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This glorious mixture of cavendish, Virginia and Carolina burley carries an irresistible aroma of vanilla, mango, and exotic citrus.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pipestud (1829) |   |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Very Pleasant |
I have been working my way through some of the Ashton aromatic blends that I have overlooked and am glad I am doing so. I really like Guilty Pleasure. The Virginia/Burley components give me that true tobacco taste that I enjoy and the casing gave me sweetness without overwhelming the wagger. K&K bagged another trophy with this one. The leaf, by the way, burns mostly dry right down to the bottom of the bowl.
19 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
I had never tried this before, God knows why, but I finally picket up a tin at my local tobacconist's. I was not dissapointed. I like sweet aromatic tobaccos, and this is really my kind of tobacco. It is very similar, however, to W.O. Larsen's Simply Unique, which I always have load of at home, so it will probably take some time before I buy more. But I will definitely!
Tongue taste (the taste you feel on your tongue when you first get the smoke into your mouth): intensive but still softly sweet with tones of honey and sugar, with a slightly spicy undertone. Keeps the taste through the whole smoke (compared to Simply unique, which tends to loose its taste the last minutes).
Snork taste (the taste when you roll the smoke around in your mouth and out of your nostrils): mild, slightly sugary, almost like honey on toast.
All together: Takes a few puffs to develop its taste, but is sweet with slight spicy undertones. Just a perfect everyday blend for us who like aromatics.
EDIT about tongue burn: Interestingly enough, it seems like mainly americans get burned by this and other aromatics from European manufacturers. Could be due to smoking technique; like MacBarens, LArsens etc it has to be smoked slowly and peacefully, and it helps to pack a bit looser. Don't belch (and most of you who get burned DO belch, you are just not really aware of it).
Pipe Used: Jirsa, BBB, MM
Similar Blends: W.O. Larsen Simply Unique.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| BigNick (59) | |
Mild | Very Strong | Very Full | Very Pleasant |
I bought this for the tin only. Then I smoked it and was pleasantly surprised. I stopped smoking fruity cased tobaccos a few years ago, so I wasn't looking for this type of this tobacco. I must say that it is the first time a tin (containing and aromatic blend) perfectly describes the contents inside. Sweet fruit overwhelms the senses followed by a creamy vanilla type flavor and aroma. Furthermore it did one other unexpected thing; it did not goop up like other aromatics. It burned a solid white ash all the way through. I was rather surprised by this blend. It's nice on a hot day with lemonade but it can be too much sometimes. Most definitely recommend for the candy tobacco lover.
Pipe Used: MM cob, Dr. Grabow lark
Age When Smoked: 1 month
Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com
Similar Blends: Peach Melba.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| StevieB (2080) | |
Mild | Strong | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Ashton - Guilty Pleasure.
One of my retyped early reviews.
The aroma from this brings a candy factory factory to mind: fruity, sweet, decadent. Some of the ribbons are coarse, not 'chunky' but quite robust.
The smoke has a busy flavour. The aromatics all peek through, are all notable, but darn, it's a little crowded! The tobaccos give a taste where neither one's particularly conspicuous: hidden by the topping. It burns well distributing a cool smoke. But, it's a biter.
Nicotine: mild. Room-note: false.
Willy Wonka should stick to making sweets ;)
Two stars.
Pipe Used: Various
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Smoke King U.K.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Captain Casual (21) | |
Mild | Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
Oh dear. Guilty Pleasure. I consider this the black sheep of the Ashton range.
The tin note is quite sweet and fruity, and the tobacco comes fairly moist, so it will need some drying.
Once you light it, it doesn't take long for the aromatic flavours to kick in. Now, in it's defence I will say, it doesn't taste overly chemical or artificial. However, in my eyes, the flavour of the topping could best be described as "sweet mess". I know it's a fruity aromatic, and it's supposed to be very sweet, but this feels like stuffing an entire handful of gummi bears into your mouth. Too many sweet flavours all at once, to the point where it feels like a bit of a sickly sweet mess. I also didn't get any vanilla.
I can't tell you much about the leaf used in this blend because well, I couldn't really taste much of it. The flavour's all topping with this blend.
