Tobaccos Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Velvet

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2013-03-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

The Kentucky burley is very nutty, earthy, woody with light molasses and a hint of toast and cocoa. The toppings sublimate the tobacco to a fair degree. I don't know what all the toppings are, but I get the sense of sweet "Play-doh". Licorice/anise is one of them, along with a touch of maple sugar, and I sense a small touch of cherry. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are mild. Won't bite or get harsh, but may present a rough edge, and a cigarette note or two if puffed real fast. Burns cool at a slightly slow pace with a lightly inconsistent flavor as the tobacco is a little more noticeable after the half way point. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no goop. Needs a few relights as the tobacco tends to be a little moist. Has a decent after taste and room note. An all day smoke. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

28 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2014-05-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Velvet proclaims itself as "America's Smoothest Smoke." It Isn't. But it is smoother than most. Some complain it is too much like a cigarette. Well, it is like a cigarette. In the days of the metal pocket tin that preceded the plastic pouch, Velvet clearly identified itself as pipe and cigarette tobacco, and many RYO smokers used it as a cigarette tobacco. Now that it is identified only as a pipe tobacco it retains the fine ribbon cut that can be used for RYO purposes.

Velvet is burley. It tastes like burley, slightly sweetened with licorice or anise. It also has a light top note of what seems to be cherry. It is less than an aromatic, but the added flavoring does come through.

The room note is that of a basic burley blend, the old timey pipe smell. Velvet will not bite unless puffed with exceeding vigor.

Aside from pipe smokers who just do not like burley, Velvet provides a decent smoke at a budget price. In my opinion some other budget OTC burleys (Prince Albert and Carter Hall in particular) are better, but Velvet is reasonably pleasant for those who often smoke the cheaper mixtures.

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-01-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

Velvet is truly, one of the simple pleasures in life. Sun-ripened dark burley, that's it. Not much to go wrong.

Over the years, Velvet has been a blend which I find myself returning to, kind of like, going home. The mild flavor is magnificent and simple, like home cooking. The Room Note, astoundingly beautiful. As an aged product, it only gets better, and milder, and naturally sweeter. Burley, rain, sunshine; That's as simple as it gets. A quiet smoke for the humble. By another name, it is, peace-and-quiet.

I rate Velvet right off the scale, at 6-stars. I went through my stockpile and will be replenishing, as sure as God made little green apples.

The perfect gift, for this pipe smoker (Hint.., hint...).

26 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2015-06-11		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a basic OTC burley blend that is very smokable. I get a faint anise in the taste and there is something else sweet in the topping, but it is very subtle. The smoking experience is mild and uneventful. The cut is a chopped wide ribbon.

The taste is slightly sweet and a little nutty. It is pleasant but not too exciting.

This is easy to recommend for the smoker who has palate fatigue from smoking full-bodied bombs. It is also a good choice for the truck in a cob.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2014-05-23		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Man, oh man. When people said this was a basic blend I didn't realize just how basic they meant. Velvet is definitely one of the smoothest smokes I have ever had, almost like the smoke isn't there. The taste is what gets me. It's pleasant, mild sweetness and maybe nutty (but not always), and hints of a little cinnamon spice keep popping up. Not like a cinnamon roll, more like cinnamon gum. Smoking it with a filter results in getting almost no flavor at all, so a non-filtered pipe is the way to go with this blend.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Legend

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Brown's Cigar Store

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corncob3 (77)	2014-11-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Been playing around with this blend. Here's what I found to be the best method for prepping this OTC: Air a batch out overnight (48hrs for less potency) on parchment paper then jar it. Fill the jar about 3/4 full. Wait a week or so which will allow the burley to age. The day of smoking, take out desired amount for the rest of the day. Spread evenly on parchment paper. Wait about twenty minutes before smoking. The tobacco should be moist, spongy to the touch and light brown in color. Pack light by gravity feed method. Give it a good charring. Due to the fact this is straight burley, you'll need to do a few relights. Do a series of quick hard draws to get it going. Take it slow. Tamper ocassionaly. Mellow fruitiness with a slight peppery undertone (like Big Red gum). Silky clouds of smoke. Midway down tasted a dark chocolate note. Classic room note. Nice compliment to Smoker's Pride Whiskey. When prepped and smoked properly this is a solid burley blend you'll go back to time and time again. Excellent in cobs and works best in larger bowl pipes. One word of advice, buy the 12oz tin. The foil pouch gives the blend more bite. Update 7-26-15: after jarring for a week took some out for my smoke breaks at work. I noticed this blend had become more well rounded. The fruit essences are there but more subtle on the pallatte. There was a faint earthy quality which had me begging for more. I have several jars cellared, as I'm beginning to rediscover Burley...

Pipe Used: cob and briar

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-05-23		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Finally received my freebie from Lane's that I requested back in January. I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting, but I was curious. I don't get any of the Play-Doh references. This smells like light licorice to me. Dark brown cube/chop cut, easy to load, easy to smoke.

Not much in the flavor department, this one, but it's touted as a smooth smoke, and it surely is. Back when this blend was supremely popular, everyday smokers used gimmick pipes, filters, and means other than improving technique to reduce tongue bite. This blend was undoubtedly a response to that. I couldn't get this stuff to bite, even when I huffed. Very gentle on the tongue and palate, and that was my biggest issue. There just wasn't much flavor. This is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be these days (although Lane's may have changed the recipe somewhat), but neither is it anywhere close to a top-drawer burley. Other OTC's such as SWR or PA are superior to my taste. But if you want a very unassuming burley blend that is very mild and doesn't intrude, give this a spin.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2018-02-28		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Back in the golden days of over-the-counter (OTC) tobaccos, blenders sought the perfect mix of toppings to leave a pleasant room note. These mixtures probably resembled those exotic punch recipes from your college days: a little amaretto, some cherry, anise, cinnamon, and vanilla. Velvet seems to have one of these mixtures lightly applied to a basic Burley blend which burns easily if smoked how we can now infer our grandfathers smoked: slowly, using the breath-smoking method.

Inevitably, this blend will be compared to Lane "BL/WB" and John Middleton "Prince Albert." Like "Velvet," both are semi-aromatics, meaning that the leaf is topped but those flavorings take a back seat to the taste of natural tobacco flavor. The same is true here. A basic mixture of white and dark Burley like this takes on a nutty oatmeal flavor that alternates between sweetness and a warm, gentle taste.

It is easy to see why "Velvet" still sells today. Unlike the Danish-style aromatics which quickly became candy-like soda pop flavors in the hands of the big companies, "Velvet" smokes like natural tobacco with a dash of flavoring added. If smoked the way our grandfathers did, namely breath-smoking, it will not bite and provides a mellow, flavorful smoke that burns down cleanly. There is not much Nicotine but if you were to smoke it all day fairly constantly that would not be a problem, and the room would smell vaguely like a tobacco-infused incense had been burned there.

Others have mentioned that this blend benefits from some drying. I suggest that we do as our grandfathers did: open the pouch the night before, then shut it with the little perpetual tape thing they have. The extra moisture and some of the flavoring will dissipate, and by the time you reach the end of the pouch, will be mostly gone. The first quarter of the bowl seems to require some relights and exudes more of the topping, but after that, it is nothing but faintly flavored Burley all the way to the bottom.

I bought this because I remembered the picture on the front of the pouch from the stash a favorite professor kept in a fake potted plant next to the window in his lecture hall. I would buy this again, much as I buy "Prince Albert," for its comforting gentle smoke which is especially useful on road trips or for long conversations about the meaning of life with your favorite students.

Similar Blends: Lane Limited - BLWB, John Middleton, Inc - Prince Albert, Mac Baren - Amphora Full Aroma.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pDzine (12)	2014-02-03		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I've been working my way through a pouch of Velvet this week and have been very happily surprised. 

It's smooth smooth smooth and the flavor is actually really good. If I sound incredulous, it is intentional. I didn't expect much, but wanted something simple and cheap to break in my two new pipes. 

In the pouch. Burley Aroma - Sweet with a twang. Soft ribbon cut, good moisture.  Packs well with the Gravity fill method.  First light - good flavor if not a little boring, but when the bowl settles down it is a smooth ride from start to finish. 

Flavor: 1st 1/4 of bowl, woodsy and slightly nutty. Midway a dark fruit flavor, hints of molasses, nice round burley nuttiness almost no woody notes now. The latter half of the bowls have gotten progressively better. Deep notes of dark sugar, hints of toasted bread and raw oatmeal. For me it is perfect for the drive to work with black coffee. 

Leaves the pipes with that great 'pipey' aroma. 

Just my 2 cents. I actually might prefer it to my venerable PA when I'm looking for a cheap easy smoke.

Pipe Used: Willard Executive

Age When Smoked: 2012

Purchased From: BP Gas

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Carter Hall.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old German puffer (106)	2015-07-22		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have always purchased this in the large tin. I open it up and put it on a large cookie sheet to air out overnight. Once done I jar it and let it rest for several days. Three is what I like to go back to. After 3 days it is ready to smoke. Pack with a drop and fill three times. Lite. Char. Tamp. Relight and smoke to enjoy. If you are a train you will get burned. Slow puff and the flavors will come. This is a very traditional smoke. I have jars that are 20 years old. They smoke very well and yes there is flavor. Light ash at the end. Great for building a cake or to break in a new pipe. If your new wait to try this a little while. Stick with PA and a good pipe. I feel that more pipe smokers are turn off by this because us old guys never explained the best way to smoke it. My smoke time here is about an hour and a half.

Pipe Used: Stanwell

Age When Smoked: bulk in jars over 5 years

Purchased From: Boston Mass

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (112)	2009-12-04		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Velvet is Kentucky Burley with a topnote of something that I cant put my finger on . It takes two or three lightings to get going is about the only " con " with this blend . Other than that it is absolutely smooth ! It smokes well and cool and is one of my favorites in a clay ! I just cant place the flavoring . I hear people say it's like play doh but they have that confused with Paladin being the package color is similar . Velvet is not the play doh blend .

Pipe Used: Awsome in a Clay !

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: http://wvsmokeshop.com/velvetpipetobacco.aspx

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-07-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am a big fan of this tobacco. It has a very pleasant natural flavor that doesn't overwhelm. All of the Velvet I have smoked has been produced by Pinkerton. Contrary to some reviewers" comments regarding other Pinkerton blends this tobacco has been consistently good. I like to smoke Velvet in the company of non-smokers or in the few restaurants that still permit pipe smoking. I regularly get compliments on the aroma. Recently I have gifted pipes to friends (note to other puffers: this is a great way to add new members to the pipe fraternity!) with pouches of different tobaccos to sample. Velvet has been the favorite on several occasions. Although it is not the easiest blend to find it is worth the search and at its cheap price should be bought in bulk. I would recommend this tobacco to anyone who is a burley fan, a new smoker or a seasoned smoker who does not smoke burleys. This blend is a winner and a great example of classic American burley.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2019-11-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

There is a fellow pipe club member who is a big Velvet fan. As mentioned in other reviews back in 1999 I worked at a cigarette/cigar store next to a drug store. One day I stopped by to get something to drink or eat and saw all of these pipe tobaccos in a clearance basket for the incredible price of 10 cents each. I bought them all with some being large Super Value bags, boxes of SWR, Carter Hall and there was one Velvet box. Many years roll by or I should say several decades and for the most part I just kept these hanging around in my cellar. Since I had a good Velvet candidate, I decided to bring it in. This one is made by the Pinkerton Company. After the honors of him opening it I loaded some into my corn cob. The tin (pouch) note was of the vinegar, ketchup smell, at least that is the impression my friend got. I fired it up and the burley did the nose tingle for me several times and then progressed to a really smooth smoke. There is a liquor topping which also my friend described as a licorice taste. I am not the best a putting words to flavors and taste but since Velvet is his bag, (70s talk) the description seems appropriate. I liked it and it was pretty good for an OTC burley blend. Also the smell was pleasant according to some of the other pipe smokers in the room. I gifted him the rest and there you have it, my review of a 20-year box of Velvet. I have not tried the newer but I am sure it is pretty much along the same line. My friend also told me he was able to try a 40-year sample of this. A good all-day smoke but I can see that it might bite some if puffed too fast. Not much more to describe other than Drug Store tobaccos sometimes get a bad rap but some can actually be pretty good. Give it a try.

