Tobaccos J. F. Germain & Son - Eighteen Twenty

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-01-19		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Every once in awhile, I find a jewel in the rough - a tobacco I expected little from but that delivers exactly what I never knew I wanted. This is one of those gems. I traded for this tin a year or so ago and it had 4 years of age on it already. Having not (yet) smoked a fresh tin, I'm not sure what age did to it but since I have several more tins coming, I'm sure I'll find out!

Mostly tan ribbon with bits of black, and a tin nose of oriental up front and latakia firmly riding shotgun. Tobacco needed some drying time and it came wringing wet. But a couple of hours in the air was all it required. At lightup, the latakia was in the lead but subdued after just a few puffs when the orientals came out front and center. The latakia was always there but alternated for second chair with the sweet Virginias. I also wouldn't be surprised to find that a small amount of Cavendish is in here, but it could just be the VA's and orientals playing off one another. The best way to describe this is highly flavorful, smooth and mild. This is another one of those fantastic Scottish-type blends that I'm really enjoying, where the overall tone is of mildness but the flavor is zesty. Nowhere near overbearing. I call this blend Scottish because it has less of the latakia flavor of a standard English and more of the orientals, but neither is as robust as most Balkans. A lot of backbone here, but not heavy. I view GLP's Kensington as the Balkan "sister blend" to this one. Both are masterfully balanced, just in different styles. Skiff Mixture might be the "English" sister blend. At any rate, if you're excited about orientals and want them standing proudly in the lead, but also want some latakia, this is an excellent example and highly recommended.

Pipe Used: meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 5 years

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-01-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Germain’s 1820’s pouch scent lets the smoker know that this is going to be an Oriental Virginia blend as the Lakakia component is in the background. This translates to the smoke itself too. The cut, common with a lot of Germain made blends is very thin ribbon which is something that I enjoy in many English blends. I find myself very much in agreement with DK’s review as I think he is dead on. Especially his comment on the comparison to Skiff as I think lovers of that blend will find a home here too. There is a zest to this blend that for me can border on sharpness, but never quite bites. Although, given the cut of the tobacco, I can see how some may find it to burn hot. 1820 IMO demands to be smoked slowly to get all that this blend has to offer. I will buck the tide a bit and say that I don’t pick up any topping here at all. If it is there, it is very, very lightly done. For me, what makes 1820 work is the masterful use of the Latakia in this blend. There is just enough there to round things out while letting the Virginias and Orientals star in the show. The last half of the bowl is where this blend really shines as it comes richer with each puff. The only thing that keeps this from being a four star blend for me is that there are other Oriental forward English blends that hold my interest more than 1820, especially the fuller flavored Smoker’s Haven “Exotique” also made by Germain. I tend to smoke bowls of 1820 in bunches then lose interest for a while. Ironically, this happens to me with Skiff Mixture as well. All in all though, this blend should receive more attention than it does.

Age When Smoked: 6 years

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2009-05-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is one of Germain's staple blends that has been around for a very long time and is named after the year Germain was founded. It is a classic blend that balances the Virginias, Orientals and Latakia to perfection. It is smooth as a baby's bottom from first light to last puff with no harshness or bitterness. I believe this is because of the Virginia leaf that displays a richness not often found in blends of this type. A 5-star tongue tingler!

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2014-04-07		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Virginia provides some mostly tart and lightly tangy citrus with an abundance of grass and hay, and small earth and wood notes. It sets the stage for the other components. The Cyprian Latakia offers smoke, wood, earth and a light mustiness as a competitive supporting player. The strength of the dry, woody, slightly buttery sweet, sour, floral, herbal, vegetative, woody, mildly spicy Orientals varies during the smoke, always playing an important role. There is an additional slight sweetness coming from something, maybe the topping? Perhaps it's cavendish? Whatever it is, it pleasantly adds to the experience. The strength is mild, while the taste is just short of the center of mild to medium. Has a very mild nic-hit. Won't bite or get harsh, but has a few minute rough edges. May need a light dry time. Burns cool and clean at a slightly fast pace if dried a mite with mostly consistent, mildly sweet and savory flavor that translates to the short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thesillyoldbear (4)	2014-10-05		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Over the last four months or so I’ve noticed that, where once I smoked mostly English blends, now I'm smoking almost exclusively VAs, VA/Pers, and Oriental/VA blends.

Maybe I overdid it on the Latakia, maybe I've just finally found the cadence needed to enjoy the milder tasting blends. Either way I just haven't been as interested in smoking some of my old favourites. So today, recalling that it was fairly forward on VAs and Orientals, I loaded up some Eighteen Twenty and sat down with a nice hot cup of tea.

It’s exactly what I wanted, the VAs and Orienrals are definitely the stars, simultaneously sweet and umami, with the Lats providing a solid, creamy base. It also tastes like there might be some Cavendish in here, a sweetness that’s not coming from the VA, though it may be a topping.

Despite the high moisture content and cut, which is pretty close to a shag cut when it comes to the Virginia leaf, I didn't detect any bite. I was focusing pretty hard on sipping it slowly as to get the most out of the VAs, so I can't speak to how it behaves when not being paid attention to.

Overall this is a great blend, with each of the components complementing each other to create something complex and interesting, but not so full flavoured that you can't smoke more than one a day. Eighteen Twenty is definitely going back into my rotation.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum American Patriot

Age When Smoked: 2 Years

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2014-11-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update, October 2016: This stuff just keeps getting better with time! And the way to slow the burn is (duhhh...) to pack it snug in the bowl to begin with, at least once it's rested and dried some. It's so civilized!