It burned relatively clean for such a heavily topped blend and was kind enough not to gunk up my pipe. However, for some reason, despite drying it out to a good moisture, I had some real issues keeping the stuff lit. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say that I might have packed it improperly.
It did leave some moisture and dottle, as you'd expect.
Under the bottom line, i'd say maaaaaybe you like this if you really just want some candy to smoke in your pipe, but even then, there's better options. Like Ashton's other aromatics, which are all better than this.
Purchased From: Cigarworld.de
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| DEN-C1956 (35) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
this is the first time i have tried this tobacco and i quite like ashton blends and i quite like this one.nice tin aroma and smokes well with a very nice room note, the tobacco burns quite well...not much relighting,this tobacco is far better than many i have tried like 3nuns.and the dreadful clan..never again for those tobaccos. this tobacco does give a nice fruit taste in the mouth,but it needs to be smoked slow dont rush it and it will give you enjoyment.and thats what pipe smoking is all about...enjoyment.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Medium | Mild | Tolerable to Strong |
My review is based on the price and what it is supposed to taste like from the can.
The can cost about double from the "normal" pipe tobacco that are sold in your local supermarket but doesn't deliver on this price. It is said to taste vanilla, mango, and exotic citrus but I haven't gotten any of that taste from this tobacco. Perhaps I don¨t know how to smoke it or smoke it in a bad pipe or something of that nature but it just isn't there. I have once convinced myself that I can taste the mango but I really don't know if this is true or my imagination. It feels like I have some kind of oil in my mount after I have smoked this and I really don't want that. The scent it is given of when smoking is like that of cheap candy you find in the stores. Really not something you want to linger around.
I have had no problem with TB from this tobacco.
If this was half price it would be a decent one but I do expect more from something in this price range. Try it, but don't buy it is my recommendation.
NOTE: where I live you get a tin of Petersons Irish Flake for less then a can of Guilty Pleasure. Prices may wary where you live but I really can't see this beating any brand in the same price range.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| renwardhoop (177) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Like the last reviewer I agree ; this isn't a bad tobacco at all.
Ashton's aromatics aren't bad and they certainly aren't horrible. Yes, admittedly Gold Rush was tasteless, but the others are worth a try.
If you don't like aromatics then don't bother.
This one has a superb tin fragrance, probably one of the best I have had the good fortune to sample. It's really moist though and will need a bit of drying.
It's a swine to keep alight as a result of course and ends up burning real hot. There is some taste there, buts its relatively mild and doesn't hang around for long.
I've had no response to smoking this in the lounge so - somewhat surprisingly - it doesn't score as highly on room note as you'd expect.
A typical aromatic from Ashton's but whether it's memorable enough to warrant a further purchase I'd have to say probably not.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipefitter (51) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I tend to stay away from tobacco that is flavored with fruit or any other additive that I suspect will take away from the tobacco itself. I usually smoke some sort of flake with a lot of nicotine and big ‘tobacco’ flavor so I didn’t give this one much chance, but for 20 bucks I said , “ what the heck “ , I need to broaden my perspective, so I bought it. I got very nervous when I opened the tin because the vanilla and fruit just seems really over the top, but that intensity didn’t carry over to the smoke. It seemed very moist out of the tin, but burned cool and clean and didn’t seem to bite. I’m familiar with cigars that carry the Ashton name and they are very good, and I’ve tried other pipe tobacco with the Ashton name on with mixed results. I won’t look for this in the near future, but I would buy it again and I gave it a 3 because it’s made with quality Virginia and Burley and would appeal to a smoker looking for those kind of flavors in a good smoke.
Pipe Used: Various
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Sergei’s in East Lyme Ct.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| LiterarySmoker (143) | |
Mild | Medium | Mild | Very Pleasant |
The tin is a little wild on this one, but it makes for a good draw. When you open your tin you will see a nice even cut ribbon with a few stems here and there. There is a nice mix of light browns and black in the ribbon. The tin note smells like creamy fruit and mangos, with a hint of Burley nuttiness. This blend does come rather wet, so some dry time won't hurt. It does stuff and light fine, but it will tend to burn hot, so I recommend smoking this in a longer stemmed pipe.