Pipe Used: Old Dominion Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 20 years

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grayskwerl (8)	2018-01-30		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

(STG version) One of my favorite OTC's. - I think that 'Old German Puffer' nailed this one in his review. Thank you sir. - This blend needs air. Not drying nor aging, just airing. The tobacco is coarse cut, and very soft to the touch. Pouch aroma is classic old-school 'American Burley Blend'. I tried the Pinkerton version a while back, and didn't much care for it. Tried the STG version to see if it improved, and while I thought the STG blend was much better, still wasn't really impressed by it. Put it in a mason jar, and on a whim, tried it again a week later, and wow, what a difference. On initial light, reminds me a little (very little) of the topping from half and half, but toned way down. This dissipates quickly. Past the charring, initial light, wonderful 'old school' burley flavors and aromas: nice earthiness, slight cigar leaf, a little cocoa, brown sugar, caramel-molasses, popcorn, (yes, popcorn) - and mostly towards the bottom of the bowl, that wonderful old-time burley toasted nuts and buttered toast. One of very few OTC blends I enjoy to the bottom of the bowl. Even stirring up the last bit with a little ash - yum (buttered toast). No bite. Wonderful 'Grampa's pipe' room note, which I personally really like. Burns nice and dry to the bottom, normal number of relights. I find that if I'm getting a 'popsicle stick, pencil shavings' off-taste, it is an indication that I'm pushing too hard. I think STG really got this one right. It's surprising to me, because I really didn't think I would like Velvet this much. Like many here do at least once, I was just going through the OTC's, so called 'codger blends', just to see If I found one I liked. So far, Velvet and Lane Ready Rubbed are two that I am really enjoying. Congratulations and thank you to STG for rescuing these time honored blends. 3 very solid stars, plus one for nostalgia and price point. Like Old German Puffer advised in his review, try this one aired out a bit, you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was. I'm going to cellar some in jars, just to see if some real age improves this one even more.

Pipe Used: cob, kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: 1-2 weeks

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: SWR, CH, Granger, Half and Half, Amphora.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-08-01		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Velvet.

The mixture's quite coarse, but easily manageable. The pouch (I bought this bulk) only has a slight aromatic smell.

As this was bulk the moisture makes for easily lighting, and the one word to sum this up to me is Soft. The consistency, like it's namesake, is velvety, and any toppings come across with a sweet taste; not much sharp alcohol/liquorice. I get an unadulterated Burley taste, rich, rustic, and nutty, and there isn't a bite throughout. The burns quality goes without question, leaving a pure white ash.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

Velvet? Recommended:

Three stars.

Age When Smoked: One month

Purchased From: 4noggins

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	old biker (4)	2014-08-19		Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I am always looking to try new/different brands & blends. Velvet has been around longer than I have, so I thought I would give it a try. I can tell you that I will NEVER try this again. It won't stay lit (even after drying for 2 days), it bit my tongue so hard, and left one nasty aftertaste. I could not taste food for several hours afterwards. How do I describe the taste? Ground-up wet cardboard! mmmmm. Update - It's been almost a month since I wrote this. In that time I kept trying to use it up by mixing it with others. It still came thru with a nasty aftertaste and still bit my tongue. I finally gave up and threw it out.

Pipe Used: corn cob/ hardwood

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipes&cigars

Similar Blends: hopefully nothing.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2006-02-26		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Ahhhhh...Velvet! When I saw some recent review of this blend, it brought back many memories. Back in my younger days (yep, some time ago,) I smoked Velvet to break in my new pipes because it was as mild a blend as I could find.

Velvet is Burley, pure and simple. It is fairly moist in the mylar pouch it comes in, but not so moist that it needs drying out. Of course, like Captain Black, Borkum Riff, Prince Albert, Sir Walter, etc...you may not be able to dry out this tobacco even if you tried. Whatever it is that keeps these blends young & fresh ought to be bottled and sold to women -- talk about making a fortune!

The smell is really very subdued. Of course, so is the flavor, and that's why I doubt I'll purchase another pouch anytime soon. My palate begs for bigger flavor these days. Still, many fellow tobaccoreviews.com members enjoy these simple blends and one could do a lot worse than Velvet.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clive Moses Apikouris (41)	2020-05-14		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Recently when ordering a new pipe I threw in an order for a pouch of Velvet. I’m almost completely exclusively smoking Burleys or Burley-Cavendish mixtures these days and realized after all of these years that I had never smoked Velvet. However the shipment is delayed and it hasn’t arrived. I was driving through northeastern Pennsylvania earlier today and decided to pop into a small local smoke shop. The place was dingy and run down. There was plenty of cheap roll your own cigarette tobacco available labeled as pipe tobacco to avoid the Facist restrictions placed on cigarettes. These was a small glass counter filled with bongs and the like. I asked the fellow running the place if he had any real pipe tobacco. He pointed to a table that had one box of Velvet and a box of Prince Albert. I purchased the Velvet with the intention of smoking it as soon as I returned home. I opened the box noticing that it had a copyright of 2010 and that it had been manufactured by Pinkerton Tobacco. This stuff could be 10 years old! The pouch ripped a bit as I opened it. Now the notes: The tobacco was still moist but not exceedingly. The deep brown tobacco was in a kind of thick shag cut. The aroma was reminiscent of a slightly sweet porridge. It lit up easily and immediately delivered a very smooth, viscous smoke that was nutty, cereal like, and slightly sweet like the smell was. The flavor of brown sugar and licorice was apparent but subtle. The bowl burnt evenly without a hint of harshness. While the smoke was mild it was deliciously full flavored and it had a great natural tobacco flavor. This stuff is wonderful and could become my favorite Burley. When I receive the updated STC version I will be eager to compare them. Highly recommended. Update: I received a couple of pouches of the new STG version of Velvet. While there is some visual difference l, the Pinkerton original is a nice deep mahogany brown and the STG Velvet is mixture of lighter and darker reddish browns the flavor is similar. The original is perhaps deeper in taste but the recreation isn’t far off. Both are truly velvet smooth and has similar burning qualities. It needs few or no delights and stays smooth and rich with no bitterness to the bottom of the bowl. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Design Berlin 9mm Yachtsman

Age When Smoked: 6-10 years

Purchased From: Small Smoke Shop

Similar Blends: Edgeworth RR and other classic Burleys..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	papapauly (24)	2016-12-22		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is one I'm trying for the first time. I was expecting the flavoring to be too strong based on the smell when I opened the tub, I was pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful smooth burley flavor with a small amount of flavoring which seems to aid in the room aroma more than flavor the smoke. It reminds me of granger more than any other codger blend but burns a bit hotter than granger does. This one can bite if you puff too fast but is very smooth when puffed slowly. I must say I'm impressed and I wish I had stumbled on this one sooner.

Pipe Used: Missouri meerschaum legend

Age When Smoked: new from tub

Purchased From: pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: Granger, Carter hall.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Hun (38)	2015-06-11		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had a couple of pouches of this from a local b&m and found it to be a light, unassuming, pleasant blend--certainly not an outstanding smoke, but a serviceable tobacco.

A few weeks later I was in the same b&m when their delivery came in. They had received a couple of tubs of Velvet (along with other blends) at a cut-rate price. I bought a tub based on my experience with the pouches.

Now, I want my money back.

Whereas the pouches were sufficiently dry to smoke straight away, the material in the tub would clump when pinched. The aroma from the pouches was very lightly fruity. The aroma from the tub reminded me of something I've had before: Granger.

As mentioned in my review of Granger, there is something in that blend that prevents me from smoking it. I was very wary of this tub of Velvet based on the aroma, but I laid a bit of it out to dry overnight and tried it the next day. It was almost as moist as before drying, and I had the same reaction to this tub of Velvet I had had to Granger--I couldn't smoke it. If I'm not mistaken, Lane is now responsible for both Granger and Velvet (along with Half & Half, which I can't smoke either).

My rating of Velvet is based on the tub. Had I not bought it and just reviewed the pouches I would have added a star. My question now is: Was this tub on sale because of a mislabeling, or is this tub the current state of Velvet? I'll never know.

Pipe Used: Cobs, Grabows, Kaywoodies

Age When Smoked: from pouch and tub

Purchased From: b&m

Similar Blends: Granger, Half & Half.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dm (3)	2014-05-15		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

I find this basic tobacco to be just that - basic Burley. It smokes cool and slow as long as you don't puff like a coal fired locomotive. Nice cut and packs well. My wife doesn't like the room note at all. She says it smells like a cigarette. It's a pleasant enough mild smoke as long as you don't expect too much from it.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum from Germany

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-03-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My mentor in pipe smoking went through many a can of this blend, so I'm sort of biased for it. It was one of the first tobaccos I ever smoked and it's never left my rotation for long. There is no casing to this blend, and the pouch aroma comes from Velvet's processing and fermenting techniques. Most of the other reviewers hated it- I love the stuff. It's cut in what I call a crimp cut and is one of the easiest blends to pack in a bowl. It can bite a little if you're not careful, but overall it stays fairly cool. It's one of the best tobaccos for building a cake in a new pipe that I've ever found and the odd aroma won't stay in the bowl if you'd like to swap the pipe to another blend. I prefer Velvet as a nice "wake me up" smoke with some strong French Roast. It has enough nicotine to get you going and the taste is mild enough for your first smoke of the day. An excellent OTC blend and a pretty decent burley overall.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2021-05-01		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Velvet is certainly one of the classic over the counter burley blends from way back.. Pretty basic.. but the toppings really work better than most blends of this type at least for me.. I don't find it nearly as cloying as half and half although it also has a spin on the anise thing.. just an all day burley that tastes pretty good and burns well.. Not a nuanced tobacco flavor.. but something very familiar tasting and smelling.. A nice nostalgic classic..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NORVIN (5)	2019-11-04		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My Grandpa on my mother's side was a pipe smoker. His brand was Velvet. More than likely, I was 7-9 years old in the early 1980s when I tried smoking for the first time. I probably puffed one my Grandpa's Dr. Grabow pipes after asking him to try it. I am sure he thought I would hate it, but I liked it. Later, I grabbed an old pipe and some Velvet tobacco from his cabinet and lit up. I must have liked it enough to sneak a pipe smoke in whenever I visited his house. He died when I was 13. I became a cigarette smoker in my early teens and rarely revisited pipes until recently. I have not had a cigarette in over 6 years having vaped in that time with some occasional pipe and cigar use.

My childhood taste buds must have been different as I cannot stand Velvet now. Maybe the recipe has changed since the early 1980s. It has too much of a cheap liquor taste to it. It almost gives you tongue bite when taking it easy, and it will definitely give you tongue bite if you smoke faster than that.

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cobs & Dr. Grabow Royal Duke

Age When Smoked: ~3 years old

Purchased From: Unknown

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dbl-bbl (45)	2019-09-30		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I must confess that I am a burleyphile at heart. This is not to say that I only smoke burleys ... as I do enjoy a myriad of tobacco blends. Nevertheless, when I'm in the mood for a no nonsense, smooth, and nutty tobacco taste ... I'll reach for a burley. I've smoked quite a few codger burley blends in my day (e.g. Carter Hall, Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, Half & Half) and still do ... but for some unknown reason I've put off trying Velvet. Perhaps because like so many pipers I've gotten caught up in that whirlwind of trying many of the so-called "boutique blends". Oh well, so many tobaccos ... so little time! I recently saw a Youtube video by the "artful codger" who did a great job of sharing the history of this long time blend. It piqued my interest and I decided to pick up a pouch and give it a try ... and I'm glad that I did. This blend reminds me a lot of Carter Hall ... yet it's still slightly different ... perhaps even smoother and nuttier ... just what I like & expect from a burley blend. That's saying a lot for me as I really like Carter Hall (it's been my go to burley smoke for many years). So now I understand why Velvet has withstood the test of time. I notice that many other reviewers on here don't necessarily share my sentiment, but that's OK. If this isn't your cup of tea there's plenty of other blends out there to give a whirl. By the way, burley's smoked in a cob pipe seem to make a perfect pair ... just like baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet !

Pipe Used: Briars & Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: www.tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SCURVY DOG (3)	2018-07-16		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mostly Flavor Lacking And Boring, But There Are A Few Nuances To Be Appreciated - If this is the "good ol' days," then they sucked.

[Tin/bag - Wow, overpowering whiskey/bourbon. After several whiffs, I can start to catch a little dark sugar and some sweetness. Soft to the touch, cube cut that does give a sense of Velvet with its fluffiness.]

