weren't for the Kentucky. This takes some of the enjoyment out of the supporting flavour for the Latakia: a little burnt, and harsh. Kentucky aside, the remaining ingredients work quite nicely together: slightly Cavendish-sweet, some sharp Perique, and some rugged Burley. I can't particularly pick out any added flavour. The burn from London's quite good, giving a smoke just below medium in temperature.

Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: pleasant to tolerable.

I'd give London Blend three or four stars if the Kentucky weren't included, but this lessens the rating to two:

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2014-07-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Tin note is nice smoky English, similar to Pease Abingdon and Gawith Squadron Leader. Seems to dry out a lot more quickly than those blends.

First third of the bowl has a slightly harsh edge to it. Starts to open up in the second third, and the end of the bowl justifies the wait. Goes from harsh camp/tire fire into wonderful cedar, floral and leather flavors. Nice, rich smoke. Solid but not overwhelming nic hit.

That harsh edge never quite goes away for me; otherwise, I'd give it four stars. Good blend though, not one you can go wrong with. I largely agree with Moniker's earlier review.

Pipe Used: meer

Similar Blends: Pease Abingdon, Gawith Squadron Leader.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2013-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Nothing tricky, weird or even remotely dangerous going on in this round can 'o ribbon, and precious little in the way of fermentation. In other words, Sillem's London Blend is NOT a more approachable version of Sillem's prodigal Commodore Flake (more's the pity...). Instead, LB smokes like a well done but garden variety, lat-forward, medium English blend. The Burley is tamed here, and the Perique and Cavendish manage to soften the Latakia while calling little attention to themselves. Either that or the Latakia makes the other tobaccos "smoky" enough to obscure them. One does get a certain roundness from the Burly that is not often gotten from Virginias. The taste has the requisite "smoke", and there are "nuts", but the thing I like most about this blend is the sour note that starts past 1/2 way and goes on to create a smoke/sour aftertaste that lingers a l-o-n-g time and winds up making me want another bowl, not because I'm not satisfied, but... just because more "sounds good". As far as the quantity of smoke delivered, there's plenty while it's burning, but you will have to figure out how to keep it lit...

Basically, there's little to not like here, it is just as expected, and as long as you're good with the genre, you might even like it a lot. Like I said in my review of COG's York Full Mixture, the English League is tough these days. As for comparing the LB and YFM, they are two well-formed peas in a fairly crowded pod.

Over time I'll re-visit the LB I put in the cellar.

Pipe Used: medium briars

Age When Smoked: young to years

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

Similar Blends: COG York Full Mixture; GLP Westminster.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-05-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prior to taking up the pipe, I smoked Partagas cigars, having been attracted to the peppery nature of their taste.

While I typically smoke aros, this was a wonderful reminder of all that is good in a truly good cigar.

Truly wonderful, particularly with caffe normale (or otherwise) on the side.

I did not dry the tobacco, and may well do this next time as two relights were required; might also advise a slight rub as some of the blond bits are rather large.

A beautiful smoke.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-06-11		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

Love this blend. The latakia takes the center stage in this one giving it a very peppery flavor. The tin I bought was just perfect, not too dry, not too wet. Packed well and took a light right away staying lit through the bowl. Dense cool smoke from start to finish. Will be buying more of this in the future.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-11-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

It's hard to find information on any of Sillem's blends save for 'Black.' I was hesitant to try this one out due to the dearth of informational reviews.

Having said that, this is a great tobacco, albeit one that doesn't have a distinct identity. It has the entire kitchen sink thrown in, so you'll find it showing you different notes during smoking and variations during subsequent smokes.

There's nothing to disappoint here, but little to make it a standout. I compare it to Peter Stokkebye's 'Proper English' save for the Oriental component, which smooths that tobacco out slightly. Nice Latakia component.

Very nice, if not slightly underrated, English blend.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2011-02-02		Strong	Strong	Extra Full	Pleasant

This is a very underrated blend, it just goes to show you that people are very influenced by brands and names. I don't know about you but I don't care who's name (brand) is stamped on a tin, if it's good than it's good! What we have here is an excellent English blend that, in my opinion has surpassed Dunhill or any popular blend you have out there. It's complex, full flavored and very satisfying. Go ahead and give this blend a try, if you love your English blends, than you'll love this.

