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A classic mellow, sweet, and nicely balanced mixture of Orientals, Virginias, Cyprian Latakia, and Black Cavendish. An English blend that is just complex enough yet mild enough to smoke anytime of day or all day.
Favorite Of 3 Users
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pipincool (3) |  |
Medium | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
First whiff of this tobacco upon opening the bag is strong latakia. I thought I was at the campfire and was going to be knocked away. I let it dry awhile and packed it into a new cob. I was sure it was going to be way too strong, like Maltese Falcon - that's what it reminded me of.
But from first draw to last, I found Owl's Head to be one of the most flavorful, balanced tobaccos I've ever smoked and I've smoked a pipe for 40 years. None of the tobaccos dominate but all compliment each other and add their own touch. Use of black cav is particularly well done - because each puff finishes slightly sweet. Not candy sweet but high quality cavendish sweet.
We're not talking candy and we're not talking steak - just high quality tobaccos working together in a way that I have to admit is among the best I've tasted. Better than 965, Penzance. Let's just call it a great American-English. Burns and tastes the same throughout the bowl. I'll definitely order a bigger quantity next time. I wouldn't necessarily call OH an all-day smoke because it's too good to enjoy more than once or twice a day. 4 stars, deserved.
Age When Smoked: New/Dried
Purchased From: 4noggins
24 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipestud (1829) |  |
Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Rich is an admirable blender and never seems to use a heavy hand with any of his blends. Owl's Head was a "Steady Eddie" from top to bottom with a sweet English flavor supported, I think, by the good measure of Orientals in the blend. I would compare this one favorably to McClelland's Wilderness, but with more Latakia. A really nice smoke that is not heavy and not light.
Pipestud
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| albfneto (184) | |
Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Strong |
An well balanced, complex mixture, the components cannot be easy perceptible, no Latakia predominates, but... Black Cavendish addiction, give sweetness to the mixture.
So Called as English mixture (Latakia, Virginia and Orientals), really is an Americam Mixture (Latakia, Virginia, Orientals and Cavendish).
The result is splendourous, great blend. One more for my favorites, together with Chipman Hill and Penzance.
Superior even to some benchmarks, as 965, EMP, NightCup, Presbyterian.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| SteelCowboy (685) | |
Mild | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I was lucky enough to receive a few ounces of Owl's Head prior to its formal release and I must say that Rich really did a great job with this "heavy on the Orientals" new English blend. Although true for most pipe tobaccos (IMHO), Owl's Head really benefits from being well dried before smoking. I prefer my English blends to have an underlying sweetness, (think Legends, 965, Magnum Opus) and Owl's Head leans more toward sweet than savory, although there is enough of each to make for a very enjoyable blend. The Latakia plays more of a supporting role here. I am alway cautious of English blends that add cavendish, but in the case of Owl's Head, it was smartly done. However, if you prefer an English/Oriental blend that is on the stronger side with more of a nic kick, this may not be your blend. 4 Noggins continues to produce high quality house blends and Owl's Head is no exception. Highly Recommended.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Hillbilly08 (38) | |
Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I am a something of an oddity - a faithful smoker of Continental aromatics for over 30 years now. Yet this is my favourite non-aromatic tobacco, discovered after I got a sample from Rich at 4noggins. There is enough in it to keep me interested with distinctive note of orientals and some hints of latakia, but not so prominent as to put me off since I do not usually smoke latakia. No casing to be detected (if any it is so slight so as to be negligible). The addition of Cavendish keeps it all in a familiar perspective for a continental aro smoker. Burns slightly moist at first, and needs minor drying, but burns well leaving a fine dottle that retains shape of the bowl. Top marks for a fine blend, Mr. Gottlieb. I'll have more.
Edit: after 2 years of storage, I opened it again and the smoke is just heavenly. The blend is beautifully balanced, moisture negligible, orientals and virginia still present, and cavendish keeping a sweet & firm grip on latakia. I have since smoked Dunhill's 965 and Nightcap and there is simply no contest - "Owl's Head" is the best of them by a long shot in leaf quality, blend balance, and reliability. There should be Oscars awarded for this.
Pipe Used: Radford's rhodesian with 9mm filter
Age When Smoked: fresh out of the packet
Purchased From: 4noggins
Similar Blends: A bit like Mixture 965 but slightly drier.
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| SeoulSister (37) | |
Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
My first impression of Owl’s Head was that it is somewhat sweet and smoky. I believe that the small amount of Cavendish adds the subtle sweetness to the blend. The Latakia shows itself more as I smoke further through the bowl. I can taste a bit of sourness in the back of my throat, but in a good way. I tried this blend when I was a new pipe smoker and did not like it. Now, two years later I find this to be a very enjoyable smoke. I’m glad I tried it again.