Mild burley with slight fruit note here and there and a little sweetness in the aftertaste, almost a vanilla. Very slight tingle on the tongue and once or twice in nose (nothing like a Perique nip). Mostly flavor lacking and boring. A little bit of cigarette in there faintly at the end of retro. Also a little bitterness at the end of exhale, and maybe a little nuttiness from the burley, but it also seems to have chemicalized twist to it, again very faint. It did get a little better towards end of bowl, but maybe that is me tuning in better to the very slight flavors. Reminiscent of picking up some dried leaves and smoking them, though I have never done that, and there is a little sweetness in there.

I do not like Lane Limited Ready Rubbed much (think cigarette on that), and I rank this one behind it. This sure didn't start the day off with great pleasure. It will be my last pouch I am pretty sure, and it will sit in the mason jar until I die most likely, since I do not throw out tobacco at this point. I will try to appreciate it more in a year or so, I don't expect aging helps any, but I will try it one more time.

Burns fairly cool, even with heavy puffing. Not a moisture builder either, but I didn't finish down to the bottom of the bowl. I pitched it at the last 8th of bowl.

Age When Smoked: fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Der Pfeifenraucher (71)	2018-06-07		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

What a pleasant surprise. I had always thought velvet was another cheap cherry blend that tastes bad and smokes hot. I read some reviews and decided to give a go and was very pleasantly surprised. Just a nice burley with some sweetness added. A very nice all day blend. handles well and stays lit. I found velvet to bite if provoked but a normal cadence won't burn your tongue. Aromatic lovers will be let down as may some burleyphiles due to the minor addition of casing/topping but for the guy who likes burley with a little something sweet, velvet will not disappoint.

Pipe Used: old grabows

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: pandc

Similar Blends: drugstore burley blends--edgeworth, Kentucky club, etc..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DustyOldMan (1)	2017-01-15		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Velvet is my number one, all-day smoke. I have been smoking a pipe for many years and have tried hundreds of blends from sticky aromatics to 10 year aged Esoterica Penzance. I have gone through every phase a pipe smoker can and have settled down with Velvet for its smooth smoke, intoxicating aroma (which, although it bears some resemblance to Play-Dough or Crayons, is actually something decidedly more old-fashioned and warming, always satisfying the nostrils as the nutty burley pleases the tongue), and Velvet is easily one of the most worry-free blends to light and smoke. It is pure brainless pleasure in the pipe and rings every bell for me personally.

Pipe Used: All of them

Age When Smoked: 1930s L&M right through Current STG

Purchased From: Everywhere

Similar Blends: Granger, Model.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Right Reverend (36)	2014-05-31		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a drug store burley. Burns well down to ash. It is the mildest tobacco I have ever smoked. Very flat tasting, Prince Albert would be preferable because the burley in the Prince stands up and shakes your hands better than this. Wallflower of the tobacco world. I'm not saying its bad, there is bad out there, it's just very ...'smooth' I guess as advertised.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of pack

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2014-03-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Good smoke, easy on the wallet and quite consistent as far as taste and cut are concerned over the years. good all day smoke for those that love burley.

Pipe Used: Capri rustic billiard

Age When Smoked: Current production

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-04-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Now here is a very good, aptly named, simple, well behaved no frills Burley. Its smooth, creamy and nutty. It's mild and easy on the tongue. Like most burleys this sings in a cob, but also smokes great in a Meer or briar. This is one that can be smoked while doing any activity and if smoked to fast, does not loudly protest by biting. It packs easy, burns clean and even to the bottom of the bowl. Smoked slowly while relaxing with a beverage of choice, brings forth the creamy nutty flavor a good burley will. The price is also agreeable.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2005-03-19		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Doing my own tour of the old "drug store" tobac's, I've spend some time with this blend. My intro to this blend was in college when I smoked up a pouch bought in the student union book store. I recall a reasonably pleasant smoke but it tongue bit me big time. So I set it aside for all these years. A couple of months ago I bought several old pocket tins, unopened, and have smoked a little from each, as well as from a newly purchased foil pack ($1.75 about a month ago) I got at the local grocery store. My oldest tin, with no bar codes, was manufactured by Liggett and Myers; the newest by Pinkerton but referencing "The Liggett Group". My pouch just says Pinkerton.

The new pouch revealed a slightly moist, unexciting burley that packed and lit easily. Not much casing, if any, here. A hint of sourness behind a simple burley smoke. Didn't bite me at all this time, wasn't wet in the bowl. I probably won't go back to this very much. I'd prefer PA or Kentucky Club, as personal preference.

The old tobac, however is a different thing! Very dry in the tins (no suprise, it's years or decades old), smokes very cool and has a nicely understated aroma that I believe is from a fermentation as opposed to casing. I wish I could describe it, just a tiny bit sweet but with an honest burley taste in the foreground. The older tins are a wonderful smoke and I'll smoke all of the old stuff I can get my hands on. (3/05)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GLC (3)	2002-08-10		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

After reading Jon's earlier review, I was not sure I wanted to try this blend, although I'd heard from others that it was a decent tobacco (for an classic 'drug store' style blend). Fate intervened in the form of a 14 oz can of Velvet I acquired at a 'garage sale' one weekend. The unopened can taunted me for a couple of days till I was bold enough to give it a try. I cracked the vacuum seal to find an aroma that smelled not so sour as 'boozy', as if the blend had been topped with some kind of alcohol. Whether this is true, or whether this is a fermented tobacco aroma, I'm not sure, but it has a rich and appealing aroma. The tobacco itself is mottled brown and coarse cut, and is very soft to the touch, not at all tacky or clumpy as some cavendished blends are. The tobacco loaded and packed easily, and upon lighting, delivered a smooth, nutty, but very mild smoke. Expecting a much stronger flavor from this burley, I proceeded slowly, and the bowl soon went cold. On relight, the smooth and mild flavor resumed, both surprising and encouraging me to puff away and enjoy the ride. There is undoubtedly some kind of topping in the blend, but it was neither obtrusive nor distracting, and the mild, no-nonsense burley flavor continued throughout the bowl and down to a grey-white ash-topped dottle. Occassionally blowing back into the bowl kept any moisture from accumulating in the stem, resulting in a fairly dry smoke, with only one pipecleaner run through about mid-way in the 45 minute session. Several subsequent bowls, in a variety of pipe types and sizes, resulted in the same experience, with the exception of a hotter smoke in the smallest pipes, and the coolest (and dryest) in a meerschaum calabash. This very mild blend should offend few smokers, but likewise, the mildness won't impress those who expect a more rich and bold-flavored bowl. If you expect all burleys to be rough and hot smoking, this blend may surprise you. It is, as advertised, a smooth smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tillmanj (73)	2002-01-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable to Strong

With an aroma that I can only describe as sour, this blend had me weary from the get go. So odd was the aroma of the first pouch I opened, that I bought several more from various locations to see if I had just stumbled upon a bad lot of it. It seems not, all of them had the same sour aroma. Once I got past the aroma and packed a bowl of it, the acrid taste replaced the aroma as my chief annoyance. Also, this blend is so heavily cased that it began to gurgle almost immediately. It took me an average of a dozen pipe cleaners to maintain a moisture free smoke with this blend, an amount of work that is not equal to the amount of pleasure it provided.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gew1898 (8)	2021-03-08		Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This blend is truly unremarkable. A sweet licorice tub note that yields very little taste. It has the nostalgic room note of the the “old guys” puffing away at the public golf course, ca. 1975. The guys that smoked this stuff in the clubhouse also smoked King Edward cigars out on the course. Most these guys were WWII vets and were always quick to regale me with stories of fighting on pacific islands or in European forests. For that reason this blend, and others like it, are nostalgic for me. It’s not bad but it’s not good either. It’s the white sandwich bread of tobacco blends. I don’t buy into the hate for this blend but I equally don’t understand those who sing it’s praises. For me it’s a good blend for mowing the lawn or walking the dogs but it’s not something I’d sit down to read a book or listen to music with. It’s just a simple blend from a much simpler time, a time when men who lived thru amazing perils passed their stories on to a young junior golfer who hung on their every word. Now I’m as old as they were when they were telling me their stories. I miss the “old guys”.

Pipe Used: Berlin Design

Age When Smoked: New Tub.

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, Prince Albert, and Sir Walter Raleigh..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2020-08-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I ran accross an old pouch of this tobacco as I was out and needed some. The pouch was all dusty on the outside and looked old. The pouch not wasn't bad and had a berry scent. It lit without any problem, probably because the tobacco was so dry. It tasted like really bad cigarette tobacco. I didn't care for it so in the trash it went.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stormpiper (5)	2020-07-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I’ve been smoking velvet now for about six months as our local tobacco shop went out of business....It is basically a good solid mild to medium smoke, and the price is right at about $32 for 14 ounce can.... That can be purchased at our local grocery store... It is a 75-year-old company blend that was just purchased by Scandinavian tobacco group....

Pipe Used: Corn Cob - MM General and Emerald

Age When Smoked: 68

Purchased From: Local grocery store

Similar Blends: Q1.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OhioTony76 (59)	2020-04-22		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Purchased the 1.5 Oz variety. The tobacco is course cut, moist but not wet. The aroma immediately reminds me of Carter Hall. Burns and stays lit decent straight from the pouch. The taste at first light is pleasant, sweet, aromatic and cool. After a few minutes, things change. The pipe heats up. Flavors are a very light brown sugar, and a side note of a wet paper bag. Smoke is nice and plentiful, but starts to irritate the inside of my mouth slightly. Doesn’t quite bite my tongue, but I feel it could if I’m not careful. The pipe finishes up with the same wet cardboard or paper bag flavor... which actually isn’t THAT offensive, (believe it or not). But now I also detect a hint of cherry flavor in the background. Nic hit at medium. Conclusion: Recently I believe Velvet has gained some traction on social media. There is really no reason to smoke this nowadays. If your a burley guy on a budget, who just wants a good smoke, look to C&D’s bulk offerings instead. Much better quality at the same price point.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2020-01-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Velvet: A smooth and earthy burley

The burley tobaccos are incredibly earthy with a rich tobacco taste, much like the other OTC blends made by STG. The casing/topping seems to be made up mostly of sugar, which adds some body to the smoke without being cloying, and a hint of cherry liqueur. There is not much else to note. This tobacco remains focused in its flavor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ronnstein (29)	2019-08-13		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

For the sake of the artful codger I really wanted to like this one. Just can't do it. I get no flavor from this stuff. Nice looking, nice burn, but no flavor.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: WV Smokeshop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (53)	2019-06-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've been pipe smoking for close to 40yrs. Tried many, many tobaccos in that time but to my memory I never got around to Velvet. Turns out I should have. Seems I really like Velvet. It is just as advertised blended with good Burley a bit of sweetener and a hint of cherry fragrance that does not translate to taste. Very smooth smoke with no change throughout the bowl. It has become my must have first smoke of the morning over the past few weeks. Really good at a bargain price. Try it!

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2018-12-07		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really enjoy the classic burley blends, and find Velvet very pleasant. It taste like burley and provides smooth, mild, nutty flavors throughout the bowl. Although velvet is mild it is not very sweet. I get almost a whole wheat toast flavor that stays consistent throughout the bowl. I don't taste a topping, but I am sure the tobacco is sweetened a bit.

If your familiar with the other classics, I would put this midway between Sir Walther Raleigh and Carter Hall. Carter Hall is much sweeter. Unlike either of those blends, I haven't found Velvet to develop a sourness midway through the bowl.

It burns clean and cool, and tastes great.

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Sir Walter Raleigh.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mel64us (46)	2018-11-19		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Velvet is a basic burley blend, mild, nutty, cool smoking. It seems to pack easily if given a little airing time. It took the match well with a char, tamp, and a relight. I did not have to relight it throughout the bowl. It left a very miniscule amount of moisture in the bowl. A good blend as a first bowl of the day or a bowl when one doesn't need to concentrate on the flavor, etc. Velvet would be a good introduction to burley blends for a new pipester. The more of this I smoke, the more I like it.

Pipe Used: Cobs, Petersons, Butz-Choquins, Jirsas, GBD.

Age When Smoked: One month

Purchased From: Local smoke shop

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2017-06-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Basic OTC Burley aromatic

I have recently been on a Drugstore blend binge. They are charming in a simple, nostalgic kind of way and all come in handy pouches, so it's convenient to stop on the way to camp and grab one for the pocket. I have found a few blends to be pleasantly surprising and others have left me in want for something pleasant to say- Velvet falling under the latter.