-Essential.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3050)	2023-01-04		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The fairly sweet Cyprian Latakia provides plenty of smoke, earth, wood, floralness, some incense, leather, and mild spice as the lead component. The dark fired Kentucky offers a lot of earth, wood, spice, vegetation, some sourness, nuts, floralness, mild sweetness, and barbecue as a strong supporting player. The perique produces a lot of pepper, earth, wood, and sweet plums in the third position. It’s a slot behind the Kentucky. The rugged burley is earthy, woody, bready and nutty. It’s just above the condiment line. The aspects of the bright Virginia cavendish are a little tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sugar, vegetation, sour lemon, floralness, spice, and a touch of acidity. It accents the proceedings. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the medium level. The taste is a notch past that mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. it does have some rough edges, which is typical of blends in this genre that aren’t topped. Well balanced and complex, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent sweet and sour, floral, smoky, spicy, savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three stars.

-JimInks

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike W. (9)	2017-12-27		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I found this to load, pack, and light well. It burned well w/o getting hot and I found the taste and strength to be complex and it seemed to change every few puffs. This was a very enjoyable smoke and will be a regular of mine from now on. Highly recommend this especially for new pipe smokers looking for something different that isn't too strong.

Pipe Used: Sav. Ontario,Chacom Canadian. Pete Killarney

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-02-25		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My goodness, what a great tasting blend this is. Very smooth and smoky Latakia whose flavor has been enhanced and complimented by the Kentucky. The Burley adds a mild underlying nuttiness. The Cavendish adds a little toasty sweetness. The Perique adds a little spice and a faint hint of fruit. A sublime and complex treat for the taste buds.

Needs a little drying time. Mild to medium in body. Very nearly full in flavor. Burns very well and even. A must try for English lovers.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman, MM Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This was quite tasty. Had it dried out to nearly bone-dry and it loaded and lit well. Plumes of smoke, nice gentle peppery, nutty smoke (slightly salty too). This is a great medium English and I'd like to get my hands on some more of it. Good job fellas!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2012-04-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Objective: This tobacco was still somewhat moist when I got it. This was gifted to me from a friend, and I don't have any idea of availability and/or price since I have not researched it.

Subjective: This packed well, lit easily and stayed lit well through the bowl. Copious amount of cool smoke, which I really appreciated. The Latakia and the Kentucky seemed to be the stars with the perique not really making its presence known, except in the most subtle way. A great tobacco for not having any Orientals, which I favor greatly. Will enjoy the rest of the pouch I have, and may make a purchase for more.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-01-30		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Very Strong

Very interesting blend. It's like the middle between Old Dublin and Balkan Blend from DTM. more spicy then Dublin and not so spicy like Balkan. A little wet in the tin but it's not problem to smoke it. No bite, nice taste, classical english blend. Burn to white ashes. Room note are not good for non-smokers or danish tobacco lovers. Very nice, i'll put it in my rotation.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2019-12-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not entirely sure why there is no label (as was the case with their Copenhagen blend), just a blank tin with the info sticker on back. The guts inside were certainly full of life... the English vapors came at you immediately. Not as much charcoal as I was expecting, a decent amount of Oriental spice, and just a whole lot of bloody beef. Together it was certainly intense.

The blend was pleasantly moist, thin cut with some larger bits tossed into the slurry of several leaf types. The lit product was incredibly deep, not excessive in nicotine strength, but very heavy in body (think molasses vs honey). In keeping with the tin aroma, there was not the drying charcoal taste I associate with other English blends (ie. Nightcap), nor the anestitising sharp sparkle of an Oriental, just a robust smoke.

As a whole, I may be getting a little burned out on English blends, but London here is easily on the upper shelf.

