Tobaccos Ashton - Artisan's Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-07-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My first English blend was Nightcap and since then I've been searching for a tobacco as good as that. Commonwealth Mixture, Lagonda, London Mixture, 965 etc - all fine in their own right by not even close to Nightcap, for me.

The quality of Artisan's Blend is not only on a par with Nightcap, it is a superior smoke. Complex but consistently tasty. The peaty smoke of Latakia is there, of course, but it is occasionally joined by a flavour more akin to smoked meat, in a manner I tend to associate with Kentucky tobacco. This is a savoury tobacco, with just a hint of sweetness.

If you are a fan of Latakia you NEED to get this in your rotation.

53 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2013-11-13		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the smokiest English I have yet tried. Smokey, sharp, and tangy. The Turkish is nicely balanced with the Latakia. The Virginias and the Perique round things out very nicely. This is a very well thought out blend. I'm impressed. I'm certain that age is only going to make it better. I'm loading my cellar with many tins.

47 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	McKNooB (35)	2013-06-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Full-bodied indeed. Enough flavour to make this one a go-to- full-time-rotation. Nicely balanced Latakia and the perique is just right; not too spicy but spicy enough to warm to sub-cockles of the cockles of my heart.

I really like the aroma of this even smoke. Had some trouble lighting at first, aired out round two, and it burned evenly (though warm, in my Vauen, warmer than Froggy Mortons top two).

Anyone want my aromatics? I aint goin back. I'm just not. My goal was a top three, then five. Thinking...this will be in the former and I'm three for three with the latest order. (FM Cellar, FM Bayou).

You MOB (Men of Briar) who recommended this one to me...you da man. War Department likes this even better than the two Frog Men.

I am an Artisan addict now (after my first tin). Gonna put up against D Man's Nightcap next.

Love you long time Ashtons.

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2008-04-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Seems like everyone is comparing this blend to the old Dunhill Nightcap..... And, I can only sing along with the choir to an extent. This one may be a little heavier on the Latakia and lighter on the Perique and is lacking the extraordinary depth of Nightcap. Both blends are heavy on the taste buds and stink up a room in a hurry (pleasantly so, according to my nose). As good as it gets as far as I am concerned.

26 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	soteria (6)	2015-02-21		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

WOW. Just wow. This, folks, is Ambrosia in a tin!

The bizarre thing is I didn't get this blend at first. I love English blends, and Syrian Latakia is my favorite condimental tobacco. But smoked fresh, something just seemed off and unharmonious. I smoked half the tin within two weeks of opening it, and left the remaining half in the cellar to forget about it for about 6 months. I don't know if the aging made the difference or just the exposure to air. But whatever the case, this transformed into possibly my all time favorite blend.

Visually, Artisan's Blend is very dark. I don't believe there's Black Cavendish in it so if we're to assume that the dark leaf is Syrian Latakia, it must be in the 50% range, putting it on par with the level of Syrian Lat in the old Balkan Sobranie of the 60s and 70s. The taste would concur with this assumption. The Lat is front and center for the duration of the smoke. You will certainly be well acquainted with Syrian Lat by the end of a tin of AB! And make no mistake, it is most definitely Syrian. Same distinct taste as Mac Baren's HHVS, Bill Bailey's Balkan, and the McClelland Syrian blends.

Artisan's Blend is distinct from the aforementioned tobaccos in several ways. For one, this has the boldest Syrian taste of the lot. I've smoked a great deal of HHVS and while exceptionally good, sometimes the Kentucky takes over and dominates the Lat. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the Lat taste is a bit more muted in HHVS or BBBB. Second, Artisan's Blend has a very strong Oriental presence. By mid bowl and through the end of the smoke, the Orientals make their presence known unreservedly. At times they complete with the Syrian and it's a brilliant, complex interplay between the two. Many reviewers have compared this to Nightcap and that's a fair assessment. But really, it reminds me a lot more of Dunhill's London Blend which I always found Oriental forward but with an omnipresent Syrian Latakia taste throughout.

The flavor, complexity, nicotine, boldness, and harmony is just spot on with this blend. I know I'm smoking a stout, hearty English blend with a lot of backbone and depth yet not overwhelming. And while the McClelland Syrian blends are great in their own right, they are much milder and a little less satisfying than AB.

This also contains Virginia and Perique. The Lat and Orientals are so dominant that I can't discern the Virginia very distinctively but I'm sure they add to the overall character of the blend. Perique gives this blend piquancy and some subtle spiciness but shouldn't be offensive to the those that can't tolerate it in excess.

Room note, eh, not a crowd pleaser but Syrian Lat is incense to my olfactory senses so I'm perfectly happy. Wife will have to suffer from time to time from this, it's just too darn good!!

I consider myself lucky to have tried this, and I wholeheartedly agree with the high rating the community has given AB. It is definitely worthy of it and deserves a prime location in my humble cellar.

Similar Blends: HH Vintage Syrian, Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend, Three Oaks Syrian.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2013-03-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Really a well put together blend. The cut is a finer ribbon. Easy to pack and light. I find Syrian Latakia to be more subtle than Cyprian. More of a background smokiness when this starts out with a good Virginia tang. The other elements seem to have a smoothing out effect. The Perique is only periodically discerned as a standout in my experiences.

Does best for me in a wider bowled pipe. This stuff really hits its stride mid bowl, everything kinda melds into a rounded creamy and smoky experience. It stays in that zone til the end if your puffing is careful and consistent.

This blend is very clean and refreshing and balanced. Most Latakia containing blends leave a coating in the mouth. This does not. My Latakia fave has been C&D'S Star of the East flake. It has an earthiness to it, this blend does not. Likewise, Dunhill Nightcap has this smoky charred wood punch, Artisans blend lacks these edges. It is more rich and smooth. I absolutely love the lingering aroma this leaves on the hands, clothes, and nostrils.

The tin states "for the experienced smoker". I disagree and would recommend to anyone looking to try Latakia as it is a very reliable and predictable smoke

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2075)	2014-09-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Ashton - Artisan's Blend.

The aroma from the blend whilst unlit is fabulous, you can detect a little bit of all the ingredients without it being swamped by Lat' only; many blends with Latakia in them seem to have an aroma that allows ONLY this to come through. The moistness of the ribbons are great, as is the amount of the different tobaccos: a very fair mixture with a good quantity of each type. The moment my pipe is filled I can't wait to get started! This is a superlative blend to get lit: a small amount of time with the flame is more than enough to give a good burn. As this one burns it does so very evenly leaving behind a grey ash whilst delivering a medium temperature smoke. The flavour is surprising in the fact that the Latakia is no where near as abrasive as many Lat' blends can be, I would describe the Lat taste as soft and subtle which is wonderful as this lets the other tobaccos shine as well. You get a delicate sourness from the Orientals with a lovely spicy strength from the Perique which really gives the blend some "oomph" whilst all the way there is the steadiness of the hay flavour from the Virginia. The Vitamin N level with Artisan's is the quintessential "middle ground" one. Tongue bite doesn't happen at any point throughout the whole bowl at all, even if really strained. The room-note is a pleasing one: again like all aspects of Artisan's blend it is very even with its constituents and not what I would describe as heavy at all. Due to the softer/different Latakia taste I think this is a definite blend to try for any passionate piper.

A perfectly rounded smoke!

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dracula 221

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: G.Q Tobaccos

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-09-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Artisan's Blend is a Latakia lover's dream. I like Latakia but tend to shy away from blends where the Latakia dominates, but this blend is so well done it can't be denied. The tobacco is of high quality, the supporting tobacco's round out the blend nicely without grabbing the spotlight. A lot of folks seem to compare this to Nightcap but they really are two very different blends. The perique is more of a player in Nightcap and “Lady N” comes to visit in Artisan's, but doesn't want to “move in” as she does with Nightcap. What they have in common of course is the Latakia. They are also both full bodied English blends. Artisan is slightly sweet and although not an all day smoke for me, it is a great ending to the day. Highly Recommended!

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capn Jimbo (24)	2015-08-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Ashton's Artisan's Blend: well named...

Ashton's Artisan's Blend is described at TR as being composed of Syrian Latakia, Turkish/Oriental, Perique and Virginia and scores a dramatic 3.5, even after many, many reviews.

Its tin aroma is a deep smoky savory, perhaps a bit of raisin, all of which carry through. Even though many reviewers seem to present this as a "full English" and compare Artisan's to Nightcap and 965, for some reason this pipe opened - to me - with the Turkish-Oriental being the first to show up, with a nice background Virginia sweetness over a light peppery/spicy Perique background as mild seasoning. Occasional whiffs of rich and woodsy/tobacco campfire in between puffs.

Apparently most latakias are of the Cyprian variety, which differs from the savory and more sophisticated Syrian of the Artisan's. What is especially provocative about Artisan's Blend is its remarkable balance, with the Syrian latakia and Turkish/Oriental playing the major roles and trading off with one another from moment to moment, over an ever present background of the Virginia and Perique. The Artisan's Blend is not the least bit drying (as one might expect from a "full English"), but actually leaves a lovely savory aftertaste - to me its trademark.

Key words: shifting, balanced, harmonious, savory - all presented with artistic subtlety. Accordingly, I have a real problem calling this simply a "full English", but rather an experience that alternated between more Balkan with English moments.

One more note: is the importance of sipping and taking the time to reflect on its ever changing presentation. I would add that those who recommend a wider bowl may be right in terms of further exploring this lovely blend that may technically be full, but is so well balanced that you may not notice.

Summary: a brilliant, savory, well-named blend that you should be willing to sip and spend time with, even at the cost of a few relights. Relax. Breathe. Marvel. And enjoy...

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Local

Similar Blends: Magnum Opus.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Plihopliheri (13)	2014-08-29		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Tried AB a couple of years ago after reading the favorable reviews here, when I needed to break in a 9mm pipe. (Usually I smoke no filter, or 6mm, but this was a gift.) Artisan's Blend caught my attention from the first puff. Straight out of the can, I was taken by the rich flavors and the heavy aroma. I knew from the first bowl this would be a contender to My Mixture 965, and by now, AB has surpassed MM. I smoke about twice as many cans of it as the Dunhill. I've been smoking English blends exclusively for ten years, and like a good share of Latakia, which AB provides. Its nice, rich aroma is there from lighting up, and enhances gently half-way through. The smoke is cool and tasty, and the cut stays lit and burns all the way. A must-try for everyone who enjoys Latakia in a heavier blend.

Pipe Used: Chacom 862 9mm

Age When Smoked: New to 6 mo.

Similar Blends: Dunhill - My Mixture 965.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meanska (11)	2014-03-21		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My favorite English blend, so far, smoked in a pipe dedicated to English blends. Smoky, smoky, smoky aroma in the tin, which is a real attractant to me on this one.

While a fairly strong smoke, it is NOT overpowering. I personally love the room note, but my wife definitely does not (thus the rating).

Pipe Used: Stanwell

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2016-11-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Mostly black with some mottling small ribbons with a heavy scent of Syrian lat in the tin. This is a tale of 3 vintages, all of which are quite different from one another. I had a 2 year old tin in my cellar, picked up a 10 year old in a trade and while smoking those two could not resist the temptation to buy a fresh one and smoke it also.

The winner is the 2 year old tin. Fresh this one had all the issues that I suspected a blend with this many components would have - a kind of dirty tasting cloudiness as if the constituent tobaccos hadn't melded properly. The 2 year old tin meshed perfectly, with the Syrian lat and orientals taking the lead, giving a spicy and occasionally wonderfully sour woodsmoke flavor. The Virginias had a relaxed sweetness (to which the Cavendish likely contributed) and the perique was really only tasted in the snork and lent a light pepperish taste that brought the whole concoction together. At 2 years old, this blend becomes somewhat Peasian, with a bevy of different flavors rearing their heads at different times, including dark roast coffee and a lightly sweet toffee caramel flavor (but not artificial). Nicely mellow complexity and nowhere near as much nicotine as, say, Nightcap, although this is far from a nic lightweight.

In an odd twist of fate, the 10 year old tin went into repose a little more than I like. The Syrian lat was diminished in taste and the Virginias came more to the fore. The orientals kind of lost their way and the perique actually became more apparent. It was almost like a totally different blend. Still good but not the flavor powerhouse with tons of clarity that the 2 year old tin possessed. It became more ordinary while the 2 year old rose above the common. Now the trick is to figure out the point at which this blend reaches its peak. Should be fun to figure out! I've ordered a couple more tins and will crack them in 2 year. This one is just short of absolutely excellent but a four star blend all the way. Just don't let it age too much.

Age When Smoked: fresh, 2 and 10 years

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-04-17		Medium	Mild	Mild	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:

Artisan's Blend is a fail. Cavendish & Perique being the culprits. Not being a Perique fan, I am obviously biased. But the Perique is the only thing strong or interesting here, the Cavendish making for a very mild and boring body. Seems to me English is a standard: Virginias, Orientals, & Latakia. You can change on the margins (add Perique = Nightcap)(add Cavendish = 965)(not exactly, but you get the idea...) But if you add Perique AND Cavendish, now we're into un-English territory. Artisans indeed.

Close to Nightcap? Nonsense. Traditional English? No.

Experience required? Hardly. Aromatic smokers inching towards English might wish to experiment here, if you've a taste for Perique.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-12-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you hate this smoke, you probably either don't like English at all or you may need to clean your pipe thoroughly. When you smoke a pipe for over 5 times, the pipe would be gunky and cleaning tube is not enough. Using this kind of pipe you probably would hate every smoke. You may want to use facial puff dipping alcohol(no whisky or cognac please, it would be more gunkier and stinkier) to clean your pipe. Then you would realize why the smoke is so spicy and stinky. please do that after 4 or 5 bowls of smoke.

It is hard to find a replacement for the blend. It is in my daily rotation list with Penzence. But dont be misunderstanding, its character is very distinctive with P. P is more matured, but not as multilayered and vivid as Artisan. Penzance is good, but it let me fall asleep when puffing it. After I smoked Penzance, why not a bowl of Artisan? It always comes into my mind. Both Artisan and Penzance are decent smokes. It is thick but not harsh, spicy yet creamy,... full of Lat strength (maybe mid-strengh) but not going to knock you out, somehow bitter but sweet, very subtle but crispy sweet, which reminds me a hint of black java with milk and a little brown sugar not totally melted. Sometimes you even tasted the sweet. Topping? Maybe. But it is too natural to think it is topped, at least not as freaking topped as Mississippi River or Plum Pudding. Artisan is unbeatable!!! A must buy for each English blend lovers!!

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2020-12-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

Together with Westminster and Charing Cross this has become one of my favourite Anglo/Balkan tobaccos. If you like a classic full bodied English look no further. A tad stronger than Westminster, with some added Pèrique (but not as dense as the bygone Nightcap), this blend really brings back the meaning of a proper English. Strong but palatable, easy to fill and light up, Artisan's Blend lingers as a close friend. It's steady, reliable, perfect for an evening of contemplation or reading. The different leafs combine harmoniously, in perfect balance, and the Pèrique shines through from time to time without outdoing the Virginias, Turkish and Latakia. Think of an upgraded version of Squadron Leader and a very close relative to Dunhill's old London Mixture, with the added strength of the Pèrique. Wonderful!

Pipe Used: Savinelli Bing's Favorite

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: Joshua's Pipe Tobaccos

Similar Blends: Westminster, Charing Cross, Squadron Leader..

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2018-11-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Summary: a gentle English with some strength to it and a sweet, comfortable flavor.

Like many, I went looking for a substitute for Dunhill "Nightcap," but found instead a gentle, spicy English which is more like "My Mixture 965" thanks to the addition of Black Cavendish. The mixture consists of mostly black leaf, which would be the Perique, Cavendish, and Latakia, with a few shreds of light tan and brown and for the Virginias and Orientals. On first light, it gives off a leathery flavor rather than a campfire sensation, which suggests that these Latakia leaves were treated somehow (possibly just washing/casing) before cutting. Comprised of thin ribbon cut shreds of a perfect moisture level, "Artisan's Blend" starts out with a leathery flavor, then moves into a piquant spice from the Perique and Orientals in balance, and finally as everything caramelizes, merges into a tangy citrus-maple flavor from the Virginias and Orientals. The latter half of the bowl is pure English mixture delight, with the smoky Latakia taking a leathery background role, the Cavendish and Virginias sweetening the blend, and the Perique moderating the Orientals and Latakia into a zingy, spicy flavor. This is not as strong as "Nightcap," nor quite as zesty as "My Mixture 965," but it has become one of my favorite English blends nonetheless.

Similar Blends: Dunhill - My Mixture 965, Peter Stokkebye - English Luxury (No.17), Dunhill - Nightcap, Esoterica Tobacciana - Margate, McClelland - Frog Morton on the Town (Craftsbury Series), Peterson - Wild Atlantic.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2018-03-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Blends with Syrian latakia are starting to extinct and this is very sad.Syrian latakia are unique and nothing can replace them.this blend contains Syrian latakia and my opinion is that it is a hidden star.once the tin breaks you instantly realize that this is a full bodied english blend with some sour and vinegar notes.the blend is dark with a small amount of bright birginias with perfect moisture smooth texture and ribbon cut.packs and lights easy with a few relights needed.while smoking from the first puffs you realize the complexity of this blend.latakias are the main player being sweet,leathery,coaly and woodsy.orientals are sharp,earthy and spicy.then the perique adds some great sour and spicy notes with some plums very rare.virginias are in the backround supporting the blend with some grass and citrus notes.the flavours combine perfect in a very balanced and natural way making a full bodied english blend.burns slow and medium hot to total ash with no moisture at the end of the bowl.the room note is tolerable to unpleasant as a proper english blend should smell.the nicotine level is medium and the aftertaste nice.not an all day smoke.the complexity of this blend can't be revealed if smoked fast so my advise is to pack it in a churchwarden pipe seat comfortable and enjoy it with a nice smoked whiskey!!

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: I agree with some co smokers that there is a similariity with Nightcap.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-11-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I am not a fan of Dunhill English blends and I am always searching for a good "English" from europe. This was it. A very nice alternative to the throat searing Dunhill blends being produced now. It reminded me very nuch of what "Nightcap" used to be. I think that says it all.Nice balance ,even burn, and a good Latakia flavor.Not for the meek! 3 of 4 stars.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (84)	2017-04-12		Very Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

When you throw every imaginable kind of tobacco into an "artisanal" blend, you get something very similar to a dish seasoned with all thinkable spices: salt, sugar, pepper, vinegar, cloves and mustard all at once. All this mixed together would taste like dishwasher slop, which is exactly the case here.

None of the particular tobaccos blended into this mixture is flavourful or plentiful enough to give the blend any distinct flavour. That's why it tastes flat and muddy.

To worsen this, Artisan's Blend is generously soaked in that evil "mystery casing" which ruins many other German-made pipe tobaccos.

Waste of money. And waste of the rare Syrian Latakia, a species already extinct in the wild, that will never re-emerge.

I really fail to comprehend how so many people can love it. I honestly and unbiasedly tried to come to like it (I must to, as I coughed up twice as much for this tin than for any other in my collection) and still never succeeded. A kitchensink mess, that's it.

Age When Smoked: 1

Similar Blends: McLintock Syrian Latakia - same evil "mystery casing".

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-07-23		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Unlike its stablemates Dorisco, Wingate and Presbyterian, this is a fairly dark mixture. The tin note is sweet and perfumed with a terpene dominance from the Syrian Latakia.

Burns beautifully to a fine white ash, a genuine pleasure to have in the bowl.

I think there is a substantial proportion of stoved Virginia in this mixture since neither the Latakia or Perique would account for the overall darkness. This stoved Virginia pushes this English blend to the light and sweet side, and, altho it contributes some smokiness, I felt this detracted rather than contributed to the Latakia. There is something of the denied promise to this blend as a result. I felt the tin note should have translated into a stronger representation of Latakia in the actual smoke.

The Orientals are subdued but contribute a pleasing acidity. My body chemistry is, sadly, not well disposed to Orientals and I got some mouth irritation as a result. Obviously this is a personal result not reflective of the quality of the tobacco itself and ymmv.

The perique really is a whisper in this blend. I wouldn't have picked it unless I had been told it was there. It contributes a pepperiness as the bowl progresses.

I am confused by the product description as being for the experienced pipe smoker. I found this to be on the mild and sweet side and it would make a fine crossover blend. All in all a well made tobacco that clearly has its fans, but not my cup of tea as a regular smoke.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2008-09-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I really enjoyed the old Ashton line. I had smoked Celebrated Sovereign, Black Parrot, and Old Dog, and I remember offering four stars for each blend. The word was, they were manufactured under the McClelland brand.