Starting off, I enjoy the presentation. Very simple and classic in appearance. The 'pouch-note' is terrific. my hopes for a good smoke were high with the first deep breath of leather-bound books, dates, raisin, and a nutty-sweet kind of sunflower aroma; my saliva glands were awakened.

The tobacco packed well and burned well enough. The pipe never got hot, yet I experienced a great deal of tongue-bite. The smoking flavour is that of the raisin, basic burley nuttiness, and Sambuca. Some chemical in there isn't burning well. There is a plastic note in the forefront of the smoke's flavour. A flat, sweet, tongue-covering sensation that when combined with the bite, proves to be too much to tolerate.

Bottom line: I love the aroma- Tin and room, but I can't smoke this tobacco. Even when sipped, my tongue feels coated and acidic. There is something in this blend's topping that is just not kosher. I recommend you grab any alternative. Even Red Cap which is basically cigarette baccy in disguise.

Pipe Used: Cassilero Brandy- straight

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: PipesAndCigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2016-11-06		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Velvet was the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked. As a matter of fact I smoked it almost exclusively for over 10 years. I have boxes of the metal tins in storage. My taste in tobacco runs through every type of blend out there and I have found very few I did not like, I guess I am a pipe addict! I always have Velvet on hand and smoke it on a weekly basis. It is one of the least costly blends out there but that is not why I keep coming back. Pure simple sun ripened Burley with a sugar and anise topping. Simple pleasure for me and it always takes me back to a simpler place and time when I light up. It is one of my go to blends when I feel like reminiscing. In a cob or and old beater Dr Grabow it is the same simple taste of a true American icon. Velvet also gets better with age, I have some jarred that is over 10 years old.

Pipe Used: Cobs and old Grabows

Age When Smoked: New to 10 plus years

Purchased From: Local stores

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bentlink (9)	2016-10-20		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I like this stuff. It's got a really nice licorice and cherry pouch aroma. This mildly touches the flavor, but it just tastes like soft burley. I found it a tiny bit damp, but it packs and burns well. The cube cut offers no problems, but demands a gentle lodging to get the chamber packed just right. It's a little sweet and nutty from char to finish.

It is a very mild and bite free smoke. I find it a nice rest from stronger English blends.

After a pouch, I was happy enough to buy a tin.

Pipe Used: SMS Meeschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: WV Smokeshop

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StrangeSmoker (1)	2013-02-03		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Man I am very disappointed. This was one of the first tobaccos I bought when I first started smoking a pipe in 1996. I used to buy it by the tub. It had an absolutely mouth-watering aroma that was like cinnamon raisin English muffins. I couldn't get enough of it. But I bought some recently and something changed drastically. The aroma is no longer there. The taste isn't there, either. This doesn't seem to even be the same tobacco. What the heck happened? I know blends change over time, but this is ridiculous. I'm saddened because it used to stir up great memories for me whenever I'd catch a whiff of it. Reminded me of fishing and smoking out on our deck with my father. Not anymore. This sucks.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-09-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I decided to revisit this old timer as I have not had any in over 25 years. I love the package design, it always catches my eye. This is one of the OTC blends and it is nothing fancy, a crimp cut burley with a sweet fruity pouch aroma, like a cherry twisler. Not life saver cherry but there. It is an all brown blend and packs in the pipe very easy, it is a little moist but nothing an hour sitting in the pipe can't take care of. It lites very easy like PA does, and it rewards one with a nice sweet burley taste, mild and for me no bite at all. The room note is exceptional, creamy, smooth, and sweet, and this pretty much describes the taste here. I agree with with others that one can get a pack and it will be harsh or you can get one that is spot on. I was lucky and got one of these. This is a delicious blend for burleyphiles. I have no idea why I have not smoked this one in so long but I will be ordering a large tub to keep on hand. It burns down to a clean grey ash with no gunk at the bottom of the bowl. It is not expensive at all, and for what you get, it's a bargain. Try it!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2008-07-14		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am going to be kinder to this little tobacco than others have been. When you open the pouch there is a smell of something sweet added to the Burley. I don't know what it is, but it is not too strong and doesn't last long in the bowl. When lit, the first few puffs give off this same aroma. Again, the word is sweet. Not, mind you, like candy, but more like the sweetness from chewing tobacco or something like that. As you smoke, the flavoring disappears and the mild Burleys shine through. Now, the word is mild. Although the contents of the pouch seem overly moist when opened, the smoke is dry and cool. The taste does not change throughout the bowl. Even down to the last puff, the taste doesn't change. There is no bite. It burns cool to the end. The nicotine level is a little low for my taste, but that can be a real selling point to some smokers. And, speaking of selling points, this is the only Burley that I've found so far that the wife will tolerate. Most Burlies get tossed out with me in tow. Velvet is tolerated in small doses. The same cannot be said for Prince Albert, Granger, Half & Half, Sir Walter Raleigh, Carter Hall, or any Burley from the tobacco shop. Velvet does what none of these could do!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SirShaggy (28)	2008-07-01		Very Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I feel there isn't much to talk about with this one. It is REALLY light & pretty bland. If you are in a pinch and need a quick smoke I suppose it would get you through. Just buy 1 pouch though......

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-03-22		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I tryed this again. On my first review I must have caught a bad batch of this stuff because I like this tobacco! Mild,nutty, naturally sweet, and no bite. Has the aroma of raisins/prunes out of the can and when smoked a nice sweet nut like aroma that is very pleasant. It is not as strong as Granger but tastes a tad sweeter. This is just a good old fashioned sugar cased burley. If you want a nice no bullsh!t burley, spend the rest of your life on Velvet!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-04-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

If you are looking for a cheap burley you can certainly do worse than Velvet. Although I usually don't care for burley blends, I bought a pouch of this because my friend said his father smoked it and he said he missed the smell. Be fore I gave him the pouch to take with him, curiosity got the better of me and I tried a few bowls. I have to say I was surprised! Although nothing spectacular it was certainly passable. It reminded me of cigarrettes and I could barely notice any flavoring. I have to say though- this stuff truly lives up to its name. It is perhaps the smoothest smoke I have ever tried. It smokes effortlessly. Unfortunately there is nothing to keep me buying more. Try it out though before you try any nasty "burley light-without a bite" in the jar stuff!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2023-04-14		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Velvet... more like corduroy, here's why: Its smooth, but there are ridges of flavor that appear during the smoke if you vary your technique. Slow short sips get me sweetened fig/prunes. Retrohale gets me the burley, also sweetened. Longer easy sips show the liquor, though I cant decipher which one. Hard and fast starts to show the otherwise completely absent cigarette taste that others describe. Nasal inhale presents a prune juice punch-like flavor to me. Also, you can just mindlessly smoke it nice and easy for a simple good taste while you are otherwise occupied. This is a good codger to cut your teeth on, but also one to enjoy anytime. It's not my favorite one, but I'm finding its merits very quickly. A must-try for sure if you like this type of tobacco.

Pipe Used: Viking briar and MM hardwoods

Purchased From: P&C

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (166)	2023-03-08		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, it was a rite of passage, I suppose. When I started smoking a pipe in 1979 I started right off with Dunhill and Balkan Sobranie and a few house blends from the tobacconist. For forty years I never even looked at drugstore OTC blends. But come down-time during the Covid shutdowns I thought maybe I’d systematically explore all the old codger classics. So I did. A dozen of them. Some I actually enjoyed, some were of decent quality, and then a couple stood out as being bad. This was a baddie.

But my reaction could have been expected since I hate cherry flavoring in tobaccos, and can take chocolate only in small doses. For those of you who enjoy cherry blends you may very well find velvety luxuriance here. To me it tastes like a cross between Middleton Cherry + Lane 1Q, or Luden’s cherry lozenges covered in cheap, stale, waxy chocolate like you find at the dollar store. Tried drying and that reduced the candied cherry somewhat, only to reveal a new unpleasant taste: wet cardboard.

I tried three times in three different pipes, but could never make it through a whole bowl. Worst off, in a moment of glaring insanity, I tried my first bowl in a vintage Barling bulldog. Yep, it was ghosted by this ghastly abomination. Had to do the salt treatment. The other two times I tried it in my cheapest cobs.

I had to laugh when I saw a YouTuber who favors this blend and admonished all pipers to have patience getting to know a blend, and that you don’t really know all the mysteries of it until you’ve had fifty bowls. Bollocks. Sometimes you know from the first minute, so why keep beating your head against the wall? Anyway, this probably deserves two stars for being so smooth and velvety, but I’m giving one star because I don’t think sufficient warning has been given about the ghosting.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pkloop (53)	2022-04-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

As one would expect a nice mild Burley. Nothing that really stands out, in either a good or bad way. Smokes easy, packs easy. The moisture out of the tub is perfect by my tastes. I find myself agreeing with the average score I see here as I type..2.3 stars is about right.

It's a pretty run of the mill smoke. For such an average smoke I've sure burnt through quite a few tubs though! Due to that I guess I'll round up to 3..

Additionally, I have smoked both the Pinkerton and the current STG incarnation..no discernable difference between the two by my taster..

Pipe Used: Everything I own

Age When Smoked: New and a few years

Purchased From: Gas stations, online

Similar Blends: Other OTC Burleys.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2021-11-19		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

Smoking now:

The pouch note has an aroma of chocolate, cherry, and anise like an aromatic pipe tobacco. It also has this plastic Halloween candy smell, like sticking your nose into a plastic pumpkin with Halloween candy in it. Others describe it as a play dough smell. It’s odd. The tobacco is fairly moist. Opened the pouch a day before smoking giving it some air time before smoking.

The initial lighting had the most foul chemical taste I’ve ever had from a pipe. Good news is is that that goes away. The taste is very mild but it’s artificial cherry, chocolate. Leaves a play dough after taste that I did not welcome or enjoy and I’ve ate actual play dough… as a child of course. The retrohale is more of the same taste, very very mild burley nuttiness, plastic cherry, chocolate, and a harsh cigarette smell. Dried my mouth out and left my tongue angry and that subjected it to multiple bowls of this. Eventually I had to just stop because it was biting my tongue. Of the OTC burley blends I’ve smoked, this one is last on my list. I’m no tobacco snob but SWR I finished the pouch gladly. Carter Hall, Granger which I actually like, even Captain Black I’ll smoke before this again. Your grandpa might have smoked this but if he had access to what we have in the twenty first century he probably wouldn’t have. Literally gave it away to a tramp at the greyhound bus terminal for his RYO.