When I light this up I taste a pleasant melange of flavors. The Mango does peak through, and the citrus builds well off of it. The vanilla isn't as noticeable in taste to me, it kind of gives a milkshake flavor to the blend. Now the Cavendish adds a toasty note, and the Burley adds some nuttiness that pairs well with the toppings, but I feel like the Virginias are MIA. Smoking this fast, besides causing tongue burn, can make this blend taste really acrid.
The taste on this blend is a mild, as aromatics go it's just not as bold as say Sutliff's Rum or Molto Dolce. The strength is mild and I have a hard time detecting it. The room note is amazing and you will get a lot of questions from non smokers. I think this is a solid aro but it's not for me. I would not refuse it if it was offered, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy a tin of this either.
Pipe Used: Nørding Freehand
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: B&M
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I tried this about ten years ago under a different handle & have since rejoined Tobacco Reviews. Most of this review is from my old account. Tin aroma... very nice. Moisture content was just about right out of the tin. Taste... flat & bland.
Where is that great smelling topping taste? Where is that very pleasant room note that an aromatic should emit? Where is the sweet virginia and burley tobacco taste & strength? I smoked a large bowl and still felt the need for some Vitamin N. I really didn't get much out of this stuff. The only other quality attributes this blend possesses, other than a pleasant tin aroma, is mildness & minimal tongue bite.
I don't think quality tobacco was used in this blend... like maybe some wimpy Maryland variety & I feel the topping wasn't all that appealing. Ashton would be well advised to improve on this blend if they really want to increase their sales. This tobacco is being judged on the basis of an aromatic blend only & I don't feel guilty about rating Guilty Pleasure with only two stars.
Some like it very well & they have my respect as we are all of differing DNA with varying taste receptors. Some like it & some don't & "it either will or it won't" satisfy the majority. That's life!
Pipe Used: Peterson System 317
Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin
Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars
Similar Blends: I'm afraid Guilty Pleasure is all alone...
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Very Mild | Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I tried this about ten years ago under a different handle & have since rejoined Tobacco Reviews. Most of this review is from my old account. Tin aroma... very nice. Moisture content was just about right out of the tin. Taste... flat & bland. Where is that great smelling topping taste? Where is that very pleasant room note that an aromatic should emit? Where is the sweet virginia and burley tobacco taste & strength? I smoked a large bowl and still felt the need for some Vitamin N. I really didn't get much out of this stuff.
The only other quality attributes this blend possesses, other than a pleasant tin aroma, is mildness & minimal tongue bite. I don't think quality tobacco was used in this blend... like maybe some wimpy Maryland variety & I feel the topping wasn't all that appealing. Ashton would be well advised to improve on this blend if they really want to increase their sales. This tobacco is being judged on the basis of an aromatic blend only & I don't feel guilty about rating Guilty Pleasure with only two stars. Some like it very well & they have my respect as we are all of differing DNA with varying taste receptors. Some like it & some don't & "it either will or it won't" satisfy the majority. That's life!
Pipe Used: Peterson System 317
Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin
Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars
Similar Blends: I'm afraid Guilty Pleasure is all alone..
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| GeorgeOH (2) | |
Very Mild | Medium to Strong | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This is a provisional review. I am on my second consecutive bowl in a pipe that has not hosted an aromatic tobacco in forty years. So far, it is a pure delight. Yes, the sweetness is borderline overpowering but admirably holds back so that the whole blend dominates. It is one of the few smokes I've had that matches in enticement the aroma of the tobacco when the lid first comes off. It may not be a keeper -- it IS, after all, an aromatic -- but so far I am not disappointed that I invested blindly in two tins rather than just an experimental one. Thanks to Pipes And Cigars for suggesting it as a substitute for a similar blend that no longer is available but was reviewed well on this website.
Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Brog Lumberjack (1) | |
Medium | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
If you like aromatic tobaccos which taste and smell strong, this one is not for you . The taste, flavor and room notes are extremely mild, while the strength is toward medium.