I was distraught a bit to find that the old line had been eliminated and a new incarnation would be introduced. I cried foul, lamenting that a small user base is not an accurate reflection of quality.

Artisan's Blend is the first of the new I have sampled, and there are differences. The taste profile is different, somehow. I can't elaborate more on that, but it's a feeling I have, growing more with the readings I have incurred of frothy aromatics and sugary product. The blenders are distinctly different from the original inception of Ashton. But, that's not necessarily bad, right?

I have grown increasingly attached to this Syrian Latakia, and I cannot imagine a moment in which the supply may cease, other than an artificial circumstance of marketing. Artisan's Blend delivers the English, with Syrian in full. I understand that many have compared this to Nightcap, and though I do not fully associate this linkage, other than to say...if you want a strong English, with Syrian for Cyprian, this is your bet. It's wonderful, and I shall not back away from this assertion.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wilhelm Joharsányi (33)	2018-01-14		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

Two words: BORING ZZZ

Artisan's Blend is your archetypal 'hipster blend': takes great things, mixes it all up together, ruins the uniqueness and distinctiveness of each, resulting in a forgettable and hollow product. Tobacco blends aren't like cooking stuffing for Thanksgiving, you can't just "add good things and hope for the best", there has to be some efficiency and preciseness to making a great tobacco blend. This doesn't have it.

Artisan's Blend is a mild, unremarkable English blend that lacks the complexity of other similar blends, resulting in an unexceptional, mediocre smoke. On paper Artisan’s Blend looks like a winner, containing 5 high-quality tobaccos, but neither tobacco really stands out: the spiciness of the Perique and Turkish aren’t very noticeable, the Syrian Latakia lacks flavor and tastes diluted, and the Virginia’s go undetected throughout. In my opinion, the Black Cavendish makes the blend overly-mellow and limits the taste the rest of the 4 tobaccos. This would be a much better blend if the Cavendish was left out entirely.

The main problem is that nothing really stands out about this blend; there is nothing exceptional or truly satisfying from start to finish, and lacks any real depth or complexity. It might be a balanced blend, but in the sense that you hardly taste anything and is ‘balanced’ in its utter tastelessness. Honestly, it felt like I was just smoking hot air, with some lawnmower grass tossed in and a drop of Tabasco sauce added for 'flavor'. That's what it tastes like.

Go for Presbyterian or Irish Oak if you want something more flavorful and enjoyable to smoke (and less Hipster sounding as well). Even the Latakia in Presbyterian is superior to the Latakia found in Artisan’s, and Presbyterian doesn’t actually have any. I had high hopes for this, but was a resounding disappointment, hence why I am being so hard on this blend.

Similar Blends: Smoking lawnmower grass with a drop of Tabasco..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2017-12-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Atisans Blend is a real fine example of how Syrian Latakia should be used. This is a full bodied, full flavored smoke that puts this rare sweet leaf on full display. The tin note is uniquely Syrian: Smokey, sweet and incense like. Very fragrant but not as pungent as it Cyprian cousin.Slightly sour and with a hint of cocoa are also present in the tin aroma. The flavor is sweet and smokey. The Perique provides spice and sweetness in the background that really works well with the Syrian Latakia, it provides some backbone to the sweet and smokey flavors and additional depth. The Turkish/Orientals are woody and a bit sour that also harmonize with the Latakia. I would say the Orientals outshine the Virginia's with the wood and spice notes, but the Virginia's provide a grassy/hay like quality as well as additional sweetness and a toasty hint. The flavors come and go and make this complex smoke extremely enjoyable. One of the best Syrian Balkans I have found, just behind Balkan by Brebbia in my opinion.

Pipe Used: Briar, meerschaum and cobs, Morta and Cobs

Age When Smoked: 4 years old

Purchased From: Mars Cigars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-10-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

If you're a Latakia Lover, you'll probably know this tobacco or you should at least check it out soon.

The tin note is already dominated by the peat smoke scent of the Latakia with only hints of incense from the Orientals, whereas I can't smell much of the Virginias or Perique.

The medium cut mixture makes it easy to fill your pipe. In doing so, I prefer the Frank method. After that, usually a quick charring and true light will do the job.

From the first draw, Artisan's Blend will deliver its flavorsome taste with the Latakia and the Orientals leading the way, supplemented by the slight tangy sweetness of the Virginias and the fruity acidity of the Perique. Enjoyed with leisure, it's a mellow and pleasant smoke, which burns down dryly leaving some graying ash.

The room note is also dominated by the smokiness of the Latakia.

Pipe Used: Parker Prince

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

Similar Blends: Dunhill Nightcap.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (216)	2015-09-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Artisan's Blend is a wonderful blend. The Lat. is upfront and delicately smoky. I also get a creaminess that reminds me of buttermilk used in pancake mixes or the like. Not buttermilk straight out the the jug but used in something. The VA's add a sweet but not too sweet nuance that is similar to a bread like sweetness that is very complimentary to the creaminess that I assume comes from the orientals. The perique adds a little spice but really is there for the body of the blend itself. Puffed slowly these flavors will build and change ever so slightly and makes this blend complex enough that you must focus on it fully. I also would say that this blend should be smoked in a meer. to get everything there is out of it. I tried it is several briar pipes and in all of them I noticed a muting of the flavors. Additionally, while I enjoy lat. blends in large wide bowls I have found that there is enough complexity that this needs a mid bowl (still wide if possible, think Dublin shape) otherwise my palate is overwhelmed and I lose some of the complexity in a larger bowl. Finally, this blend cannot be pushed. You must smoke it slowly keeping the pipe cool. If it is pushed I get a smokey, pepper, peculator coffee that has been boiled too long flavor that does not do justice to all that this blend is.

On a side note for future tins. This tin came with shinny paper between the tobacco and the tin lid instead of the normal cardboard found in most blends. It seems to have some kind of smell, another blend I had sampled similarly used this paper and the blend took on this smell (Tin was much old, however). This did not, however, I would recommend for long term storage that the blend be removed from the tin and aged in jars, just my opinion for what it is worth.

Age When Smoked: About 1 yr.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-07-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Extra Strong

I am upping this to 5 stars, Artisan's is a true modern classic. When this is not manufactured anymore it will command $100 a tin. I really suggest buying a ton of tins and stashing them. With the supply of Syrian Latakia drying up this will become a treasured treat in a tin one day in the near future!!

Out of the 165 reviews I have written over the past ten years, this is by far the most stinky blend I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing (in a good way). It's a mix of potent Syrian Latakia and Perique with the Virginia's giving a nice slight sweetness to the mix. I have never been married and am single at the moment, therefore I can smoke anywhere I damn please but anyone with a spouse will be kicked out of the room quickly for smoking this anywhere near them. I can just picture the green smoke curling up to a woman's nose like Pepe Le Pew the skunk in a Disney Cartoon. I think it's even heavier and fuller bodied than the velvet hammer Nightcap which is saying a lot but it's also VERY smooth and silky. A perfect before bed indulgence or a cold winter day, contemplating the world tucked away in your mancave smoke. Artisan's competes with Nightcap and Larry's Blend (with Syrian instead) as my heavy hitter English blend and is certainly worth your Dollar (or Euro etc.) and is a must try IMO. Delicious, creamy, spicy and yes...stinky. 4 stars!!

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Nightcap.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bigdadz (39)	2014-03-31		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

If this tobacco is trying to be a sort of equivalent to Nightcap, then it has failed miserably. This is like a stronger version of those cross-over english blends like frog morton, trying to be several things at the same time.The tobacco lacks balance and is simply a mess. I would have to say that as far as Ashton tobaccos go, Consummate Gentleman is a better offering.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2013-01-04		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Forget the tobacco description on the tin. This mixture has Latakia, Virginia, fire cured Kentucky, Black Cavendish and Perique according to the Kohlhase & Kopp website. Now I really wanted to like this Latakia bomb. I usually like strong, pungent and earthy tobaccos. Maybe the old mixture was all that for the experienced pipe smoker but this new offering is disappointing.

The Latakia itself is very shy in the flavor department and works in spades. It is a bitter smoke for the most part that turns harsh for a few puffs then comes back to bitter with the too infrequent Latakia creamy like taste (a topping maybe). It smokes cool to a white ash and no gurgle.

While in Nightcap all the ingredients could be savored, in Artisan's blend you get a charcoal like flavor that could be interesting if it wasn't for the tendency of this mixture to turn bitter to a point that it becomes unpleasant with harshness.

I tried this tobacco with three different pipes, all Latakia mixture dedicated, believing that it was the pipes that were faulty. To no avail, the smoking experience remained disappointingly the same.

Virginia lover

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	H.Haller (3)	2019-01-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Old dog can't learn new tricks...Artisan's reminds me of Murray's version of Night Cap ..it is good and the Syrian latakia makes flavor profile different from Nigh Cap...these's huge amount of Cyprian plus some wee bit of Syrian...smoky and good. One of my 7 blends that will always end up in my pipes. Commonwealth and Artisan's..good tobaccos...so good that these moronic times won't upset you when you puff these blends.

Pipe Used: Brebbia&Peterson

Age When Smoked: Straight from tin

Purchased From: Local shop

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (51)	2018-08-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the great English mixtures of all time. Reminiscent of the magnificent blends of the 1970s and 80s. In my opinion the best of the traditional English mixtures still available. I hope it remains on the market for years to come.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: One yr.

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Der Pfeifenraucher (71)	2017-01-17		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I'll add my notes to the info here on Artisan's blend. in a phrase, this is a great tobacco. Just a great experience with all kinds of smoky and spicy nuances at play right to the bottom of the bowl. This is probably in my top three favorite tobaccos. AB is quite heavy on Latakia smokiness without being overpowering and still plays nice with the orientals, etc. Nic effect is near perfect for me, very relaxing without leaving me drooling and stumbling. Pack a big bowl an hour before bed and let the experience play out while enjoying the complexity of this blend.

Pipe Used: briars

Age When Smoked: ????

Purchased From: wild bills

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipesmoking101 (63)	2016-01-12		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had wanted to try this for some time, so when a sealed tin was offered for exchange, I jumped at the chance. I have to say I was disappointed with the result.

The appearance of this mixture is quite dark & doesn't have the contrast of other English mixtures, without the interesting sights of light Virginias mixed with dark Latakia with other Orientals thrown in. It seems to be fairly uniform dark brown.

This tobacco has a fairly typical English mixture scent from the tin, but is somewhat milder than others, with less punch & 'oomph'. It just smells a little flat and uninteresting.

Loading up the bowl, the mixture pack easily, and burns fairly well. I would add that this is after a little drying time as mine came fairly damp from the tin, and when I tired to smoke a bowl straight from the off, it was a nightmare which kept going out, and packed clumpy.

The taste is milder than most Englishes, it seems to be an English struggling to escape from behind a moribund covering of substandard blending. There is no kick to the blend either. The fact that the English mixture is in there somewhere is its saving grace, but there is no real character to speak of. The typical strong hit of an English taste, with blended tobaccos working in harmony seems to be smothered - almost - to the point of redundancy behind a tobacco combination which just doesn't work for me. The Latakia & Perique could be sensed, along with the Virginia, but not enough to be meaningful within this smoke.

The room note, again is just somewhat bland.

The nicotine strength seemed to me to be quite mild, although my everyday smokes are somewhat stronger than the average tobacco.

All in all, it burned & packed well, but smelled, looked & tasted bland and uninteresting to me. For that reason I will give it 2 stars, many here seem to like it, so maybe I got a dud tin. I will also state that I cannot give it 1 star, because like every other tobacco I have tried, it's not nearly as bad as Clan, which is the benchmark by which I judge all other substandard tobaccos by when deciding on my start rating. I will not, however be keeping this around. For the sake of fairness, I will but some more in future to see if my tin was actually an exception to the rule.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dongeal Rocky 68, Stanwell Squat Bulldog

Age When Smoked: over 1 year

Purchased From: exchanged from a friend

Similar Blends: Similar (but vastly inferior to) , Dunhill - My Mixture 965, Robert Lewis - Tree Mixture.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Susanna Hoffs (74)	2011-02-01		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Dunhill Nightcaps rival my arse...

Didn't get any of NC's powerful blasts of nicotine. All I got was warm coal-like sooty air passing into my mouth.

Latakia dominant to a degree, no perique present that I could detect. I gave up on trying to detect the other ingredients.

Still it's a nice posh tin, and alludes to us marketing suckers to part with more cash for yet another unnecessary purchase to add to the 35lbs we already have stashed away in the attic or celler.

Artisan is not my bag really, Nightcap is a nicotine bomb, and is a far richer blend if you ask me. Still each to their own, give this Ashton's mixture stuff a go, it may just be right up your lungs this blend.

Which = 2.5 stars

Similar Blends: Poor mans Nightcap..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2010-05-10		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

This is one of the best English mixtures I've ever tried, with masterfuly balanced premium components. What makes this tobacco one of the best available, thou, it's the incredible rich Syrian Latakia used by the blender. I haven't tasted such a mellow, spicy, smokey and rich Latakia since a friend of mine had me try Blue Mountain Latakia bought in London many years ago.

Mr. Pease has complained many times of the poor quality leaf that today's market promotes as Syrian Latakia. He should really find out where K&K gets this stuff from. It's the real thing.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Zarathustra (11)	2020-08-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Top shelf English. The harmony of the Cavendish, Virginia, Orientals, Latakia and Perique is beautifully balanced, incredibly rich but never overwhelming. Spot-on with the nicotine level too.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (84)	2019-06-26		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I wanted to make a review for Artisan’s Blend for some time but I didn’t want to hurry before I really experienced with this tobacco. I’ll try to give details as correct as I can, because this is a blend that deserves all the attention.

At the first opening of the tin, the tobacco is very wet and it remains like that for a long time. The smell of latakia and oriental can be felt, but not very pregnant as in other latakia based blends.

The tobacco is cut a lot, it’s not really a ribbon because most of the tobacco is actually little pieces, almost broken pieces. It mostly has a black color with small yellow/brownish ribbons.

After 10 minutes sitting to dry, it’s good to put in the pipe and light up. It needs 2-3 lights at first, and it can go out during smoking but not every time. So basically, it burns ok, without the need of many relights.

From the first smokes we can already feel latakia very well, in a good quantity for those who appreciate it, but the combination with oriental and black cavendish makes it a bit sweeter and a lit lighter. I can say it has a smoky taste, but not very deep, just well balanced, that is combined perfectly. Although it has perique, this is almost indistinguishable.

Unlike, lets say, Consummate Gentleman, this one has some burning issues, in the sense that it can heat very easy if you don’t draw carefully, and if you don’t draw enough, it goes out. It’s a tobacco that needs attention, that needs to be tasted like a good wine, it’s not a tobacco that you should smoke when you’re driving or are paying attention to something else. This tobacco needs and deserves attention and respect. This is strictly my opinion.

People keep comparing this with Dunhill’s Nightcap. Here, I can’t agree. Although both are excellent tobaccos and are a little similar, they can’t be compared. Nightcap is stronger, has a more pregnant taste and the perique can be easily tasted in it, while Artisan’s Blend is more gentle. It doesn’t have neither the strenght or the pregnant taste of Nightcap, although we can compare the smoky taste that floods the mouth, the nostrils, the room, the house and the neighbor’s house. Both are excellent, but for me Nightcap is better. This doesn’t mean Artisan’s Blend is weak, on the contrary, it’s excellent, and since Nightcap is gone, I’d say you could try and change it with Artisan’s.

This is a tobacco that I loved since the first smoke, and now that I’m used to it I always enjoy it, it is one of my favorite tobaccos and I’ll definitely buy more tins (which I don’t usually do, I like to experiment with lots of blends and I only buy the tobaccos that I really, really like).

A must have for any latakia and oriental lover!

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: JPB stores in Bucharest, Romania

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-02-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Wow . . .

First of all, I don’t start off every 4-star review with a “Wow” (there are 4-star tobaccos, and then there are “Wow” 4-star tobaccos – Artisan’s Blend is the latter -- not the former).

Second of all, can I just say – living in Silicon Valley – I wish there were as many 4-star restaurants as there were 4-star pipe tobaccos. I mean, seriously – I go out for dinner to some overly-hyped grub-hub, and when I get the bill, I think to myself: “I could have bought five pounds of Union Square for what I just paid for this slop.”

Artisan’s Blend has been around for some time now -- since 2005; is it really possible that I’m smoking real, authentically bona fide Syrian Latakia in a blend that I just bought in 2019? (Makes me wonder if the good folks at Kohlhase & Kopp weren’t digging around in their garden when they stumbled upon the Ark of the Covenant, opened it up, and found 4-tons of Syrian Latakia inside). Artisan’s Blend is indeed very Nightcappy – but spicier, smokier – I love the effervescent tingle from the orientals – dare I say, it's somewhat Penzance-like. Artisan’s Blend also reminds me of Mac Baren’s Vintage Syrian – it has that potent, pungent Syrian Latakia punch to it, quite distinct from the “ordinary” Cyprian Latakias. The only grievance I have with Artisan’s Blend is the assertion that it is an English mixture “for the experienced pipe smoker” – and while Irish Flake can justly make such a cautionary claim, the inexperienced pipe smoker need not be afraid of Artisan’s Blend (as they should be with Irish Flake). To sum it up, Artisan’s Blend is simply grand – a spicy, smoky, rich, creamy, invigorating concoction from K&K – highly recommended. 4-stars (unequivocally).

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2019-02-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

I saw some of this at my local brick and mortar pipe and cigar store and was surprised to see that this blend was made with Syrian Latakia. I had thought it had gone extinct like the dinosaurs. The tin note had a nice sweet smell to it with dark and light brown flakes. The tin also was pretty moist. I am not sure how much Syrian is in this blend but I am pretty confident it does not have any Cyprian at least none that I can detect. This one actually does remind me of HH Vintage Syrian. I ordered 5 tins of this on line and had to cross my fingers because the blend of this has changed to Cyprian vice Syrian according to an online retailer. Luckily, I got the Syrian version. If you come across a new tin of this, look at the new label and see if the word Syrian is omitted. I would like to try the new version and do a comparison. Some reviewers have tried this as a replacement for Night Cap. I have not smoked Night Cap recently but do not see the similarity between the two. I really enjoyed this one so it gets a 4 star from me.

Update 12/02/19: I was at the somewhat local pipe store, 20 miles away and they had one tin of this left with the Cyprian Latakia vice the Syrian since the blenders ran out. Me personally if the recipe changes this blend should have its own review category. Anyway, it is still a very good blend but I can definitely tell the difference. This is a sweeter smoking mixture. It kind of reminds me of the Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding. Glad I have about five tins of the Syrian stashed somewhere.

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: Mac Baren HH Vintage Syrian.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pencils (57)	2017-03-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Artisan's Blend has been a long standing favourite of mine. It carries all the complexity of a well-blended, high quality mixture with plenty of latakia and a lovely presence of peppery perique that doesn't excessively magnify the nicotine content. I appear to have a fairly low nic tolerance, so this is a real bonus in a blend that can happily be smoked back to back. Superior to both Dunhill and Peterson blends, IMO, it has no ashy taste nor over-reliance on a well-known name to mask declining quality.

This is consistently satisfying with few quality assurance issues - few stalks and nicely mixed. I often have to relight this blend, but the higher lat content probably explains that, along with my desire to spin out each bowl for as long as possible. Smoky in volume as well as taste, it is never harsh and benefits from retrohale. My wife likes the room note, if such considerations are important.

Age When Smoked: New tin

Purchased From: Turmeaus, Knutsford

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ahmad Othman (51)	2017-01-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A tobacco worthy of its name. A true artisan work. When you first open the tin, you are cordially welcomed by an aroma of Syrian Latakia and orientals.. Followed by a very dark well cut chunks of tobacco. The moisture content is acceptable, though a bit of drying may be your thing. I never needed to, though. It packs easily but preferably in a wide and stout bowl as the chunks of baccy are not quite ribbons but rather square chunks. Once packed it lights with a bit of effort but it stays lit. The first draw is absolutely astounding, with an open bouquet of flavours from the Latakia and Orientals followed by the lovely rich virginia and later a tad of spiciness from the perique. It burns quite cool and is reduced to ash with little dottle, even in briar. No moisture noticed either in briar or Meerschaum. It has a strong room note and those who do not smoke will glare at you for it. But for the pipe smoker, it only provided a beautiful, smooth and quite creamy smoke with a strong, woody, smoky room note. Definitely one of the finest tobaccos out there

Pipe Used: SMS block Meerschaum hand carved

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	initials SG (29)	2016-03-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

What can I say - this blend is everything people say it is.