Update, June, 2015: 6 months rest in a jar has perfected my remaing stash of 1820, so please keep this in mind if you read my original review. Once this tobacco has rested, the extremely mild topping becomes an asset and the tastes meld and unwind in interesting ways throughout the smoke. Still no good way to significantly slow the burn, and more's the pity because this stuff is a very relaxing taste treat while it lasts, also a nice respite from stronger Balkan-y English blends, being in this akin to SG's Skiff Mixture. The Orientals are slightly musty, with "exotic" rather than "hot" spices, the VAs are flue and air cured as well as stoved, the Lat is nice and plain, and the lot sours off like aged Balkan Sobranie of Old as it is smoked down. Plenty of smoke, by the way. Very Nice. Thus, I am pleased to up-rate 1820 to a well-deserved 4 stars. PS: Because of the way its VAs have developed, I now suspect that 1820 is a prime candidate for in-tin aging ahead of subsequent rest in a jar.

Original review: IMO, Germain’s Eighteen Twenty smells good enough to eat from the tin, like warm, buttered oatmeal, along with the smoky Latakia and just a drop of old, dry Sherry. Though the packed, variegated ribbons are quite moist to start, it lights easily and smokes down very fast right from the tin. Twice now I have really enjoyed the first bowl I’ve smoked straight from a fresh tin, and it struck me as delightfully well balanced, albeit it's gone in 60 seconds. Unfortunately, I have not consistently enjoyed subsequent bowls as much as the first bowl from each of two tins. At its best 1820 reminds me of Skiff Mixture, but with less developed Turkish, and its bright VAs are more forward, with high quality, "plain" Latakia always present but never in the fore, apart from the first few puffs. The odd bowl or parts of odd bowls aside, however, 1820 tends to muddle up on me, and it often exhibits a slightly acrid quality that IMO does not serve this particular blend. The tobaccos seem to be of high quality, with excellent, “traditional” processing, and I think my problems with it may be a matter of personal chemistry; I don’t know. Along this line of thinking, 1820 also sports a very mild topping (tonquin?) that gets unpleasant for me the minute I start to taste it. Ironically, I always enjoy the sweet, lingering aftertaste. Strength is more mild than medium. Tastes are more medium than mild. Room note is “pleasant” – for a “Turkish” blend.

A “2” from me means I think this is quality tobacco, and I can see where others might appreciate this blend, but I won’t likely buy more, especially since there are so many pipe tobaccos I enjoy and can also count on. All considered, I’d give Eighteen Twenty a 2.4 if I could.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin to 2 months in jars

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

Similar Blends: Skiff Mixture.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2012-04-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

As my very first smoke of any of Germain's tobaccos, I approached this with some trepidation, with little idea of what to expect. So time to dive in and find out what's what.

The tin aroma is a warm, oaky scent with hint soap. Lighting and packing are their mandatory ease for ribbon, surprise surprise. The smoke is much like the smell, but kicks it up a notch by adding a cigar like quality to it, almost like the taste of Henry Winterman's half coronas, tells me Germain's are using some good tobacco. The room note is along similar line.

On the whole then, a cracking smoke more than worthy of four stars. Bang on!

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2018-03-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

this is another Germain masterpiece. Oriental forward in tin note and taste. The tin note is spicybOriental and Latakia. With a Germain like sweetness that I have a hard time defining.

Others have compared this to Skiff Mixture, and I agree but i would say a cross between Skiff and Squadron Leader. Woody and spicy Orientals and Latakia. Sweet and grassy Virginia's boarder on. Balkan flavor but not wuite malty. Very unique. burns cool and dry. Great smoke

Pipe Used: Briar, meerschaum and cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin and 1 year+

Purchased From: B&M

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2014-04-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a top notch Balkan blend. Orientals out front with the Latakia not too far behind. The Virginias provide a modest amount of sweetness. All week I've been smoking both 1820 and Balkan Sobranie, back to back, in order to make a comparison and noticed that the Orientals are very similar. In fact I think they're the same. Could be mistaken though. 1820 has a pinch more Latakia. BS has more body and sweetness. As far as quality and consistency go I find 1820 to be equal to BS, in other words, superb. I think I like both equally. With 1820 being more readily available and not limited in the number of tins one can purchase I have to give it the edge. I do wish it had a little more body though.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman, MM Freehand

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-11-23		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

J. F. Germain & Son - Eighteen Twenty.

Another of my earlier reviews that needed redoing.

Most of the blend's cut is as fine as a shag and it includes a higher amount of brown pieces compared to black: 70-30%. I'm not sure how many tobacconists sell this loose but My Smoking Shop U.K. do. Because I bought this loose to avoid it being damp I'm unable to comment on a sealed tin's condition.

To my taste this would suit the late morning slot best, it hasn't the formidability for a wake-up smoke, yet is nowhere near being my afternoon 'mild smoke'. Of the three tobaccos it's the Orientals which rule, the Latakia and Virginia sit further behind. To give a generic description of the flavour I'd say it's got more of a woody taste than a smoky one, has a little butter, a touch of sweetness, and some grassy notes. It burns well enough but can become too fast and bitey when strained.

