Dunhill Ye Olde Signe (Re-release)

The lightly floral Virginias have a bit of hay and grass along with some tart and tangy citrus. There’s also a little tangy dark fruit, wood, vinegar, bread and earth, though these facets tend to act as supporting aspects. The sweetness has a rich fermented quality as well as some aspects of tea. These qualities existed in the original version in almost the same ratios, except the previous manufacture sported a touch more depth of flavor. The other differences are that this is just a little more grassy, and there’s a very slight hint of the kind of topping found in Royal Yacht which I believe is added in the casing, and not the topping. Otherwise, it would be hard to tell this version from the older one. The strength, taste and nicotine levels are medium. No chance of bite here, though there are a few small rough edges. Unlike the earlier YOS, which wouldn’t get harsh, this possibly may give you a note of that if you puff very fast. This thin ribbon cut borders on being a shag, so I recommend not smoking it dry, and puffing at a slow to moderate rate. Burns clean and fairly cool with a mostly consistent taste from start to finish as it easily burns to ash. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. Packs the same kind of punch that the original did once you get to the half way point, and can be an all day smoke for an experienced smoker. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

Although I have yet to be enamoured of any of the Dunhill remakes to date, that changed this week! I haven’t found a comparable Virginia blend to this new version of ‘Ye Olde Signe’ in years and can’t name a similar one on the market today. (If I’ve missed one, please, let me know!) Although I remember my shock and disappointment very well when this went out of production, I’m not too sure if my memory will serve to make any comparisons between the original and the remake. It’s been probably thirty years since I finished my last tin, but I’ll give it a brief shot.

I remember this to have been a very fine, long ribbon or shag cut of darker virginias. The new tin of the current batch touts the contents to be a dark Virginia blend, however it seems lighter to me. I’d guess it’s a mixture of red and mahogany Virginias with a good smattering of what appears to be lighter, maybe even lemon, Virginias. There is also a small portion of ribbon cut flake, which I do not recall in the earlier blend. The cut of the new version is, I think, not as long and maybe a bit wider, but that’s about all that memory allows. Did I like it then? Yes! Do I like it now? Yes! Is it the same? Unlikely.

The tobacco arrives with a humidity level of about 18%. It can be smoked immediately, but drying it a wee bit is worthwhile. Seems at its best to me at around 14-15%.

This tin was made in August of this year. The tin aroma is very subdued, slightly sweet with a hint of hay or bread. There’s bound to be some kind of casing, but I can’t pick it up in the tin or on the pallet. It takes well to the match and burns steadily. The flavour development seems to go as follows… At first light, toasty almost coffee-like tannins, a bit of (pleasant) tar, and cigar-like earthiness appear and begin developing immediately. The earthiness and depth increase as new elements appear which include both zest and nuttiness (burley?). Mid-bowl a cereal, slightly malty sweetness emerges as it becomes even deeper, richer, and hits its stride which it maintains until the last fleeting puff. This is a wonderful, very satisfying smoke, ‘old-timey,’ whatever that means, and, to this smoker, very much in an English tradition that has long been missing from the market. The aftertaste is delicious and leaves the mouth feeling clean and refreshed. It does pack a punch, but it’s not over the top.

Will definitely be putting this one back to see what it does with time.

Highly, highly recommended!

I simply cannot understand how anyone reviews this tobacco as favorable . This has totally nothing similar to the original Ye Olde Signe except the name . It consists only of the tasteless Scandanavian Virginias which have little age and no flavor at all . This tobacco simply has little character. They use these same Virginias in all of their Virginia mixtures and they are simply flat . Period . The original Ye Olde used matured Virginias that jumped off the match . It had a tea like quality that was always a treat . It seems difficult to get any taste out of this tobacco.The fact that they own the Dunhill name should not allow them to endow a tobacco with a famous name unless it , in some way , resembles it's namesake . I understand that the re-issues cannot ever be the same as the original . They should , however , be at least in the spirit of that blend .

Advance warning to anyone silly enough to read my reviews... I'll be comparing this mostly to its Dunhill-blended namesake and less to how it stacks up to other, more current blends. That may seem unfair. However, my position has always been that if a blend wants to be called or compared to something, it has to bring as much of those same goods to the table as the original, or come as close as possible. This one does not... not by a long shot.

Light brown ribbons with the old familiar tea scent along with basic tobacco. No fruit or artificial topping. Smells close to the original, which I still have on hand, but not as deep. In the pipe, this performs as a decent Virginia blend, with a light sweetness and tang, although not terribly deep or complex. The trouble is that this is named Ye Olde Signe. Granted the remainder of the tin I have is well aged but the Virginias in this version seem ordinary and bereft of any real jump factor... no depth. This is just not an exciting blend, although it tastes fine. It's something to smoke, but it doesn't do the name Dunhill proud. I may be in the minority when I state that I'm not going to miss Dunhill tobaccos when they are no longer made, as Dunhill hasn't really been "Dunhill" for a long time. This has very little in common with the original, although it is a very smokable blend in its own right. So if you buy this, hopefully you haven't smoked the original because you will likely be supremely disappointed. And yes, this review is biased, so take it for what little it is worth. 1 star for the name, a weak 3 stars overall, so 2 stars is the average. If it wasn't trying to be something it absolutely isn't, I'd have fewer issues with it. Overall this one just doesn't bring anything new to the table, and worse, it doesn't bring something old to the table that it's claiming to bring.