Tin note is an intoxicating melange of spirits, smoke and natural tobacco.

Just a wonderful, smoky flavor bomb of a blend. I would guess that there is some fire-cured Kentucky in it because it seems smokier than what I have experienced with Syrian latakia, and there are flavors there that remind me of it. Which is great, I love that taste. But that Syrian taste is definitely there, no doubt about it. I think the reviewers that mention cognac are on to something... has something subtle that reminds me of it for sure.

In any case, one of my all-time favorites, especially with some age. Fantastic!

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Five years

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Halcyon_andy (3)	2016-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ashton Artisan's blend is a delicious and complex smoke.

Initially on opening the tin I was greeted with a rich earthy, whisky aroma, full of peat and promises. On first light the flavours really bonded into a rich, complicated profile which shifted through the bowl between sweet and smokey.

By the finish i was completely satisfied on both flavour and strength, and would heartily recommend to the lover of an English blend.

Pipe Used: Viking houston

Age When Smoked: New tin

Purchased From: Duckworths, Colwyn bay, UK

Similar Blends: A better version of nightcap.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustinCarcerated (99)	2016-02-14		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

Well Ashton went and did it, provided a blend that is actually a elevation of another Hall of Fame blend (if its not it is a travesty) and that is Dunhill's NightCap. Upon tin opening, the familiar English note had a sweetness to it that you won't find in Nightcap... although at a slightly lower payoff in nicotine (which some may consider a bonus I guess).

The tobaccos are deftly put together, the moisture is spot on, and in either tall Meers or fat briars Artisan's blend comes across as smooth, slightly sweet, non-acrid in a way that is to me superior to NightCap (the horror :o)

Its going on my favorite list immediately and I do intend to get more tins stocked in place soon. Great stuff!!

Pipe Used: Meers and Briars

Age When Smoked: 18 months

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Dunhill but with a sweeter flavor throughout....

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2015-06-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Having picked up this tin just because, incongruously, the shop actually had it (their normal selection gravitates towards the Danish and German aromatics and drug store blends), I had some hopes for it, having sampled a couple other Ashtons before.

So, I open the tin and find I have struck gold. The 'baccy is a medium ribbon, very dark, with only few yellow highlights in there. The tin note is very robust, Latakia forward, but the Perique noticeable, and some sweetness.

That also translates into the smoke; a single match gets this going, and from the start, this blend satisfies me; the Latakia is not overwhelming (though plentiful), and the Orientals, Perique and VA collude to provide a depth to the taste that I have rarely experienced before. The room note is not too bad, for an English.

It's not really a very complex smoke, but the full taste and easy handling make it stand out even when compared to Dunhill's and Sam Gawith's standards. Latakia well forward, with the Perique providing the depth and the VA doing its sweetness bit.

At the end of the bowl I have a bit of ashes with no dottle in the pipe and a smile on my face. I would recommend a good Spanish brandy to go with this blend.

Pipe Used: VAUEN Luxus Rhodesian,

Age When Smoked: Fresh from new tin

Purchased From: HoS, Lingen, Germany

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Nightcap (up to a point).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Ashton Artisan’s Blend is my instant hall of fame nominee. Buttery smooth, never aggressive, but at the same time full of flavor and pure satisfaction. Intensely smoky at first, then nutty-sweet with more Orientals in the middle and some earthy, leathery notes at the end. Taste and smell complement each other in perfect balance. I dedicated my Ashton Pebble Grain XXX to it. A filter doesn’t kill it, but is not recommended and in my opinion also not nescessary.

Highly Recommended blend also to less experienced Latakia lovers for its smoothness. In my opinion this is a milestone within this entire Ashton line. Too bad the supply of Syrian is limited.

Pipe Used: Various with and without filter

Age When Smoked: fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TorontoSmoker (19)	2014-10-04		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is not a typical English blend; having said that, this may be my favorite English blend!

Wow, chalk one up to Ashton for coming up with this excellent modern blend! They really hit it out of the ballpark with this one! Complex, yet well-balanced, and full of zesty flavor! It smokes wonderfully straight out of then the tin, and ages even better!

Pipe Used: medium, narrow bowled briars; and a meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 1 -2 years

Purchased From: Walper Tobacco Shop, Kitchener Ontario

Similar Blends: nothing else really - quite distinct and unique., I agree that Artisan's Blend is on-par, or better than Dunhill's Nightcap in it's own right. That doesn't mean it's the same as, or a substitute for Nightcap. They are both fantastic English-latakia smokes in their own right..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chris66 (11)	2014-05-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Smoked this for a year now and absolutely, positively, love it. Easy to keep lit, my Mrs likes the aroma, its nice & spicy, but not too spicy ! Just enough to warm the cockles of your heart, a great satisfying smoke with just the right amount of latakia . Blended well too ! If you like English blends you will love this stuff. I tend to mainly smoke Artisan's & 965, but have just discovered Royal Yacht, and I think Dunhills have been dabbling in the dark arts, R.Yacht is addictive !

Pipe Used: Any pipe is good with A.Blend.

Age When Smoked: New or Old its smokers Gold !

Purchased From: Turmeaus , SmokeKing.com

Similar Blends: 965 but a little bit more spice..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bruche (17)	2022-05-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This came with my new order of some previously untried English blends. Reading through some recent reviews I find Science Smoker’s impressions akin to mine.

Tin note is very pleasant, which includes a “sourish” note to some degree, which I don’t detect in the smoking experience. The tin moisture was just right, and did not require any air time.

Overall I’d describe the aromas, the flavors and mouth feel as “smooth and creamy”. Latakia is present but restrained, and perfectly complimented by the Orientals, with a light amount of Cavendish in the background. Yes, it’s smoky, but balanced, and I really don’t detect the Perique.

This one is easy to smoke, very relaxed, not at all fussy or laborious, with all the components well balanced. It’s just what I was looking for.

Pipe Used: Alberto Bonfiglioli bulldog

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

Similar Blends: GL Pease Westminster.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ScienceSmoker (60)	2022-02-03		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

What a delightful blend. Ashton's Artisan's Blend is just a phenomenal, beautifully blended mix... sweet and savory and endlessly enjoyable.

First few puffs... omg, so good. It's one of those blends that's so well mixed that It's sometimes hard to break it down into various components. The Orientals, even more than the Latakia, are the stars of this blend. They work perfectly with everything else. The very smooth and mature Virginias are there mixing with the Perique, making a Va/par base of fermented, lightly sweet fruit and grass, with some pepper tang. And the incense-like Orientals are enhanced by the Latakia campfire to make this beautiful new flavor. The sweet Black Cavendish is important, tying everything together. I'm sure I've said it before... but the combination of sweet Cavendish and sour, musty, incense-like Orientals makes for a such a pleasant, satisfying blend.

I have to be clear... it's not just a matter of the blend having lots of Latakia or smokiness... it's the combination of sweetness and smokiness and other flavors that makes it so delicious. It's just a masterfully blended tobacco.

Bottom line: Artisan's Blend is a very full, deeply rich, and substantive blend that is super satisfying to anyone who wants a sweet and smokey English blend.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Extra Dry

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (139)	2022-01-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend initially has been produced with latakia from Syria. However, unlike some manufacturers who have discontinued blends that included Syrian latakia, the pragmatical Germans of Kohlhase & Kopp didn't chop the hen that lays the golden eggs, and simply replaced the Syrian latakia with latakia from Cyprus, but the quality remained high.

Update at May, 20, 2022: I was lucky to catch several tins with Syrian latakia circa 2012. Taste of Artisan blend with Syrian latakia, definitely, is very different. So everything written below is about the version with latakia from Cyprus.

The 50 gram tin had a late 2020 excise tax, but came with a fresh batch in late 2021. I'm guided by the summer 2021 release, which means the tobacco is practically fresh.

Appearance: a scattering of ribbons of varying shades of brown, from yellowish to a predominant deep dark, almost black. The different varieties are easily distinguishable, and you can see that there is a lot of latakia and cavendish in the mix. Occasionally there are uncut flakes of Kentucky. The tobacco is loose and dries out quickly, but the moisture from the can is just enough to fill a pipe with it.

Flavor: A good dose of latakia yields a rich smoky note with hints of tan leather and tar, wrapped with wood and wheat tones of Virginia. A pleasant note of dried fruit, red wine and vanilla from the dark Cavendish and a touch of Kentucky walnut are added to this base. Rounding out the bouquet is a light set of perique scents - a bit of iodine, salt and white pepper - and barely noticeable nutmeg-cinnamon oriental notes.

Taste: mild, but very full-bodied. The undeniable smoky sweetness of the latakia with the support of Virginia bread and woody notes with a very slight citrus acidity is complemented by the very tangible fullness of the cavendish with a hint of vanilla and fortified sweet wine, which is enhanced by cinnamon, nutmeg and slightly salty white pepper - a mix of oriental and perique. There is just enough perique to make you feel the spiciness, but understand that it doesn't play the first fiddle here. On the other hand, Kentucky is completely displaced by the dominant players, and it is practically not felt, giving you only the strength. The blend tastes clearly closer to the Scottish group than to the English group. As you smoke, the smokiness of the latakia recedes a bit, allowing the Virginia and Cavendish to bring even more sweetness to the bouquet. The strength is slightly below average, but in very large pipes a nicotine hit is possible. The tobacco smokes quite quickly and warmly, but not hot, burning into a light gray dusty ash. There is literally a drop or two of moisture left. The aftertaste is sweetish-winey and smoky, with a slight astringent tinge of nut skins.

The smoke from the tobacco has a sweet-smoky smell, quite stoic in the room, but pleasant.

Bottom line: a luxurious dessert blend for latakia lovers. I don't even know what the drawbacks are to it - well, except that it dries out and smokes quickly. I need it more.

P.S. If you'll have a chance to get 'old' version with Syrian latakia - grab it all cost.

Pipe Used: Peterson 106, SH, POTY 2017

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Online

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darwin (5)	2021-10-24		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

Holly Latakia ! What have I just smoked? This is the best I've tried! Why do you need Aromatic tobaccos when there is such a thing ?! Ashton never ceases to amaze me. The taste does not leave me . This is the one that you cannot regret.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2021-05-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I tried this lineup because of the cigars. When I was first trying to get away from cigarettes, one of my good friends introduced me to the world of cigars. Among the first few I ever tried was the Ashton Connecticut Churchill which still remains as a go to when I don't know what to pick. So when I saw that Ashton also made pipe tobacco, I knew I had to try some. Originally this blend was mixed with Syrian Latakia, but because of lack of supply it now currently uses Cyprian Latakia.

The tin is really interesting, and dare I say alluring. When you open the tin you will see a nice dark tobacco ribbon. The smell is semi-reminiscent of Nightcap, smokey, creamy and full Latakia, sweet bright Virginias, and herbal Orientals. The ribbon comes a little wet, so some dry time might help. It takes a light well and holds it throughout the smoke.

After the charing light this blend is wonderfully smokey. The Latakia is up front, earthy, smokey, and creamy. The Orientals are tangy, and offer a slight incense note, though nothing like the one offered in White Knight. The Virginias smooth this blend out and fill it with a pleasant sweetness. Like Nightcap this blend also contains Perique, though this blend feels less strong than the former. The Perique adds a nice spice in the nose from the retrohale.

The taste is a medium-full. The smoke coats your mouth in a lovely white smoke. The strength is a medium. Even with the Perique this makes for an any time of the day type of smoke. I like this blend and I would say that it's slightly better than Nightcap, but they are both great blends. The room note is strong and your friends might not like it. An all day English that has full flavor, and average strength

Pipe Used: Peterson Standard System XL315

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: B&M

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2020-11-03		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

The ribbon-cut mix and the perfect amount of moisture allow the pipe to be loaded immediately without drying, although I think that a few days after opening the tin for the first time, it was even better in this regard.

It ignites easily, burning well and evenly. The smoke, between creamy and silky, is fine and elegant. My inexperience makes it difficult for me to dissect the nuances of this mix but I can say that the combination of its ingredients results in a deliciously smoky and slightly buttery flavor, sometimes sweet and sometimes slightly salty. Latakia is present throughout the smoke but never overwhelming, as it is very well balanced by the other constituent tobaccos. In the retronasal exhalation the perique appeared pleasantly pinching the nostrils.

I could be smoking this mixture for a long time in the evening hours of my last pipe of the day. Only my self-diagnosed compulsive tobaccos tester syndrome means that having finished my first tin of Artisan’s Blend I didn't immediately jump into opening another one, but it won't take me long to repeat. This mix has come to me to stay

Pipe Used: Stanwell Pipe Of The Year 2011, Freehand MM,

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (149)	2020-01-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

It wants to be Nightcap. .. If the mighty Velvet Hammer hadn't been revived by Peterson, perhaps I'd be singing the praises of this blend, as it fits the same spot: an English mixture of such enormity that you can taste it even after saturating your taste buds all day long. I love Nightcap, and was on the hunt for a substitute when I thought it was gone. This would be that substitute, but given Nightcap is back, and I don't need two tobaccos to fill that niche, I will review it by comparison.

Appearance: black with flecks of brown and just a tiny bit of tan leaf. Cut is a slightly uneven ribbon, and moisture content is on the higher side.

Tin aroma: heady, full, smoky, leaf mould, spice, resin. Smokiness is the dominant feature, and it carries less of the rich, yeasty, fermented odour than many of my Dunhill favourites, including Nightcap.

Right off the match it has a rich smokey flavour, with a salty, mineral tang and subtle sweetness like black treacle. Latakia is the dominant ingredient, the smokiness is charcoal and peat rather than campfire. My tin was bought in 2018, I doubt it contains much if any of the extinct Syrian Latakia, and I'm not well enough acquainted with that leaf to pick it out of it did. Certainly the Latakia flavour here is familiar and enjoyable.

The Perique adds some pepperiness towards the end, but no sour or fruity flavours, indeed I think there's just a smidgen of the Louisiana leaf here, accentuating the peppery character of the Latakia. This blend is less sweet than Nightcap, and what sweetness there is burns off in the first half of the bowl. I don't think the Black Cavendish content is very high, as this tobacco is neither sweet nor creamy smooth.

In terms of flavour development it follows a fairly linear progression towards a charcoal smokey, black peppery crescendo. The final flavour is if anything stronger than Nightcap, but less complex, and it doesn't take such a meandering path to get there, perhaps due to a smaller content of Orientals? They don't really feature in this blend as much, I think the content is less and gets rather steam rollered by the Latakia. Overall, the lack of complexity surprised me given the longer list of constituent tobaccos: Artisans Blend has Latakia, Perique, Virginia, Black Cavendish and Kentucky. Somehow the effect is monotonous.

This tobacco can get a little harsh on the tongue, but doesn't bite as such. All the same, a bit of a nuisance in a tobacco I'll often smoke after I've smoked more than I usually would in a day. It burns easily, with low maintenance and leaves a little dottle. It delivers less nicotine than the Velvet Hammer...

So the final verdict: Nightcap wins, for me at least. It's smoother, more refined, and ultimately more complex, and that's what I want in a final, contemplative pipe before I turn in. This is a tobacco for the Latakia lovers for sure, and might be more to the tastes of those who aren't so keen on the Orientals.

Pipe Used: Briars, Meers and Calabash

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Similar Blends: It wants to be Nightcap, but it isn't....

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeDragon (42)	2019-03-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Many people were talking about this blend and, when I saw on the shelf in a tobacco shop, I immediately purchased it. Actually, I bought four tins of different tobaccos, but this one was the first that I've requested.

Upon opening, I didn't even have to put my nose close to the tobacco. I instantly felt the classical smell of Latakia, the pungent smoky, peaty smell that almost covers all other component tobaccos smell.

Lighting it up, the Latakia is there. You get that smoky, campfire, incense, almost smoked meat taste that it's so typical of the Latakia. It's there, but not overwhelming. You can feel a tint of all the other tobaccos in the background, but the Latakia takes center stage.

As you go down the bowl, the smoke becomes much more harmonized and, for me, that's where the magic begins. The Latakia is still there, but it's very tempered and, together with the other tobaccos, creates a very delicious, savoring melange that's maintained to the very bottom. In my particular case, the smoke lasted for about an hour and, in all honesty, I had the feeling that it was over too soon. That's how delicious and enjoyable is this blend.

To me, this is a tobacco blended to perfection and an exquisite, first class member of the English tobacco team. Not as strong as I'd expected, but that depends on your own taste and tolerance. It's a delicacy that I wouldn't smoke everyday, but, whenever I want to, I will always come back to it with great pleasure. Excellent tobacco for a peaceful, relaxing evening. An instant favorite, without a doubt.

Pipe Used: Straight Savinelli Capitol

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: Tobacco store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-12-18		Medium	Mild	Overwhelming	Extra Strong

My favorite tobacco is Dunhill 965, with its smoky maple sugar cased cavendish, great room note and lasting incense like aftertaste. My least favorite tobacco other than Samuel Gawith's 1792 flake, oddly enough, is also a Dunhill product, Nightcap, which has an aftertaste so foul that it is a mystery that anyone can stand it.

Well, I liked nightcap up until I stop smoking it, when that putrid rotten wood aftertaste kicks in, and this ashton blend, having been compared to nightcap, caught my attention. Alas, there is also an aftertase present in this blend, but it takes a different nature as nasty tar.

Other than Balkan Sobraine, I don't care much for Syrian Latakia, and actually prefer London Mixture over "the balkan" as it uses Cyprian latakia instead which is more in agreement with my tastes.

It was this blend that taught me the horrors of Syrian Latakia, and I don't plan on ever smoking it again. But hey, don't let me deter you if your body chemistry goes hand in hand with these tastes. It is pleasant enough while lit, but no matter how I have dried it, moistened it, or smoked it, or what pipe it was smoked in, the same nasty result occured.

Blackhouse has these same tobacco types in it, and is a really tasty blend, so it must be something mixing from the latakia used into the perique or vice versa that just does not agree with me.

Similar Blends: Nightcap.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theocharis (38)	2018-12-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

At first i didnt quite liked it. It was too strong for me and somewhat bitter in taste. I gave it a chance to age forgeting it in my cellar and after approximately one year, I tried it again. Well...it was majestic! One of my best, unforgettable bowls so far. The taste was intense, full of bitter notes, the nicotine medium to strong and the room note intoxicating for someone who loves smokey english blends. A blend that satisfies you with its fullness and richness. A must try.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: One year

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2016-09-06		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This is such a disappointment for me. I don't know if it aged badly and between my moving from France and Portugal several times something happened with the tins (I hope not as they are all well sealed). This is a four year old tin.

Bland bland taste, no specific tobacco shines, the mélange is as uninteresting as it can get. The Latakia is so weak, not strongly aromatised not as smoky as one would hope. The only interesting bits are the Turkish tobaccos... that's it.

Pipe Used: Morta

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Purchased From: Pipe-shop.net

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (69)	2016-07-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Ashton Artisan's Blend brings forth, first and foremost, the exquisite smoky qualities expected in fine latakia. The complexity builds, as one might expect, offering a wonderful meld of sweet and smoky, with a touch of spice, and a very faint plummy quality from the perique, that later progresses to a much more subdued sweetness that plays second fiddle to spicy towards the final 1/3 of the bowl. This is a great blend on its own merits(truly a champion), and yet, making the almost obligatory comparison to Nightcap, one falls into the proverbial "Beatles or Stones" dilemma in which I must confess my resounding favor for the Nightcap tamp camp...and the superior, hard hitting quality of the Rolling Stones of course. Make no mistake, this tobacco is a winner a "must try", IMHO, for any latakia lover. My best experience with this blend was in a MM General, which I regret not having discovered until I had almost finished the tin. I'd suggest finding the best bowl that brings out this blend's best, for you. I will purchase this blend again, but only to smoke as a change of pace from my dear Nightcap. Cheers!

Pipe Used: MM General and briars

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Nightcap.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2016-07-12		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

Strong stuff with dominating Latakia. Rich and full taste, cool smoke, easy lit, one relight, burns dry to grey ash. Not all day smoke, but worth to have in rotation. Recommended .