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

Eighteen Twenty? In NO WAY is it a bad smoke, but there are a lot better English's out there. Two stars:

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Atinok Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2014-12-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Strong

Presentation, well, not perfect. Sloppily stamped on cover - but that could also be deliberate to raise the cover somewhat to let you know what you're actually buying (the "death threat" sticker covers up the blend name otherwise). No big deal once it's peeled off and threwn in the trash where it belongs.

Inside the tin there's a tightly packed ribbon cut. The tin note is quite strange to my nose as well... some vinegar, peat and I also get the impression that it's been doused with sea water or something. I don't really know what to make of that, but I'm not exactly wild over the smell. Well, it should be noted that this strange smell dissipated somewhat after a few days and settled into something more in line of tobacco. But it's still quite unpleasant.

When smoked it strikes me as very sharp on the tongue, and also quite grating on the back of the throat. This harshness makes it quite difficult for me to distinguish the goings on with this blend. If there's anything jumping out a little it is the VA with turkish on the backend, latakia is not immediately evident to me. It doesn't last very long though and it quickly turns into something that makes me think of what burning rubber in a pipe might taste like, and the room note isn't much better either.

I'm only 3-4 bowls in as I write this, but honestly, I think that's enough to know that this is really not my cup of tea, and I really don't want to torture myself any longer with it either. Sorry, but this is just terrible - so much so that I'm starting to think that there must be something wrong with this tin, because it seems to be so far from what nearly all other reviews describe, but it's highly unlikely I'll ever get another tin to find out one way or the other.

I really can't find any redeeming qualities here. This is just awful from top to bottom.

Age When Smoked: About 2 months

Purchased From: MySmokingShop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bigterr (21)	2014-03-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This is an excellent choice for those who DO NOT want a Latakia bomb. I'm hard put to decide if this is a light English or a light Balkan. In either case it is an ideal entrance to either of these blend styles. The latakia in particular is a background for the orientals and the virginia's add just the right amount of sweetness for a virginia or VaPer smoker to comfortably enter the English or Balkan blends. I, as others, found this overly moist upon opening the tin so I dumped it into a mason jar and left it there for a week. A bit of zing so puff slowly. I have intentionaly not compared this directly with the tobaccos I listed as similar they are there only to let you know if you like one of them then you just might like this as well. Happy smoking to all and to all a good night pipe!

Pipe Used: Brigham 2Dot straight pot

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Skiff, Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard, SG Balkan Flake, Old Dublin.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (112)	2014-03-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Untill I have the words to describe this most awesome of English style blends ..... in the mean time ... OMG ! What a blend

Pipe Used: Mastro De Paja ... big billiard/Dublin

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: B&B Tobacconist in Asheville , NC ... a great shop ... http://bbtobacconists.com/

Similar Blends: It's similar to nothing ... it's so much better :).

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Preface: I have been smoking Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium for near-on 30 years, believing that it has no equal anywhere on earth. But it is gone now, and so I begin a quest for my Holy Grail: A substitute to replace the standard on which all English tobaccos are based:

1820 is an English tobacco with a slight emphasis on Orientals. Other reviews stating a blend where nothing "jumps out" and a monochromatic experience are largely correct. The first 1/3 of the bowl is best, where it is actually quite good. But working down the Orientals begin to assert a mild harshness while at the same time the Virginias fail to achieve their inherent richness. The tobacco is properly moist, with a perfect burn. Not a great English for English fans, Balkan fans might miss complexity. It does have an "interesting" flavoring or casing, which I find neither good nor off-putting. Perhaps it grows on one with time.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldmanpipe (62)	2007-05-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought a tin of this today, the first I have purchased of this blend since 2001. It is differs quite a bit from the blend of six years ago. Some of the differences are pleasant; others, less-so.

Most, if not all, of the differences might be the result of aging in the tin. The tobaccos were much darker than I remember, the indefinable casing less noticeable upon opening, the paper wrapping had turned uniformly brown.

As to the tobacco itself, there is nothing here to write home about; it is merely a passably respectable English blend with distinctly Oriental character, a mellow tobacco. "Mellow" is an adjective that cuts both ways; it is laudable when applied to a well-aged Single Malt Scotch; applied to Olivia Newton John...it is synonymous with "uninspired."

Let us say that 1820 is the Olivia Newton John of Germain's line. For the money, one can do quite a bit better...King Charles or any of Germain's Esoterica Line have it all over 1820...hands down.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2013-03-06		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A very nice blend, if very 'medium' -- strength, taste, and in the amount of Latakia. I wouldn't have minded a bit stronger Oriental flavor, but this is a satisfying smoke. It came a bit wet, but dried out to the right level quickly and stayed there, leaving only some very stained paper and a bit of rust. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is yes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rsvp2rip (27)	2013-01-26		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

=This is a review of a 6 year old tin=

I quit smoking cigarettes going on 3 years and pipes and cigars went with it. In order to keep off the butts I did turn to using snus which is in my mouth every waking moment of my day I find. So take this in to consideration when I say I didn't find a lot of nicotine in this blend. I have tried this before years ago and did not like it. Someone said it tasted of oatmeal? Well it didn't then and certainly does not now after 6 years. I cracked the seal on the tin and found that it did still smell of musty tobacco. The paper wrapper was almost brown. Moisture was perfect at almost dried out but still sticks together when pressed between the fingers. I used a straight billard meer everytime I went to this. Light up is easy and the first half was clearly VA dominant with the orientals just poking through. The latter half the oriental start to take over with what seems to be a nice burley like grassiness putting its head up once in a while. Strength did progress as the bowl burned down. No gurgle, no bite. What a wonderfull experience. My rating is based on the fact that I did try this as a newly opened fresh tin and this one as a newly opened 6 year old tin. The fresh tin wouldn't have gotten a single star from me, but this would have gotten 5 stars with an aged tin. The fresh tins I did have had to blended with aromatics to get rid of them. Maybe they should age it like whisky and not sell the tins untill they had 3 years on them. Oh well...buy a couple tins and cellar them and you will see why I enjoyed this one so much.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2011-01-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A classic from my favourite blending house.