Pipe Used: Peterson 306 Plip

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-02-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I had a bowl of this for breakfast this morning – the first time in 5 years since I last smoked it – and it’s been hiding in plain sight for years (literally) in a jar, on a wall shelf (not in deep isolation, in a darkened cellar), right above my briars. I looked at this blend and thought “Hmmm – I haven’t tried this in quite a long time – I think I’ll take it for a spin this morning, see if it's still any good.” Well, it was an amazing smoke, and I was blown-away when I came back inside and re-read the notes on this blend. If someone had given this to me in a blind taste test, I would have totally flunked it. First of all, had you told me there was Burley and Perique in this English blend, I never would have guessed and/or detected it. Secondly, as I sat puffing away on my porch, I’m thinking: “Wow, I love the Latakia, but the Virginias really sing nicely in this.” Well, there are no bloody Virginias in this blend, at all – none. So, either my palate is completely off-kilter, or this blend is a master of disguise – a real trickster, a shape-shfter – and it is downright amazing in taste. This blend screams “English” – not Scottish, not American, not Balkan (IMO) – but English . . . And yet it contains Burley, Kentucky, Perique, and absolutely no Virginia. Mind-blowing. (I was new to pipes when I first bought this, and I was seeking/in search of big, bold, overly-robust, high-nicotine tobaccos at the time -- so I didn't pay much attention to this blend). I would have to absolutely agree with SteelCowboy: “Sillem's London Mixture is one of those overlooked gems”, for that statement has indeed been my very own personal experience (quite literally). Very highly recommended. 4-stars.

Pipe Used: P. Jeppesen Handmade High Grade Smooth Bent Egg

Age When Smoked: 5 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-03-23		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Given the addition of Kentucky and Burley I was expecting this to be a hybrid or American English, but the front and centre character of the Black Cavendish puts this more in the Scottish Mixture category in my book

The tin note and the beginning of the bowl is marked by Latakia but this quickly settles back to allow the other tobaccos to be in play.

The BC gives this smoke a pronounced sweetness throughout, but this is not cloying at all and is well balanced by the Oriental sourness. There is a plum or berry character that might be from the Perique but is possibly an additive. Perique is here but in no great quantity and contributes, in addition to the fruity notes mentioned, a mild pepperiness on the tongue and lips.

I don't get the DFK notes promised but there is some burley bitterness and a certain ashy quality as the bowl enters the last half. Not a deal breaker by any stretch but enough to keep it from 4 stars from me.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-03-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was a little turned off when I opened this for the first time, but boy what a difference once you smoke it. I am new to the pipe so I still have a lot of learning to do. The initial smell to me was a peppery rubber / tar smell, although I recently bought some Dunhill 965 and it smelled nearly identical, so that must be the Latakia. Anyway, have not tried the 965 so cannot compare the two, but this is a very well balanced english blend that delivers both thick smoke and a good taste. Interestingly enough, the aftertaste is similar to the tin note, despite not smelling or tasting this while it is lit. I recommend giving it a try. I will post an update after I finish the tin.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aaron (2)	2021-04-09		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

It was a very different, soapy, hard- texture Flake, that often causes heavy ghosting in your pipe. It was very different from all the other tobaccos, with a good dose of Latakia. It was a smoky- soapy- english... slap in your face. It is a completely different Blend. It is a crumble cake, which is very nice for itself. The moisture is really perfect, dry enough to smoke. And it has a very different aroma. It smells and tastes a little bit like almonds, very smooth and soft, only little soapyness. The Latakia is well embedded, but in the background. Main roles are played by the Virginias and the aroma. It burns very, very well. Well, it is of course a good blend. But not compareable to the old one. This one is much friendlier, easy, and well behaved.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (166)	2023-02-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is certainly not your typical English blend, not even what we might call a “Dirty English” that uses Burley instead of Virginia, because there’s also no Turkish in it! I think of it more as an American blend with Latakia. I’m not sure what that has to do with London. Whatever you care to call it I am now loading up the cellar with this jewel!

Don’t be discouraged if it tastes a little rough when first set to flame; let it settle in to a steady pace and then enjoy the sumptuous feast of savory delights (especially vivid on the retrohale). Jar note is super savory, almost like one of the tobaccos has been pan-seared in salted butter. On the palate I get a deep earthy nutty foundation from the Burley, with additional flavors of celery seed, a little fennel and celery salt, toasted poppy seed and pine nuts, and pan-scorched au jus. Aroma is like a bowl of toasted pine nuts, with wafts of cedar wood. This is a full-blown gourmet course, folks!

Compared to some unobtainable blends by Germain and Esoterica this is readily available at a comparative bargain! No reason not to try this!

Nobody has rated this review yet.