Pipe Used: Peterson standart system 314

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cigarworld.de

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incendio (45)	2015-08-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Easily one of my favorites. Easily. This is an amazing English blend. Deep and complex. Full in flavor, but not in strength. The aroma is sensational - dark smoky Latakia, with almost fruity (perhaps figs, raisins) notes pairing the dark leathery smoke. The noble Virginias and Orientals are a solid and pleasant base - certainly not a blend of cheap tobaccos hiding behind the lofty Latakia, like so many others. I hold this blend in such high regard, I seldom smoke it except in the calm evenings at home, when I can fully appreciate its evolving complexity in a medium or larger-size bowl.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2015-03-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Syrian was pretty new to me when I got this blend and it is so nice for a change of pace when it comes to the difference in Latakia. Nice sweet and herb richness with a smokiness that is not very strong. Leaves a somewhat oily texture in my mouth. It burns a little hot is the only drawback that I've found. I don't understand the spicy part in the discription. I don't doubt there is perique in this blend. The only way I can tell any spice from perique is retrohaling but I get none from this blend. And I don't really understand the comparison to Nightcap with this blend either. They are totally different blends to me. Maybe it's similiar to the Murray and sons version but I don't know because I've never had the older versions before the orlik ones. Give this blend a shot if you want a good taste of Syrian.

10/12/2017 Burns cooler in a cob. Nothing else has changed

9/23/2018 After trying a fresh tin and comparing to my nearly 4 year old tin, I notice no difference between the 2. Recently purchase a Peterson deluxe 11s. Both tins smoke well in it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Otis56 (31)	2014-12-02		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

The absolute best English pipe tobacco blend made today bar none, the Syrian Latakia is with out doubt the best money can buy, the Virginia in this mix is Also of high quality and adds a touch of sweetness that tends to work nicely with the pereque in this fine blend. Then we have some fine orientals and Turkish to spice this perfect mix up a notch. I have no idea why my fellow pipe smokers on here have a need to compare every heavy English blend to Nightcap. This is way better then Nightcap by a long shot. Nightcap is what it is. Peace

Pipe Used: Ashton bent billard

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: 4 noggins

Similar Blends: Oriental mixture.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2012-05-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I enjoyed this blend. The inclusion of Syrian Latakia and its availabiity at a close B & M is what drove me to purchase it. It is only my second experience with the Syrian leaf (Frog ATP the other) and I found it more enjoyable than the other.

The cut is crazy long strands of tobacco and it was the most moist of any tinned brand I have yet purchased. The paper insert was soaked. It dried out nice and burned surprisingly dry. It is unique amongst english blends with the inclusion of perique.

With so many blends yet to try, I will likely not jump out and buy more immediately, but with so few options outside the internet being as convenient as this one B & M I will likely buy more at some point in the future. So recommended, but not quite four stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-04-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is an excellent blend, nicely balanced and complex. The tin aroma says smoky with a (very slight , see revision) , topping of some liquor,(Cognac, as it is the same tin note as Esoterica's "Pembroke" ?). The Syrian Latakia is smoky and out front with a sweet after taste from the Virginia. The Turkish tobacco plays a back seat roll and adds body to the smoke, no bite, no heat. I don't find the Perique plays any roll. Don't bother with this blend if you don't like Latakia, but if you do, I'd put this on my must try group. Tobacco mellows a few days after opening the tin and will provide a great evening smoke. I'm buying more and will keep in my rotation

Revised Updated 12/15/2014- When you initially open a fresh tin I find there is a bitterness in the background and some harshness. But give this a few days to breath and this blend really shines. I noticed from the reviews that most don't find a topping, I do, and it's a faint Cognac that hides so wonderfully between the Perique and Syrian Latakia . It gives a perfect sweet and sour taste that Dunhill's Nightcap has only brief moments of.

I agree with reviewer " Mike-P 2010-02-21" who also seems to detect the slight topping.

I'm buying more of this.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Similar Blends: Dunhill's Nightcap with a "hidden" touch of Cognac topping.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipealicious (21)	2010-01-05		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

A very spicy latakia/oriental blend.

Opening the tin, you get a very strong smokey aroma, like a good campfire or a very smokey single malt whiskey. The ribbon cut is very dark and quite moisty. There were some dryer harder stems of tobacco which I removed from the tin.

The taste is rich and very spicy. The spicyness can be sometimes too much for me. It is also creamy and leaves a creamy coating in one's mouth. The room note is strong and is not always appreciated. It lingers long in the room after a smoke.

Smokes always dry and leaves no dottle. Produces lots of smoke.

Typical a late evening smoke. Wouldn't smoke more than 1 bowl a day of this.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2006-03-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a predominantly Matured Virginia Plug and Flake pipe smoker I rarely go outside this spectrum to try many tobaccos. However, I do from time-to-time re-visit some of the past pleasures in my 53 years of pipe smoking. Such is the case with this blend...

Back in the mid 60's I did smoke many of the full English and Oriental blends and enjoyed them very much. I had been thinking about picking-up a tin of English and decided to do so. I was prepared to shelf the tin for a few years but on a whim decided to give it a try.

Since I don't smoke these English blends often I was open to simply experiencing what this blend had to offer. After smoking this tin and enjoying what I would have normally considered a side journey for me, I was truly pleased at what this blend offered. Not a complex blend... fairly straight forward, good burn quality, white/grey ash, moisture content very nice, aroma wonderful, and taste that changed subtly throughout the smoke. I tend to taste each tobacco type particularly being a straight Virginia smoker and kept getting pleasantly surprised at this blends varying taste it afforded throughout the entire bowl.

With a maturing palate over the years and even the vague rememberances of the many years ago I smoked English mixtures/blends, I came away from this experience saying... I should like to do this again. Perhaps sooner than later. I have no intention of changing my usual diet of Virginia Plugs as my first and most enjoyed smoke but I do think this blend is worthy of those who wish to experiment with a reasonable English blend.

I do think that a few years of aging would make this blend even better and have decided to put five or six tins up for 8-10 years. The majority of this tin was smoked in a 1954 dunhill G4 tanshell OX bulldog.

UPDATE: 1/28/14 This blend I continue to enjoy...as well as other mixtures, especially those with a high content of Turkish/Oriental leaf. In fact, I enjoy straight Turkish 7-8 times a week.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2006-01-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Having started with a bridge blend then moving on to Early Morning Pipe and 965, I went in to my local shop for a tin of Nightcap. On the counter was an Ashton display with tins for sampling. A small pipefull of Artisan's caused a tin to follow me home. As of this writing I am now metering out the last of the tin until I can get back to the shop in about four days. This is the main reason any of my other tobaccos are getting smoked. A long winded way of saying, "Yeah, I like this one a lot!" I will end up buying it via the net since my local shop sells it for about $4 more a tin. Except for that fix I'm going to need in a few days. I'll have to pay full for that one. Still worth it though.

For me, Artisan smokes cool, full flavored, and burns well, down to a nice grey ash. After a start of smokey Latakia, a pleasant sweetness comes in. I've found the flavors kind of dance back and forth throughout the bowl, spiced up a little here and there by the Perique. With 965 I always seem to hit a flat spot flavor-wise somewhere mid-bowl that I have to smoke through, then the flavor picks back up again. With Artisan's Blend the dance keeps going from first note to last.

Going back to a partial bowl is no problem; the taste is just fine and takes up where you left off. I would however, not do DGT with this, unless you just really want kicked.

On that note, the first few bowls of Artisan proved to have some kick. At least for me they did. Your mileage may vary. Actually it was more of a dreamy, finding my happy place kind of experience that just flowed across me. The effect has reduced some as more bowls have been consumed, but it is still a dreamy, smiling smoke. Just go easy at first if you are coming from milder tobacs.

I just wish the tin of Ashton's Gold Rush I picked up at the same time would have been as pleasant. I find it more a fool's gold, or me the fool for buying it.

Tastes keep a changin', but for me Artisan's Blend is my current go to smoke. When everything else is being cranky, tasting off, or just being an unpleasant smoke, I can count on Artisan to remind me that smoking a pipe is supposed to be a pleasure and a sanctuary. Over the next week or so I will be trying Nightcap and may post an update after I've seen how they compare for me. For now I'll have to go sniff the last little bit of Artisan in the tin with tear in eye as I ration it out until I can get some more. It smells nice in the tin too, btw.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2005-12-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Minor update: A fellow pipester was smoking this while we were driving and I had a "revelation", LOL! This is Brebbia's #8 or #80 depending on how it is marketed. I opened a tin of #8 and lo! and behold! Same cut, same tin aroma, same packaging. Am I 100% certain? No, but I let you all consider it. Also, I know why I kept getting heartburn, the anise topping is what kept giving me heartburn. Another interesting thing I noticed is that the room note is remeniscent to the room note of the herb: "Deer Tongue". I feel so cheated.....LOL!

This is a excellent improvement over "Old Dog" or "Celebrated Sovereign", but still left this piper flat.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Mostly dark leaf, some mohogany, and an occaisional lighter leaf. Smells earthy, musty. The Syrian leaf is not the same leaf that was used recenly by Pease, C&D, or McClelland. It smells almost like Cyprian (probably is IMO).

Packing and Lighting: This comes a little moist in the tin, you should leave it open for a little while (20 mins was enough for me). The medium-width ribbons packed easily. 3-4 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Earthy, dark, rich. This is definitely a latakia dominated blend.

Mid-Bowl: The richness is still there. The latakia still dominates. The other leaves are muted, too much IMO.

Bottom of Bowl: A decent amount of strength build up, can leave pipe a little moist, PG is noticable in the the shank of your pipe too.

Overall: I was really curious to find what Bill Taylor was going to get as a replacement for his now discontinued MC blended tobacs. While this blend is better overall, I found it too bland to make it a go to blend. I love latakia laden blends, but in this blend, I found nothing particularly special to keep me coming back. There was no tendency to tongue-bite due to the richness of flavor available, though. There was a chocolate, earthy, molasses flavor from the natural tobacs in this that I found a little cloying (similar to Mississippi Mud). The Perique is low enough that it does not give me allergies (thank you!). Unfortunately, something in this blend provoked heartburn in me everytime I smoked it (PG?).It tastes "almost" like Margate, it tastes "almost" like Preludio, it tastes "almost" like Nightcap. All in all an "almost" English style blend. Not good enough for this piper. I finished my 50g. tin, but do not plan on buying anymore.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nick Prof. (27)	2023-02-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Artisan blend is one of the finest English blends, relatively strong and a Latakia-forward blend, despite its complexity as it has a variety of constituents. It’s smoky, mildly sweet, lightly creamy, and you also get peaty and earthy notes. It is consistent but not monotonous; after the top third or fourth of the bowl, i get it little more spicy, little more creamy. I would generally smoke 2 bowls of Artisan blend every second week; it’s not generally for every day smoke. It ages very well, even within a month or couple of months in the jar it makes a world of difference, so it is recommended you let it settle in the jar for a few weeks after you open the tin. A full 4 star blend, i mostly enjoy it in MM country gentleman corn cob pipe and occasionally in some briar pipes with small-to-medium in size bowl. It does not need any drying time, but occasionally I may let it settle in the air for 5-10 minutes before preparing the bowl. It burns slowly and pretty cool; it might need a small number of relights though it stays lit quite well.

Pipe Used: MM country gentleman

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 10 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PilgrimP (9)	2023-01-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Finally, after 3 years of hesitation, I opened this tin today and enjoyed my first smoke of it. Until recently I have only smoked aromatics and figured an English blend would be too strong for me. Tobacco types like Latakia/Orientals had a ring to it that made me hesitant. I'm not certain if the years it has aged has helped it or not, but, this blend has made it into my top favorites. It is not harsh, bitter, or very strong in my opinion. It smokes dry to the bottom and the taste was consistent thru to the end. I seem to taste more of a strong hint of cinnamon I assume to be the perique. I think anyone with a desire to try something outside an aromatic would be pleased. This blend has high ratings and rightfully so.

Pipe Used: Briar (SeaSmoke Pipes)

Age When Smoked: 3 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DRU-MANIC (7)	2022-12-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Wonderful blend with everything I'm looking for in a good smoke.

Tin Note: Can't Wait - As soon the tin is opened, the aroma hits me right in nostrils. I'm excited to get it packed and lit so I can start enjoying.

Pack/Light: Almost Too Easy - Given how sticky it seems in the tin at first, I'm quite surprised at how easily it packs, lights, and stays lit.

Taste: Dang! That's Good! - I just love the layers of the blend. It's so well balanced and there's little surprise notes hidden throughout the smoke. It's like a seasoned English, which I love.

Mouth Feel: Oh So Smooth - The smoke comes out super smooth and rich with flavors. No worries of bite or burn. It really is delightful.

Room Note: Bask in Glory - I absolutely love the room note and the lingering aroma. I think it's the oriental that really adds that extra layer to the smell and enhances the experience.

Overall: Great/Almost Perfect - I can't say enough good things about this blend. I enjoy it from beginning to end and the little surprises along the way just push this one right to the top. It's definitely going in my rotation and I'll be buying another tin next time I'm at the shop.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Purchased From: Local Tobacco Barn

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMcCoy (78)	2021-10-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

In my opinion this is easily one of the best English’s on the market. Although not as complexed, when Nightcap wasn’t available I was fine having this around to keep me company. I seriously have nothing but praises for this blend.

Pipe Used: Hardcastle Bent Bulldog

Age When Smoked: New to 3 years

Purchased From: Widmer’s Tobacco Shop

Similar Blends: Peterson - Nightcap.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (77)	2021-01-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

In general, I am not latakia fun. Heavy aroma of smoky tobacco often kill the most valuable thing during pipe smoking: tobacco taste. It is very similar also with this blend. After tin opening, just latakia, nothing else. During seeping, there was smooth heavy smoke with taste of smoky, earthy maybe little tangy tones. Burns well without tongue bite. Feeling from quality of tobacco was obvious, but feeling from smoking was average.

Pipe Used: Stanislaw, BPK

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lager (51)	2020-12-13		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This review is based on two versions. One tin from 2009 and the other new. The 2009 version of course had Syrian latakia in it and is a different animal. I was never much of a fan of Syrian lat and the long aging pretty much turned this blend into a smoky mess. All of the other components are lost in the latakia. Aging did not do this justice. The tin was not exposed to air and was quite moist when I opened it. The smell and the smoke were just that, smoke and nothing else. I've had this happen before with my favorite Balkan Sasieni. After two years in a jar it was a mess and the jar was sealed.

The new version of Artisans has Cyprian latakia as the Syrian latakia seems like it will be gone forever. The newer tin smell is sweet and smoky, moisture level is high requiring some dry time. On charing light I get plums from the perique. The black cav is there along with the Virginia's. The latakia is smoky, always present and is not sharp or rough. Half way to the bottom you get the Orientals, latakia and Virginia's with the perique tickling you nose on occasion. One reviewer called this a hipster blend? What the hell is a hipster? This blend is not trying to be something else just a good stout English with a little extra kick. I'll give the 09 version 2 stars as I think I ruined it. The new version 3 1/2 stars. This blend is not for wimps or hipsters. Recommended.

Lager

Pipe Used: Savs, Petersons

Age When Smoked: 11 years and new

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2020-10-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I picked up a tin a few years ago while searching for a replacement for Nightcap. I really struggled to gather my thoughts about the blend because it differed so much from Nightcap and my preconceived expectations.

The Syrian Latakia is deep, earthy, and leathery with a hint of cedar smoke. The black cavendish and Virginia leaf add a pleasant sweetness. The other Turkish leaf and perique add to the complexity as with other full-English/Scottish blends, but are not as potent as in Nightcap.

Artisans Blend is not what I thought it would be; however, in the end, I am glad it isn’t. It is a distinctive blend in its own right.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TexasLeaguer (5)	2020-10-02		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is a solid, full-flavored Lat bomb. It is smoky, woodsy, musty, and sweet. At the beginning of a bowl expect incense and dark fruit, but by the end of the bowl expect dark chocolate and peaty notes. This is a great evening blend to be enjoyed with an Islay Scotch. While I generally like English blends with a lower percentage of latakia, this one scratches the occasional itch for more latakia. It isn't my favorite, but it might be my favorite when it comes to blends which contain latakia as a star player rather than a condiment.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Punto Oro Canadian

Age When Smoked: fresh - to - 1 year

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AJS2323 (32)	2020-08-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This is a complex blend, from opening the tin you get the smokey Latakia almost immediately. This is followed by a tangy grassy sweetness! It’s very pleasant but it does overpower your nasal senses a little bit. The moisture level is a little bit up there but nothing a couple of minutes in the open cannot fix.

When lighting a good charring light is needed but after this there are no problems at all. The taste is about as complex as the smell. You get the Latakia up front quickly followed by a tangy sweetness and a mellow spice which I am guessing is from the perique.

I have noticed a lot of people comparing this to Nightcap but I don’t see the point. They are both heavy English blends and both extremely complex. I have enjoyed simply smoking this picking out the different flavours and appreciating it on its own without the need for comparison.

I would say that this is not one for people new to English blends. Well unless you want to jump in at the deep end

Pipe Used: Mt Brog olive wood and Peterson system

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My smoking shop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (51)	2020-05-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Latakia bomb! Very smoky. I’m smoking a jar that’s been sitting around for the past 5 years. It’s dry, but it’s still pretty good. It’s rounded out and less complex as it has aged and melded into a much more monotone Latakia experience. I get huge Latakia flavor, and Perique flavor and spice. Personally can not detect orientals. Every puff is the same robust flavor. I smoked only Latakia blends for about 7 years . Now I like Virginia’s , Kentucky’s and I rarely smoke Latakia anymore. This is on par with nightcap and the fog Morton original. If your a Latakia lover you can’t go wrong here.

Also I’ll note how nice the Syrian Latakia is compared to the common Cyprian. It’s deeper and carries that Latakia bass note. Soft, round and extremely smoky.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Indianapolis (49)	2019-12-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow! A new blend to me, but what a treat. English in style, but a very balanced smoke.

I got a tin of this, smoked it fresh, and was reasonably impressed. Latakia-forward with a little spice from some perique, it had a hearty campfire vibe for me fresh from the tin. BUT, after just a few months in a jar, this has become one of my favorite smokes ever. As it dries out a bit, its smoking cooler than nearly any other blend in my cellar, the latakia has mellowed, and a real natural sweetness has developed. After seeing the development from just a few months, I've immediately ordered a ton more and cellared it, and I can't wait to learn how this develops and matures.

Basic takeaway: Let this dry out after opening the tin. It smokes hot and is a little biting when wet, but with just a reasonable period for drying it smokes crazy cool and pleasant. The latakia mellows fast, and give it a month to develop the sweetness. Edited: With a few more months, that sweetness grows and grows. Wow. The perique is really just a condiment now, barely noticable.

If you're looking for a medium-latakia with natural sweetness, look no further.

Oh, I've smoked this with a range of pipes, but probably my favorite fit is a large Nording freehand. It's a naturally cool smoker, and really accentuates the slow cool burn of this tobacco. But, frankly, I've enjoyed it in small hot little clays also, so its just a matter of taste....

UPDATE: After jarring this for a while and coming back, I can definitely taste the cavendish influence. It's not as strong as in Northwoods, but definitely has a notable and semi-sweet cavendish flavor. If you hate that cavendish vibe, I'd steer clear. Personally, I enjoy it in moderation, and I continue to love this blend.

Pipe Used: Briars, Clays, and a Meerchaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh to a year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarBoyo (5)	2019-12-06		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I personally consider this to be a true British Aristocrats Blend. I bought a tin while in London and was gasping for a pipe so I smoked it straight out the tin. I like my tobaccos moist and I'm often laughed at for smoking Samuel Gawith straight out the tin too!

My tastebuds were massaged with wonderful silken smoke of oak and cedar tones which played a part in seeming to "cool" my tongue. The small amount of Perique tickles slightly like a mild chilli pepper. The star of the blend is the Cavendish! The unsweetened Cavendish provides a rich bitter sweet caramel taste to compliment the smokey Latakia.

I generally stay away from Cavendish as it's often too bitey for me (most probably due to my preference of moist tobacco I guess). This blend however is a joy to lunt with and a indulgence to sit and sip after dinner as "dessert".

Pipe Used: Jambo Meerschaum, BBB "Own Make"

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: James J Foxes, London.

Similar Blends: Dunhill Aperitif , Charatan Four Leaf.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cam91 (23)	2019-11-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A great smoke. Nothing groundbreaking. Not as strong taste-wise as i would prefer but what it has it does well. Mostly delicate yet sharp sweetness. A backdrop of rich smoked-meat flavor that unfortunately isn't always noticable. I can't taste the perique. No chance of bite. A great smoke, but there are blends out there that do what this does better (quiet nights and odyssey.)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ric J (1)	2019-11-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

WOW! Great English blend. The Latakia popped as soon as I cracked the tin. It reminded me of Nightcap, but it is NOT! The body was a lot lighter. The mix of the Orientals and Black Cavendish made it somewhat sweeter. I feel the Virginias were more of a filler but still detectable. The small amount of peppery Perique can be felt slightly on the retro. Really liked this blend after the first tin, so I purchased more. If you like a great English blend, I would definitely recommend this one!!