Pipe Used: Cob

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimPM (155)	2021-06-21		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I think it is fair to say that human nature never really changes. Ponder on that thought for just a second or two. Mankind is steadfast with an innate complexion. If one accepts the validity of this argument, then it is reasonable to assume that piping enthusiast from back in the early twentieth century are essentially no different than those of present day; right? More specifically, the principle of smoking enjoyment relating to this passion is a human attribute that is constant by nature, being intact and changeless through the ages. Namely, the manifestation of that condition is continual and identical then and now in my humble opinion. If the critical mass of pipe smokers 109 years in the past found much satisfaction with a particular blend, a reasonable hypothesis is that present day smokers would also find similar delight in this century old creation. Admittedly, such was not always my thinking, however. Now that I am older and wiser, I can easily recognize a fallacy in attitude on my part. For the longest time I fostered a presumptuous stink about the so-called codger blends, essentially relegating them to a subordinate class of the “yeah don’t waste your money on that garbage”. I mean after all is there not the glorious Plum Pudding or succulent Solani Aged Burley beckoning the call to flavorful quality mixtures? Why in heaven’s name would you violate the internals of that sweet Savinelli with such nasty ditch-weed? Well, as our friend Forrest so brilliantly and eloquently declared “stupid is as stupid does”. Reparations are in order and must now take stage to be of righteous posture on this matter. So, at present, I am coming back at you once again with yet another commentary on one of those specific old timey tobacco blends. My oath to self, and in the act of sharing with others, is to run the gamut of the collection of these dated blends to arrive at a more informed viewpoint; rightfully so. Wisdom, and therefore knowledge, is acquired chiefly by experience. Without a deep appreciation of the discoveries of what history must teach us, I could argue that the roots of my tree are decidedly shallow. This time the dance is with one labeled as the “smoothest tobacco” to be found. Given genus by the Spaulding & Merrick Tobacco Company in the year 1908, I present to you, Velvet. Did you know that the “Coast to Coast” favorite tin of tobacco back in 1912, as heralded by the Valentine’s Day edition of the St. Louis Star and Times, sold for a measly ten cents? Springing forward to the current value of money, two ounces of very same tobacco sets you back roughly $5.98 (USD) which only amounts to a modest 5880% bump. Holy sheep crap! Despite the impact of 109 years of ridiculous price inflation and the genus of heavy “sin” taxation, buying Velvet tobacco does not come at cost of your right arm nor your left leg. At $2.99 per ounce, it is dirt cheap. Getting back to my original contention, pipe smokers are pipe smokers. The pursuit of experiencing a delightful mixture stands the test of time no matter what generation you happen to fall out of. It struck me as curious to better understand all the hubbub surrounding such an iconic rave. As such, I found myself standing at the checkout counter of my local tobacco barn, a pouch of Velvet anxiously clenched in hand, with a silly sheepish grin upon my face. A major paradigm shift had come home to roost. On a fore note, the history of Velvet presents an interesting tale, one involving a legal battle concerning violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust act. I would encourage all to take the time to review the chronicles of this blend at your leisure. In short, Velvet’s stewardship as changed hands several times over the last century because of this contentious affair, finally finding continuance under the Scandinavian Tobacco Group banner. Forever I harbored the distinct impression, probably for reasons relating to the packaging, that Velvet was one of those dubious cherry-flavored boondoggles. Respectfully acknowledging there are innumerable lovers of cherry-spun concoctions, for myself, I am generally nauseated by them. They do not float my boat (boos and hisses from the crowd follow); sorry just being honest. As such this misperception served to further my heart-felt snubbery, deterring me from retching up one single penny on the stuff. Subsequently, my eyes have, now seen, the coming of the glory of the truth. Along with the aggregate of old codger mixes, Velvet is a common coarse cut Kentucky Burley less any egregiously bold cherry flavoring; at least that I can surmise. This smoothest of smooth tobaccos is comprised by choice selections of two-year aged, sun-kissed Dark and White Burley leaf, curiously flavored with plethora of stealthy fu-fus. Six out of every half dozen swear by its merit according to the laurels existing on this famous granola like mixture. The mystery behind this stew, as reported, is the deployment of some “special” process that serves to produce its highly revered mojo. Whether there an actual secret behind the curtain, who knows? Nonetheless it is the proclamation that the makers of this cherished smoke do hang their hats upon. From a marketing standpoint with the objective of creating excitement and interest, (i.e., sales), the card has been well played for an exceptionally long duration. Opening the pouch, Velvet presents a very dark but sanguine impression at first glimpse. Deeply tinged by abundant chocolate to medium brown rough-honed cuts of Dark Burley intermixed sparingly with the lighter shards of bronzed White. A tangled umber menagerie of Kentucky’s finest crop according to the ledger. Whether the varietals used are truly the finest, Velvet does nonetheless show a respectful manly countenance, I will give it that. Regrettably, the aroma of the blend on the other hand is inordinately weak and I tried hard to experience it. What I did eventually perceive was an unassuming scent of common Burley tickled by passive sweet notes of black licorice and darker sugar, but nothing as pervasive as a Mixture 79 by any means. For being the star tobacco of ages, I was truly underwhelmed by the fragrance or lack thereof. At first light the notation of taste is very faint and indistinguishable. With a few strong drawls, an aromatic profile started to morph and find a home throughout the entire bowl. The initial flavor registration is herded by a fuzzy spray of soft-toned sweet toppings that quickly reduce to the abiding baseline Burley. The Burley itself is woodier in temperament versus nutty. One nice standard element that is brought forward consistently and rather discernably is a smart sourness. It really set the hook in me and therefore I esteem this blend for that critical feature. There are moderated zesty/tart oat highlights that occasionally float in, most likely achieved by the infusion of the various additives with the native Burley. A prevailing note of licorice stands proud (with a small “p”), taking front and center on the sweetening effects. I did register an additional muffled spice that aligns with raw sugar/honey and darker molasses. Finally, a liquor topping is there no doubt, one that I felt to be dark rum based upon the tone coming across. Overall Velvet is rather simple and indistinct, your bottom line. As to robustness and strength of flavor, the “smooth one” is poignantly mild at best. More favorably the mixture produces an ample amount of handsome smoke plumage, leaving a comfortable sour/tart earthy essence within the smoking chamber. However, Velvet can burn a little hot by my accounting. As such, there is some elemental roughness to its texture as I did experience minor degrees of tongue sting. Furthermore, even with ample drying time a significant level of sticky goop finds a resting place at the bottom of the bowl upon cessation. This makes me wonder about levels of propylene glycol that may be present. Personally, I did not find Velvet to be the smoothest nor the most flavorful tobacco I’ve yet to smoke. However, I cannot discount the enjoyment that this blend has brought countless folks since its origin back in 1908. Just like any craft, tobacco blending over the years has become more refined and imaginative, my historical lesson of the day. Velvet exists as a timely milestone towards that very pursuit so I cannot justifiably harrumph its individual merit and contribution. It is impressive that a single product has stood the test of time and continues to flourish in the hearts of many codger admirers even today. Comparatively, Velvet does stand toe to toe in terms of mass appeal with the remaining cast of old-world Burley-based recipes. Is it superior to its counterparts in that respect? Absolutely not. My personal sentiment being that Velvet is modestly “okay”, but it is not the best thing since pockets on shirts. Keep in mind this my subjective conclusion as formulated through a sampling exercise designed at qualifying and discovering the mechanical virtues of existing grandfather tobacco products. From a geeky quantitative reference, I scored Velvet a whopping 75 out of 144 in lieu of the data-based scoring system that I have standardized all my tasting events upon. Based on the credo of excellence that indexes both general smoking metrics and key blend-specific attributes I have defined, in this case for the Burley class, Velvet achieved only 52%. The primary point being with subjective review and an objective ratings process, Velvet failed to earn a substantive grade. Is it ditch-weed? Heaven’s no. What the package delivers is a middle of road, simple, somewhat smooth diversion in pipe smoking and that is good enough for me given the circumstance. With that, as I conveyed earlier, Velvet offers is at least one nice taste characteristic that shines quite brilliantly and a couple of admirable mechanical features. Will I buy again? Perhaps. Maybe throw in a pinch of Cavendish, a pinch of Latakia, a pinch and half of Virginia and just a morsel of Perique to put some more kick in the legs, then perhaps we got an enticingly deal. On its own, nah, I will pass knowing now my validated individual experience. So, there you have it, one man’s study of this classic old timey pipe smoking treasure. If I have disappointed the Velvet zealots, my pardons. Please do smoke up until your hearts are content and I am happy for your enjoyment. Given the continued commercial success of Velvet and my somewhat conditional buy-in, I would say the stated hypothesis holds true. Reflecting on human nature, the nuisances of what defines personal appeal may vary by the piper, yet the concept of expressed satisfaction is universal in constitution; we all are the same in the end. If nothing else give Velvet a try to frame your own qualified conclusion. By doing you can honestly profess that the roots of your tobacco tree of knowledge are well grounded and true to form.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh & 1 month jarred

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, SWR, Mixture 79 and the lot.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tropicalretriever (23)	2020-05-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

So I went out for a search for some pipe tobacco a few weeks ago at my local brick and mortar and saw a pouch of Velvet on the bottom row. I have always been curious about this blend so I decided to give it a try. Upon opening the pouch I was greeted by dried up tobacco with little pouch note - mainly cherry. It lit well and stayed lit. There was no bite, but no flavor either. The bowl burned quickly as the tobacco was so dry. I doubt that I will revisit this product again.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bud_Harold (24)	2020-01-09		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very pleasant to me. No frills, just smooth and.enjoyable. Didn't bite. And I'm a freight train when it comes to smoking. Would recommend as an everyday smoke.

Pipe Used: Pear

Age When Smoked: 1yr

Purchased From: 4Noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lunter (1)	2019-11-15		Very Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Solid reliable blend with a pleasant room note. Bites me if smoked too quickly. Lacks a little nicotine strength for me but still it is a regular in my rotation. Room note is maple sugar and a little anise. Packs and lights easily. Buy the big tub - better than pouches and more cost effective.

Pipe Used: All sorts

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Half & Half.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2019-03-27		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

This OTC blend needs to be compared to other OTC blends. It's not nearly as mellow as CH. It doesn't have that slightly nutty quality of PA. It has less flavor than CB. But it also has less bite than BR. Burns hot and wet. The price is a bonus, but is it really? There's just so much better out there, for just a few bucks more, if you want a decent OTC, burly-based blend. Can't recommend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorilla (1)	2018-02-02		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco shines with age. Nothing complex and very mild, but a slow, gentle smoke reveals a nice dried raspberry sweetness with a hint of dark chocolate on the edge. When I opened a jar that has been sealed for 5 years the fruity, nutty, tin note was astounding. Ten years ago when I put this back it was my apocalypse reserve and I wasn’t high on it, but today it is a decent smoke. For an inexpensive otc tobacco it’s well worth having on hand in the cellar, and in 10 years you’ll have a pleasant surprise.

Pipe Used: Briar, Cob

Age When Smoked: 10 years

Purchased From: Drugstore

Similar Blends: Granger, Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rylander (5)	2018-01-29		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Just awful! I really wanted to like this blend. It smells very good in the pouch but that’s where anything good stops. It tastes to me like almost nothing but there is one prominant flavor and that is the flavor you get if you’re sucking on a popsicle stick after the popsicle is gone. Just a dusty gross wet popsicle stick taste. My least favorite pipe tobacco I’ve ever tried.

Pipe Used: Varius briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: P&C

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-07-11		Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

Velvet is an interesting blend. A codger blend, to be sure, but its not what i would think of when i think of codger blends. To me, they are best represented by carter hall, half and half, Prince Albert, SWR and the like. And Velvet shares they're basic profile of primarily otc burleys flavor, easy cut for packing and burning, mildly cigarette-like notes, etc. But Velvet seems to my taste a bit more flavored and chemically. Don't get me wrong; i enjoy it, ive smoked a lot of it, and will smoke a lot more. It just has an extra flavoring that os initially off putting, but one may come to desire. Its a sort of fruity topping that would typically not jive with my palate. But im able to enjoy something in most blends i try, and this one is no exception. Try it if you like otcs. Not the best of the bunch, but certainly not the worst.

Pipe Used: Cobs, briars

Age When Smoked: New to 1 year

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike660 (5)	2017-06-26		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

(Pinkerton version) I just bought an unopened 50 year old tub and I’d been dying to try it. First thing I smell is anise, a good thing for being sealed for fifty years. Moisture is just right, sponges but not too wet or dry. Packed a pipe and tried it, I was blown away! This tobacco is nutty and sweet with an alcoholic aftertaste. My only problem is I’ve only got 14 ounces, after that I’ll be crushed. When people smell it they fall in love with my pipe!

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Around fifty years old

Purchased From: eBay (unopened tin)

Similar Blends: OTC blends, anniversary kake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mnadz (69)	2017-04-03		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not much more to add. Basic and simple Burley. I like Burleys, and think there are better OTCs out there, but its worth a try. Packs, lights and smokes easy enough. Will not be rushing out to get more, but not unhappy that I bought some.

Pipe Used: Ben Wades

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2017-03-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Sun ripened Burley, kissed by only.sun and rain. No topping, just the fermentation and perhaps some process. Easy to pack ribbons and a mahongany color Burley. No bite and light to medium nicotine. Been around forever literally and enjoyed by millions. Great cake builder and I just paid $4 a pouch. Mix half and half with Carter Hall and you got yourself a stellar mixture!! Goes best in a conference, slightly dried. Ok so no bite, all day smoke, $4 pouch and really nice aroma. Smoking this I picture chain gangs, fireside chats with FDR, country stores and Dr Grabow / Yello Bolle.... Takes you back to a simpler time when boutique blends were out of reach... Check out this as from 1920!!! https://goo.gl/images/BNKLYe

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipesmoker33 (18)	2016-09-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I remember buying a pouch of this back in 2000ish when I started smoking pipe. I seem to remember it being a thin ribbon cut much like Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. And I recall it burning hot. However I picked up a pouch today, and the cut was more of a crimped or cubed. Smell in the pouch smelled kinda like Half & Half, but the taste was much simpler. This is a straight up burley with a very light topping. Very mild. I loaded up a Dr. Grabow Royal Duke , and for the next 30 minutes or so, I was in heaven. Didn't bite one bit and burned cool.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Duke

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Smokin Joes tobacco shop. Wellsboro, PA

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-03-26		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Velvet is a classic drug store brand. Burley based like the other classics. In the jar/pouch it smells like raisins (that could be the alcohol topping). Requires more relights than PA or SWR. A good everyday smoke, but I like the other classics better. Recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Store

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manxman (82)	2016-02-02		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I like this stuff. I bought it after an old timer told me that his dad used to smoke it, and it smelled great. As PhillyB pointed out, it's too smooth to smoke through a filter. I like it a lot better than Prince Albert. I like it a little more than Carter Hall, it's mellower. Others have described the pouch aroma as various fruits. It reminds me of fruitcake, also how Middleton's cherry USED to taste. Smokes dry, right to the bottom. So I would think this would be great to break in a new pipe. No tongue bite for me. So far , my favorite OTC non-aromatic.