Upon tin opening it is moist. Blenders are wise to leave the moisture management up to the person combusting it. I found after opening the oxidisation and slight drying really made this tobacco sing.

I love the balanced Latakia and the Orientals and Virginias are top notch. It packs great, burns great, and tastes great.

Certainly not for the inexperienced pipe smoker and if you're Oriental shy . . . 'beware of dog'.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2010-03-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

I was in the mood for a mild English smoke and having enjoyed the other blend I sampled from this stable I decided to see if Germain's had something to suit my needs. If they do, it ain't this one!

I would dearly love to add my voice to the paeans of praise for this blend, but I simply don't get it. Having smoked nothing else for the past few days I am consistently dissappointed at the complete lack of flavour. Every so often I think that the orientals or virginas are going to reveal themselves, but 9 times out of 10 what actually pokes through the miasma of blandness is the utterly execrable topping that not only spoils the smoke but is still identifiable in the room the next morning. Another reviewer has mentioned Iodine. After racking my brains I have realised that it reminds me of the flavour I would encounter in my school days when we were flicking ink with our fountain pens and some of it got into my mouth (yes I was a rebellious child - probably why I grew up to be a pipe smoker).

To compound the misery created by this woeful weed I have contracted a nasty case of tongue bite in my vain attempts to extract a morsel of pleasing taste, but even when I concentrate on smoking gently I still find it to be lacking in smoothness.

I have rated the room note as 'tolerable' because there isn't an option for 'mild yet persistent and nasty'.

In my search for a mild English that I can enjoy this is definitely not the answer. I think that I might give SG Skiff Mixture another try. In the parlance of my trendier friends - 'epic fail'.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Davetopay (43)	2009-11-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I must confess. This is a blend I bought, tried, hated, and put away in my box of forgotten tins. The other day I was shuffling through my pipes and tins, and came across it, having forgotten it all together. I popped it open and inhaled the smoky latakia, and I got the urge to fire it up. I loaded it up in a Big Ben Fantasia billiard and an ancient Kaywoodie rhodesian. After being allowed to sit for a year, opened and then closed as tightly as possible, the moisture level was just right, it lit easily, and burned cool. It would occasionally require a relight, but that isn't a big deal to me, it kept me from over heating the bowl.....which I admit I am very guilty of when I really like something. Clean white/grey ash is all it left behind, dry as a bone in the bottom of the bowl and nary a gurgle all day. The flavors stay bright and consistent from light to heel and the volume of smoke is just right. No bite, no overdose of wood smoke from the latakia, and just enough sweetness coming of the Virginias to play off the symphony of nutty, woodsy notes that dance around in this blend. Another plus for me was that even though I had one of THOSE smoking days,the one where you over smoke the 2 pipes you brought with you, after knocking off a total of 8 or 9 bowls didn't leave me bored, or with that too much vitamin N feeling. What I did find interesting is the amount of cake this blend build in the course of a day! If you have a new pipe you plan to devote to latakia blends, this one will help you get it broken in and caked up quickly!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2008-12-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've just had to light up a bowl of this, having previously smoked a bowl of Highland Sliced Flake, (I still can't imagine what made me do that, it's not as though I'd been drinking or anything) anyway, 1820 managed to get rid of the awful taste of HS, truly a saviour in my hour of need. Although I would not say this is a remarkable tobacco by any means, it is still a good honest English, as noted by others, I find it very similar, but not quite the same as Sam gawith's Commonwealth mixture.

A ribbon cut mixture with the orientals and Latakia quite well balanced giving a pleasant and reasonably interesting smoke.

I love English and Latakia in the cold weather and although this may never enter rotation, not even in the winter, wwere I looking for Commonwealth Mix and none were available, but this were to hand, I would most certainly buy it.

Certainly recommended to Lovers of English.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-01-15		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

OATMEAL!!! This is one of the finest English mixtures on the market. It tastes like oatmeal.The latakia is present as a supporting element in this blend. It is really the orientals that take center stage here. A very nutty and naturally sweet blend.I smoke mostly very interesting English blends that tend to be heavy on the Latakia.This one joins the ranks but on the milder side.A very smooth,cool,and naturally sweet smoke with no tongue bite. A very similar blend is Wilke's Pipemaker's Choice.If the appeal of sweet vitginias and orientals appeal to you try this.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2004-06-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This blend smells like peat moss when you first open the tin, but don't be put off. It is an excellent midrange Balkan/English blend. It has an earthy flavor that keeps me wanting more from time to time. It is not a complex blend but has an earthy monochromatic flavor all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I keep a tin of this on hand always and go back to it from time to time for something different. It is a good blend to recommend to first timers to non aromatics. Update: 06-15-2004 I just opened a tin from 1996 and let me tell you, this is a keeper. Quality tobacco ages well and this blend definitely has it. It has mellowed somewhat and the VA component has given it a sweet note that pleasantly pops in while you are smoking it.The Latakia is there, but not overbearing. A true classic English/Balkan blend.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 points Enjoy!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-11-22		Medium	None Detected	Full	Unnoticeable

I picked-up a tin of this after reading a favorable review in P&T and I'm glad I did. After smoking a lot of virginia and light english blends lately I decided that I needed a little more of a latakia kick. As it turns out this is exactly what I was in the mood for!