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local B&M, Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Nightcap (kind of).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CloudbaseJim (4)	2019-05-11		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Nothing special.... I wanted this to be everything I have searched for but instead it disappointed. There are many better English blends about. It is perfect moisture from the tin but burns hot and could bite.

Pipe Used: Peterson's Briar

Age When Smoked: new

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ASmithee (20)	2019-02-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Since the demise of the cherished Dunhill line, I decided to try Artisan's as a potential Nightcap replacement. On that front, there's no comparison. I just don't get the same complexity and richness that I get with Nightcap. To me, Artisan's resembles the Frog Morton - Frog on a Log blend. Overall its a nice English blend but nothing memorable.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lower Alabama Piper (15)	2019-01-07		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got an email that had this brand on sale so I made a 2 tin purchase, after smoking three bowls, I enjoyed it so much the same day I was going to place another order and it was sold out, that's how much I enjoyed. I didn't know I enjoyed Latakia English blend tobacco. Latakia is the first thing you'll notice in the flavor, there is about halfway through the bowl you start noticing the nuttiness and a touch of sweetness not very much sweet just touch. I enjoyed this tobacco with both a cup of black coffee or with some Canadian mist with a splash of water. If you enjoy GL Pease Abingdon or other similar tobacco's to that, I think you're going to really like this one just to me it's a little bit better.

Pipe Used: Country Gentleman Cob

Age When Smoked: New Tin

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: GL Pease Abingdon.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aliaksei (3)	2018-08-04		Medium	Very Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

I have been smoking this for years and I tried many Latakia mixtures in the meantime, but this one remains my favorite. The combination of sweet and spicy seems just perfect. I don't think I bought any blend more often than this one. When it comes to Artisan's Blend, I tend to want to make a stash.

Pipe Used: Peterson Killarney 150, Fishtail

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rofereox (7)	2018-07-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I'd been looking forward to cracking open a tin of this for quite some time. As Someone who absolutely loves the smell of Cyprian Latakia, I thought I'd give the OG Syrian a try. I was impressed but not in an OMG My mouth is having an orgasm kind of way. The latakia in this is more subtle, complex, and requires a little bit of time to really enjoy.

The smoke is silky smooth, straight out of the tin, I formed a wedge and stuffed it in the pipe, burned down to ash leaving nothing behind. I wouldn't liken this with nightcap AT ALL. Those nightcap-resembling tobaccos are more like EMP,Old Dublin, and other blends that use Cyprian latakia. Even the tin note of this is less in your face than those aforementioned tobaccos.

First impressions: I wasn't blown away by any means, however, I'll be savouring this tin over the course of the year to see how well it ages.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Tandem 920 (CW Stem)

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: CGars UK

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-08-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This one is unique. Its the one that i reach for when i have the desire for Syrian. To me, Syrian Latakia is a very different animal than Cyprian. I enjoy both, but the Syrian has a precious character that i find hard to describe. It seems far more delicate and fragrant than Cyprian, which carries a heavier woody and saturated smoke scent and body. The Syrian is pungent. It truly carries this blend along. I cant distinguish many of tge other players except to say that this smoke has a complexity and depth that is certainly the product of inspired blending. Its cool, lush, and fragrant. Very, bery different from the English genre as i know it. This blend is in a class all its own. Try it if you enjoy Latakia or unique experiences. This reminds me in a way of Presbyterian mixture...not that they taste alike, but in the sense that in both i get an overall fragrant character, and cannot distinctly taste the constituent tobaccos so much as appreciate the masterful blending that create a complete experience.

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New to several years

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com, smokers haven, virgil avenue tobacconists

Similar Blends: Presbyterian mixture.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Sunday Evening Pipe Smoker (54)	2017-01-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The comparisons between this and Nightcap are frequent. My assessment? If Vitamin N is your priority, you'll want to go with Nightcap, but if flavour is your focus, then go with Ashton's Artisan Blend, hands down.

The aroma is what you'd expect from a latakia blend; campfire notes. The taste is similarly smoky, but it has a subtle underlying sweetness that is there, as well as subtle spicy notes -- not spicy as in peppery mind you, more the unique flavours that I assume are imparted by the Orientals. Quite nice.

As you work your way down through the bowl, the perique gradually shows up, but as one who isn't a big fan of perique, I can attest that it was perfectly mild, adding just a little extra interest but without any overpowering peppery notes.

This seems to me like a good blend for an evening smoke, especially fitting for late summer or early fall evenings when there is a bit of cool in the air.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stu (14)	2016-01-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

This is a really classy English blend. By that I mean that it doesn't have a gimmick. It's complex and elegant in its mix of aromas and flavors. All the tobaccos are of superior quality in flavor and the ribbons provided are perfect. The Latakia pops upon lighting, and then tucks itself away for the rest of the bowl. The Virginia and Perique provide backbone but only appear clearly in flourishes now and again, as wafts of black tea and herbs. The major player is the Turkish, with its nutty almost incense like character, bolstered in the right way by the Latakia. The end of the bowl becomes very rich, taking on the character of smoke-cured meat. What makes this blend so great is that the Orientals never become overwhelming, there's just the right amount of balance, making for a very smooth and satisfying smoke, best enjoyed in a relaxed state. I did find that it smoked best in a wide bowl, puffed gently.

Pipe Used: Dr Grabow Freehand

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Dunhill 965, HH Vintage Syrian.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lyle (32)	2015-12-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The cut of this blend is a fine ribbon, somewhat like a Dunhill ribbon. This makes it very easy to load a pipe as loose or tight as you like. I got my best results using the "air pocket" method.

I don't claim to discern Cyprian from Syrian Latakia, but this blend does have a smokiness that is unlike Penzance or Nightcap. Maybe it's the Syrian Latakia, maybe it's the blend proportions, maybe it was the age of the tin (seven years), or maybe it's just the power of suggestion. Whatever the case, it's unique and quite tasty.

Pipe Used: Butz Choquin pot, Monstrosity Corker

Age When Smoked: Seven years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2015-09-17		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm with Suzanna Hoffs on this one. Artisan's Blend is disappointing to me. I am almost sure there are absolutely no orientals in this mixture. As for the Périque, I can't say there is any either. K & K's website seems to confirm this as it describes AB as containing Latakia, Virginias, DFK Kentucky (undoubtedly to support the lack of latakia), périque (never detected any) and Black Cavendish. While unsweetened, the Cavendish is a dominant component in this so called "full" mixture, just as with Rattray's Account Mixture. It spoils the tobacco's potential by making it rather uninteresting as I go. The Latakia is there but it's not a major player. And it's not Syrian either. I suspect it's the Kentucky that actually provides some kind of spiciness vs the typical smokiness of the Latakia, which tells me it's extremely sparse. If it wasn't for the Kentucky, this would not only be bland, but very weak in strenght! The Virginias are decent but nothing to rave about. I will certainly finish the tin as well as the other one I bought. When done, I will not buy again; there are much better full English mixtures (with much more Latakia) than this one currently available. Yes, disappointing. K & K seems to remediate to Black cavendish more and more instead of Latakia in their "Full English" mixtures.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeyM (11)	2015-05-20		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is it, the one to rule them all. Thought I had some favourites (Nightcap, Aperitif), but this one brings the english special smoky tatste combined with sweetness.

Got this one by accident... Can you imagine. Ordered a different one, got this. Opened it, smelled it, filled the bowl, and then some.

I am going to order more tins to cellar. Will get back with update. Hardly think rating will go down, 5 stars!

Pipe Used: Peterson Donegal Rocky

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Little like nightcap, slight cognac topping like mentioned.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2015-01-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This is a very nice smoke. Has a sight salty/sour background taste, which distinguishes it from other English blends. The tobaccos appear to be good quality. In terms of strength, I don't find this to be strong, perhaps similar to Dunhill's EMP. Overall, this is a high quality English, with the subtle attractiveness perhaps created by the use of Syrian Latakia rather than the more common Cyprian. A good all day smoke, and some smokers might find it attractive for the underlying sour note. Personally I prefer this to the Dunhill blends, and it smokes easier (and is easier to handle) than the Pease blends. This is certainly the English I prefer above most others I've tried.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	balkan_boy (49)	2014-11-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This one is so hard to review, as at is easy to enjoy. A highest quality English blend. It's aroma resembles a bit like Penzance, maybe that's why I liked it so much. Full and creamy smoke. I guess there's Syrian Latakia in it, noble, subtle but powerful presence. Contemplative smoke, perfectly balanced, flavors are married and seamlessly blended. In my opinion, it's an evening smoke, but it can be smoked all day also. A superb blend. I always thought that would be a smoke with tangy wine note. Maybe because of the tin colour. I was surprised how good this stuff is.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2014-03-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Tolerable to Strong

Definitely one of the better blends from Kohlhase & Kopp. Loaded with flavour and some nice texture as well, starts off with a touch of sweetness with some spice and a creamy mouth-feel. Then becomes deeper and fuller, the sweetness drops off completely becoming savoury and richer.

Moisture level from my tin was just right, not too wet. Very easy to pack, light and combusts very well, nice and cool all the way down to a fine powdery ash.

I recommend to combust the entire tin within 4 days or share it all with some friends. Even when transferred to a mason jar and kept in cool dark place it faded rather quickly, more-so than others. Many tins improve with some oxidisation, not this one.

Overall a very rewarding bowl albeit not for everyone, there's a lot going on here and not something to be smoked back-to-back, and I would recommend it as the last bowl of the evening, even after a cigar or two.

Further to that, this blend is closer to the lamented Dunhill Nightcap (Murray's version, not the original Duke Street version) than the current incarnation from Denmark which misses the mark significantly I would hazard, completely. This is not a Nightcap clone nor is it a replacement; however, about halfway down the briar a late-night Latakia fog manifests and it's a rather pleasant ghost . . . until next our next evening my friend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2014-01-30		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very nice middle of the road blend nicotine wise. Ashton really has put together a very good English blend here. All the components come together very nicely without any one of them really taking too much of a leading role. The moisture level right out of the tin in near perfect. It lights and stays lit well and burns to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. Very recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cheapsk8 (6)	2014-01-28		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

My goodness. "The Macallen" of Tobacco.

This is my top shelf tobacco. It is my "today is a special day, I'm going to smoke something truly amazing" baccy. It is smooth, creamy and well balanced. Never boring. Definately not to be smoked next to my wife. I found that after a cpl of months after I first opened it, it seems to get better everytime I dip into it. And it is so good I hold it in reverence and refuse to smoke it every day least I get bored of it. The other time I will whip this out is if I have been smoking english blends all day and want another pipe but need something to top everything else that day.

If you have not tried this, and you are an english/lat fan...you have too. Even if it doesn't do it for you, it is a benchmark point of reference you should have experienced at least once.

ADDED 13 MONTHS LATER. This has been added to my fav list. The creaminess of the smoke is sublime. My original analogy to Macallen Scotch is spot on. I love my Mac's 15 year, and this is the only baccy I will smoke with it. When I have had a truly bad day and I need something to turn my mood around....this is it. Like a good scotch it is strong, multifaceted and it takes several bottles (uhh, tins) to start to fully unlock all it's mysteries. The spicey/smokey/creamy/sweetness fade in and out of each other....while at the same time overlap and compliment each other. I would never do this baccy the disservice of smoking while in the midst of doing something else that requires too much of my attention. It would be like gulping a well aged scotch or Cognac, a crime punishable by caning. I find that i does require a month or more after air exposure to bring out the best. I transfer to a jar upon opening and try to be patient......

Pipe Used: Pete 303, Stanwell 103&199

Purchased From: 4Noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2013-12-24		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This tobacco is everything it says it is. The only issue I have is that it is a bit too moist out of the tin. I should have let it dry out for at least 2 days before enjoying it. But I was impatient because it smelled so nice, so full of promise, so I smoked it immediately. The first part of the bowl smoked excellently. It was everything I would want in a tobacco. Great flavor, great smoke and absolutely no bite. It's an excellent tobacco. About 15 minutes in it started to gurgle and die out. I had to relight several times from then on and I ended up with mild tongue bite caused by heat of constantly relighting. I attributed the gurgle to the pipe I used. It has a small bowl and possibly a narrow draw hole. I decided to leave a few pinches of this in my travel pouch overnight and smoke more the following morning in my largest-bowled pipe. For some reason it required even more relighting and left me with more heat tongue bite. I can see why their ad says recommended for experienced smokers (I've only been at it for just under 5 yrs). I recommend you exercise patience and let it dry out, and surely you'll get the best out of it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	haredawg (47)	2013-04-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I could have sworn I wrote a review for this. Seven months ago I loaded my Jeep with what I loved best, except my dogs who I left with my soon to be ex who I loved least. Turns out I carried so clothes, some photos, and my humidors and pipes and cellared tobacco. I came back here because I received a gift certificate for my birthday and wanted to see what y'all gave four stars to. I couldn't find my review of Artisans Blend. I dug through my movable cellar. Unopened, in a sharpie my own writing 4-15-2009. Yeah. I cracked it open. No, I don't normally have the patience for four years of cellaring (and god knows how old it was when I got it). If you do, I suggest you do that with artisans blend. I can't tell you what a new tin tastes like, but this one is mellow, sweet, complex, and the further down the bowl the mellower and more complicated it gets. I can't even describe how sweet even gets in the dark musky old whiskey and wood flavor, but it does. If any English or Balkan blend could do this I'd never touch a VA/PER again. If I had cellared twenty tins, I'd be auctioning off my humidors and aged cigars.

I'm going to get a new tin and see how it compares, then I'll either update this review or I won't. Four stars isn't near good enough to rate this, but four stars is as high as you'll let me go.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-03-27		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I also disagree with the blurb on the front of the tin stating "for the experienced pipe smoker." People new to latakia blends shouldn't be afraid to try this one. Smooth, sweet, smoky, ignites easily and smokes cool. Great stuff.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Andz (4)	2012-11-08		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Normally, I tend towards aromatics, so I hope English blend officionados will forgive my lack of knowledge, but have recently been drawn to English blends, (after all we can't eat pudding all day,) and chose this one on the strength of encouraging reviews on this site.

50g arrives in a good quality, round tin, which appears to be fully airtight, with ghastly UK health warning sticker easily and immediately removed.

The tobacco is dark and appealing, in ribbons, not dry nor wet, and is IMHO perfect smoking straight out of the tin. Tin note is rich and intoxicating, spicy, and - though I confess I do not have the most sensitive pallet in the world - gave me licorice and pine nuts and, as with all quality mixtures, the sense that I would have to live with this one to find those scents that lurked beneath the first impression.

I loaded my first bowl into a medium/large Hardcastle Special Deluxe #4 Rhodesian, which seemed right, and I tend to reserve for English blends. The false light gave me plenty of rich smoke and flavour, and I probably could have got away with a single match. However I tamped down fairly hard and re-lit. The tobacco burns readily and evenly, but incredibly coolly. I tend to puff away a little over-excitedly when first trying a new tobacco, and the bowl never heated beyond warm to the hand. Amazing! The tastes were full on, giving me bitter sweet, more licorice, though it is quite subtle, (which I particularly enjoyed,) spices, delicate pinewood and sweet leather, reminding me at times of the smell of a good stout as it is raised to the lips. I tend to inhale through the nose as I go, and smelled pine again. Decent hit of nicotine without detracting from the experience which I find strong tobaccos can. I was expecting cigar tones in the second half, (which I don't like much,) but gladly none came. The flavours and scents remained unusually consistent, never deteriorating, though a more tuned nose than my poor old thing would, I am sure, detect some development. This fact however is a plus for this blend. I quite frequently find myself preferring the first half of a bowl to the second, and regularly finding unburned tobacco in the bottom when I clean my pipes. Without even thinking about it, I reached the bottom of the bowl. I found the blend burned a little wet, but not annoyingly so, and nothing a quick prod with a cleaner couldn't fix.

Two reasons this blend does not get 4 stars - I personally prefer sweeter tobaccos. And, for me (and my family,) the room note is of leather and wood and not much else. 3.5 is about right... If only we had a rating system out of 10. However, I get the feeling I will be fitting this blend into my regular rotation. Perfect any time smoke, as long as it's not at the dinner table! Recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2012-10-06		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

I gotta admit I wasn't very interested in Artisan Blend for the first half of the tin. I tried several bowls while fishing this spring and just wasn't feeling it so I shoved it in my "open tin" lockbox. Maybe I wasn't giving it the attention it deserves? Months go by and when I finally got back to this blend I was able to appreciate it anew.

The Syrian Lat has that special smell that is unmistakeable. When smoked, it is smooth and stimulating on the senses, but will sure put a hurtin' on the palate if smoked too hard or too often. It has enough Lady N punch to demand respect and gentle sipping. Very satisfying! For those who enjoy rich, complex blends...here you go.

After some reflection I have reconfirmed my position that pipe blends are very much influenced by their environments and quality of the company kept while puffing. Fishing alone on a toasty spring day would NOT be recommended for such a dynamic ditty. Artisan's Blend wants your time to itself without distractions, like a needy girlfriend. It has the potential to be a lifelong acquaintance and is therefore recommended for all serious connoisseurs of pipe tobacco.

Update: 4/24/16 I don't know what to add that hasn't been said over and over. My experience this time around was that forgot I had an old tin buried deep in my Dunhill pile. Age was kind to it. Over four years! It is WAY richer and more charismatic than I remember. Just, Wow! The Syrian is a late to the initial profile. It's the Orientals that take the lead and leave such a refined aftertaste at first. There is so much going on that can be summed up with a "go and see for yourself". In the later half the Syrian steps to the front and the Orientals add seasoning. So many twist and turns all demanding attention. I can't believe I didn't enjoy this sooner! I agree that it is real special and destined to be a classic. Nightcap? Quiet Nights? Irishmans 5 O'clock? Maybe a little better. I don't think it'll be one I'd smoke many bowls of because it is so rich.

Pipe Used: Pots

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Purchased From: SG Roi, Omaha

Similar Blends: Irishmans five o'clock but more Syrian, Nightcap-ish in fullness, Quiet Nights in caliber.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-08-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Loaded my Peterson system 302 bent with this tobacco from a tin I have just acquired in a busiess trip to Liverpool. out of the tin, smell is prettgood, the traditional campfire latakia is fully there. lots of dark leaf in it... Charring light puts latakia in the full front and this continues steadily adding a stronger spicy characteristic as the bowl runs down. Pretty damn good stuff here. I only thik personally that adding a bit more of Virginias to the mix would give it a bit more sweetness, the latakia predominates here and so it tends to get monotone sometimes... Don't get me wrong here, i love latakia full blends but I guess his would benefit from just two pinches more of VAs...

Updated october 15th 2011

This is an awesome english blend.... It evolved from the last time imreviewed it, maybe due to some oxygenation... Full rich delicious taste of latakia and orientals with virginias.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2011-03-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

A full-flavored yet immensely refined English blend. This is MY kind of blend. I have not a single thing to post in the negative on Artisan's Blend. When I get an urge for the classic Dunhill 965 I smoke C&D Tuggle Hall or this - different they are but conceived from the same base idea recipe wise, including the perique (drool, I love perique).

Ashton and Kohlhase & Kopp nailed this blend. The Syrian is a delight, the Virginia I suspect are high grade African (which I like), the Oriental formulation, perfection. I would not change or adjust a single thing in it.

Heady stuff. I am posting a short review because describing it here has made me want to load some up right now and head into my "wife-designated smoking area" and enjoy some as a nightcap.

Good show. A solid 4 Stars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-01-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This was the very first Latakia blend I smoked. After smoking mostly VAs, VA/Pers, VA/Burs, etc., I almost went into shock upon sniffing the tin. I remember that aroma from thirty years ago when I sniffed some from a jar at a local Tinderbox...a dry smoky smell. I just knew I wouldn't like it because the aroma didn't smell as good as the "Cherry Bomb" I purchased.