Pipe Used: MM cob, MM hardwood

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipes and cigars .com

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, Prince Albert, Middleton's Cherry.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Earl Grey (34)	2016-01-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Unnoticeable

I first tried Velvet from a pouch I purchased at a local B&M tobacco shop in my area. When I opened the pouch, it smelled like sweet Burley tobacco with a light fruity aroma. Moisture level was perfect. When I fired it up it was smooth and tasty. The pouch was gone within a few days. So about a year later when one of my TAD episodes set in, I bought a tin.

The tin turned out to be it's own beast.

Upon opening the tin, I was hit with a strong fruity aroma. It was also moist and stuck to my fingers. After the char light it wouldn't stay lit. I puffed like a madman and after about a half a box of matches I finally got it burning. The smooth Burley taste wasn't there. What I got instead was a fruity, almost cherry/Dr. Pepper taste from it. By the end of the bowl my tongue was scorched to high hell.

I've left some out to dry for days and it was a bit more palatable, but still very fruity tasting and bit like hell. I left the lid off for a week and the moisture level seemed to go down to a normal level. I packed a bowl and it was similar to the pouch experience again. However, when I put the lid back on and opened it a week later, it was just as damp as before. So I took the lid off and left it in the refrigerator overnight. Same thing happened as before. One good bowl and then back to goopy mess after putting lid back on for a few days. I've been trying to like this stuff from this tin for over two years. It hasn't improved with age. I cellared it for a rainy day and hope that I can figure out how to make it smokeable. I wanted to like it because of my first pouch experience and it's a classic old school blend. I hope others have better luck.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Kaywoodie, Italian Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of pouch/tin.

Purchased From: Local B&M tobacco shop, pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haebar (52)	2015-11-22		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Someone sent me some 23-year old Velvet and I was taken by surprise at how good it is! Aging really improves this Burley-based tobacco just like it does Virginias. This is a simple tobacco made of quality leaf with a very subtle flavoring that is hard to identify. There is the nutty, slightly chocolate flavor that is associated with Burley but there is something else, something like sweet rum. The flavoring is so subtle as to be almost subliminal. This tobacco is a real and simple treat.

Pipe Used: Captain Black billiard

Age When Smoked: 23 years

Purchased From: a gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	donk93953 (29)	2015-10-07		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

In all my years smoking, Ive never tried Velvet. I smoke burleys and generally just over the counter blends. Yes, Ive done the Frogs and the Dunhill and Rattray lines, but I always return to burley. This was pretty drab. Not much taste, not much flavor. Burned easily...would I venture here again. I'll probably put the pouch in my fly fishing vest and try it again when my feet get wet.

Pipe Used: Dunhill

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: 1/2 strength Sir Walter Raleigh, Granger, Price Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2015-08-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love burley. This is a good nutty, cocoa filled smoke. I had trouble keeping the first few bowls lit so it does need some dry time. No strong added flavors except for some licorice type aroma. Old time room note that's not offputting at all. My opinion may change but for now it's an ok smoke when I crave some plain old fashion burley.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kymidnight (3)	2012-12-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This stuff tastes like an old dirt gym sock that has been used to clean up a puppies "accident". Flavor is mild, which is fortunate, because if it were any stronger it would got from horrible to a form of torture. Wife wasn't fond of the room note, and she's usually pretty easy. I cannot realistically imagine a scenario where I would be tempted to ever smoke this again. Ever.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-12-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Overall a nice pouch pipe tobacco. Hard to keep lite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-06-01		Very Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

The best thing I can say about this tobacco is its boring. Lacks flavor and has no character . The worst thing I can say it it does bite the tongue. It is difficult to stay lite as well. It will remind you of your childhood in that it does smell like play do.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2012-03-27		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

The other reviewers here were spot on. It tastes like play doh smells. Enough said.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-02-10		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

America's smoothest smoke my ass.

I call this my mystery tobacco because...I CAN'T FIND WHAT THE HECK I SHOULD DO WITH THIS SH*T!!!

I bought this blend to go with my new Bjarne Viking Classic Dublin. and i am ashamed to have this stuff grace my pipe.

O how shall i count the ways i hate thee...

For one this blend bites me no matter how i smoke...and its not uncommon for me to get threw a bowl with just one light.

Its a small bite not much but a constant bite that distracts from the flavor which is were this blend shines.

It taste very nutty with some fruity sweetness to it and its a very good taste and i would love to smoke this stuff if it would stop biting me.

And thats not it it also burns very hot which irks me to no end.

But alas there is some hope i find if you carefully play around with this its a great blender.]

I mixed it with 2 blends a Blenders Gold Black Cavendish mixture that was too sweet for me and my own blend that is Carter Hall mixed with cigar leaf and the result was my Black Cavendish got alot more mellow and more enjoyable and the cigar blend was mellowed out alot so i can actaully smoke the stuff without needing a drink.

While this stuff does have potential as a blender its crap as a single smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2012-01-11		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Oh Velvet, why must you be such an enigma?

Velvet is an old American standby. Its been gracing the shelves of grocery stores and gas stations for much longer than some of these new-fangled, fancy packaged smoking tobaccos. It's age should be an indicator of the blend, again, products that are not worth while do not last for as long as this product has.

Here is the problem. Where the hell is the flavor? The box says "America's smoothest smoke". It is smooth all right, it is so smooth it is bland. Water is also smooth, it does not mean it has a good flavor. The one upside is that it will not nip your tongue, heck, I do not think a shop vac could get this blend hot. Quite frankly, if it were not for the plumes of smoke emerging from my face I would never know if it is lit or not.

Here is the tricky part. I like the stuff. As much as I want to dislike it, I cant. For that little tiny bit of flavor that is there, I like it. It has some topping I cannot put my finger on. I have heard maple sugar, I have heard licorice, I couldn't tell you, but I like it. It is gentle, and subtle but very wholesome. It is the cream of wheat of the tobacco world. It may not taste the best, but its wholesome and satisfying.

I can't say good or bad things about this blend. In the end I say just go buy some and try it. It has a very inexpensive selling point and is relatively easy to find. Who knows, you may just love it. It works really well in a cob.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	juvat (36)	2011-10-31		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Not bad. I like it. Yes, it does kinda smell like Play Do but that doesnt bother me. I do think its far better than Half & Half, about on par with Carter Hall and not quite as good as Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mr.vintage (7)	2011-10-13		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

There's not really much to say about Velvet that can 'wow' it's namesake,it's a straight burley that will appeal to a mixed crowd and on that note it's a light burley blend.The scent of tobacco in the pouch comsists of fermented cranberries and light raisin,which is a topping.Overall it's a decent topping and remains low key as a light sweetness with the tobacco taste.The burley in Velvet is mild,smooth,lightly sweet/tart,and stays that way from start to finish.It's a nice blend in my opinion,burley blends like PA or KC normally offer a fuller taste so a light burley is primarily a stray cat among the drugstore blends.Velvet burns pretty evenly and normally leaves a nice little pile of white ash in the bowl.Tongue bite?not really unless your'e frantically puffing and hoping for a full-on burley taste.Overall I think Velvet is a nice blend for a burley fan who wants something a little different of the burley leaf but doesn't stray from the pack.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-05-31		Very Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Not good. Not terrible, but not good. This review is based on one pouch only, but the tobacco was still moist so I don't think it's a case of it being past its prime. It doesn't bite or anything, there's just no character to it. Very light on flavor. What little flavor there is seems to be more in the vein of SWR than PA. This just seems like cheap, sub-par leaf to me. I really enjoy other inexpensive codger burleys, but this is cheap in the bad sense. Spend your coin on some real SWR or PA if you want a drugstore burley. Perhaps the tub product is superior to the pouch product, but what I smoked was utterly vapid.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-03-30		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tub aroma of this crimp-cut burley is of licorice and that same sweet-sour topping common to Half & Half which is reminiscent of amaretto, though as another reviewer noted, it may very well be hickory.

The light and brown burleys are husky and full of character which the generous sweetening (old literature mentions maple sugar) and flavoring compliment well. Chewing a bit of the leaf reveals some licorice which does not translate obviously into the smoke.

Though an all-day blend, Velvet has the rugged and flavorsome character needed to stave off vapidity. This went well in a chamber of any gauge.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-01-06		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I smoked a pipe in the '70's-'80's, this was my all day smoke. I just tried it this past week and don't know what happened. Won't stay lit and I don't know what burley they're using but it isn't the same smoke. Got through a few pipes and put it aside.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2010-12-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Velvet (revised)... This stuff is the all American hot dog with yellow mustard of tobaccos, there are times when nothing else will due. That's my Velvet. Smooth and almost too mild, but when that urge for a mild burley comes, its Velvet time. Other than maybe the application of a different topping, this one is not too different from what I remember from my youth. I always keep at least 1 tub around. I find it a first class blender, and use it for that purpose quit a bit... On the other hand, I can see why a newer pipster would find this stuff not very inspiring, as there is a much greater selection today, with the internet and all. But when you finally had your fill of spending money on tobaccos that make all sorts of demands for proper enjoyment. Remember there are still all day blends, that's only demand is that you have a pipe and some matches, one is called Velvet. 3 Stars. My personal rating 4/5

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-11-11		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I smoked barrels of Velvet twenty or so years ago. I loved it. The flavor back then I would have described as unidentifiably "masculine" or "woodsy". Just bought a six-pack from JR's and I am very disappointed. The burley element is still there, but the casing is pronouncedly "Maraschino cherry", similar to Middleton's of that ilk (which, by the way, is still fantastic). This would be a good beginner's brand, but it's not for me anymore. Sorry. The Times They Are A-Changin'.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brogreggblues (45)	2010-07-17		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I couldn't get past the Play-Doh smell and taste. Both in the bag and in the bowl. Smoked one bowl, and threw the rest out!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2010-06-06		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

I smoked this once ,only once yuck! sorry there are alot better burleys out there!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-05-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Open the pouch and it smells like play dough. Not kidding. Unless the smell of play dough has changed in the last forty years.

The taste is pretty much like the smell. I don't buy this often but always seem to have some laying around somewhere. It's something I smoke once and then put away for a month or more. In fact I've still got some of it jarred up from a couple of years ago. I just don't want it very often. It's not unpleasant but it's something you get tired of quickly.

Thirty years ago I can remember it coming with rolling papers. I even tried rolling a few cigarettes with it and it really wasn't bad that way. SWR and PA also had their own rolling papers. I think Americas Smoothest Smoke was meant to be a cigarette tobacco with added flavorings.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-03-16		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another one of my blends that i keep coming back to. Upon opening a new tin, you are indeed greeted with sun ripened burley that has this irresistable aroma that is much different than the regular burleys that come off with a sweetened essence. This one boasts a delicious cherrylike flavour that is fresh and sweet, mild and slightly fruity to the palette as you smoke down a bowl gently and carefully as to grasp its unique taste. Smoke this in a clean briar and you will experience its true worth. Simply delicious. I give this blend three stars only because it isn't considered as an all day smoke, though it is part of my rotation that i will always keep on hand.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-02-23		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

i haven't actually figured out how to smoke Velvet. It'sa bit moist and gunks up my pipe. I can't taste it until it's way to hot to smoke. Iwould assume that you should leave the pouch open for a while to let it dry a bit so you don't boil your tongue. when you hit a sweet spot, it smells pretty good. Girlfriend likes it but i can't always find the "sweet spot"

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-02-22		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

What more can I say about this one that hasn't already been said?

Tastes a bit sweet and candy-like right at the beginning, but quickly turns to a salty dull play-doh taste.