Pipe Used: Mr.Brog Lumberjack
Age When Smoked: Fresh
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| o3Ho3 (28) | |
Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant |
I speak only regarding my personal opinion here. You know, I'm a Peterson fan. Some of my friends managed to tempt me with this one (they say is similar to Sunset Breeze). So... with great effort, really, I managed to get some; and whatever effort I spend in this endeavor it was to much for what I get! I don't know, but I think that even a half price blend like Stanwell melange is many times better than this! The effort was to smoke the entire tin (kind of) with all method off aging/fill it/ dry it/pipe it... etc. before writing this. Well , almost every time at the end of the bowl I end up with something like caramel and fish bones in my mouth and a painful sensation in my chest. I'm sry, I don't recommend it and If you try some at least do it in some company because the room note is somehow pleasant for them, so do that for your companions at least! :))
Pipe Used: always Peterson
Similar Blends: nothing I can notice....
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Cool smoke, slight "acidic" fruity taste. Depends on one's mood really... Does not bite. Gets a tad bit bitter near the end of the bowl.
That's it...
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Old Schoolr (14) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Very Pleasant |
I received this as a gift & the tin description had me dreading it. Citrus & mango in tobacco? I shouldn't have been concerned; it is actually a pleasant combination. Right out of the tin this is a very rich smelling, sticky looking tobacco. I thought it would be easy to over pack & a bear to keep light but it packs & burns w/o much difficulty. The aroma at light up was like that in the tin; a sweet liquor aroma. This had a nice sweet flavor thru the bowl w/ hints of citrus in the background. A completely different aromatic compared to the caramel sweetness of something like Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream Flake. The previous reviewer who called it a dessert tobacco hit the nail on the head; a nice treat but not an everyday smoke. This didn't leave behind a lot of sticky dottle & tar like so many other aromatics. I don't remember any bite & the tobacco leaves a very clean aftertaste like a dry wine. While maybe not a guilty pleasure this was a pleasant surprise. I do think I will buy it in the future.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Extremely Mild | Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant |
Firstly let me say that I feel guilty and derive no pleasure from spending money on this garbage. I don't know what I was thinking purchasing this. It really is my fault for hoping that I'd like an aromatic such as this. It smelled nice and fruity in the tin, burned ok and thats the end of any positive notes for this. The volume of smoke was so-so, the flavor was non-existent, nothing, flat! The aroma was bitingly harsh and had no relationship to what it smelled like in the tin...shocker. After smoking just one bowl I threw the tin away and quickly cleaned my pipe hoping this will not taint the bowl too badly. Ashton makes fine cigars, but this example of pipe weed was greatly disappointing.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Strong | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
For aromatic fans this might be your cup of tea. I just had to try it. I didn't care for it. The only Guilty Pleasure I derived was that I didn't pay any thing for it,what a comforting pleasure.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
This is my all-time favorite Ashton blend. I am a fairly new pipe smoker and would recommend this blend to anyone looking to get involved in pipe smoking. It is a mild taste and complete with sweet Mango and Citrus. I, however, could not taste the Vanilla. Overall excellent blend.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
Awesome tobacco. Very heavily aromatic and smells wonderful. My first venture into Ashton and will not be my last.
No Bite. No harsh chemicals. Very genuine aromatic!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Very Strong | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Mango and citrus are not things I find should be in tobacco. The nutty flavor is great if you can get past the syrup of flavoring infused into this tobacco. I personally enjoy smoking bowls to ash but this leaves a nice gooey clump in your pipe that is a bit difficult to ash. I was told by a fellow at my local tobacco shop that this was comparable to W.O. Larsen Signature, and Dan's Davinci. Well it wasn't. It was more flavor than I wanted in an aromatic.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Strong | Extra Full | Tolerable to Strong |
27MAY07 Update: The more I smoked this tobacco, the more I disliked it. Toward the end, it was like smoking cotton candy. Sickeningly sweet, hot and harsh. When the tin finally started to get down to the last couple of bowls, I poured the remaining dregs into my "All Sorts" container. Thankfully, that cut the overwhelming nastiness of this sticky smoking material.
10FEB07:Creme brulee -- that is what this blend tastes like. A delicious roasted vanilla flavor settles on the tongue, while thick, fragrant smoke fills the room. The topping is strong, but tasty nonetheless. Like a cigar, the bowl burns hotter and harsher as you go along, forcing you to smoke more slowly. Puffs late in the bowl are dense and blue. Not an every day tobacco, but a luxurious treat to enjoy with slippers on and snifter full.