I've since come to like Latakia in a blend if it is not overwhelmingly apportioned. I thought this blend was a Latakia Bomb. Too much of it for my "delicate" palate. I enjoyed the flavor pretty good and thought this reached its peak when the salty flavor came through but it is very slight & subtle. There is much to like about this blend & I found it similar to Dunhill's Nightcap. A good English but did not make my top twenty. Therefore, IMHO, Artisan's Blend merits three stars. Sampled in a Dunhill 2S Shell Briar.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Piper@thegates (20)	2011-01-06		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Glorious ! I'd somehow managed to let my supply of Artisans dwindle during the past months while I was getting carried away trying other blends, usually the more English oriental blends. What a relief to find a tin of this in the post courtesy of a friend in Germany. Theres not much I can add that hasnt already been said except that this blend has to be one of the most under rated English blends out there and deserves far more recognition than it gets.

Some pipers may find the Latakia a little over powering in Artisans which I think can sometimes render the inclusion of the more subtle Perique as a touch unnecessary. having said that, after a few pipes of Artisans I tend to notice that the Perique makes its presence felt a little more with each bowl and the overall impression of this blend is one of a very fine well balanced, full bodied English blend.

This last tin I found to be a little on the dry side in the tin and compared to the likes of Old Dublin for example, a little rough around the edges.Still, highly rated and highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2010-12-18		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

Move over Squadron Leader - I have a new favourite English blend!

This is the first time I have had an English with Perique included and I love what the addition of this tobac seems to do in terms of adding extra spice and sourness to the 'treble range' of the blend.

What a shame that some genius decided to exclude Nightcap from the recent 'repatriation' of Dunhill blends to the UK. I never got the chance to smoke it, but if what folks are saying below is true (i.e. that it was in a similar ballpark to Artisan's Blend, yet even more full-bodied), then I think I am going to have to get me a tin from somewhere.

In the meantime, I am more than happy with this delicious weed. A rich, full, complex and satisfying English blend for lovers of the same, with sufficient vitamin N to make it a perfect evening smoke.

Full marks from me. I am ordering more.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smokey45 (16)	2010-03-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Seeing that I live in the southwestern United States, there is NO way I'm about to call this tobacco spicy. However, it is indeed a very good English blend, but I don't find its flavor as full and as rich as G L Pease's Westminster, which to me, was a fuller and much creamier English blend.

This tobacco lights easily, and stays lit, which is always a nice plus for any tobacco. It is a particularly good selection to smoke in a meerschaum pipe, and can be enjoyed anytime of day.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipe_organist (14)	2009-07-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

My local tobacconist had just received tins of this blend (it was new to him) the day I walked into the shop, on the hunt for a suitable replacement for the Sasieni Balkan that I'd nearly finished off.

I know that there are sources for some truly fine Balkan blends on the Internet, but with the economy the way it is, I think it's imperative to support the local "brick and mortar" store if they've got something worth buying. This is certainly it!

Although this is an English blend by definition, and lacks the requisite Orientals to make it a true Balkan, it is nonetheless a full-bodied, lusty smoke. In the tin it smells strongly of licorice. It is a nice thin ribbon cut, comes out of the tin with decent moisture content. It will probably work well dried out a bit, as it did fight staying lit about half way through the bowl. It had all of the typical tokens of a good, stout English blend with the tastes of smoky, spicy sweetness and hints of licorice. It did bite a bit at the end, but probably more because I was relighting and am a fast puffer.

As the description on the lid states, it is crafted for the experienced smoker. I will certainly continue snapping tins of this up as my standard English blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	goextremenator (1)	2009-06-11		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not being an experienced smoker ( smoked my first pipe 13 yrs ago )I have to say Artisan's is a winner. Tipically English in flavour, still tolerable by non-smoking friends. Its burning is slow and not too hot.I pack a bowl and it takes 2-3 hours till I empty the bowl, /no relighting/ meanwhile smoking having a chat with my wife or other people they usually find the room note pleasant - even my daughters. I pack my pipe with it in those evenings when I have the time for sitting outside the terrace and thinking about the pleasures of Life, or sharing thoughts with those whom I love. One of those pleasures I mentioned is Ashton Artisan's Blend....

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (125)	2023-02-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Thanks to a fellow piper I was able to try two bowls of the older version using Syrian Latakia, and that version would have surely earned a solid three stars, possibly even four stars, from me. This version (my tin is dated 23 Sept. 2021) is, to my taste, not as good. I don’t think you can just substitute one kind of distinct Latakia for another without making other adjustments to the blend. Maybe they did, but not quite enough to my taste. To compensate for the spicy and vibrant Syrian I would think more or different Turkish varietals should be used, possibly even a bit of red Virginia to enliven the mid-palate. I’ve now tried it in numerous pipes, and while each emphasize a slightly different set of nuances, the end result is that I usually regret having spent time with this instead of enjoying something I like better.

First off, in either version, I just don’t see the comparisons to Nightcap, other than they are both clearly in the after-dinner style of smoke. Given the low amount of Virginia I don’t expect this will improve with age. My biggest complaint is the lack of sufficient sweet Virginia to counterbalance the heavy Latakia and earthy/bitter dark-fired used here. In fact, I tried a tweak using Sutliff 707 Virginia and that made it more palatable to my taste, but it is difficult to overcome the amount of bitterness and smoked peat in this blend without completely changing the flavor profile.

But that’s not the whole story. So far it sounds like I’m writing a two star review, but I’m giving a provisional three stars. As I mentioned, I tried a variety of pipes (as I always do) and in one pipe I found significantly more enjoyment: an oiled cured Ferndown. This pipe tends to soften and slightly sweeten just about any blend I put in it (only English/Balkan blends). So, should I, or anybody else, rate a blend based on performance in one single pipe? I could go either way on that question, but in the end I couldn’t deny that I derived a solid 3-3.5 stars enjoyment in this pipe. In this pipe it stars out at three stars and gets better by bowl’s end, sipping slower and slower in order to make the bowl last as long as possible. In my dry-cured briars, and meers, this blend only gets two stars, always with an unpleasant acrid edge at the beginning, though even in those the blend seems to show better by the end of the bowl.

If you follow a favored reviewer here who has given high praise for this blend then go ahead and give it a try. Just be sure the review is for the newly reconfigured blend. If you’re not sure I recommend you spend your money on something else, and hope to mooch off somebody giving away the rest of their Artisan Blend, which is what I’ll be doing (the giving away, not the mooching, that is!).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (430)	2023-02-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of very smoky, mildly sour and mildly sweet. Tobacco is black and dark brown ribbon cut with a little light brown mixed in. Moisture content is ok, though some pipers may want to dry it a bit. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of floral, smoky, woody, lemon peel/zest, soda, herbal, incense, earthy, leather, musty vegetation, spices, mild bread, mildly dry, tangy citrus, mildly savory, a fermented sour dark fruit background note, and a mildly peppery and smooth retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Perique is supporting from the rear. Cavendish didn't show up at all. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 1988 Castello Collection Great Line

Age When Smoked: 6 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaPiper (35)	2023-01-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A balanced English blend with a natural sweetness and hints of spice. It has plenty of flavor and a pleasant to tolerable room note. Very smooth smoking tobacco. The presenation was excellent in the tin, the moisture level was spot on. You can tell this was blended with great care and attention to detail to get such a great flavor. Highly recommend this Ashton English Blend. The Blend with Perique and Latakia in combination with the Orientals is so well done, they compliment each other like fine food, seasoned by a highly skilled chef.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: NA

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dave A (22)	2022-11-15		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Up until today my favorite English has been Margate but it just got replaced by Artisans Blend. Don't get me wrong, still love Margate but in a word Artisans is just more. I assume it's the addition of black Cavendish and perique but it is a fuller smoke with a little more flavor. This is well blended high quality tobacco. It is a savory, smokey bowl that is full bodied with lots of flavor. I would say that Margate might make a better all day smoke, but if you want an English blend that puts it all out there, Artisans Blend is the way to go. I highly recommend this one.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Laguna

Age When Smoked: 7 years

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-07-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Though this is a Latakia forward tobacco, I wouldn’t consider a Latakia bomb. There’s obviously been some thought involved in blending this. I like English blends but I could do with a tad less Latakia and a little more Virginia so I gave it a 3 , but if you really love Latakia it’s a 4 . It smokes cool and slow with little moisture in the bowl which can happen with oily Oriental tobaccos and the nic hit is at the medium range. As with their cigars, the Ashton name has associated itself with another quality tobacco with Artisan’s Blend.

Purchased From: Smokers Discount World in Windham Ct

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (126)	2022-05-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Tin note Latakia spicy Turkish, Orientals, and a touch of sweetness. My tin was well aged 2018. Defiantly a full English blend. Lots of deep rich smoke. Pick your favorite Latakia pipe for this. I am sure it will ghost. In the beginning of the bowl. Full Latakia. I am thinking from the vintage this could be Syrian. The Black Cavendish, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, and Virginia are second players in this blend and add a nice balance as you work through the bowl. I can only guess the slight sweetness comes from the VA because there are no toppings on this blend. The perique and the Kentucky sneak out at the halfway point. But the blend stays balanced. I would consider this a Latakia bomb so be forewarned if you like Latakia. This is a really great blend, doesn't bite but the perique give a tingle at the mid point of the bowl. Nic hit is medium to strong. I would suggest a drink with it as well, pick your favorite libation sit back and enjoy outside.

Pipe Used: Comoy

Age When Smoked: 4-5 years

Purchased From: friend

Similar Blends: Full Latakia Wilke blends Very good.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Old Man (19)	2022-04-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Intense, old school Latakia tin note promises a full-flavored, cool English smoke.

A little sweetness noted from the black Cavendish but I couldn't detect the Orientals or the Perique. It smokes very cool and actually, it's a pretty mild smoke with no noticeable nicotine hit. My tin came pretty damp and it needed plenty of drying time (the mixture was still a bit too damp after sitting open for 5 hours).

This is not a complex smoke by any means - expect monotone, but mouth-watering Latakia notes with just a bit of Virginia.

This blend, like most, benefits from ashing to keep the smoke cool and fresh. Due to the very prominent Latakia content, there's a lovely sweetish Latakia aftertaste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2021-11-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

Ashton Artisan’s Blend -This is a full flavored heavy Latakia blend .I probably would have skipped on this earlier in my pipe smoking journey or dismissed it as a lat bomb but I am coming around . It is very smoky and spicy and a little creamy at times . I like the orientals and there is some sweetness to it . Starts out mellow with the savory orientals but gets stronger and smokier as you go down the bowl . Just enough sweetness that stays throughout the bowl . Even though it’s a lat bomb you can taste the orientals and Virginias in almost every puff . The Perique only occasionally shows up . I don’t think I pick up the cavendish ? The cut is shag like and burns faster than most blends . Well blended and i enjoy it . 3

Age When Smoked: 5 yrs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Horia (5)	2021-05-02		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

In my humble opinion, this is an excellent smoke. This tobacco is straightforward, raw and rough in a refined and rational kind of way. Very masculine, in a good sense. Lucid. It is for any hour when the mood is strong, be it morning, afternoon or late in the night. Some nicotine high. Check out the other reviewers for aromas and type of tobacco etc, I am not the right guy for that, I care more about the emotional aspect of pipe smoking. This one makes me feel , like I’m on the right track. Highly recommended. I read that some find this tobacco too mild and not english enough, but I can not comment on that, as I haven’t tried enough. Bottom line: very good tobacco to me.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Korsukujan Keisari (4)	2020-10-11		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

At first I didn´t get the "hype" around this tobacco. Maybe due reason that I´m new pipe smoker and I was breaking in brand spanking new pipe so I couldn´t get all the nuances out of this great English blend but now that I have smoked multiple bowls and pipe breaking is done I really start tasting that campfire like taste of latakia, sweetness, and spiciness from Turkish tobacco. I also realized that, at least for me, one should let this tobacco to dry out a little bit before packing the bowl, when dry tastes better than straight out of jar.

Pipe Used: Danish warpipe, made of birch

Age When Smoked: New from tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HeavyTrees (70)	2020-07-18		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

As this tobacco has been vowed very much by many who share my taste I should have got it long time ago but I was a bit too careful maybe as their ‘Consummate Gentleman’ didn’t quite meet my expectations. ‘Rainy Day‘ was good though, so why not give it a try.

It’s a medium ribbon cut very dark by color showing a high share of Latakia sprinkled with a bit of brighter leaf here and there but no orient tobacco or plain VA detectable. The cold smell reminds me of that Old Dublin - leathery, spicy and warm. It’s too moist to smoke it straight away so I tend to dry for at least two hours. Bit difficult to pack in smaller bowls as the ribbons are quite long cut, I prefer wider bowls for Latakia Blends anyway.

Taste is surprisingly mild with the first few puffs, I was expecting a mouthful of spices but instead I got a warm pleasant sweet bodied and very round taste that intensified in spicyness when the smoke continued. Big L is the main player but does not overwhelm you as it’s greatly combined with the other components. No straight VA detected in taste but it is also not missing as there is a bit of Cavendish providing just as much sweetness as needed to round this one up to a great warm and characterful blend.

Thumbs up - anther English Latakia Mixture that goes great even without Virginia. Solid quality leaf beautifully blended at a top pricing.

Pipe Used: Various Briar Pipes

Age When Smoked: Dried out for some hours

Purchased From: Tabak Heinrich

Similar Blends: .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cigarscape (1)	2020-05-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I enjoy cigars and pipe smoking is relatively new for me - each blend is a discovery. Artisan's became lately my favorite everyday, midday/afternoon smoke. I don't find it overpowering in any sense. I've smoked two tins - the first was aged a bit - the taste was a bit smoother than in the fresh one. I find this blend extremely easy to smoke - it's very hard to overheat, it does't require any drying. It's smooth yet has it's character and I find it nice balanced (I don't feel any Latakia overpowering). The aged tin had superb taste: creamy textured, sweet, with complex dry wood notes (not extremely complex, yet interesting enough for keeping me coming back).

Pipe Used: Capitol Rossi Bruyere 321 (Savinelli's 321 shape)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MangoLegs (72)	2020-04-12		Medium	Mild	Full	Tolerable

Overpowering latakia taste with a sickly sweetness that I can't put my finger on. Unbalanced, contrary to what the tin note suggests. If you like lat bombs, go for this. Otherwise, stay clear.

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: Any lat bomb.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kokinhenik (91)	2020-02-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Smokey peaty blend with a strong latika presence riding high and strong in every puff. The rest is conflicting giving the confusion in varietals in the description. Theres a dry sweetness from either the Latakia or Black Cavendish, it's not subtle here and works to dull/smooth the Virginia and Orientals. I was unable to detect the Perique, even in the retrohale. Occassionally I taste a soda note and a brightness to the latika that I attribute to the presence of Oriental. The Virginia comes in mildly in an occasional dark fruit at the forefront of a puff. AB has one toe breaking the full body line. Mostly this is a smokey, toasty, lat bomb. Delicious and relaxing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MAddMAnn (17)	2019-11-04		Very Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Tolerable

Wow this has some serious flavor. The Lakota stays very forward for me and puts this squarely in the not an all day smoke. But every now and then I just want to have a real meal of a bowl and this definitely does that for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Simon.c (20)	2019-03-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I first bought this while looking for a Nightcap replacement. Artisan Blend is not a Nightcap replacement but if you look at it as just a English blend then it's simply fantastic.

Certainly a complex smoke. Sweet, sour, spicy and smoky in perfect proportion, nothing is overpowering anything else.

Light enough to be a all day smoke but complex enough to keep you interested , easy to light and extremely well behaved once lit. All in all it's become one of my favorite English Blends for sitting down or going out. The results will be consistent and tasty.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: GQ

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jreyes (1)	2019-02-08		Medium	Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

Simply delicious. My tobacconist suggested it after a discontinuation of Dunhill supply in Spain (still in place) and I must say this is just great. I like latakia based mixtures but this one is one of the best I've tried so far. It burns evenly and has a very distinctive and unique flavour.

Pipe Used: savinelli

Age When Smoked: Just bought

Purchased From: Estanco Cava de Puros Habanos Barquillo, Madrid

Similar Blends: Dunhill Aperitif, Dunhill 965, Dunhill London Mixture.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2018-12-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Initially reviewed about ten years ago under my other handle before rejoining TRs. This was the very first Latakia blend I sampled. This one contained the Syrian Latakia variety & I will edit at a later date after sampling the Cyprian Latakia version. After smoking mostly VAs, VA/Pers, VA/Burs, etc., I almost went into shock upon sniffing the tin. I remember that aroma from forty years ago when I sniffed some Latakia blends from the jars at a local Tinderbox in Houston at the Galleria Mall. I remember it being a dry smoky aroma. Little did I know at the time that they were of the Syrian variety. I just knew I wouldn't like it because the aroma didn't smell as good as the "Cherry Bomb" I purchased. But what did I know of tobacco back then? I had just purchased my first good pipe... a half bent Pete System.

I've come a long way since then & like Latakia in a blend if it is not overwhelmingly apportioned. Initially, after lighting up this Latakia blend for the first time I thought... not as bad as I was expecting & I loved the salt flavor I tasted occasionally from the Orientals. I started enjoying the flavor pretty good and thought this reached its peak when the salty flavor came through but it was very slight, subtle & the taste only came through at varying times when it hit that certain taste receptor on the tongue. There is much to like about this blend & I found it similar to other Latakia blends but much better than many others that I've tried since then.

AB is a good English with some Vitamin N punch that I will probably sample once again later on down the road. I've since tried many other Latakia blends including the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture & ever since have been on an odyssey in hopes of acquiring that Holy Grail flavor once again in a ten dollar tin. Good luck, right?

Pipe Used: Dunhill 2S Shell Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Maybe a late "Evecap," a little like Tree Mixture, almost a MM965, subtle hints of Presbyterian Mixture but of a much higher quality...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	grimstuff (14)	2018-06-17		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I haven't smoked this blend enough to review it at length; however, I know already that this is an unusually good blend--a standard-bearer for Syrian Latakia, even. Placeholder review, awaiting more smokes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Richard Jhonson (13)	2017-01-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

dedicated to English blends. Smoky, smoky, smoky aroma in the tin, which is a real attractant to me on this one.

While a fairly strong smoke, it is NOT overpowering. I personally love the room note, but my wife definitely does not (thus the rating).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bence (34)	2016-04-12		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Well mixed smokey english baccy. Worth a try if you are a latakia lover. Myself prefer P/OD, or DH/NC, but this one also a great choice.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Victorybiker (2)	2015-08-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is very similar to Dunhill's Nightcap, but its flavor is more complex and pleasing. Maybe this really is relabeled Nightcap, and I just received an exceptional tin of AB??? AB burns very well with minimal relights and requires no drying. Its 4 components are very well-balanced even though I would label AB as a latakia-forward blend. The smoke is cool even though I am a heavy puffer. For me, the big question is always, "Would I buy it, again?" In this case, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!"

Pipe Used: Savinelli Tundra 611EX

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes&Cigars

Similar Blends: Dunhill Nightcap.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Namshang (3)	2015-06-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

Smoke spread to fill the mouth is rich taste. Non-smokers around me are hated fragrance of this tobacco. Their words, that smell was dispersed the disinfectant to cow dung. I think it is "selfish" tobacco. (Good only smoker)

Pipe Used: Lorenzo Garden

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: PipeStory Eunpyeong, Seoul, Korea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Trainman (4)	2015-02-25		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

I've tasted quite a few Latakia blends but none managed to surpass Artisan's Blend. A mature but not tiresome smoke, a wonderful taste. If I quit smoking some day, I'm going to miss it!

Along with Germain's "Special Latakia Flake", Artisan's Blend is my favorite one...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2014-12-28		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Definitely one of the best English blends on earth. The tin note indicates heavy on latakia, but it is not all, far from it. The virginia and oriental play solid support in the backbone with sweetness and BBQ taste. The flavor does change as the bowl proceed and all the parts mellow out perfectly. Seem on the wet side upon opening, but it only needs little to none time to dry out and burns well and evenly. For me, AB is not for all day smoke, but I always need a bowl for everyday. It is always on my rotation. Highly recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	maigret fan (76)	2014-07-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

A very nice English blend which would satisfy the discerning smoker.

Nice smoke with the latakia behind the other tobaccos. I must say that the blend comes from the same german blender as many other 'english' blends so it is sometimes difficult to find a difference.

Purchased From: Saint-Malo - French Britanny

Similar Blends: Robert Lewis 'tree mixture' - Presbytarian.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ELF (40)	2014-05-29		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I Smoke this As an alternate..to Dun.NghtCap..Little More Kick,than NghtCap..Due2.Inclusion of TurkishTob.in Mix.Always Smoke this When I'm Enjoying One if My SingleMalt Favs. Very Nice Smoke.It does Best in a Med.BriarPipe,,or Any Cob.