Even if I had been able to finish the bowl, this one would be a two-star at best. I was more concerned about the cheap corn cob that I was smoking it out of than I was about wasting tobacco, and I am a man who hates to waste consumables.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-02-12		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Another blend I bought when I was on a fixed budget, it's hard to describe. I never got much out of this as far as flavor, but I never got anything bad either. Neutral would be the best I can come up with.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-31		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I didn't find anything particularly off-putting about this smoke, it's just a bit plain. There is a slight hint of flavor, maybe like dr pepper with a bit of cherry. Neither the tobacco or aromatic additions have much presence, but at least it isn't overpowering. Most of the time i smoke near non-smokers they compliment the pleasent pipe tobacco smell, however i feel as though this stuff lacks that note. The room note isn't stinky like cigarettes or as overpowering as a cigar, it just isn't pleasant.

I can't say i would really recommend this as it has very little going for it, while there are many better blends for around the same price.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-08-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a tobacco that is not always consistent. One time it will be very smooth with no bite and the next time it may feel like a t-rex is gnawing on the inside of your entire mouth. When you get a bad batch like that simply cellar it for a year or two and it will improve considerably. It amazes me how many people throw away tobacco that can be fixed with simple aging. Generally speaking Prince Albert is a better smoke but when you get a good pouch it can be worth it.

When you open the pouch you will find the old playdough smell is still there. Thankfully it doesn't taste that way. This is another one of the old tobaccos that can be rolled as a cigarette and at one time it came with it's own rolling papers. Don't expect a heavy tobacco out of this.

Like many of the really cheap tobaccos if you can find an older box get it. The older the better. Many times in small towns you can find these brands in grocery stores sitting on the shelves for years without being touched. Both the flavor and quality can improve with age.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-08-18		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I recently traveled to the bad river indian reservation and bought a 14oz can of Velvet pipe tobacco. The can looked very intruiging. It was recommended by many natives that this is a good tobacco to use in pipes and ceremonies.

Many of you probably never heard of this but this is a great tobacco to mix with Kinnick-kinnick: a smoking mixture used by native Americans when tobacco was scarce.

After I bought it I opened it up and it smelled of chacolate and vinilla. I smoked a bit of it in a couple of my briar pipes and I thought that it lived up to its name: it was so smooth I could barely detect its flavor. I was expecting a more of a punch like Sir Walter Railiegh. It smells good and has a light aroma. All in all, it is a nice and enjoyable smoke.

The downfall of this tobacco is that it does come with toungebite.

I would recommend this tobacco to anyone who likes a light smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-07-21		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just another mass produced cheaply made sticky tobacco. Don't waste your time with it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-02-04		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I must admit,this is a very different type of burley 'drugstore blend'.Velvet is a slight unusual burley that's slight topped with something that I can't put my finger on,if you smell the pouch it reminds me of cherry twizzlers which always struck me as odd.Now the taste is something interesting that actually has made this a enjoyable tobacco..it reminds me of the scent of bacon cooking on the frying pan in the morning and the tobacco is mid-range in quality.I wouldn't recommend Velvet as an all-day smoke but can be a nice change up for the burleyphile.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-05-30		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is burly and nothing else. It is VERY mild and VERY bland. I tried it on the recommendation of our clubs president. He reportedly loves the stuff, and buys it every chance he gets. I was amazed how smooth the blend was and how cool the smoke was. It has absolutely no tongue bite, but also does not stimulate the tongue in any other way. Like many others, I use burly blends to break pipes in, but I will have to say Prince Albert is still king in that category.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Frosty (29)	2008-05-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I had tried this blend early in my pipe smoking days, back when I smoked goopy black Cavendish exclusively. I was drawn to the little cardboard box because of the picture of that beautiful freehand pipe on it. Upon lighting up a bowl, my tongue was seared in pain. I think I threw the foil pouch out after a half bowl. Fast forward to today - my toungue has been toughened by fierce Virginia flakes, my smoking technique has matured, and I love other "old codger" burlies, such as Prince Albert, Half & Half, Carter Hall, etc. I picked up another pouch, got home and opened it. The smell is quite nice, I can't seem to identify it though it seems very familiar to me. The closest I can come to the fragrance is those orange jelly candies with the dark chocolate coating, although it is faint, not syrupy at all, rather natural. Excited, I packed a nice prince shaped pipe with the metal stinger in place of a filter and lit up. Hmm, it tastes very faintly like it smells, along with the typical bread and nut flavors of Burley. I settled back and gently puffed away when "it" hit me! Oh no! This stuff "stings" my mouth just like Kentucky Club. It's not a "bite" like one gets from a sharp Virginia, but a stinging which affects the entire interior of my mouth. It must be the strain of Burley in this and Kentucky Club, because I love Burley and smoke it almost daily. I'm guessing that the PH of this strain of Burley affects my body chemistry just wrong. I'm glad all Burley blends don't do this! Well, I seem to be the only pipe smoker in the surrounding area, so into the trash it goes. I still love that pipe on the box though! Again, if you like this, what a value.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2008-04-21		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Strong

This is the worst tobacco I have ever laid my hands on! My interest in drug store blends was recently spike, so I picked up a couple pouches of Carter Hall and Velvet to give these a go round. The CH was pretty decent, like I remember it. The Velvet, DISGUSTING!

I've noticed that the reviews of this over the past couple of years have been bad. They are well merited. This tobacco stinks when you light it up. It tastes and smells of burnt plastic. Don't let the delightful scent in the pouch fool you, this stuff will ruin a pipe. I will have to give the cotton ball treatment to the pipe I tried this in. I only can hope it will forgive me.

I only smoked a half-bowl, I used three pipe cleaners, all were pitch black when I was finished with them. DO NOT BY THIS TOBACCO IMPERSONATOR!

The good side of this experience: it reminded me why I do not smoke OTC blends. They are only a few cents cheaper than most hi quality bulk blends and they cannot even hold a candle to them in quality.

Folks, if you want a burley, go give Lane or MacBaren or Cornell and Diehl a try. Your pipes, tongue, and wife will thank you for it!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-03-15		Extremely Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Well, the package is right about one thing. It is a smooth smoke, though not the smoothest.

That's about where the positives for this blend end. I really like burley, but this one is lacking in the naturally sweet and nutty character that makes that variety so lovely. In fact, there was hardly any flavor at all. What little there was (way in the background) alternately between a slightly sour tang, to something unnatural like plastic. But on the whole, it was smooth but flavorless; kind of like the tobacco version of Natural Lite, only instead of tasting aluminum can, you taste plastic.

For a traditional American burley at drug store prices, Prince Albert and Carter Hall are MUCH better, with Carter Hall heading the class, IMO.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-10-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Update: I bought a package while visiting a distant city. I think it's been at least 15 years since I last smoked this tobacco. It has surely changed.

I smoked several bowls before deciding to update my review. The current stuff bit like a bulldog, and a plastic taste overpowered the burley. I was very disappointed as I remember Velvet to be an excellent tobacco. I knew a very rich older gentleman who swore by the L&M offering. I'll stick with Half & Half and the Prince.

Original review: I haven't seen Velvet anywhere in my area for a long time. I used to smoke it as a change of pace from my usual standby, Half & Half.

Velvet seemed less harsh than some of the other burleys, although it had less flavor. A good tobacco, all in all. I will eventually purchase a can on line to reminisce about the days when drugstore tobacco counters had dozens of brands to choose from, along with excellent selections of pipes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2007-10-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I'm not a big Burley fan, but this stuff ain't as bad as some other OTC's I've tried. Overall it's pretty mild all the way around. Flavor, heat, room note, all in all a mild smoke. Nothing to rave about, but it'll do for a budget priced tobacco. I didn't taste the licorice flavor mentioned by some others, though I was more aware of a cigarette-like tobacco type flavor. Definitely better than anything Borkum Riff makes. I like this better than Prince Albert. For price and availability, you could do worse.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-07-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a burley fan, I was very pleased with Velvet. It was smooth and smoked cool, with no bite (with proper technique, of course).

Some call this a "drugstore" blend, which makes no sense to me. What drugstores sell tobacco products? None I have come across and I'm in my late 30s.

Anyway, it is very affordable and readily available down at the grocery store at the bottom of the hill. Much cheaper than the fru fru tobaccos available online these days (many of which I like).

Velvet has a unique taste that I haven't really found in any other burley based blends. I feel it is due to fermentation rather than topping, but what do I know. The taste is a hair spicey and a hair licorice-y. It's pretty yummy.

The wife doesn't have to go out on the porch when I smoke a bowl of this. She said it smells kind of good.

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys burleys and who doesn't associate low-price with low quality.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2006-11-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ten to fifteen years ago, when this was easily available throughout East Tennessee, Velvet was one of my favorite blends. It was far more flavorful than Prince Albert or Carter Hall, and it was difficult to make it bite or burn too hot. About a month ago, I headed up to Johnson City and found a store that carried it. As I hadn't even seen a package of it in years, I gleefully bought a half-dozen pouches (prompting odd looks from my wife). Unfortunately, this tobacco seems to have gone through a sad transformation. In place of the smooth, creamy, natural smoke I once enjoyed, I encountered the taste of chemicals and (for some odd reason) burning plastic. The problem wasn't as pronounced in other pouches, but was still there. This might be a quality control issue, but it was unpleasant enough to turn me off to this tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	caddad (53)	2006-04-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have reviewed several drug store blends , I guess because I have smoked a lot to them at times. I think we all have when we are in a jam and can?t get our hands on whatever we please. I smoked a lot of this last summer because they carried it at a couple of gas stations I passed on my way to work and I have to say that it is not to shabby a tobac. It?s burley with no flavoring very similar to Prince Albert. It?s there when you need it and I will buy it again I?m sure. If you see this on the shelf buy it and enjoy, you won?t be sorry.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2006-03-24		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

=Revisiting this simple burley blend I have to think that the quality or manufacturing is just too inconsistant for me to mess with. My last foray resulted in some pretty bad tongue irritation and the flavor was not worth it. I don't think this is cured properly anymore and I've switched to Consolidated Gold Burley for this type of tobacco=

At the risk of stating the obvious, this is much better in the can than the pouch, especially after the can is open for a few days. I mainly use Velvet as a blending burley and find it's better for this than PA, which is stronger and nuttier. Velvet is as advertised; mid bowl a relatively rich, complex burley flavor does develop, with hickory overtones. Otherwise it is pretty straightforward, smooth and bordering on bland but never quite boring.

The burnt plastic aftertaste I notice in Granger and to a lesser degree in Velvet is even more in the background in the canned version.

Another unflavored, rustic American classic worth a visit now and then.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-02-26		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Velvet appears to be cased with some sweet, licorice type flavoring. I could smell it in the pouch. Not bad, but quite different than most of the standard burley crowd. I found it pleasant to smoke for about half a bowl then I got a sour taste that I can only describe as hot jagermeister mixed with prince albert. Not my cup of tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Effluvinator (60)	2005-05-25		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

While scanning the tobacco shelf of my usual beer depot, I spotted, of all things, a box of Velvet. After the clerk handed it to me I noticed it was somewhat dusty and the date on the box was 1998, Pinkerton Tobacco Co. Upon opening it I noted a pretty strong smell and it was, of course, still fresh. What I have does not sound like what has been described here. This is more of an aromatic. It has a fairly strong smell and taste, sort of a licorice, anise, horehound that I can't exactly pin down. It's kind of like a souped-up Half & Half in that it has more of an added flavoring, similar to Half & Half, but stronger. It's pretty good, actually, which is sad because it sounds like the current stuff will be quite different. Oh, well. They didn't have but the one package, and I noticed the next time I went in there that the spot on the shelf had been taken by somethng else. I don't think this is an all day, every day smoke for me, but it's pretty good in cob, now and then. It has a stronger taste than something such as Dark Strong Kentucky. Pinkerton still lists Velvet on their site, so I'm a bit confused about who currently makes this tobacco. I'm not in love, but it's a bit disconcerting when you develop a taste for a blend and then it either gets changed or disappears.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2005-04-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is a fine choice when you need to buy pipe tobacco from a convenience/grocery store. Indeed it is a godsend if you aren't a Half & Half, or Captain Black kind of guy. An undemanding, cheap, OTC burley, very much along the lines of Prince Albert, Carter Hall, and Kentucky Club Mild.