Age When Smoked: 2 years
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Brass (5) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Quoted from my review on the Pax Tobacco Crawl at Pipes Magazine.
Whooaa, now this is what I'm talking about. A lovely, superbly balanced blend with a kiss of smoky Latakia that finishes with a sweet spot of Cavendish.
I packed this into my Missouri Freehand for my morning commute. What a great pipe! Owl's Head moisture content was perfect and the leaf blend required no preparation. It lit with one match and burned evenly down to the bottom of the bowl with no relights required. I give credit to both the blend and the pipe. The flavor profile goes from sweet to more smoky as the bowl progresses.
We're blessed with many incredible English blends, Squadron Leader, Quiet Nights, Penzance, Magnum Opus. Owls Head can compete with the best. The balance is perfect - on the whole, a bit lighter body than some Lat blends. This is not Pirate Kake.
If a novice smoker were looking to try their first English blend, Owls Head would be an excellent choice. The Latakia and orientals don't dominate and the Cavendish establishes a sweet foundation palatable to even the most shy tongue.
I happened to mention to Rich that the market for English blends is so crowded, that it is hard for a blend to stand out. Owls Head is a meld that newcomers or English aficionados can enjoy equally.
Pipe Used: Missourie Meerschaum Freehand & various briars
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: 4Noggins
Similar Blends: Quiet Nights, Squadron Leader, Magnum Opus.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I got this as a sample when purchasing some other tobaccos from 4Noggins. I will be ordering more. The tobacco is blended very well as to where no one type overplays the other. The cavendish plays a very minor role to the orientals and virginias and the Latakia lends a slight smokiness to the blend. Even though I am usually not as into Latakia blends as I am va's and vapers I am slowly getting addicted to this blend. Two thumbs up Rich.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| StevieB (2081) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
4noggins - Owls Head.
If you like Oriental tobaccos this will rock your world! Me, on the other hand, I find the Orientals a little too zealous!
In the smoke, like I said, the Orientals take charge. The others are much lighter in flavour. The Latakia gives a slight smokiness, but it's nowhere near being a Lat-Bomb. The smaller amount of black Cavendish soothes the palate, reduces some of the harshness from the Orientals, and adds a sweetness. There's a subtle fruitiness from the Virginia which has a similar calming effect as the black Cav'. It burns well, fairly cool, and is easy on the tongue.
Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not the best.
Unfortunately I'm not a fan of this, so two stars it is:
Somewhat recommended.
Pipe Used: Cob
Age When Smoked: One month
Purchased From: 4noggins
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| GarBear (2) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I have been looking for a favorite tobacco in the mild English class. With this tobacco I have found it. It is Oriental forward, tastes delicious, and burns nicely to the bottom of the bowl. Definitly try Owl's Head from 4Noggins if you too like this style. Now one of the handfull of tobaccos in my permant rotation.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Very Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Another home run for 4Noggins! What an easy, friendly smoke. Every component pulls together complementing one another. I am a big latakia fan but it is nice to have a blend in which the latakia has only a supporting role - it's there but it whispers. Burns well and it very gentle on the tongue, indeed it envelops the tongue like a warm cozy blanket. A very satisfying smoke that can be enjoyed anytime or all the time. Highly recommended!
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Prof. Lewis (7) | |
Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The first few times I smoked this I thought it was a pretty decent starter English for someone who had not tried such a blend before. The more I smoked it the more I came to appreciate how good a blend it is. While not as intricate as Rattray's Black Mallory, it has a very nice follow up Cavendish Virginia interplay after you get through the initial woodsy Latakia note. Buy at least 2 ounces, you can't go wrong.
Pipe Used: Various Briars
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: 4noggins.com
Similar Blends: Rattray's Black Mallory.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Willemleeu (2) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I ordered 16 oz of this from 4Noggins based on their recommendation and the reviews I could find for this blend. 16 oz is not enough for a month's daily smoke but quite a lot if it is a blend that isn't to your taste. Upon first look, it was latakia and virginia. Opened the bag and was greeted by this smooth smelling English blend. How was the smoke? I was looking for an English blend with some smooth nutty flavoring. This might be it, very smooth and kinda mild. Leaves a nutty sweetness in your mouth, but not aromatic, which I do not like at all. An English blend of taste. This might be one of the smoothest English blends I ever had. I can smoke this all day long. If you like English blends, you must give this one a try.
Pipe Used: Jonathan Taylor, Ebenhart, Cermak
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: 4Noggins
Similar Blends: Dunhill My Mixture 965, Frog Morton, Gaslight.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Morrisson (1) | |
Mild | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Fantastic! The best tobaccos I have smoked (more than 40 different)! Wonderful. I like to smoke light aromatics, VaPers and light english tobacco blends but Owl's Head is by far the best.