While smoking this blend, I imagine I've retreated to my private den. It is winter, the room is dark, and the heat blows profusely through the register directly behind my leather wing back chair. My Golden Retriever is curled up at my feet, and my eyes glaze over as the room becomes smoky and mysterious.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Very Mild | Very Strong | Mild | Very Strong |
This is exactly as advertised...an interesting blend of vaniall and exotic fruit. In and of itself, the taste isn't that bad...however, there are a number of drawbacks.
After about half a bowl, the taste becomes sickenly sugary and its difficult to get through to the (I'd say this is to the mouth what too much birthday cake is to the stomach).
By the end of the bowl, the flavorings/casings seem to have all but burned away, leaving a very flat taste of bland tobacco. What's worse, is that by this point, things have probably become quite hot and moist so you're proabably facing a significant case of tongue bite.
As I said though, the taste by itself is quite pleasant, and the room note (while strong) is also very sweet and pleasant. In fairness, I smoked this from a rather large bowl. I would say that this might never be a "regular smoke" for a lot of people, but for those who love aromatics (particularly of the very sweet variety), its worth a try.
One recommendation though: I'd pack this into a smaller bowled pipe to avoid flavor burnoff and tongue bite...also, be sure to pay close attention to smoking this one quite slow.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Extremely Mild | Extra Strong | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Overwhelming |
E'gads...... This is an awful aromatic reminicent of the vilest tined mixture of all time Dan Tobacco's "Blue Note". Don't throw your money away on this travisty unless your tastes lean towards sickeningly fruity and over sugared tobaccos....
Truly one of the worst tobaccos I've ever tried...
Yuck I say, preppy
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Alex G. (1) | |
Medium to Strong | Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
My 1st one. First time was verry sweet. But make me to love to pipe! So it’s a good taste at the end, I’m happy for the
Pipe Used: Savinelli
Age When Smoked: 36
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerry P (39) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
I think some people have a tendency to rate things, whether the things are tobacco, beer, wine, etc., according to personal taste only without considering how it stacks up against things in the same style category. For example, someone rating Nightcap might say, "I hate latakia, so I'm giving this blend one star." In my opinion, this is not fair to the item being reviewed.
I don't smoke aromatics very often, and I favor English blends. I'm rating Guilty Pleasure compared to other aros, not to pipe tobaccos in general.
First, the tin aroma is great, with mango dominating. The moisture content was perfect, not overly sticky like a lot of other aros. Caveat: my tin was 1.25 years old when purchased (apparently this stuff doesn't fly off the shelves), so the age might have helped. The ribbon cut is what you'd expect.
This blend lights easily and stays lit until the end, as long as you don't ignore it for too long. I end up relighting it once or twice.
Unlike the tin aroma, no single component dominates the flavor, which is well-balanced. While it is on the mild side, the VA and burley flavors are definitely present along with the mango and citrus, with the latter being a little stronger towards the bottom of the bowl. I only get a trace of vanilla, which I think blends in with the other sweet flavors. I wouldn't notice it if I wasn't looking for it.
This blend smoked fairly cool, but got a little hot at the end after a relight. I got a slight hint of tongue bite at the end, but the pipe I'm using as I review this is a little longer than a nose warmer which might exacerbate this.
The room note is mango and citrus, with mild tobacco aroma coming in last. It's very pleasant.
I got a slight nicotine buzz after smoking the bowl down to ash, but I hadn't eaten recently. There were a couple drops of moisture left behind.
Overall, I think this is an excellent, underrated aromatic. Kudos to the blender who came up with the mango/citrus/vanilla combo, which really hits the spot for me. Its tropical notes and fairly mild character will make this an enjoyable summer blend. I would recommend Guilty Pleasure to VA/bur fans who want something on the light/sweet side for a change, or new pipe smokers who smoke aromatics but would like to move up to something with more character.
Pipe Used: MM Marcus cob
Age When Smoked: 1.25 years
Purchased From: Mayan Import Co., New Orleans LA
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
If you've smoked Peterson's aromatics you'll recognize the style (and may experience Déjà vu).
This is very similar to Connoisseur's Choice (or Nutty Cut, or Gold Blend, or...). That's an observation not a criticism.
Sweet, lovely room note, tastes quite nice, but can get a little tedious towards the end of the tin.