A fresh pouch smells like Bourbon and Burley. If the smell puts you off at first, just air it a few days. You could do much worse...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-04-20		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I generally enjoy very simple burley blends that cost next to nothing and this falls into that group. Like most blends of this sort Velvet is a decent smoke to enjoy while engaged in some activity since it is undemanding and low key. Sometimes these over the counter blends can be preferable to the odd flavored aromatics in the jars at the local tobacco shops. Cheap burleys like this great for reducing the overpowering and over the top flavoring in some aromatics by blending it in with them. So even if you hate this tobacco there is some use for it. There is definitely a odd hint of flavor in Velvet that is hard to identify. This smoke gets better after it is allowed to age after being opened, it gets rid of that hint of sour mash or whatever is in there. I think it could grow on a regular user who likes burleys.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-04-19		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

04-19-2005

I am in the midst of a "battle of the drug store burleys" as I write. Earlier this week I bought a pouch each of Velvet and Prince Albert. They were $2.49 each for a 1 1/2 ounch pouch. That is $1.65 an ounce, or $26.24 a pound. So, neither is a cheap tobacco, either in price or in quality. There are a number of bulk "premiums" available online for that price.

Velvet is definitely the milder smoke and easier on my tongue; though neither caused that much of a problem, PA was hotter on my tongue than Velvet. I was able to puff away to my heat's content and suffered no bite for my vigorous efforts. The scent in the pouch is pleasant. One match and it smoked like a dream to the bottom of the pipe. I had no problem with condensation or "gurgle."

But Velvet did not have the strength of taste or scent that I was hoping for. If I was on the road and out of tobacco I would buy it. However, I will not go looking for it. Velvet must be doing something right for enough people though. It has been around since I can remember and I can remember back about 50 years.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-01-06		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Packs and lights easily. A one dimentional blend that has very little flavor or anything else to offer. A blend that will leave plenty of goop in your pipe. Even though a drugstore tobacco, it sinks to the depths of tobacco hell like no other I have smoked. A total waste of time...and pipe cleaners.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-07-15		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is my "work smoke" and my go to when out of my favorite blends. (also burley based)

This is a burley and, of course, it is going to bite if you smoke it too fast or hard. Take small slow "sips" and this tobacco will burn smooth all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

I am confused about the Ligett & Myers listing since the package I have in front of me says 2004 Pinkerton Tobacco Co.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-01-24		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I think the long and short of this is that if you appreciate Burley, you will find this smoke enjoyable, and if you don't like Burley, you won't like this smoke. All in all, I found it to be smooth, well behaved, and fairly well tasting if somewhat too mild.

Don't be put off my it's relatively low rating...the way most people purchase anything will tend to create a bias giving relatively low rates to the cheaper, and most available blends such as this.

One of my favorite tobaccos, Marlin Flake, has a total of 26 very favorable ratings. Deservably so. However, it is fairly expensive, and not available at the corner market everywhere. In other words, practically everyone who has bought it has some experience with Virginia tobacco before, and knows they like the genre, before they go through the effort to find, and shell out the money to buy, a can of Marlin Flake.

Not so with Velvet and other cheap and available tobaccos. It is very easy to purchase a pouch "on a whim" without knowing whether or not you even appreciate the general type of tobacco. Therefore, you are going to get a lot of people buying it who don't like the type, and therefore aren't going to like that particular blend.

If Marlin Flake was available in every drugstore for $2 a pouch (heaven!), I guarantee you there would be a much lower rating, simply because you would have people buying it who don't appreciate the genre. And I think much of the negative rating of Velvet is due to the same sort of thing.

This is a smooth tobacco, little or no topping, with a pleasant, if not full, burley taste. You can certainly do worse.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-08-06		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I realy wanted to like this tobacco. I tried hard to, but, in the end I just had to give up. I needed my tounge. The bite from this tobacco, is overwhelming. No matter how I paked it, or how slow I sipped my pipe, I was rewarded with tounge bite. What made me try to like this stuff? The taste. I loved the flavor of this tobacco! Almost ginger in flavor, and a good tobacco flavor to boot! The aroma is fantastic, and the room note did not chase people away. However, the @&*#! bite, could not be tolerated. After about half a pouch, over a weeks time, I just had to give up. At one point, I thought I permanently cooked my toung. Velvet: smooth, rich, luxurious. NOT!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-01-10		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I don't really care for this blend. The aroma from the pouch just didn't agree with me. I thought that it had a sour mash smell to it. Whatever it is, it's too much. It certainly does stay moist, no matter how much exposure it gets. I open my pouch and check the contents each day and it's still fresh after a few weeks. It smoked well but once again, I didn't like the slightly sour taste and aroma. Maybe it's just my taste buds but I won't try it again. If I want a simple, pure Burley smoke I'll stick with Prince Albert. "Different strokes..."

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-08-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

What a surprise to see this tobacco reviewed twice today! I have only just finished a bowl of this tobacco myself. About two years ago, I purchased a pouch of this in an Albertson's grocery store in Montana. I tried a few bowls, found it dull, and put it aside. Somehow it found its way into my suitcase when I moved to Asia. Earlier today, I came across the small, red, wrinkled pouch, and was amazed to find it moist and aromatic still. I tried it again, and now I wonder why on earth I was so dismissive at the campfire in Montana. It is not an exciting tobacco, but it is a smooth, mild smoke that does not demand very much. Velvet is a memorable burley, with a slight, enjoyable sour taste. Unfortunately, this tobacco seems to become rather bitter after about half a bowl. This suits me fine, however, for by this time, I've usually had enough. It is a perfect companion to a good book or some mellow jazz. Velvet will, I think, always have a place on my shelf.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Johnyspicks (11)	2023-04-08		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the closest thing to Carter hall that I have found although it is stronger it is still not as strong as half and half but it is a once a day smoke (any more and your tongue will hurt) buy other then that it is pretty good you could mix it with super value if you want to tone it down but that's about it

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: None

Purchased From: Pa

Similar Blends: Half and half Carter hall.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2021-10-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

for some reason I can't seem to smoke burley tobacco any more. I think the ph levels in my mouth changed, because I used to smoke the he'll outta them. Now they just burn the ever loving hell outta my mouth. so take this review w that in mind

upon opening the pouch you see nice small, brown flakes of tobacco. the pouch smell is a nice molasses, brown sugar alcohol,and bitter chocolate.

wS a bit moist so I put it in the food dehydrator at 120 Fahrenheit for just a few mins and that helped alot, although it did remove a bit of the Alcohol aroma.

well from. here it all went down hill. burnt the he'll outta my mouth, don't know why so I figured I'd try a few different pipes and packing methods but all of them failed me. I even got a pouch of amphora burley blend and was very excited cause it looked and smell so wonderful but that to burnt me.

now im giving a low review here bit it's not the tobaccos fault, I thought I looked like quality tobacco and I'm not wrong, it's just I cut smoke straight burley NY more.

now I've read that burley burns oh the alkaline side of the ph scale so it's an alkaline burn I'm experiencing and Virginia's burn on the acidic side because of the extra sugars found in VA,s so having them mixed balances them out. so I mixed some velvet w brown flakes unscented and it was a pretty nice mix but I prefer brown flakes unscented by its self.

so give it a try, it's cheap. I only paid 6$for a pouch at a brick and morter.

Age When Smoked: who knows

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2021-09-30		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I was quite surprised by this one and can't stop smoking it! I purchased 2 pouches from Smokingpipes.com along with some Paladin Blackcherry (a blast from the past for me) and a tin of McLintock Black Cherry. Opening the pouch and upon deep inhalation I discerned something similar to the way apples smell after you cut them into slices and let them sit for a while. There was also a sweet smelling "something else" I can't put my finger on, but leaning towards a sweet anise/honey combo (reminding me of Germaine's Plumcake in that regard, but not in taste) . The tobacco was medium brown and crimp cut. It was fairly moist in the pouch but I smoked it without any drying. At the outset, let me say there was no trouble packing, lighting, or keeping this lit. It smoked clean to the bottom of the bowl without any gurgle or bite, leaving a light to medium grey ash. What I noticed right away was the lack of any detectable PG (I hate the stuff). If it was there, it may have been masked by the topping(s) present which were not over the top at all. The pouch aroma is addicting and did translate into the smoke, albeit mildly sweet. The room note is very pleasant, garnering favorable comments by those present (all non smokers).

Why did I wait so long on to try this? I think it was the name. It just didn't grab me, but I'm revisiting many of the codger blends of my past and some new ones for me (like Velvet). That apple smell I described reminded me of the can note of Granger, which I do like but found it always gave me a chemical burn on my palate. No such problem with Velvet. A real "sleeper blend" for me and one that I am pleased to have tried. Highly recommended and hope it never goes away! 5 stars.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Featherweights

Age When Smoked: fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Granger (only in tin note) Germaine's Plumcake (only for that anise/honey smell).

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	D.K. (58)	2020-12-15		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

To me, Velvet is Half/Half poured into a tin that recently had Capt.Black Cherry flavor in it, and allowed to rest a week. These two are so close to my senses, it's hard to differentiate. We actually put some Velvet in a long time H/H smokers pouch and he just puffed right along. Not scientific perhaps, but notable. The tins opened side by side were visually identical in color, cut and surprisingly almost the same odor. To be just burley, this was strikingly different colors like H/H. I am really starting to think, based off of some older reviews, that this has now changed to containing some Virginia or light Cavendish in addition to just Burley. The Velvet also had just a hint of cherry odor, compared to H/H. That's with several sniffers sniffing, and really trying to find a difference. Smoke is fine, typical of these offerings. It does nothing that H/H or SWR can't do for me, and I have tons of them, so I imagine this tin will last me till the trumpet sounds. It surprises me at so many 1 star reviews. It isn't that bad at all. I suppose if you judge everything off of an faded old dusty pouch you found at Elmer's BBQ and front-end alignment. I do like to add a bit of cherry to this as a Ziploc bag blend, about 80% Velvet 20% cherry.

Edit: I recently had the pleasure to smoke a good sized, 20min bowl of some 40+year old Velvet from a collectors stash. I can tell you what I smoked, is NOT what is in the new tub I personally own. The vintage Velvet is darker (in flavor and color-which may be expected-) with more coffee and chocolate tones. The newer is much more airy flavor and a hint on the cherry side. Two radically different tastes, but both good on their own. The older Velvet was a finer grind of leaf as well. I wonder how much is age, or change of blend by manufacturer.

Pipe Used: several, new unmarked vintage briar

Age When Smoked: new, 40years

Purchased From: JRs

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kokinhenik (93)	2020-04-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Codger time! I tried a bowl of this last night and found that I enjoyed it. Great nutty toasted flavor to the burley on the light. Tried my hardest to sip but still ended up with a bowl hotter than the sun and a wee bit of tongue bite. I liked it nonetheless. I'd be happy if it's all I had on a dessert island. The flavor is wonderful.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-06-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I picked up a pouch of this the other day because my great grandfather smoked velvet his whole life. Nothing else. The pouch was only 2 dollars or so. The box says America's Smoothest Smoke and in it's defense the tobacco did produce a lot of smoke, however with not much flavor. When you open the pouch there is an overwhelming smell of cherry and almost a rubber smell. Someone likened it to the smell of cherry nibs from twizzlers, and I could smell that similarity. However, once smoked there is little cherry flavor at all and more of a smoky "industrial" flavor. Some people say plastic, I kind of tasted rubber or motor oil or something. Don't know how my great grandfather smoked this stuff all day. For whatever reason, my bowl burned awfully hot from the start.

If you really want to try it for yourself, it's not pricy at all, but my bet is you could find something you like for not much more money.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-05-27		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

I smoked some of this given to me by a friend. He went on to throw away the pouch. The bite that Velvet provides can be intense no matter how slowly it is smoked. It has never failed to leave my mouth feeling a bit scorched. In addition it tastes rather bland and does not have a pleasant room note by any means.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-02-24		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

For a drug-store brand this is pretty decent, the flavors are basic and it stays lit easily. It smokes good no matter Sophmore smoker. My Personal Notes give this a 6.1 if you want a better starter go with Carter Hall.

First there is something really bad about this tobacco, I could hardly stomach it, it started to taste very acidic in the back of my mouth, I kept wanting to drink something to get rid of the flavor, I had to downgrade this to a 1 star and a .2 out of 10.

I have also done a video review of this tobacco. view it at

http://www.myspace.com/elemental_pipes

or at

http://www.youtube.com

just search Pinkerton Pipe Tobacco's Velvet

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