Tobaccos Dan Tobacco - Holly's Discovery

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I was browsing the Dan Pipe Tobaccos and comparing my private journal to what I had already reviewed. About 10-years ago, maybe a little less, I was on a Dan Tobacco tear has purchased 50 different blinds over the course of a year to samply. Holly's Discovery received my perfect 10 rating and it was because of the rich, smoky flavor I received while at the same time detecting a smoothness and sweetness provided by the Virginias employed. An exemplar!

Pipestud

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Andrealli (1)	2014-07-16		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Highly recommended for Laktania's fan... Outstanding i store a KG from it on my cellar for future ;-) ;-);-) after pirate cake it's my second favorite laktania I advice you to taste it if you like the taste.

Pipe Used: GBD London International 1001

Purchased From: Fajkowo.pl

Similar Blends: night cap.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-08-24		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I love this tobacco! This smokes cooler than cool and very dry for me. It is a bit monochromatic, I think, but since that constant flavor is delicious it gets four stars in my book! It is sweet and smoky and wonderful!! At first the broken flakes looked like a major pain to me, but they are easy to rub out and get into the pipe. I'm not sure if there are any orientals in here. The tin says "Finest virginias and latakia tobaccos pressed & matured for a cool & dry smoke." This is my desert island tobacco.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3019)	2020-12-09		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

The fragrant, musty, incense-like Cyprian Latakia produces a lot of smokiness, earth, wood, and leather along with some sweetness and spice. It is the driving force of this blend. The Virginias provide a lot of tart and tangy citrus, some grass, earth, wood, bread, mild sugar, a little tartly sour lemon, light floralness, spice, tangy ripe dark fruit, and touch of acidity. I suspect that the light creamy sweetness comes from a couple pinches of sweetened black cavendish. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the medium mark. The taste level is a notch past the center of medium to full. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does sport a few small rough notes. Burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a very consistent, deeply rich, sweet and very savory, zesty campfire flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingers after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, but requires some relights due to the tobacco being a little moist, and how it’s cut. Not an all day smoke. Four full stars.

-JimInks

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2011-09-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

I had ordered a tin of this blend from DanPipe some months ago; unfortunately the tin I got did not contain the blend described on the label but a (very nice) pure VA flake. Now, Dan Tobacco is manufacture and not industrial mass- production; the occasional mistake in packaging can happen.

During a recent visit to DanPipe, they replaced the tin, free of charge, with one that actually contains Holly's Discovery (and I kept the contents of the maverick tin).

Opening the tin, the aroma reached out at me, grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me straight on the mouth with the sort of embrace that promises a long, sleepless and sweaty night. A relatively widely-cut bunch of slices, very very dark, with a few thin veins of bright yellow leaf, are stacked inside the tin.

Folding and twisting half a slice, I lit up. Full toasty, smoky taste from the beginning -- lots and lots of Latakia in there! -- with lots of sweetness from the VA.

During the smoke, the taste becomes deeper, gains more toast, more meatiness... burning extremely slowly and coolly... after half a tin within three days, I can say that the more I smoke this beauty, the more I fall in love.

I smoked a pipeful of this blend on the way home from DanPipe; a friend of mine and of Latakia blends who was along for the trip commented that the room note leaves a lot to be desired. Well, maybe so. But this blend is all about pleasing the smoker him (or her)self -- beautiful. I want more!

I accompany Holly's Discovery with a dark, malty ale or a heavy, dry red wine.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2015-06-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Dan Tobaccos may not always be on everyone's lips but they sure do have some knockout blends. When they get it right, they're really right.

Pawing through my tobacconist's shelves I found a "selected Virginia and Latakia" flake. The owner mentioned that it had a decent amount of age having put in a large order for Dan tobacco products about 5 years prior to my purchase.

There's a very strong Latakia scent. I don't know the proportions but I would suspect it's at least a 60-40 ratio for the dark leaf. There are some flecks of lighter leaf in the fake but it's dark. I forgot the word for cigars that have prickly wrappers but the flakes kind of reminded me of that. Not a completely smooth flake like a Gawith, but some grip so to speak. Very easy to break up but I prefer to fold and stuff my flakes. Lighting this stuff is very easy and if you get a decent char it will stay lit for most of the smoke.

