Rattray Exotic Orange (a.k.a. Exotic Passion)

The Virginias offer a little dark fruit and earth along with some tangy citrus and grass. They form the base of the blend. The nutty, earthy burleys play back up. The black cavendish is a supporting player that provides a little brown sugar, and a few drops of vanilla and caramel. There is a very light tea-like quality that likely comes from one of the Virginias, but may also come from a topping. The orange, passion fruit, and floral (rose, I’d say) toppings has a bit of richness and depth. There’s a little maple and mango added as well. The tobaccos are sublimated a little, but the tangy citrus from them doesn’t seem to have been muted much by the toppings. The taste level is just above medium. The nic-hit is almost mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no dull or weak moments. A little moist out of the tin, it burns a little slow, cool and clean with very smooth, rather creamy consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights as it burns to ash. Has a very pleasant sweet, floral after taste and room note, both of which linger a mite. Can be an all day smoke with little trouble. It will ghost a pipe.

-JimInks

An absolutely stellar aromatic by Rattray's. The tin I purchased is labeled Exotic Orange although it came with a paper insert describing the name of the blend as being Exotic Passion. The rich smelling tin note is a cocktail of honey, maple, sweet orange, citrus blossom and a hint of a treatment that is nearly identical to cognac scent of Bagpiper's Dream.

The tobacco is a variegated mix of mostly tan and brown course cut pieces accented with a small amount of dark Black Cavendish. The moisture content is near perfect, although I prefer to set it out to dry for about 15 minutes. It’s easy to pack, burns slow and stays lit with very few relights.

The beginning of each bowl is sweet but not cloying. The topping is noticeable but it does not get in the way of the grassy, lemony taste of the Virginias. The biggest surprise comes along further into the bowl where Exotic Orange settles into a groove where the taste of the tobaccos come into focus with the flavorings coming through balanced to perfection in the side stream. Each puff finishes with a light lingering spice and a delicate, fruity floral note.

The experience of smoking Exotic Orange reminds me of often overlooked tobaccos like Davidoff's Danish Mixture and Mac Baren’s Mixture Modern, which taste entirely different but are designed to let you know that you're actually smoking tobacco despite the added flavor enhancements and the pleasant room note.

This is an excellent blend for aromatic smokers and for pipers like myself who tend to prefer more natural mixtures but like to dabble in well made aromatics.

Typical aromtaic blended by Kohlhase & kopp. Not the easiest blend around but perfectly smokable for the average pipe smoker. The taste offers lots of orange and after drying out a little more and more of the vanilla, caramell taste that´s so typical for K&K aromtaics. I recomend this mixture for fans of fruity blends and the one´s that really like orange since it is very prominent in taste. Just sometimes it gets a little biting... And of course it comes in one of the most beautiful tins available!

Three stars!

I really wanted to like this blend. I waited, like so many others, for it to finally become available. I read the reviews. Jim inks gave it a great review and he is the best at giving great and evenhanded perspective on blends. I love certain heavily cased aromatics such as Devil's Holiday which i can readily agree is not for everyone. All that said, I truly hated this tobacco. Cloying, artificial, nauseating and overpowering come to mind immediately. It really is like smoking a scented candle and not a high quality one at that. Finally, please be careful as this will absolutely ghost a pipe in a major way. I made the mistake of trying it in a Castello 10 and have had a difficult time since saying farewell to it.

This stuff and Bagpiper's Dream are the two most awful mixtures I've ever had the misfortune to try. Its taste reminded me of the fragrance from cheap perfume and it gagged me. I couldn't even finish the pipe full of it.

As others...I am not into aromatic blends but I did enjoy this one.

The tin note is beautiful. Arrives in a beautiful tin. The tobacco itself is in a plastic bag that to me is obviously intended for shipping purposes only. Cheap and thin! Subtle on the citrus note when smoked.

Jar it up and dabble in it time to time. Nice change of pace with zero tongue bite for me.

I admit. I don't think highly of aromatics, but was curious since this has attracted much attention. I hate to say it, but I simply adore this aro. It's beautiful beyond discription. The tin note, construction, moisture content.. everything. I have zero complaints ☹️ Please, don't tell anyone.

Warning- will ghost a briar! (As others have said.) This is an amazing blend. Pure quality from packaging to cut to smoke. I have gifted this to 3 pipe smoker friends to Rave Reviews! The nose is intense and rich. Orange blossoms is what it reminds me of. This is a treat, not an everyday smoke. Something to be enjoyed, like an aperitif. Highly recommended.

For the last year this blend has been extremely hard to find. I had mine shipped from Germany to the USA using eBay. I picked one up at a local tobacconist in Minneapolis and could not find it at any of the major retailers, hence going to ebay. If you have this treasure it!

This is a wonderful smoke, the orange flavor lasts through the entire bowl, but never tastes overwhelming. The Virginia tobacco flavor is dominant and the orange flavor gives a nice push throughout the smoke. This is not your average aromatic, no goopy tobacco here, this is an excellent smoke and heartily recommended....if you can find it.

This stuff can be hard to find. I was fortunate enough to receive some from a friend in Portugal since it's readily available in the EU. If you catch a Rattrays drop early you can find it from SmokingPipes or TobaccoPipes. Be aware, it sells out as quick or quicker than Hal O' the Wynd.

This​ blend is an absolutely wonderful aromatic. I do not find myself smoking aros very often, but when I get the itch, this stuff is what I reach for. The top note is a wonderful mix of tea, orange, citrus florals, and maybe a little booze. It's not goopy or sopping wet like some aros and like everything from K&K/Rattrays it is made with top notch leaf.

I'm not aware of any other aromatic (aside from Lakelands) that retains its top note on the sidestream or retrohale as well as this blend. It actually tastes like it smells while still retaining some tobacco flavor.

It does lack a little strength for me and nicotine as well. I've taken to mixing it with Haddo's Delight at a close to even ratio. Those two together become a truly wonderful experience.