Opening the tin reveals a brick of long ribbon wrapped in some sort of silver mylar. I found the wrapping a bit disturbing since it seemed as though some of the metal had come off of the plastic. I immediately discarded the plastic and deposited the tobacco back in the tin.

The tobacco has a sort of bizarre musty, yet somewhat fruity, smell which I find interesting. It packs easily and lights up well, though I seem to have a harder time than usual keeping this stuff lit. Allowing it to dry out a little before smoking seems to have fixed this though. The taste seems like an ideal blend of spicy, salty, and a little sweet.

While I'm not completely blown away by this, it is exactly what I was in the mood for at the moment and I'm sure I'll reach for it again.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-04-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The first time I tried this, I was sure there was a clove casing. The clovey smell has dissipated over time, though, so it was probably just the orientals outgassing the various fermentation byproducts they developed in the tin.

This one was quite good. There is something distinctive in the flavor, one of the orientals I expect, that I can't quite identify but is nonetheless quite tasty (when this stuff was freshly opened it was sort of clovey as well, but with some exposure to air this has moderated along with the cloveyness in the tin aroma).

The first half of the bowl is slightly tilted towards the latakia, but this changes during the bowl so that by the end the orientals have more of a role. However, they never dominate to the extent that the blend becomes unpleasant. This is an interesting medium blend that IMHO nicely bridges between the oriental-heavy style (e.g. Pelican), and the latakia-heavy style (Penzance).

This was a nicely balanced blend, with a fair bit of complexity and nice interplay between the orientals and latakia. A bit sweet, but nicely done nonetheless.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sir John Moore (29)	2022-01-11		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was lucky enough to get hold of some over a year ago and I have held off reviewing as there doesn't seem much point when something is virtually impossible to buy. In terms of hype very little will ever match what is hyped up though that being said 1820 is very, very good. The balance of the components is more subdued than you may expect and epitomise 'less is more' in regards to the Latakia especially. For a once in a while bowl to keep your palate in check I do recommend getting some if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity.

Pipe Used: Peterson 306, Corncob, Falcon

Age When Smoked: Over a year in a jar

Purchased From: Gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (49)	2020-06-26		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

This is too damned sexy for words but I'll try! I'd just woken up and got a coffee and decided to give 1820 the breakfast treatment. Oh hello! Where have you been hiding my smoky fox?? Pouch note is orgasmic: smoky, deep, primeval forests, balsamic, seductive and so damned rich! The last time I smoked Latakia was from a stash of Syrian that I bought from a tobacconists in Bath quite a few years ago. So that was what was in my memory and this is probably Cyprian Latakia so I approached the bowl with an open mind. Flake is very crumbly, moisture perfect and damn the aromas emanating from the pouch were rapidly permeating the whole room. Applied the flame, lit with no hesitation and I was transported to another dimension! It's not as smoky as I remember the Syrian version, more coal tar but with a sweetness and although the lat is there its application is near on perfect, like a good peat complements a fine whiskey. The Virginia's and Turkish Orientals play a very merry dance and intertwine in a flavoursome, quality smoke. This tobacco is a superb example of a very classy Balkan and then some. Reminds me of that jar of candy that sits in the cupboard that you want to try and make last a couple of weeks but you keep thinking about and craving and before you know it its all gone and you just can't wait for your next trip to the shops to get more! I think I need to buy more of this, its too gorgeous! 10/10!

Pipe Used: Bent briar

Purchased From: GQ

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (166)	2020-05-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My favorite mid-morning smoke. I'm fortunate to be able to compare a tin from 2008 (now 13 years old) against a more recent production (~2018). In either case, this has got to be one of the smoothest English blends I've ever smoked. Perhaps not as creamy on the palate as Davidoff Royalty, but a smoothness from any lack of harsh notes on the palate, back of throat or retrohale.

From the newer tin I get a greater sense of the Latakia (though never coarse), flavors of raw (untoasted) sunflower seed, cashew, and even something akin to butter bean. There is also a faint dusting of baking spices that together with the nutty flavors reminds me of the layers of nutty paste used to make Baklava.

In the older tin the Latakia is way in the background and in its place there is a definite whiff of flora like one smells on old Sherry barrels. For me that is a positive and interesting nuance that gives this a unique character. The flavors have now become less individually vivid, and at first seem comparatively one-dimensional. But as I enjoy the deliciousness I'm reminded of an ice cream parlor where most people will opt for more decadent flavors like Wild Blueberry Swirl, or such, while vanilla is overlooked. But, in my opinion, vanilla done right, like good old-fashioned homestyle, can be a real treat as it melts slowly in the mouth. Just to be clear, there is no vanilla in this, I'm just saying you don't need a lot of bold flavors to make something delicious.

Pack this one fairly tight, maybe even in a tall and narrow bowl to get the most out of it. This is not a 'wow' blend, especially as it mellows with age, but it invites slow and thoughtful contemplation, and works wonders as the perfect de-stressor!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Courtney Fish (33)	2020-02-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another winner from Germain! Not quite up to the wonders of their King Charles Smoking Mixture (for a similar blend on paper) but great none the less – I can’t down grade a tobacco just because the same producer makes something else I like a little more.