The first 1/4 of the bowl yields mostly dry smokey latakia. It's good but nothing to write home about. After a bit the VAs really surge forward and add the most wonderful sweetness I've ever experienced in a Lat Flake. The balance between the dry smokey Latakia and the wet sweet VAs is simply put, craftsmanship at its best. I even get some black cherry vanilla ice cream notes similar to the Star of The East flake. But there is less spice in this smoke. The absence of the tangy orientals makes this a wonderful dichotomy of two very workable flavors.

Despite being a flake this tobacco needs a large bowl to really breathe. 7/8 wide and about 1 1/2 deep bowls are when I've had my best smokes. Pot shapes really let those VAs sing. Where my smaller 3/4 tend to keep those sweet VA notes held back.

If you are a fan of MacBaren's Latakia Flake or Star of the East Flake, you should get some of this immediately.

Pipe Used: mortas, cobs, briars and meers

Age When Smoked: 5 years give or take

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - HH Latakia Flake , Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East Flake.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-03-23		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

Holly’s Discovery is an awesome flake and a must try for Latakia lovers. Smokey, rich and deep flavors await you with that discrete natural VA sweetness in the background. At the same time it is unbelievably smooth and mild on your tongue. I taste a pleasant creamy spiciness, lacking that sour note some oriental mixes add. I prefer HD rubbed out and without filter. It burns slowly to bright powdery ash. Thank you Holger Frickert for this flake!

The aftertaste is pleasant and vanishes quickly; the room note does not help you find new friends in your surrounding though.

Pipe Used: Various with and without filter

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: http://www.tecon-gmbh.de

Similar Blends: DTM Old Ironsides, SG Winter Time Flake.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-10-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is a Latakia lovers blend for sure. So much so that I find it difficult to find the Orientals. As others have pointed out, there is some sweetness to the blend but I am not sure if it actually comes from the Virginia's. It tastes to me like it may be manually added. Unlike other Latakia powerhouses, this blend gets a bit monotone for me. As a result I won't be buying more, but three stars for Latakia lovers.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-12-06		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Strong

I will be succinct in this review. As we mourn the passing of the great blend OLD IRONSIDES we must simultaneously celebrate Holly's Discovery.HD is a wonderful alternative to OI. A tad sweeter but not quite as smooth.Almost identical blends. I loved it!3.5 stars.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incendio (45)	2020-06-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The rectangular flakes are mostly dark mahogany, chestnut, and the occasional white stem. They are worked by the fingers into a medium ground with relative ease; the fingers dusty with fine Latakia earth. The unburnt aroma is dry and woody, yesterday's bonfire, a cold fireplace.

The Cyprian Latakia is foremost and remains so throughout. There is an attractive uncombusted petrol waft, oil shale and creosote. The Latakia is smooth, velveteen, with a moderate roundness or fullness of body.

The Virginia has an earthen mineral cleanliness, like cold coffee grounds. On the tongue there is an ethereal but consistent sweetness creating the impression that the Virginia (or another unlisted ingredient) was partly stoved or processed in an unsweetened Cavendish style. It's possible that the Latakia may have imparted a slight sweetness to the ensemble as well.

The flake does not bite but may warm considerably if smoked impatiently whereupon the finesse and subtleties are subdued somewhat by the more assertive wood and creosote. Drying a little may help tame the heat, although it's not a prerequisite for a consistent and sustained burn.

This is one of the better Latakia flakes on the market and in this case the Latakia is dominant while the Virginia supplies heft and backbone. In some sense this reminds me of a very slightly sweet Cuban coffee.

Pipe Used: bent apple

Age When Smoked: recent

Purchased From: a generous gift

Similar Blends: Perhaps a combination of Hamborger Veermaster and a sweet Latakia..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guenti (5)	2018-10-29		Mild	None Detected	Full	Very Strong

This is one of my all time latakia must have tobaccos. If I have lesser than 50 grams in my cellar, I will become crazy...

This tobacco has no alteration at all during smoking a bowl. What's the point? It's a VA with lot of latakia. Nothing more but nothing less. It burns cool and dry and flatters the tongue with the well known taste of dark VAs paired with the dark side of tobacco, smooth latakia. Smoky, a little bit tar and a deep dark sweetness I mean.