In a tie break between this and Connoisseur's Choice; it'd be so close that I'd have to decide it by saying that Guilty Pleasure has slightly better tin art.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Very Mild | Mild | Mild | Tolerable |
Out of the tin... yummy, yummy yummy... I would surely suggest one pack this blend, if they end up taking a, "guilty pleasure" in it, in a pipe with a thick wall because it burns 200 hundred degrees hot... at least it seems. The flavoring of citrus-y fruit and vanilla and mango peeked it's boring head out about mid-smoke; mid-smoke was also the moment when I began my rash of chronic relights, for this blend gets difficult to keep on fire... I don't like this blend, I'll never even nightmare of ever buying it again and... I could easily give this leaf a thumb rating... EVEN IF I HAD NO HANDS. It does leave a sweet residual fragrance though.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Extremely Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Very Pleasant |
This blend is certainly not for everyone, as you can see by the other reviewers. I personally like this blend and will purchase more. This aromatic has no tongue bite, which is nice for an aromatic. Those around me enjoyed the aroma and asked if I would keep smoking it. This blend is very mild, which I find to be refreshing at times.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
this had a sweet flavor more of mango and vanilla not a really citrus flavor there. burned very hot only purchased one tin. might buy another tin if the price is right to try again later on.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Very Mild | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Extremely sweet smelling from tin. Packs fair. Burns slow and relatively cool. Each flavor is present throughout the length of the burn. Very good desert smoke.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Tolerable to Strong |
You know this blend is not as bad as all the aromatic haters say it is. Truth be told it's ok. It has a nice mango flavor although it does burn away quickly. Where everybody is wrong is that tobacco like this has a purpose. If you are a beginner a nice mild aromatic like this might suit you until your ready to try something a little more heady.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Papillon6 (24) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This is one of the stranger blends I've tried. When I first opened the tin it smelled like a strong aromatic. But when I puffed it it's casing was not as potent/sickening as I was afraid it would be. A rich full flavour comes through. The Vanilla/Mango isn't actually the top note like so many aromatic blends, instead Ashton enabled the Virginia and Carolina Burleys to come through, not just as a "filler" for the other flavours. The Cavendish like in most blends is a sweet addition but not in an overly powering way(I'm a huge fan of Cavendish by the way). I did find that this blend is moist so a filtered pipe(Peterson type, or Kaywoodie Drinkless) will work well. Surprisingly this blend does not like large pipes, I found that out of my collection a small shell finish billiard was the best for flavour. NO or little tongue bite was noticed. I spent most of last night puffing bowl after bowl with no problem. You must sip this blend to decypher it thoroughly tho. It can burn a little hot if you don't puff slowly, and this will quickly turn nasty if you are not careful. Overall I was pleased with this blend. Also a nice blend to take on a walk with the dog as it burns slow.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Very Mild | Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Tin aroma...very nice. Moisture content was just about right out of the tin. Taste...flat & bland. Where is that great smelling topping taste? Where is that very pleasant room note that an aromatic should emit? Where is the sweet virginia and burley tobacco taste & strength? Smoked a large bowl and still felt the need for some Vitamin N. Didn't get much out of this stuff. The only other quality attributes this blend possesses, other than a pleasant tin aroma, is mildness & minimal tongue bite. I don't think quality tobacco was used in blending & feel the topping was simply essence rather than flavoring. Ashton would be well advised to improve on this blend. This tobacco is being judged on the basis of an aromatic blend only. That being said, GP IMHO, is worthy of no more than two **s.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This was my first blend of tobacco that would be considered a quality product. My first impression was good, the flavors were intriguing as it burned, except to me it seemed that at a certain point it lost all the flavor and became bland. I waited for it to cool down a bit to see if it was the heat that made it lose its flavor and it seemed to me it was a factor because from that point to the end it became a pleasant smoke of varying elements.