Germain only do subtle – if that is not your bag then don’t stop here. If on the other hand you value quality and flavour over blatant, obvious, strong tastes then you will be hard-pressed to find any finer. Different enough from King Charles to warrant its existence, this is more about the gentle, fragrant Orientals within the cradle of rounded, sweet and bright Virginias. There is just a touch of a darker taste every now and then and a constant creamy smokiness very much in the background which rounds the mixture off perfectly.

Germain ribbon cut Virginia blends consistently smoke best, coolest and most flavourful when packed fairly firmly in a smallish bowl – give them too much room and the experience can be a mite hot and ordinary but treated right, they have little competition.

Pipe Used: Peterson, Savinelli, Falcon, Carey, City de Luxe

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HauntedMyst (22)	2019-09-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I picked this up on a trip to England recently. I was told by the chap behind the counter that this is Germains answer to Penzance, which I love. Turns out the flake version is the answer to Penzance but sadly they didn't have any. I've given this a few tries and it just doesn't sing for me the way Penzance or even Margate does.

The cut is similar to Margate in that it's ultra fine shag. The moisture is just right and it's very easy to pack and smoke. The quality of the leaf is excellent just as I find all Germains leaf to be. It's pleasant enough smoking, mild and mellow but it lacks the character and depth of it's Esoterica contemporaries. Rather than making the different leaves shines at different times throughout the bowl, it's just monochromatic. It would be an ok tobacco to smoke if you couldn't find anything better but luckily there are much better out there.

Pipe Used: Dunhill 6101

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the store

Purchased From: James J Fox

Similar Blends: Margate?.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2019-05-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

According to a trustworthy source, this tobacco is of the same composition as Penzance, but with less additives, so it is the closest match you will be able to get in the UK market. These flakes are easy to crumble, and filling your bowl is like a walk in the park due to their sandy appearance or composition. This is a medium blend with about the same body as Special Latakia Flake. It is quite easy to smoke despite its complexities with woodsy and creamy undertones. It is less spicy than the aforementioned and the virginia leaf backdrop it evolves against seems to show up here and there as you progress with your smoke. The moist content seems to be rather high, but I do not recommend drying them out as they seem to smoke perfectly fine. As for the smoking experience, I am not quite sure this would be the closest match to Penzance ever, but it is quite good in its own right. Highly recommended.

Purchased From: Black Swan Shoppe

Similar Blends: Penzance.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mac (20)	2014-01-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A very pleasant surprise. Smelt sublime in the tin on opening and tasted the same way. This blend is right up there with Skiff Mixture. Will certainly be ordering some more for the cellar.

Pipe Used: Zeman Lat41 Cape Lark/Jake Hackert

Age When Smoked: One Year

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: SG Skiff Mixture..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigCasino (27)	2013-12-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Very nice English Blend, smooth and enough of smokey latakia to keep it interesting, like most of their tobaccos it is in a nice burning shag style cut, packs easy, lights well

Pipe Used: La Rocca, Fantasia

Purchased From: Alegheny Smoke Works

Similar Blends: Rattrays 7 Reserve.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A Northern Breed (16)	2012-01-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I struggled with whether to give this one three or four stars. My rating might change once I buy a tin and smoke more of this stuff, but for now I give it three. Oh yes, and worth noting, especially if you're like me and you like English blends with fairly high nicotine, this one satisfies pretty well in that category. The cool, mild smoke is deceiving in that way, but I definitely noticed the presence of Lady N in this one.

So, I am in Asheville, NC, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the only place outside of Alaska that I've ever lived, and it's a very beautiful place full of great people, for the most part. One of the men who hangs out and works at the tobacconist here (B&B Tobacconists, blender of the famed Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard) smokes 1820 exclusively, and he always has several tins on hand. Well, he knows that I like English mixtures because I'm always saying so, and so he gives me some 1820 to try because he wanted me to try it, and because he's just a great guy. I packed a bowl out of his tin in my Neerup 1/2 bent sort-of-Dublin, my current favorite pipe.

Well, this stuff is pretty much a shag cut, very thin ribbons that pack very easily and light just as easily. It burns very evenly and produces a fine, white-grey ash. The taste is not dominated by any particular one of the tobaccos, but they are all there and noticeable. I particularly like the Orientals they use in this blend, very fine stuff that really balances it out.

One of my favorite things about this stuff, and one of the first things I noticed, is that it burns extremely cool. The smoke, even the stuff that you get upon lighting the bowl, is very cool and not the least bit harsh. You can just tell that this is quality stuff, as if the name "Germain" on the front didn't tell you that in the first place.

Again, this may well be a four-star tobacco, but I just want to smoke more of it before I can feel comfortable giving that rating. Right now, consider it 3.5 stars, and a possible upgrade to 4 once I get my hands on some and run a few more bowls through my pipe. Try it in something with a fairly deep bowl and straight walls, it burns well in that type of pipe. Or maybe it's just how fantastic my Neerup is. :D Enjoy, folks!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-01-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I have smoked a lot of English blends and I like many of them. I don't expect the Earth to move when I try one that I have not smoked before. 1820 is not new, but I had not tried it before. I'm familiar with Germain tobaccos so I knew this would be a quality blend. When I opened the tin I found the aroma musty and unappealing unlike Royal Jersy that has the familiar English blend aroma that I love. 1820 was nicely cut in ribbons, but wet and in need of some drying out. Once lit the flavor was very nice. It tasted of Orientals, Latakia, and Virginia tobaccos. The blend was smooth without any harshness. From beginning to end I completely enjoyed the flavor. My pipe ended and I wanted more so I took another pipe, another Castello, and filled it up. Again the 1820 was delightful. This is not a Latakia powerhouse, but a smooth medium strength English that can be enjoyed from morning till the last pipe of the day. I enjoy Three Oaks Syrian very much and place 1820 on an even footing with it. If you don't like 1820 you don't like traditional English blends. Five stars out of Five.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MDP (39)	2010-02-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Refined with character, for those who enjoy English blends tilted toward Latakia and Oriental tobaccos, but still want a notable Virginia presence in that order. One of the world's great English blends in my estimation.