The room note is like a burnt-out roof, as I my wife said. But hey, that's the way I like latakia. :)

The smoke of aged Holly's Discovery is even more smoother and really, really creamy.

Age When Smoked: fresh and also well aged

Purchased From: DTM, Germany

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-12-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

My friend Petros was my Santa this Christmas.He donated me a tin of Holly's Discovery and made me very happy!once you crack the tin latakia smell is wonderfull and strong.coals,leather and smokey notes are coming out,preparing you for a nice smoking experince.though virginias are present in the flakes i detected no smell from them.the flakes are typical of Dan tobacco,the moisture is low,rubs very easy and can be folded into the bolw as well.the lιghting is easy and a few relights are needed.while burning the smoking experience is great with clear and natural flavours.the latakias are dominant and very pleasing.coals,woods ,smokey and leathery notes are subtlimating the virginias wich are in the backround and offer some citrusy and earthy notes.generally the flavours are not complex but pleasing and very natural.from the tin smell i expected a full taste but it was very smooth.the nicotine level is low.burns cool and slow to perfect ash.the room note is typical latakia wich is not something pleasant to others.leaves a very few moisture at the end of the bowl and a clear filter.no chance of tongue bite.generally it is a very nice blend,very smooth and natural.the luck of orientals makes it less complex but i found it very interesting and an ideal blend to start your day.totally recommended.

Age When Smoked: Rubbed and packed at once

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2016-11-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Another sample given to me a while ago that got squirreled away and was recently unearthed. This is a great combination of latakia and Virginia. This blend is both smoky and sweet with a bit of earthiness to it that is refreshing. It is also very smooth, but not in the thick, gravy sort of way. The blend reminds me a little of SG Navy Flake, but heavier on the latakia.

I was given the sample 4 years ago and don't even remember if I had a bowl or not, but had it the same effect on me, I am sure it would not have lasted til now. I have just added this to my TAD list. A list that has become more difficult to make as my cellar has surpassed my expected lifespan.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipey duck (49)	2020-11-25		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

I guess many people here mix up strength and flavor when it comes to latakia blends. Latakia is very very low in nicotine and therefore low in strength. A blend with 50 percent or more latakia is in most cases low in nicotin/strength. I fault this fact on many english blends,because nicotin is the "bassline" in ablend. And so it is when it comes to discovery. It is one of the weakest latakia blends and not a hint satisfiing. It is airy and bland. Inhale it and yiu will see what I mean. I know pipetobacco is not to inhale but you can check the strength very well that way. I go with Captain Earles Privat Stock instead which is flavor AND powerfull

Age When Smoked: 12 month

Purchased From: Gerd Jansen

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-10-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

After trying most Dunhill English Blends (and liking them) I went on to explore more tobaccos of that kind. The description for Holly's discovery in the catalogue sounded very intruiging so I decided to order a 50g tin of it. Aroma out of the tin is strong and very "smokey", with a hint of sweetness. The flakes are a little to moist to smoke directly after opening. After rubbing out and drying it for a while, it burns down slow, some relights were necessary (but that might come from my way of smoking/packing). The blend tastes very english, yet with a sweetness I missed in the Dunhills I tried. Smoky, leathery, yet not harsh or too heavy. Room note is also a little "lighter". Overall flavor is really full and satisfying and well-balanced between the smokiness and heavyness of the Latakia and the sweetness of the Virginia used. Does not get bitter towards the end of the bowl, but somehow "soapy" when burning too hot. I would highly recommend this tobacco to everyone who likes latakia blends. It is full, balanced and very satisfying to smoke. Goes well with a glass of dry and heavy red wine.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doudeijns (19)	2020-05-03		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

A small quantity of this tobacco lasts a long time and gives you a good nicotine hit. For me, it's something to smoke after a good dinner, certainly not at the beginning of my pipe smoking day.

It comes dark and moist out of the tin and it's possible to smoke without drying. If you do allow it to dry, you'll find that the Virginia is more pronounced. It doesn't  need much to keep it going either way.

