Bentley The Virginia Ruby

This blend is something of a grower. It is what is described on the tin, and is an enjoyable smoke. Good quality virginia tobaccos are the basis of the blend, and a non-goopy honey flavouring is added which is sweet without any chemical taste or unpalatable aftertaste. I don't normally enjoy Virginia tobaccos particularly, and at first the subtlety of the casing left me a little cold, but after 2 or 3 bowls I was pretty much hooked. Unusually for me, I have turned to this repeatedly as an alternative to my usual latakia preference, finishing the tin really quickly.

On opening the tin, the aroma of honey is strong and evokes the same feeling of anticipation as few good aromatics can. The burn is consistent and lends toward quite a hot burn unless drawn carefully. It seemed fairly one dimensional to me initially but not boring once I was in the swing of a few bowls. Never cloying, it reduces to a fine ash that doesn't foul any of the varied size bowls I tried it in. This is a simple and attractive aromatic with few stalks and consistent quality.

I would most definitely buy this again and would happily recommend it to aromatic smokers and to those wanting a change of pace from more robust flavours.

A very dark coloured tobacco from Bentley. Looks like there's more cavendish in it than virginia.

If I didn't know better then I'd think this was an American blend, but this is far too dry. It crumbles rather than feeds into the bowl, and it's very difficult to know whats been burnt and what's worth saving at the end. Ironically it doesn't burn that well either ; several relights needed.

The tin aroma is very pleasant, but very mild and this is the same with the taste. It smells pretty much as you'd expect leaning more towards an Italian style blend rather than a Danish one. I can't say I get the sweetness that the previous reviewer mentions. No, I detect just a slight almost light cherry flavour, but that's about all. But then my taste buds are shot anyway.

Mid-price in Germany (hard to find in the UK) this is just an average aromatic worth trying as it's a quality mix, but nothing out of the ordinary.