I recently added some lightly sweetened black Cavendish to 1820 and had the immediate impression of smoking Dunhill MM 965 in its better days, before Murray lost control of the quality.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-26		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Overwhelming	Strong

I bought this on a whim because nothing on the label tells you anything about it other than that it is made in England. I had no idea if this was an aromatic, a virginia / perique or a latakia heavy english tobacco. I opened the tin and the contents were somewhat soggy which I found surprising for an English tobacco. I sniffed the contents and thought I detected some casings - but couldn't be sure. A strong waft of iodine suggested a lowland or isle scotch whiskey. The smell was complex and effulgent. I chose my Corn Cob for the smoke. I loaded up a bowl outside the tobacco store where I bought it and lit it up. LATAKIA!!!!! Screamed the first draw. I was able to hear little else in the chorus of flavors due to a slightly sour taste in this blend that so haunted my palette that I had bad dreams about smoking it again last night. Tasted so bad it gave me nightmares.

It took about five lights to get it going, and the result was sour and moist - like the steam from a campfire when somebody pees on it. As the bowl progressed, this sour effect fell into the background, but the wet stuff refused to smoke cool.

I felt very aware of my environmental footprint as I strolled along the waterfront carefully directing my puffs away from families with baby strollers and accusing faces. It did not appear to sweeten the air about me overmuch.

When this stuff did burn, it rendered into a fine gray ash and left little in my pipe. At some points it would cool a little and a few other flavors could creep in, but the Latakia in this is simply overwhelming and the moisture in the tin - seemingly preserved by the cellophane wrapping around the tobacco brick therein, created a singularly foul smoke I'll not repeat.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-08-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

1820 was a pleasant surprise for me. The tin aroma suggested LATAKIA!!!! In reality, the Latakis was prominent but did not dominate the other components. This loaded easily, took the match readily, and burned cleanly with only the modicum of attention. The flavor seemed to catch Latakia here, then some Virginia, then some Oriental. Smoked smmoth and cool. Left a pale gray ash and a dry pipe. If variety during a days smoking is whet you are looking for, look no further. While possibly too intense for the beginner or the aromatic lover, the English/Balkan lover might fond this a great addition to the tobaco rotation. Very Highly Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-03-07		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

1820 - Beautiful sticker on a similar tin that Samuel Gawith uses for SL and Commonwealth Mixture. Anyway...what we have here is a truly mild English blend that though comes rather moist stays lit. Though the Latakia is tasted its a balanced doesage of it. This might be an ok blend for those looking to break into English blends although I recommed Frog Morton On The Town for that. Nevertheless a really quality smoke. This tin will be reserved for smoking when I am doing yard work and the such. Nothing too special here.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love the quality of the tobacs coming from Germain. Always high quality leaf with good aging.

1820 is a tasty mild English. The tin aroma is traditional English with a bit of that Germain (or Esoterica) fermentation. Not too heavy on the Orientals.

The cut is a fairly thin ribbon. Again similar to the Esoterica tobacs. While moist, it was easy to pack and light. Burned to a clean dry ash.

The flavor is very mild and I agree wholeheartedly that 1820 has a touch of natural sweetness, much like Wilke's Pipemakers Choice or to a lesser degree Dunhill's 965. I very much like this style of tobacco (English with hints of sweetness). Is it cased? Perhaps, but I think the sweetness mainly comes from the flue-cured leaf.

If you like mild English tobacs with a bit of sweetness you should try this. If you are a Balkan vampire - or want a big nicotine hit - then stay away. This tobacco might also appeal to aromatic smokers looking to try an English tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-17		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Notes: My review is based on an older tin, dating from 1985, so please take this into consideration when reading. Smoked in various pipes, I found this best in my Castello apple.

Appearance: A heterogeneous medium to thick cut ribbon of light golden to darker brown with a few black strands thrown in. All in all a very pleasing multi-tonal blend of tobacco leaves.

Aroma: In the tin it is mildly sweet, smelling strikingly of freshly made oatmeal and brown sugar. Gentle and honeyed with just a hint of allspice, it promises to give a gentle contemplative and relaxing smoke.

Taste: 1820 lit quite easily with a single match; I was immediately struck by how hotly this burned, despite an appropriate moisture content. The flavor is surprisingly different from what the aroma might lead you to expect. There is a very subtle and pleasing flavor of oatmeal which lurks in the background of this blend, loosely unifying its flavor pastiche. It may be that fresher tins present a more seamless picture, as older tins like this sometimes begin to lose cohesion after a few decades.