Nutty, bready, earthy, tary and smoky, it's interesting and rewarding. It makes me want to drink whiskey. It's sweet an mellow in taste, soft on the tongue. It gives you a lingering smoky aftertaste and a terrible breath (but a good fragrance in your moustache, if you have one, that makes the experience a lasting one)

Holly's Discovery is a heavy tobacco and definitely not an all day smoke, but I don't think it's intended to be.

Three room note is tolerable if noticeable.

Four stars, hands down.

Pipe Used: Flake pipe, Peterson 999, Falcon

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: Dan tobacco

Similar Blends: DTM Old Ironsides.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	glaswegian (18)	2019-06-18		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Very well processed flake tobacco. Constant flavour through the bowl. A sweet, smokey and creamy pleasure to your tastebuds. No highs or lows during the smoke.There are no edges or spicy bits. Keeps the taste the whole bowl. I think it is 50% Latakia and 50% bright virginia. Low in vitamin N. The flake is a little too moist for me. I let it dry out for about an hour. Definetly an allday tobacco for the Latakialover.

Pipe Used: Corncob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you like full-on latakia blends, powerful and zesty, well blended and fullfilling, this stuff will make you happy. Forget about Nightcap, which has too much nicotine and bitterness. This is the real thing... Strong but polite. Very pleasant smoky experience. Go for it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2006-10-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My supply of Holly`s Discovery arrived in a quarter-kilo bag. The flakes had unravelled in transit, fit for loading into the pipe staightaway. I thought I was going to find Old Ironsides by another name, but there is a difference. Old Ironsides had a sharpish edge to it, whereas Holly`s Discovery is more rounded,and sweeter. I do not know if the differance is due to age - HD had some years on it while OI was fresh - or there are different ingredients involved. The lady in the shop in Berlin had said that HD was the same as OI. I tried to fit fifty grams of HD into an empty tin of OI, but it was impossible to do so. Eventually an empty tin of Balkan Flake was needed.

Whatever the fact of the matter I rather prefer HD to OI for its better integrated taste and the delicious side-stream smoke. I would conjecture that if the difference is not in the age, it is in the Orientals used.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zeitenzauberer (2)	2005-11-10		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Nightcap (Dunhill) is dead. Long live Holly's Discovery! A classic Latakia Mixture. Dark and powerful ! It seems to be the last remaining tobacco for German English-Balkan type smokers !

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-03-27		Strong	Strong	Very Full	Tolerable

I got this as a free sample. I smoked two bowls and now I want more. It is a strong tobacco with a wonderful tasty flavor. It has a hint of fruitiness but the strength of the tobacco knocks the frutiness down a notch, which is a good thing. It was slow burning and very enjoyable.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-11-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

November-2003.Holly's Discovery Flake. When I opened the pack,the essence of latakia was rather nice & not overly pungeant.The charring light produced a very pleasant flavour with a slight sweetness to it,the taste & flavours are consistant to the bottom of the bowl.The tobacco leave's a greyish white ash & definitely no goop.I enjoy latakia & found this to be a nice change,& would suggest it as a change of pace.Sure,some won't find it to be'top notch'but no complaint's here.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2003-06-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

This blend is very similar (if not the same) as CAO's Old Ironsides. It smells like pure latakia in the tin, but is suprisingly mellow and sweet. It may be different than the Old Ironsides in that I found it sweeter, maybe there is less oriental or according to the blurb, none at all? The tobac that I tried was about 5 years old and it matured very well. If you love latakia (which I do), this is a very satisfying smoke. It comes in a loose flake form, packs easily, lights well with only a few relights as you enjoy. As the leaf burns down the bowl, the flavor gets just a wee bit stronger with nutty sweet overtones,no bitterness, no dottle, just grey mottled ash when your journey is over. The nicotine cont. seems low and that is good for wimps like me. No tongue-bite to speak of,all you are left with is a pleasant aftertaste in your mouth and contemplating which pipe you will choose to enjoy another bowl of this blend. Enjoy....

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fazby (66)	2003-06-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a 'lots of Latakia blend'. But, it is not a particularly good one. As much as I like Latakia, I didn't really care for this blend.

Nobody has rated this review yet.