I would recomend this flavor for someone who is just starting out as a way of testing the waters
hoped this helped it was my first review
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I liked this tobacco very well.I think that my sample was too dry,because this is the driest aromatic I have ever touched.I could taste the natural va flavor along with a sweet fruitiness that I really enjoyed.The only reason I cant give 4 stars is beceuse less then halfway through the bowl,the tobacco lost all flavor.I have never had a tobacco loose its flavor to that extent.It went totally bland.Maybe because my sample was too dry.This tobacco could make my top5 if it would keep its flavor for more than a few puffs.Almost reminds me of DAN aromatics.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild to Medium | Strong | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
European aromatics need to approached with caution. They tend to all taste more artificial than Captain Black cherry. the few exceptions are Dann Tobaccos and Karl Erik. This has a mango vanilla taste but is more like a very sweet artificial candy. It burned hot and left a bitter aftertaste. I tried to like it but I could not. You judge.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
guilty pleasure is a wicked good tobacco. it didn't bite. it burned real nice. the taste was good.i would recomend this to a new piper.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| PipePaladin (78) | |
Very Mild | Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
Ashton uses good quality leaf but there must be something wrong with their blenders here!
It bites and it tastes bad!
Sorry Ashton, but I see no point puffing hot fragrant!
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| The Printer Piper (18) | |
Mild | Extremely Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant |
My tin was nicely sealed and I’d guess no more than a year or so old. The tobacco was barely moist and even seemed dry. The tin note was nice and I did detect a slight mango aroma. Unfortunately, the smoke delivered nothing in the way of flavor and barely anything in the room note. I am in the process of rehydrating the tobacco to try and bring back some flavor and aroma - How can a tobacco that many others say is “like candy” “very sweet taste”, etc. deliver nothing to me? Something is wrong and hopefully rehydration will help - But as of now, this tobacco had no flavor at all and only a slight mango tin note. If it comes back to life, I’ll edit this review.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Clarks Favorite
Age When Smoked: ??
Purchased From: B&M
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| JaWiBr (558) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Tin note of vanilla, mild oranges and sugar. Tobacco is a course cut of black, brown and tan. Moisture content is ok, some will prefer to dry it out a bit. Burns moderate with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of Citrus, Mango and Vanilla. Citrus and Mango dissipates rather quickly, and the Vanilla starts and finishes in the background. Taste is mild to medium and moderately consistent, with notes of tangy citrus, tart mango fruit, mild vanilla, buttery, savory, toast, molasses, dry wood, spices, cocoa, nuts, rich earth, floral, lemon grass, citrus peel/zest, brown sugar, hay, a creamy tart fruity background note, and a mildly peppery/smooth retro. Burley is leading with Virginia, Cavendish and Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is good.
Pipe Used: 2015 XXX Ashton Brindle Author
Age When Smoked: 2 years
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Cespu (6) | |
Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
A mild tobacco sweet . Smoke easy without relight. Similar to a older production of sunday fantasy but with a best cut. Good and persistent room note.
Pipe Used: savimelli punto oro
Purchased From: estanco valencia
Similar Blends: Old Sunday fantasy.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Stah (151) | |
Mild | Medium to Strong | Mild | Pleasant |
The tin was aged, a 2015 excise. When I opened it, at first I thought it was the same strawberry and cream as the 2011 Peterson Holiday Season, but after sniffing it, I realized that it didn't smell like strawberries, but mango. There was also vanilla and sweet citrus in the scent, but the nutty flavor of the burley was completely blocked by it all. The tobacco is extremely aromatic, you could even call it intrusive. Despite the ageing of tobacco, it was quite damp.
The color of the tobacco is heterogeneous, different varieties are easy to guess. The cut is mixed, sometimes there are pieces of leaf. There is no need to knead it. Perhaps the tobacco needs to rest a bit and weathered in the open.
The tobacco is very light, but at the same time the first couple of puffs unpleasantly burned my tongue. The flavor is smooth, sweet, and here with the sweetness came the nut. After a little bit of smoking I noticed that the tobacco has stopped biting, the excessive sweetness has disappeared, and the taste has become more harmonious. It's not hot, but it's quite moist. The ash is smooth, the tobacco in the pipe does not go out. The smoke is sweet vanilla and fruity, but not as with Nat Sherman #314, but a little stiffer and a little woody. The flavor is quite persistent.
What's the result? The feeling is strange: on the one hand I love light flavors as a dessert, on the other hand - this particular tobacco does not make me want to keep it in my collection (probably because I'm not very fond of mango). I'll have to try holding it in the air for a couple of hours to make the flavor less intrusive.