Pipe Used: Dunhill
Age When Smoked: 3 weeks
Purchased From: 4 Noggins
Similar Blends: A lighter and smother version of EMP..
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| fr_tom (393) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I am basing this on a sample from 4noggins I got with an order. I am glad I tried it, and it was good. It is a fairly traditional oriental forward Va/Lat blend with the addition of black cavendish. I was not sure how that was going to work, but it provided some sweet and did not overpower the orientals. I think it worked with the latakia to give a very soft and creamy "mouth feel." I probably need to try a larger 4 oz sample to see if this one suits me well enough to buy by the pound.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Capt (339) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I'll preface by saying Owl's Head did not contain as many twigs and stems as the other 4Noggin's blends I've reviewed. However, it did contain some Red Man sized leaf! Also, this blend didn't appear to be blended well, the ribbons of Virginia were clumped together, separate from the other leaf.
Pouch aroma is slightly smoky, floral and sweet, with a hint of mustiness. Packs and lights better when dried out a bit. This seems to be one of their moistest blends I've purchased.
Initial lighting is spot on from the pouch aroma, although the Latakia isn't as strong as the Orientals and Virginia. The Virginia's are sweet, hay-like and slightly sour. The Orientals own this blend. In fact, sometimes thats all I can taste. The black cavendish must be unsweetened, as there seems to be zero sweet aspect to this blend. It actually has a very dry mouth feel.
Personally, I don't think I could smoke this blend all day, but some of you may. Solid 2.5 stars, but I don't think I'll smoke much past the remainder of the 2oz I have.
I've only smoked this in the hotter months. I'll dry this a bit more and see how it performs in cooler weather.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pip'n'Piper (54) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
As others have mentioned, very oriental forward. There's lots of pepper notes. A bit of curry or cumin. Some smokey campfire from the latakia. Virginias bring hay, earth and a sweetness akin to honey. The black cavendish may be adding some of the creaminess or sweetness, but I think it's bringing that musty note; reminiscent of the unsweet black cav in C&D Sam's Blend. I could be completely wrong and the mustiness is coming from the latakia or oriental so, grain of salt. It smokes very dry and it has a smooth, almost chewy, quality. The sweet notes are really welcome in this and set it apart from other oriental dominant blends I've tried. The latakia isn't overwhelming in the slightest, which I like alot. It reminds me of a sweeter, less spicy version of Byzantium. Another impressive blend from 4noggins. 4 stars, highly recommend.
Pipe Used: Cobs, Brighams
Purchased From: 4nogs
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Raines (52) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
This tobacco is very sweet. Maybe too sweet for me. I won't say I don't like (I like all english blends), but it's not the one with the most "personnallity". It's perfect for beginners or those who like light taste tobaccos. The room note is good too. It's good for the end of a hard day : light and not overwhelming.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| point9 (114) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
Although I am a fan of Balkan blends, I prefer medium to full flavor which this is not in the range. The cavendish really adds some sweetness, maybe too sweet for me, and the body just not impresses me. The second half of the bowl deepens a bit in flavor, but I will still reach for Chipman Hill more often.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Darth Vader (110) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Free sample from 4Noggins. Thanks Rich! I'm not big on cavendish but this is quite a pleasant smoke and has a nice sweet note to it. It is a little bitey from the casings and being a bit on the damp side but certainly nothig to bad. Give it a try if you like cavendish in your English.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipe Newb (49) | |
Mild | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Pouch is oriental forward, a curry-spiced, musty smell. A little caramel aroma I'm assuming from the cavendish. Latakia is there as well but not very prominent.
Light and first few draws are very similar to the pouch notes, this tobacco seems quite oriental forward, with a slight smokiness - but everything is blended and rounded out by a soft sweetness. The predominant flavor though is oriental, an almost salty and currylike spice that is really, really good. The smokiness adds a dimension not unlike the difference between a pan seared steak vs. a charcoal grilled steak. Nothing offensive and another very well balanced blend.
Room note was great, a rich and savory aroma that my wife complimented.
Nicotine was almost non-existent.
I liked this blend quite a bit. It compares quite well to my daily smoke of MM965, but I daresay the more prominent oriental notes in this blend make it even better than my daily smoke. Really good stuff.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Lovat
Age When Smoked: Unknown
Purchased From: 4Noggins
Similar Blends: MyMixture 965.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| AlexL (26) | |
Very Mild | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I've got a sample of this tobacco from Rich. It came slightly wet so I've dried it and tasted. Very “English” taste, Orientals and Latakia are perceptible. Nice and very mild smoke, but personally I prefer stronger mixes.
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 (30194) | |
Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
just as good as Balkan Sasieni. Great Stuff, keep up the good work 4nogs.
1 person found this review helpful.
600 Perdue Ave
Richmond, VA 23224