Pipe Used: MacArthur-Cob/Peterson St.Pats(ft)

Age When Smoked: New Tin

Purchased From: Shefield+Sons/City Place/Wpg.Canada

Similar Blends: Dun.NightCap.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerschaum (8)	2014-01-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Excellent tobacco but quite difficult to smoke right, gets wet fast and bites fast but when it works it works beautifully. Complex and Smokey. Has a firm place in my Rotation. Becomes better after it has been stored in a jar for a few months IMO.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Similar Blends: Night cap.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2013-12-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Rich, spicy and satisfying sums it up well. I would add smooth and creamy. Stays lit well on one light, post char, down the bowl. Definitely a four star blend.

Pipe Used: 35+ year old basket pipe marked "BR".

Age When Smoked: Wish I could crack the code.

Purchased From: CI, a month ago.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-12-06		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Good overall blend. Not too strong, not to weak - ideal for a newbie by me.

Have to disagree with the aroma comments on here though. If anything, it left a pleasant smell to the room and one which didn't linger for too long. Picked mine up here: http://www.uktobacco.com/acatalog/Ashtons-Artisans-Blend-Pipe-Tobacco-48.html#.UqGVdfRdXh4

Purchased From: UKTobacco.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-04-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was so impressed with this blend that I just had to write my first review. It's not a technical review just a simple appreciation of a fine tobacco. I am normally an aro man & this was my first proper stab at an English blend & boy did I enjoy it! It took a few pipe fulls to really begin to appreciate all the different and subtle flavours & wow, that spicy kick is just great! A really creamy, smokey, quality pipe smoking experience that is easy to smoke and reminds me just why we all enjoy our pipe smoking so much. If you've never tried this blend then I would recommend that you give it a go.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-01-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is a absolute cracker it has so many nooks and crannies of which to explore with every smoke.

The Latakia gives this blend a nice velvety textured and thick smokiness to background which is for the first half of the bowl is the predominant taste. In the foreground the Virginia and Perique take precedence giving the second half of the bowl in particular a slight spiciness almost peppery and a very subtle sweetness from the Virginia's in this blend.

I would highly recommend this to pipe smokers of also ranges of experience as i do not believe in a "beginners" tobacco and i think this is tasty enough for the experienced smoker yet subtle enough for someone starting off and maybe wanting to try their first "English" blend it is similar to Dunhill Night Ca but also has some many differences.

If you get a chance to buy it, Get out your wallet

Adam.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	polaris (9)	2013-01-25		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As i am an English mixture fun i find this to be one of the best i tried. Very nicely cut, even better than Dunhill 965, and packs better. When you first open the tin,leave the tabacco portion you will pack for a couple of minutes on your table, and then fill your pipe.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-12-12		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smoked a bowl of this after smoking a bowl of Peterson Old Dublin. Thought at the time it was flat, not very interesting. The next day I smoked a bowl of this first thing in the morning. Mild smooth, a rich but not a heavy rich taste to offer with the bright lightness of the latakia. It may be the Va but if it is it is not over powering. This is a nice blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-12-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Fantastic, well rounded 'backy. Dunhill NC is it's name sake to my daily rotation and I must respectfully disagree that Artisan's compares at all. If one must compare, I would be inclined to suggest that it is more akin to Peterson's Ol' Dub. Smokey and leathery like POD but has a little nip of perique which tones down the creamyness that is characteristic of 'Ol Dub My first go at it was in my Pete's 304 System. Again, an ab fab English and a must try !!! Thanks, Merci, Diolch

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-08-04		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Honestly? I don't think I could tell the difference between this and Dunhill's nightcap in a blind taste test.

This is a rich and sophisticated blend that is perfect for a relaxed, unhurried smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-05-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is a very well put together English Latakia blend. While there are several tobaccos listed in the blend the Latakia definately is at the front througout the entire smoke. The smokey taste jumps out right from the start and dominates the flavor from the first puff. I am a Latakia so this was not an issue for me. If you are looking for something that evolves in the pipe as you smoke it you may want to look somewhere else. If you love Latakia and the smokey taste that comes with it you found your tobacco. The room note just adds to the experience, everytime I light up it's like sitting around a camp fire in the woods. This one is always in my rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-02-21		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

This will do when I don't have Bombay Extra to smoke. It is a similar blend, but heavier on the latakia and lighter on the perique.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eamonclever (48)	2011-01-07		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Good english mixture, very much of a "Dunhill Mixture". Very similar to 965 but a bit more gentle. Comes very moist out of the tin, but okay for me. I like to smoke in that condition. Good amount of smoke. N-factor is high but no torture. Latakia is fullbodied and nice as well. Easy to smoke - no problems from start to bottom of the bowl. Perfect tobacco to smoke while you work. Recommendation for starters who like to get in touch with Englisch mixtures.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ap (57)	2010-12-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is a good blend if you are looking for a full Latakia experience, you get hints of the other leafs during the smoke but the smoky flavor is the star of the show here. Very good as the last smoke of the day.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-12-18		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My most beloved tobacco. It is as sweet as it should be and as pleasant as it should be, and on top off all - as full as it can be!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2010-12-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I want very much to like this blend more than I do, but I can't muster that fourth star. When it's on it's good, but most of the time it comes across as a bit too harsh, even when sipping. I like it, but there are other English blends available that are smoother, richer and more forgiving.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Merven the Great (18)	2010-12-05		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

In a word, Fantastic! Bought a tin from 4noggins and enjoyed it from start to finish. I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer 2 below this one. Spot on! nothing more to add except my appreciation for this fine blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-12-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

Almost similar to Dunhill Nightcap and very good on its own, but less interesting.. flavors are just not as intense and deep as in Nightcap. Maybe a little lighter, too.

(dedicate a couple of pipes to Syrian blends and you'll be rewarded with the subtlety of that leaf).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-11-09		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

I am quite surprised about this tobacco. I always expected that it would be a really strong blend. When I fetched it from the tobacco shop where I had ordered it, I couldn't await to get home and to light it up. And....what a surprise!! It's not as strong as I expected. Of course, it's a forward blend which is recommended for experienced smokers only. But, it is rather pleasing and smoking it, you don't get a nicotine kick out of a sudden. It's very calmed and very well balanced. In the tin, the scent of good Latakia is very presant, actually it's dominant. An elegant, english scent. My tin had no moisture difficulties, it was smokable right from the tin. Lovely ribbon cut, which I love. I had no problems to light it, and keeping it lit was no problem either. It's taste is very rich and full, elegant and spicy. But it's not a Latakia bomb as one may expect from the tin scent. The Latakia here is dominant, but the Orientals, the Virginias and even the Perique are always presenting themselves aside the Latakia. A very bloomy, unique tase. Smoky, spicy and satisfyingly elegant and complex. Something I had never smoked before. It provides its lovely tase right over the whole bowl, even though the Latakia is coming to the forefront throughout the bowl, maybe somewhere after the middle. It burns very cool and I have no problems with tongue bite while smoking it. A very well balanced english blend in perfect harmony. A secret treasure. I have never seen it in any tobacco shop here yet. That's why I had to order it. And I will do so again. It could become my favourite

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-09-29		Mild	Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is certainly a Latakia forward blend. For people who love Lat-bombs, this is a must try. My problem here is that the high proportion of Latakia overpowers the other flavors. I think this has been said before, so I won't dwell. If you're looking for a medium English, look elsewhere. If you love a strong, smoky English, this is a quality blend and could become a favorite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grundie (26)	2010-07-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This was recommended to me as an alternative to Dunhill 965 and I'm glad I took that advice. This stuff is good.

It's very close to 965, but a little bit better if you ask me. The blend is more balanced with the virginia and latakia complementing each other perfectly.

It's has the right level of strength and flavour, not to munch and not too little. A great all-day smoke that doesn't get boring.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tee-dub (48)	2010-06-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

On a bit of drying out and a little time, this tobacco develops a flavor and character virtually undetectable from a freshly-opened tin. I was more than a little disappointed at first, but my opinion has changed.

Anyone expecting this to be a substitute for Dunhill's Nightcap will find that it isn't. It's lighter in body and texture, and can be a wonderful tobacco without the baggage of inapt comparison.

Either some drying time or a shifting of my expectations has only increased my enjoyment of this smoke as a little time has passed.

I'll let others with more experience speak to this, but Artisan's Blend may be an illustration of the different character of Syrian Latakia which, at least in this mixture, has a lighter texture and subtler flavor than its Cyprian cousin. The match brings forth something like leather, which balances beautifully with the Turkish and Virginia, with just a dash of pepper.

My regard for this blend only grows. It easily merits 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chuckt808 (8)	2009-12-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A great English. Very creamy, just the right amount of Perique. I've never had Nightcap but if Nightcap was anything like this I can see why it was raved about.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-11-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

A phenomenal blend. Full and hearty, this is a classic example of a Balkan style blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

I am sorry for just 2 stars! Let me explain why I didn't like this English.

I think the Latakia proportion of this blend is too high. It simply overhelms. Unfortunately with that much Latakia it was very hard me to detect the sweet Virginia, nor the exotic Oriental. I also am not sure if the Latakia in this blend is a high quality Syrian Latakia, which generally leaves a nice flavor by sticking on the palat and tongue after finishing the bowl, and remains there by inviting you for the next bowl. This one leaves almost nothing like that.

The Perique also dissapears under the Latakia taste invasion. Its lovely spicy and bitter addition to the blends is just a dream with this one.

The Latakia lovers would apreciate this blend, and that's why I've added the second star. Next time I will get some Dunhill for my gentle, strengthful, and elegant English needs. When I'll need some cool and tasty Latakia I'll choose some Balkan flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kerdy (43)	2009-04-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is a very nice English blend! I agree with so many of the positive reviews here and dont see any reason to repeat them. This and Squadron Leader are my two favorite English smokes with Arcadia a close third.

The only down side to this blend is it leaves me with a dry mouth, but thats certainly an acceptable problem and easy to accomidate.

Even if you dont like English blends, you should give this a try just so you know how you feel about it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mrmiloboy (6)	2009-04-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A nice Enlish blend. The aroma from the tin is stronger than the smoke but it still has a fuller flavor without being over powering. Probably my favorite of the three Ashton blends I have tried. No tongue bite which is a big plus for me. Being a cigar smoker, I find pipe tobacco to be a great change of pace.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (128)	2009-03-31		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If this is similar to Nightcap, then I truly missed something wonderful, however, in Artisans Blend, I have found something very special, for an end of day Latakia, this is constantly competeing for my attention along with Commonwealth Mixture.

Both are smooth, creamy, relaxing and I seem to be aquiring tins of both. Now, although Commonwealth more often than not, wins the battle for my attention, this is most likely due to the fact it is easier for me to obtain, but I always make sure that two or three tins of Artisans Blend are within easy reach of my grubby little hand.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jankoez (69)	2009-02-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This is one of the best blend I have ever smoked. It is really full, harmonised and easy to smoke at every time of day. Whatever Dunhill once was, this tobacco now is. The quality is superb.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-02-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

===Sept 10, 2009 === Revisited

So, this full, round, rich blend has been put aside while I tried others. Funny thing, those others that found their way into my favorites list were Va, Latakia, Oriental with Latakia. Funny, they all came to remind me of Artisan's Blend with little, minor or subtle differences. THose around have complemented and praised the room note, so I've upgraded that. But we don't smoke for others, do we???

This has so occupied my "special list" that since I first reviewed it I've acquired over 25 tins of it. This can be smoked all day, all week, and on and on ... This isn't for quick, light inattentive puff or three. It takes on differing presentations in large pipes and small. Each variant enjoyable and entertaining. Ignore the pretense and flowery, but affected, language of those that would demean this fine mixture. It is truly a classic and worth your attention. Artisan Blend requires your time and commitment as well as your attention to its flavor subtleties and nuances. They didn't name it "Mundane Blend" for a reason. See for yourself why!

======ORIGINAL ======== 2/21/2009

Room note? Who cares? To others this could smell like a swear pipe and I'd still love it, it is that enjoyable a smoke!

This is a tobacco that has a trait I love; it changes and intensifies as you progress down the bowl. I finish a bowl and immediately want another.

I like it. I like it a whole lot. I like it so much I've over a dozen tins in storage.

Did I mention I really like this blend??

Do yourself a favor, mooch, beg, or buy yourself some. You deserve a tobacco this great, at least once.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2009-01-09		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

another strength full bodied blend knock on the head,,i reached half of my big bowl and startedto loose hearing,,this is a strong blend with lot of going on in the tobacco as u go further,,the only ingredient i missed out is the perique which i think its revoked by the latakia and the orientals,,but truly enjoyable tobacco burns perfectly and have changing taste and increasing strength, a kind of tobacco u devote a time to digest,,not an all day smoke but a friend of good times of relaxation,,no moist wt so ever and no bite in its dictionary,,my rotation have a place now for this good tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-12-31		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

At the moment I write this review I smoke my last pipe for 2008, Artisan's Blend. This blend is very complete. During the smoke you taste for one moment to the other every single tobacco component used in this blend. Easy to pack and light it delivers full satisfaction.

Together with Consumate Gentleman the best blend in the new Ashton serie of pipe tobacco blends.

If you loved Murray's-made Dunhill Nightcap, this is the best replacement.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-09-27		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a fine, full, English blend with moderate nicotine presence. No problems with quality at any point. It is a true premium product. I also really like the fact that Ashton switched to the flat, larger tins from the McClelland-type previously housing Ashton?s tinned blends. The tin I am reviewing has almost two years of aging.

In this medium to dark hued, mixed-cut blend, the Latakia is most noticeable from the tin, side stream and taste. It does have the fruity, herbaceous qualities of Syrian, but I think there is Cyprian Latakia, too. If you like Latakia in the forefront without total dominance, I recommend this.

For something so straightforward, there is subtle complexity, as the smidge of Perique shows itself, then the Turkish flourishes, all on a bed of darker Virginia flavors. I did get a slight, menthol aroma from the just-opened tin, but no other typical casing flavors or aromas.

I sense no toppings. There are no obvious humectants, either. It is actually a tiny bit on the drier side of proper moisture when I popped the tin. A pleasant surprise. A cool, happy-mouth blend.

This reminds me a bit of Nightcap, but far more refined, complex and behaved. Maybe a bit like Westminster, but somehow not like Old Ironsides, as AB is more complex, cooler and more interesting. I admit that I like this more than King Charles and Margate, two fuller-flavored English standby blends.

Good in a large pipe, but I like the concentration of flavor in a group 3 or 4. This suits me fine, since I like strong, Latakia blends in smaller, quicker doses.

I wrote my review before reading what my associates had to say. I find the Nightcap thread interestingly consistent among reviewers. I will enjoy AB this coming Winter.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2008-08-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This is a full English rightly supporting the name of Ashton. Folks told me it was somewhere between Dunhill Nightcap and Standard Mixture Medium. That's right, but its more akin to Nightcap in my book.

Cool with plenty of natural body and flavor.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-05-16		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

It seems to me that over the years, I have attuned my taste buds towards rather strong English and Balkan blends. When reading my review, take into account that my favorite tobaccos tend to be on the strong to very strong side of the road, with taste preferences leaning to Latakia prominent blends.

In this department Ashton's "Artisan's Blend" delivers exceptionally!

When I first noticed this blend some time ago, I initially passed it over, thinking it to be some wispy aromatic. Somehow, I attributed its name to mean that it was a lighthearted blend, but I can surely see this as a tobacco that the old masters would enjoy. Leonardo da Vinci with a pipe comes to mind, although I tend to see this as more of a "Writer's Blend" myself, musing over an English Gentleman's club with old, wizened men playing chess before I'd picture Monet sitting down to a pipefull of this marvelous weed.

I hate to bring up old hat, but since the alterations to the Dunhill line, I have been seeking a replacement for my old friend and companion, Nightcap. Yes, I must discuss how Artisan's fills that void in my life, for while the flavor is nowhere near identical; it is reminiscent of days gone by, never again to return.

Upon opening my first tin, I instantly revisited the days of oaky and musty aromas of Nightcap's exceptional Latakia. This blend is done by Kohlhase & Kopp, the same folks that provide the latakia for Robert McConnell's "Pure Latakia" and "Syrian Latakia" blends, only in Artisan's, the leaf is far smokier and less sweet on the palate.

The scent of this unmistakable component literally assails you as it wafts up, firing up your olfactory senses for the treat you have in store.

Masterfully blended, the Orientals, Virginias and Perique bring a richness and well- rounded quality to the mélange that will leave any veteran English smoker screaming for more. Never a dull moment, the flavors are immediately rich and complex, right out of a fresh, green tin, but never one sided. The dimension of this smoke is remarkable, and it progressively offers you increasing depth as you happily churn away.

Upon initially lighting, the taste is woody, smoky and slightly sweet, almost cedary in its own magical way. If you smoke it gently, this quality never diminishes, after which a chorus of leathery arises with woody and peppery flavors that sway to and fro, never overly dominating the blend. Chimney puffing alters the pace to quickly bring spicy and peppery tones to the foreground, overshadowing the sweet notes entirely. Oh, how many memories that brings to mind!

You will derive the greatest satisfaction if you elect to smoke Artisan's in a medium- large to large bowled briar: Too small a bowl doesn?t leave enough room for it to develop and blossom. Personally, I've found that it is at its uttermost peak performance in my Peterson B5 bulldog fishtail, but your preferences and experiences will ultimately vary depending on your preferred size and shape of pipe.

When using the "Frank" filling method, I find that Artisan's requires minimal attention, with only occasional tamping and a few relights towards the very bottom of the bowl. It smokes perfectly evenly, cool and with no bite whatsoever and doesn't even leave a trace of itself behind when you finish, burning down to a fine, silky dark grey ash.

Like Nightcap, this has a strong room note, so if heavy blends offend those around you, you may wish to consider opening a few windows. As I am a lifelong bachelor, I have never bothered over such troublesome concerns, but if you have a wife or are surrounded by those easily offended by peppery scents, take this as a warning to observe caution before settling down with a pipe and a book for the night.

Concerning the previous review, nobody to whom I have spoken had said anything about Ashton terminating this blend, and it is still widely available in local tobacconist shops and on the Internet at very reasonable prices. You won't have to shell out $30-$50 for this as you would for a tin of Murray's Nightcap.

Unlike Nightcap however, the Nicotine level in Artisan's is only a moderate amount, residing in the green area between "a fair bit" and "just enough". It doesn't pack the wallop that Nightcap had, never punching you or giving you those wonderfully dizzying spells that were just perfect for retiring for the evening.

I can only attribute this to a lesser amount of Perique?while detectible in this blend ?which is never more than a background element. Rather, the blenders included it for a bit of body and in order to smooth things over and maintain a bite-free smoke. Perique (in small amounts) does wonders to accomplish such a task, and K&K chose the perfect dosage of it for Artisan's.

Certainly, if you are seeking an escape from the Cyprian heavy blends such as Odyssey, Pirate Kake, or Lancers and want a full, latakia dominant, but yet subtle and well rounded smoke, Artisan?s paints the perfect picture.

##30##

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2008-02-24		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

I have to admit that this is similar to nightcap and it does have more perique and therefore it is stronger in taste and nicotine!

Great quality tobacco but very strong!

A nice choice after a good BBQ meal!!! :-)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Latakia (70)	2008-01-10		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Love this blend especially when I can smoke it alone without those who are opposed to latakia. Dried it a bit before smoking it in a large, maxima bulldog and it was exquisite. The perique adds the right spice to a full latakia smoke.

Burned very nicely and only took two or three matches to get through a big bowl. left a very nice soft grey ash. Many in t his review are comparing it to Nightcap so will try that at a few dollars cheaper by the tin. Not a smoke for a beginner or someone who likes a mild smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoking-rob (79)	2007-12-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tin smell is reminiscent of Nightcap with that cheesy smell, probably the combination of Latakia and Perique that both posess. It is a very dark tobacco with some bright leaves but I do wonder whether all that blackness comes from Latakia, or whether there is some double fermented non Latakia leaf in there as well?! Also, the Latakia is of the Syrian variety and as such leaves little aftertaste, much like MB Syrian. Still it is a voluptuous, sumptuous smoke, rich with smokiness and a little sweet as well and I do think this is some sugary casing added! I would not say the nicotine level is very high, certainly not in Nightcap territory which for me is just as well. And while I am at it, please have a look at my review http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=C&TID=2603 Another great tobacco that no one seems to notice!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-06-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I recently picked up a new "purple label" tin of this. A wonderful smoke. The tobacco was slightly moist upon opening the tin, with a mossy aroma. After fluffing the strands were nice and uniform with few clumps making for an easy pack.