Pipe Used: Peterson 999
Age When Smoked: 2015
Purchased From: Online
Similar Blends: Nat Sherman - 314 City Island Dawn.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| crosscountry (23) | |
Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Opening the tin, you're greeted with a sweet smell, almost like medicine flavoring. The tobacco is dry enough to smoke right away - a nice plus. It smells really good upon first light, and I've gotten compliments from people about the initial smell. After that the first few puffs, though, the casing is entirely gone, and no sweetness remains.
That's really the problem with this tobacco - the flavor doesn't last. I bought it because I liked the Borkum Riff Cherry, but that was very early in my smoking journey. After having tried a few more, I've learned that the cherry casing isn't that appealing if the underlying tobacco isn't good, and well, this isn't that good.
It doesn't leave a lot of much at the bottom of the pipe, and it can smoke out of the tin, but that's not saying much.
Pipe Used: various
Age When Smoked: 0-2 months
Purchased From: Edwards Pipe & Tobacco Shop, Denver
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Volunteer Piper (3) | |
Mild | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
I really like this aromatic blend. Matter of fact, it is what I grab when I want to smoke an aromatic. I love the tin note and the room note is amazing from what I'm told, I have trouble smelling the smoke while I'm actually smoking, it's strange I know. I'm relatively new to pipe smoking, I did it in college with the OTC tobacco and a Dr. Grabow pipe but we did it just to make our apartment smell good. 25 years later I'm an avid pipe smoker and am trying all types of blends both aromatic and non-aromatic. I have to say this was one of the first ones I bought and I really like the fruity taste, especially when it is first lit. There are some vanilla notes in there too which is nice, but I don't get that until I'm about half to ¾ through the bowl. It does smoke nice and cool and I get zero tongue bite. It came out of the tin moist which caused a little bite at first but after jarring and cellaring, it has dried out some and the bite is gone. I have several other aromatics that are in my rotation now and a few that I haven't opened yet so this may move a little down the list as I try more or it may not. I have maybe 4-5 more bowls worth of it left and I'm definitley going to order some more.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Oceano 616KS
Age When Smoked: Two months
Purchased From: Online retailer
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This review is based on my notes from 2009. Tin aroma...very nice. Moisture content was just about right out of the tin. Taste...flat & bland. Where is that great smelling topping taste? Where is that very pleasant room note that an aromatic should emit? Where is the sweet Virginia and burley tobacco taste & strength? Smoked a large bowl and still felt the need for some Vitamin N. Didn't get much out of this stuff. The only other quality attributes this blend possesses, other than a pleasant tin aroma, is mildness & minimal tongue bite. I don't think quality tobacco was used in blending & feel the topping was lacking in flavor. Ashton would be well advised to improve on this blend. This tobacco is being judged on the basis of an aromatic blend only. That being said, GP IMHO, is worthy of no more than two stars.
Pipe Used: Peterson System 312
Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin
Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars
Similar Blends: Couldn't say... I'm not that much into aromatic tobaccos...
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| cgar (37) | |
Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A very different smoke. The tin has tons of sweet smells ozzing out of it but for me it stopped there. After the initial lite,I found like some of the other smokers that it burned very hot and was a handful to keep lit. I also will note that the room note/smoke seemed to dance off quite fast. Will be my last dance with this girl.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
I inherited this from a friend who didn't like it. Well, I had never tasted an aromatic before, so I was quite prepared to fling it,too. In the tin it looked a bit syrupy and smelled really sweet. I left a fill out to dry a little, then packed up a clay because I thought the flavours might take over a briar. It did what it said on the tin. Puff by puff the different flavours put in an appearance, left, and reappeared. 40 minutes left me smiling, and I've repeated that experience of an evening several times. I'll compare it to having a dessert after a meal of beef or venison if you take something like SQUADRON LEADER as the meat! Sometimes you fancy it, and sometimes you don't.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30167) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
While it is not on my list of favorites, I am certainly glad that I have it. It's a burley blend with a good room note, I find in soft rather than harsh. Dependable, soft smoke when I don't want to think and analyze what I'm doing. Which is increasingly the case.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
600 Perdue Ave
Richmond, VA 23224