Nevertheless, I found the oatmeal flavor more prominent in the aftertaste rather than in the smoking itself. After I had finished a bowl, I was surprised to find the flavor of oatmeal upon my palate lingering. This leads me to believe it has to do with the Oriental leaf, as these have a tendency to pervade the gums and lips with their flavors, affecting the flavors of everything else you taste during the remainder of the day. For this reason, I would not recommend 1820 as a bowl to start off your day.

The Virginia flavor is largely diminished and subdued in this blend and it is not at all sweet to my perception. It burns hot however and rather harshly. I did not detect any inordinate amount of tongue or throat irritation with this blend ? rather the flavor is harsh and crude, as one might expect from a rougher cut tobacco, for example. Instead, the predominant flavor is that of the latakia, although this is not overbearing in any sense of the word. More plainly said, this blend seems to have little if any flavor, and what little flavor it does have is that of smoke and charcoal with a hint of cloves and allspice.

If this were a smoother smoking mixture, it would be a very mild and relaxing smoke; but as it stands after several bowlfuls, I find it has remained steadfastly harsh to the point of getting in the way of the flavor. As a result, 1820 tends to paint a relatively simplistic, uncomplicated picture, uniform from the start to the finish of the bowl. There is little dottle and slightly less that the average amount of pipe gurgle, easily remedied by a few passes with the pipe cleaner. A gentler mixture which has similar flavors but is a bit more reflective owing to the lack of harshness is indeed Carol Burns? ?Pipemaker?s Choice? from Pipeworks and Wilke.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a plain, old-fashioned extremely mild-flavored blend with a whisper of Latakia and Oriental in it, and don?t mind a harsh burning smoke in the mouth and throat, this may be the blend for you.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-02-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Esoterica light! Same stringy ribbon cut. Same tightly packed density. Same underlying top dressing. This is 'And So to Bed' without as much licorice/anise topping. You can also call it 'Pembroke Super Light'. The tin reminds me a little of Old Overholt Rye Whiskey, which I enjoy a lot more. This is an English with Stella Doro biscotti thrown in.

Leave it alone, unless of course, you enjoy biscuits with your tobacco.

One and a half of five stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-08-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

1820 has turned into one of my favorite English blends. No one part of the blend sticks out (like latakia), but on the whole it is nicely balanced. Not too strong to be in all day smoke. I find myself reaching for the tin more often.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	awt (20)	2021-07-08		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Spoiler alert! This is a fantastic tobacco, given you love Balkan blends and EM. Why is it different from all others? Because of Germain's signature, the one you can find in Margate, Penzance and ... . True is the same kind as Squad Leader, a medium bodied mixture still much more smoky and less "kendalish", Earth vs. flowers, mould vs Kendal mint. Burns even, grey white ash, cool smoking. Eighteen Twenty during the day Penzance in the evening, sometime. Just dreaming. Remember Medium Dunhill (the real one I mean) and Nightcap? No substitute for that (perhaps better) but a very close relative. BEWARE! Don't get used to it or Squadron Leader will resemble to hay after a while. And, open it few days before burning it, just too moist out of the tin. Enjoy !

Pipe Used: small pipes, group 2 or 3

Age When Smoked: fresh

Similar Blends: none, but clear Germain's signature.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pencils (58)	2019-01-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Excellent oriental-forward, latakia blend with a constancy that is tasty and comforting. No bite here, but a lively oriental tingle throughout the smoke that is pleasing. I have noticed some inconsistency between tins in the amount of latakia that under girds the mix - sometimes it is more noticeable than others, and carries a gentleness that mitigates the piquancy of the bowl. In general, however, this is far more oriental than anything else, which if that is your bag, is a real palate awakener. For my tastes, a touch more latakia would really set this off and put it into the realm of the highest quality blends. This is a high quality blend that never loses interest for me, however. Preferable to SLF which never really hits the spot due to the higher virginia load, and although similar to Original Latakia, this is a better blend than SLF - in my eyes, at least. There is an undoubted 'house taste' going on here, as some sort of topping must be applied that can be tasted in each Germain product, but it is subtle and stands as a background additive. In no way unwelcome, and gentle enough to fade in conjuction with everything else that is going on.

Good stuff.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

Similar Blends: All Germain products, in some way or other!.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bob323 (46)	2014-01-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice English blend...Nothing spectacular, or to write home about...Does yeoman's duty as an all day blend...Would buy again...But, would not find its way into regular rotation.

Pipe Used: various for testing

Age When Smoked: fresh from Smokingpipes

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jankoez (69)	2009-07-01		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Somehow sweet scented but peppery taste... Not bad tobacco for any time of day. Since its quality is superior, it is good for inexperienced smokers because it burns steadily and slowly. However in taste it does not leave any exceptional mark in memory.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Although VERY hard to light right out of the tin since it's very wet. 1820 has something interesting happen to it towards the end..... The flavor changes suddenly. It goes from nothing really to write home about (except for slight hints of coffee at the start until the tobacco dries out some), to a mellow yet COMPLEX smoke that's very pleasant yet rich on the palate without being overpowering at the same time. Very interesting blend. The aftertaste also somewhat changes flavor, from slightly peppery (in a good way), to more of a mellow after coffee taste (a good cup of espresso).

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-07-19		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is what it is. A good change on the palate for Full Bodied Balkan lovers seeking a little cleansing of the palate. It's not meant to be a Latakia powerhouse, nor the greatest blend ever, but a nice change of pace for the lover of strong Oriental/Latakia blends. It is not complex, but has its own character and has fine tobaccos that marry well together. It is medium strength with mild to medium flavor and room note presence. With that expectation set, it will not let you down.

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