First light leaves sugar sweet saliva in your mouth with a peaty flavor in your throat. Just a slight hint of spice on the tongue at this point, but the spice joins with a woody bark as you move down the bowl. The peat flavor got a little sour here, but the sweetness still lingered. The bottom of the bowl had all the subtlety beaten out of it, as the peat ad sweet disappeared leaving a nice woody, spicy smoke common with English blends.

The room note is of slightly heavy cigarettes, which can be good or bad. I like to think of this as my "break room" tobacco, as it burns cool in a small bowl, and the cigarette-like nose will be palatable to the other smokers in the break room. The wife could pass.

Since we all love comparisons... It reminded me most of Peterson's "Old Dublin" and a side by side tasting showed this to be a less sour peat taste, with an added sweetness that Old Dublin is missing. Slower smoking makes it sweeter, fast smoking makes it spicier... Getting it just right yields a very pleasant English. A great everyday tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-03-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Hello All-

Here goes with my first review. Please pardon my neopphyte-isms.

Aston's Artisan's Blend is a heavy latakia based English. Straight out of the tin, the moisture content is a bit too moist for my liking. I left the lid off of the tin for about a week before this review. It still isn't changing my life. It's pretty one dimensional overall. I love full English blends at night and smoke mostly straight Virginas through the day. I'll occaionally dabble in VA/ Perique blends for daytime smoking as well. This just isn't my cup of tea. For my money, I'll take Penzance, Odyssey, Nightcap, 965, Rattray's Red, or even Balkin Saseni over this one any day. I cannot honestly reccommend this effort at over $12.00 USD for a 50g tin. It's a pass for me. I won't buy this one again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2006-12-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I find this to be an excellent blend. The tin aroma is earthy and smoky; the Latakia is fragrant and Syrian. The strands are string cut, perhaps a little heavier then I normally like, and are comprised of mostly dark leaf. I air out some of the moist tobacco and then gently pack my pipe. Two matches and we're on our way. The Syrian Latakia, the VAs and Oriental leaf are all there and full of flavor; I do notice the Perique but it is not overwhelming but gently adds to the taste in a fashion similar to Nightcap. This is a high class blend, one I will return to again and again. 9 out of 10 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2006-05-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As Benson would have said, God rest his soul, "Artisan's Blend, I have enjoyed Old Dog for many years, you're no Old Dog." To a fanatical Old Dog devotee as myself, there is no replacement for that stealar blend. But, and this is an important but, Artisan's Blend is a very fine choice solely on it's old merrits. I am an English boy to my marrow and I love this blend. Not as it comes in the tin, but rather bone dry and crispy as Bambam's Fruity Pebbles. This is my new go-to tobacco and I'm going to promptly order 6 more tins.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2006-03-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

Others before me have done a super job in describing this blend so I'll keep my review of it brief.

This is an absolutely fantastic full bodied blend reminicent of the truly great Dunhill tobaccos of old.It has a slightly spicy taste which I greatly appreciate but know some others would'nt.I'm relatively sure the deer tongue present helps contribute to this.I would also imagine that it has excellent cellaring potential and I've already put several tins away for this very purpose.When I hear folks "wax nostalgic" about all the great blends that are gone I'm reminded of just how many even better blends are still around and being produced today.Instead of buying that $150.00 tin of aged Nightcap on e-bay,buy a bunch of this and stash it away.You'll be glad you did!

Highest Possible reccomendation preppy

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Bombadill (120)	2022-12-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am a latikia lover and this is now one of my favorite smokes. Excellent English blends w/latikia are my absolute favorites. Artisan is a blend that came in under the radar because I didn't think it would be anything close to above average. The Virginians and Turkish give a stout smooth base and the Latakia is in the perfect medium to strong finishing touch. I could smoke this all day which is why I squirreled away a bunch of tins. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Pipe Used: Petersan, Molina , Kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Tobacco Pipes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hmoya (36)	2022-12-09		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

After reading some reviews and the description of the blend I was very excited to taste this one, and I got what they mention and much more. The blend is very well-balanced, the mixture of tobaccos and their particular flavors are in every smoke. It burns very well and I got a complex and very pleasant smoke. Completely recommended.

Pipe Used: John Aylesbury - Billiard Dunkelbraun

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: Cigarworld

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ondraash (13)	2022-02-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

(Update 8. 1. 23 - As I mentioned bellow, this one u need to grow to. Which actually happened to me recently. Now I like it maybe even more than Gordon Pym. And since I put Midnight Ride on 4 stars and nowadays I would rather smoke this than MR, I have to improove the rating on this one. And if I am not able to downgrade MR, this one deserves four stars too.)

This one was recommended to me by a pipe club member here as the best lat blend you can get in cz shops. Sadly I can't go with that.

The tin aroma is nice smoky and it kinda remembers me of my beloved Old Ironsides so I was really curious If the taste is some match with the mana. But I was left a bit disappointed. For me this one is too complex, latakia is hiding the mix of tastes a lot and those orientals (I think it is because of them but not sure) are making the smoke a bit more dry than I wish to. So there is a slight sweetness and a hint of sourness and a tiny hint of peppery spiciness but all this is hiden behind the dryness of the smoke which seems to just flow around the tongue and palate without really touching it and therefore leaving little taste. The aroma is fine though. If you pull harder in an attempt to get some more taste you can dig a bitter one and the aroma switches to cigarette but atleast it doesnt bite. Aftertaste is a bit better than the actual smoke.

A conclusion is that I need more resin-like type of a lat blend, simple and straight oriented. Maybe my palate is not yet trained enough to really appriciate that one or I just enjoy a different type (for example Squadron or Commonwealth or RR or OO). I better save the three stars for some really "recommendable" blends.

Smoke and drive: No problem but suits only for campfire aroma and a smoke coming out of your mouth and nose.

Pipe Used: cob, Krška

Age When Smoked: from fresh to 1 year old

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	stressmoker (11)	2020-07-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This was nice, but to be honest, I don't get the hubbub. Objectively, it is enjoyable. It smells like smoked meat in the tin, but a lot less strong when smoked. On the other hand - me not getting the hubbub - I don't really find it worth the price. I've tried some much more flavourful blends, that we less expensive. This one was 15 euros, and what I usually smoke comes between 8 - 11 euros. To me, this was enjoyable, but not something I would be again, when I relate "how special" it is, compared to its price.

Purchased From: Skonis ir Kvapas Vilnius

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2019-04-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Initially reviewed about ten years ago under my other handle before rejoining TRs. This was the very first Latakia blend I sampled. This one contained the Syrian Latakia variety & I will edit at a later date after sampling the Cyprian Latakia version. After smoking mostly VAs, VA/Pers, VA/Burs, etc., I almost went into shock upon sniffing the tin. I remember that aroma from forty years ago when I sniffed some Latakia blends from the jars at a local Tinderbox in Houston at the Galleria Mall. I remember it being a dry smoky aroma. Little did I know at the time that they were of the Syrian variety. I just knew I wouldn't like it because the aroma didn't smell as good as the "Cherry Bomb" I purchased. But what did I know of tobacco back then? I had just purchased my first good pipe... a half bent Pete System.

I've come a long way since then & like Latakia in a blend if it is not overwhelmingly apportioned. Initially, after lighting up this Latakia blend for the first time I thought... not as bad as I was expecting & I loved the salt flavor I tasted occasionally from the Orientals. I started enjoying the flavor pretty good and thought this reached its peak when the salty flavor came through but it was very slight, subtle & the taste only came through at varying times when it hit that certain taste receptor on the tongue. There is much to like about this blend & I found it similar to other Latakia blends but much better than many others that I've tried since then.

AB is a good English with some Vitamin N punch that I will probably sample once again later on down the road. I've since tried many other Latakia blends including the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture & ever since have been on an odyssey in hopes of acquiring that Holy Grail flavor once again in a ten dollar tin. Good luck, right?

Pipe Used: Dunhill 2S Shell Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Maybe a late "Evecap," a little like Tree Mixture, almost a MM965, subtle hints of Presbyterian Mixture but of a much higher quality...

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2019-02-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This was the very first Latakia blend I sampled about ten years ago & it used to be one the finest Latakia/English/Balkan blends available. This tin contained the Syrian Latakia variety. I have not as yet sampled the Cyprian variety. After smoking mostly VAs, VA/Pers, VA/Burs, etc., I almost went into shock upon sniffing the tin. I remember that aroma from forty years ago when I sniffed some Latakia blends from the jars at a local Tinderbox in Houston at the Galleria Mall. I remember it being a dry smoky aroma. Little did I know at the time that they were of the Syrian variety. I just knew I wouldn't like it because the aroma didn't smell as good as the "Cherry Bomb" I purchased. But what did I know of tobacco back then? I had just purchased my first good pipe... a half bent Pete System.

I've come a long way since then & like Latakia in a blend if it is not overwhelmingly apportioned. Initially, after lighting up this Latakia blend for the first time I thought... not as bad as I was expecting & I loved the salt flavor infused from the ocean breeze tasted occasionally from the Orientals. I started enjoying the flavor pretty good and thought this reached its peak when the salty flavor came through but it was very slight, subtle & the taste only came through at varying times when it hit that certain taste receptor on the tongue. There is much to like about this blend & I found it similar to other Latakia blends but much better than many others that I've tried since then.

AB is a good English with some Vitamin N punch that I will probably sample once again later on down the road. I've since tried many other Latakia blends including Gallaher's BSOM.

Pipe Used: Peterson Deluxe 9S & 11S

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-09-20		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is a successfull. All pipe smoker have to try it.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-08-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

If you are an English Blend lover this is simply a must try. Exceptional quality. Nicely blended. It's complex but not scatter brained. sweet, salty, and spicy all in the right balance to my tastes and a very smooth mouth feel.

I also enjoy Lancer's Slices, Westminster, Stokkebye Full English Balkan Sasieni and others. But this is my current #1 "English" blend.

I cant' guarantee this will rock your world. We all differ in tastes and preference. But it is certainly an extremely well done English and you owe it to yourself to give it shot.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-07-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I wanted to try something different other than my usual Dunhill Early Morning/Nightcap, so I picked up a tin of this on my way to Goettingen. I am fond of Latakia and Perique in English blends, but I found maybe this product has a bit too much of both to be really enjoyable. The initial aroma on tin opening was spicy, so my first thoughts were of strong Latakia, but the flavor on the first pull to the bowl bottom were not what I would consider well-blended; it kept shifting. If this is your sort of thing, then I recommend it, but I enjoy a consistent flavor throughout a smoke...

Additionally, I found this product to burn much hotter than my Dunhill typicals. If you are so inclined to pick this up, easy does it, unless you like tongue bite. It gives a nice hefty dark grey ash and packs nicely into the bowl. As I stated, my only complaint was the variety of flavor throughout the smoke.....

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-06-29		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I quite enjoy this blend. I tried it while on a random buying spree @ the local tobacconist and never looked back. I smoke primarily MAGNUM/GIANT pipes and this tobacco really opens up nicely in the huge bowl. I am a BIG fan of Perique, in fact I can still smell this blend now as I write (I am not smoking it presently...LOL). I found this to be a much better smoke if done so quite slowly and not with smoke billowing out of my mouth but allowing the smoke to subtly engulf your entire head, just enjoying the fragrance one puff at a time. This greatly enhances it's flavor (as it should). I definitely found that the strength of this one enhances as you make it past the 1/2 way point, although this may again be because of the size of pipe I smoke it in... Overall a great smoke for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-05-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I will add a more fleshed-out review another time, but I had to add another 4 star rec for this blend. Very comparable to GL Pease's Blackpoint, but with the increasingly rare syrian latakia instead of cyprian latakia. Highly praised, highly recommended.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-03-02		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a good creamy smoke with a hint of perique.

that complements its creamy taste in a way that makes the flavor into something that you look forward to.

eat a bit before you smoke it its not terribly strong but definitely have some coffee with it. its is a great mid-day cup compliment.

its seems to dry out fast if left in the tin so maybe use a jar or a humidi pac or something.

this stuff and some boswells northwoods are great to switch out in a rotation.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-01-21		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

Awesome.

High qualities tobaccos blended in a complex mixture. I love the perique of this blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-10-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

Can't stay without this tobacco for long. Tried several other Latakia blends, but no one so far can compare to this one. It doesn't always taste good, when I'm not up for it it's to bitter and tary in the mouth. I usually smoke it one bowl out of four, but when I really feel for smoking it's wonderful. Very full bodied, let's out big, thick clouds of smoke. Burns quite quick so sometimes I need to smoke two pipes to be satisfied. The taste is something like: smoke leather bitter pepper sweet wood earth tar. Maybe doesn't sound to good, but that's how i like to describe it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-10-27		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

if you like latakia you would love this tobacco otherwise dont try it.im a fan of english blends so i loved it.its a very good mix of latakia with turkish orientals and very little virginia so you wont trace the sweetness that much,more spicy than sweet. lovely mix.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-09-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've mainly been smoking VA/Per & straight VA blends & I have now tried several Latakia blends. They all start off OK, but bite like hades during the second half. I'm giving up on English blends, but will still pursue the Balkans. Will probably start mixing my own. Moisture content seemed just right out of the tin & had a good burn rate. Strange how Latakia seems tasteless but you know it's there because of the smell and bitey/numbing mouth feel. It smoked very mild (inhaled) and had a fairly good nicotine content. This is a pretty good English that smokes well initially, but must be finessed during the second half. It's just not exceptional IMHO & therefore, I will rate Artisan's Blend two **s only because of tongue & palate discomfort which requires days to recover. Can only be smoked occasionally & couldn't possibly be an all day smoke for me!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-08-30		Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Here is a rich full-bodied English that does not hesitate in delivering a cool flavorful smoke.Since I am not a fan of perique so that spiceiness is its only drawback IMHO.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-06-26		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is a winner. I am now just about to open my 3rd tin. The longer you hold the smoke the flavor just seems to expand.

The Latakia comes thru strongly so it is a must that you enjoy it which I do. Burns steady with few if any relights into a white ash. If you wish to try an English you will pleasantly suprised.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-06-23		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

This stuff is really growing on me. It's very dry in the tin, but the cut is on the chunky side, so it burns well and smokes cool. I don't think this tobacco hits a bunch of different notes, but it's full bodied and tasty. To me, the flavor is predominantly Latakia, with the Perique occasionally coming through. I think I can taste the Turkish a bit, but I don't taste the Virginia or Cavendish (if there is any) at all. Lovers of Nightcap will probably find this to be a pleasant smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-05-23		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Ashton has a winner in their Artisan's Blend. This is a very well-balanced and flavorful full English mixture, with just enough nicotine so you know it's there-- but you don't end up falling on the floor in a nicotine-induced stupor. The Latakia is assertive enough so you'll always notice it, while the Perique is only a delicate counterpoint to the stronger flavors of the Virginias and the Latakia. A.B. isn't quite as "heavy" as Dunhill Nightcap, but is ultimately just as satisfying. I recommend Artisan's Blend to any fellow English Mixture fanatics-- give it a try and you'll probably like it as much as I do.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-05-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This is a full bodied English. Really can't add much to the other fine reviews. I let mine dry a little - really doesn't need it though. A wonderful full flavor from the first match. You don't have to search for the taste - up front and stays till the end. Hate for the bowl to finish. To me its a well balanced blend no leaf fighting too hard. Yet the latikia is not far away. If I had to compare it to another avaliable tobacco, I would say HH Vintage Syrian would be close. However, Artisan's Blend has a fuller feel and flavor. Also, this is the driest tobacco I've ever smoked. A pipe cleaner used at 1/2 bowl hardly felt damp! Unreal. I'm using it right now to break in a couple of Dunhill Amber Roots - a tough job - but someone has to do it!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-04-04		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong

The Tin Aroma made this a very promising blend due to the wonderful Syrian Latakia content and orientals. At first light it was somewhat like Sobrane only a bit stronger but thats where the comparison ends because as I made my way down the bowl the perique overwhelmed the smoky taste and became too spicy for my liking. I am really not a big fan of Perique tobacco in English blends and I think Perique should be reserved for Virginia and Burley blends and not Latakia blends, anyway I was a bit disappointed with the end result because of this. If they had left the Perique out It might have been one of my favorite blends. I will revisit the tin when it has some age on it and see if my opinion changes.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-03-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

This blend has been well covered so I will just add that I think Artisan's is destined to become a classic. (IMHO)

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-01-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

I will start by saying that I am primarily a VA smoker. However I really like this blend. It just has something I was missing from my virginias. There is absoultly no bite, it burns well and smokes cool and dry. It has a wonderfull smokey aroma that reminds you of being outdoors over a campfire. While smoking you get a different flavor with every puff. I like to smoke it in my Peterson XL11, the large bowl seems to allow for full range of development that you might miss out on with a smaller bowl. The virginia and latakia are the front runners and the perique is just enough to let you know its there without overpowering everything else. I will always have a tin on hand. Very nicley done.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-12-09		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

God, this stuff is delicious! I can't help but contrast this for myself with Peterson's Irish Oak which - and I stress that this is to my mind - just woefully overdoes the Perique. Here the Perique is certainly discernible but only so far as it is one - as it were - note in a gloriously rich and complex collection of aromatic chords. It's a bit like the difference between chewing a handful of cloves or in having just two or three subtly and delightfully permeating, elevating and exciting the flavour of a whole apple pie!

It has a belt to it as well, so you don't merely go 'hmm, tasty, but I still need a smoke!' - it's not a great stonking, steel-toecap-boot of a nicotine fix; it's subtly powerful: two pipes head-to-head is a robust double pleasure rather than a cause for a trip to the ER.

It's not easy to get hold of in the UK and it's pricey when you do: 50g cost me £9.50 in Selfridges this afternoon, and that's an 'ouch' to be sure - but it is a treat. So treat yourselves!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-07-31		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I found this very wet when I first opened the tin which made the first bowl dreadful, however after drying it by leaving the tin open for a while it greatly improved. This is a very pleasent tobacco with a nice spicy taste which won't be to everyone's liking, but I find myself reaching for this tin quite often.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-02-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This is an excellent comparison to Nightcap seeing as how it is not Murray's blend anymore. This is definately a mainstay in my collection now, just a good well blended English that can be enjoyed on its own. Anyone wanting to try an authentic English full bodied blend should invest in this. It is worth every penny.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-01-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

This is one of my all time favorite tabacs. A very heady English mixture with a slightly sour taste. You guessed it -THE PERIQUE! A very unusual Nightcap tasting mixture. The AMAZING thing about this blend is the metamorphisis it undergoes when you add 1 tablespoon of IRC THREE STAR EBONY to the tin. Oh, MY GOD! You will create the most amazing Full English crossover blend on the Planet. Ready to Smoke 1 minute after mixing. 3 stars by itself, 4 STARS after MIXING!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-02-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I was recently in a quandry. It was a Wednesday evening, and upon arriving at work, and producing my pipe, I opened my drawer and found a complete silence from my current rotation of pipe tobaccos. I needed to smoke something to pass the 4 hour shift, but none of my tobaccos were speaking to me. I have a pretty diverse selection in my drawer, so this rarely occurs. Mac Baren Club Blend? No, I wasn't in the mood to deal with the spun cut. CAO's Patriot Flake? No, it's light sweetness and spice didn't fit the bleak, cold weather. Dunhill's Durbar? No, too strong. I had a long shift, and was not premitted to sit. None of the other tobaccos in my stock appealed to me for just these same reasons.

So finding nothing in my drawer, I turned my attention to the shop's stock of tobacco. After careful study, I finally decided on Ashton's Artisan's Blend. I thought about Connsumate Gentleman, but wanted something more full. Originally I was skpetical, because Ashton's aromatics tend to be slightly bland. This English was anything but. To proportion so many tobaccos in the way they were was masterful. No single one dominated this blend, and each contributed to the complex, richness of the smoke. It was woodsy, zesty, and had a very long finish. Throw in a cool burn all the way down, and you have a winning blend. Why only 3 stars? It had an odd tendancy to burn my tounge while I lit it. I've noticed this over a few bowls, so it wasn't a poor pack job; and I've never experienced it like this in other tobaccos I smoke, even aromatics. Very strange. However, don't let this detail prevent you from trying this superb English blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-01-30		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is an outstanding blend! A friend of mine at work gave me a can of this wonderful smoke. Full of flavor. The syrian is perfectly mixed.

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