That the Dunhill blends are going away within 12-18 months is sad enough, but after the re-release of this delicious Virginia mixture, it is doubly lugubrious. You might describe this as "Elizabethan Mixture" all grown up with a heavy press turning those bright Virginias into dark, rich ones. The dominant taste here is the hybrid of molasses and late season grain that gives the pressed Virginias, like "Full Virginia Flake," their beauty. But this mixture is a hybrid between the classic Virginia flakes and the smoked tobaccos that have become popular since then. While it does not appear on the Official Description, "Ye Olde Signe" seems to contain some Dark Fired leaf and some Burley, possibly one and the same, and only as condimental. The rest is what "Elizabethan Mixture" and "Royal Yacht" do best, which is high quality Virginias matured to potency and maximum flavor. You can draw gently -- puffing is NOT encouraged -- on this blend for hours, getting that honey-molasses-oatmeal flavor in full intensity, with just a tinge of the richness of the smoked flavor. It satisfies throughout the bowl, and makes me think that radical insurgent action to save the Dunhill blends might be a moderate rather than extremist position!

My friend Maria donated me a tin when she saw i had it on my wishlist!i wanted to try this blend really bad.when you crack the tin you smell lots of virginia compoments like grass,tea ,citruses,dark fruits.comes out at a proper moisture and the ribbon cut packs and lights easy.while burning the flavours are grassy,bready,sweet tea notes, dark fruits in a very balanced way..the taste is deep and i also detected a plum casing.burns slow and cool no chance of biting.the nicotine level is medium.burns to total ash and leaves no dumbness.a really nice all day blend,totally recommended!

I like toppings of this nature. The kind that, for the most part, match and enhance the natural tobacco flavors. I get the distinct impression, in this case, that the topping contributes a fair amount of the overall flavor. Regardless, the flavor is very nice and somewhat rich. Sweet and fruity. A little tart and tangy with a very mild spice. Some very natural bready notes and some earth in the second half. Has a fair amount of body, but moderate in nicotine. Burns a little quick, but without too much heat. An enjoyable smoke.

Medium to strong in body. Medium to full in taste. Flavoring is mild to medium.

The tin note has something citrusy about it, but nothing remarkable. Perhaps the tobacco it contains is just too fresh. The moist content is about right. I only let my tin breath for 8 hours and then packed my pipe with it. This is a straight Virginia, but it is very easy to smoke despite the fact it wants to be smoked at a very low pace. The flavour is citrusy and grassy. I really cannot detect any casing. No tongue bite either. As you progress with your smoke, it evolves into this nutty/toasty dimension as the red/brown Virginias come into the foreground. This is quite remarkable. I am impressed. This is gonna get 4 solid stars.

Edit1 (09/12/2016) I just want to drop a few lines to say this is a very strong blend in terms of nicotine. It really makes me sweat and will turn my stomach, so I decided to smoke it in small bowls for an hour or so and move on. This blend is so tasty and full of flavour, but it is as strong as it can get, so be advised.

Always wanted to try this blend. Unfortunately it went out of production before I was able to get my hands on it. Now I’m savouring the re-released Scandinavian version. This is a nice ribbon cut from dark brown Virginian leaf. It comes rather moist in the tin, but surprisingly it lit very easily. It has no bite at all. Alas, flavour wise, it’s very mild and slightly monochromatic, that is, unlike other straight Virginias it lacks that sweet and sour playfulness that make them so appealing. Many years ago, someone told me that the next best thing to this blend was G. Smith & Sons Old London 100% Virginia. That I did try and was absolutely hooked. A wonderful tobacco that, I believe, no longer exists. Indeed this new Dunhill has only a very slight resemblance to that classic and, I imagine, to the original Ye Olde Signe. None the less, this is a nice, easy going smoke. If anything, the tin artwork is very nice.

Dunhill - Ye Olde Sign.

When I opened the tin something jumped out at me that could be looked at in both a positive and negative way: there was no rush of air when I cracked the seal, or supposed seal. This had resulted in perfect moisture for imminent smoking (the positive part) but I wouldn't fancy cellaring any for a long while (negative). The ribbons are slight in their build and mostly medium brown, with a few lighter and darker ribbons mixed in. The smell from the tin isn't particularly suggestive of any sort of flavouring, it's just one of Virginia hay and grass.

The lighting of Ye Olde Sign is extremely simple: just a quick touch does the job. Then the flavour that I get is a little different to most Va's: the smoke's very rich and has some bready qualities, but what's a little different is the taste of tea. It took me a while to identify it and when I did it wasn't my palate that was first to detect it, it was my nostrils: the room-note is very tea-like. The moment I identified that the flavour became clear to me! The burn's very good but what's not so good is the temperature; even though my technique often causes hot smoke I don't think I'm entirely to blame! And finally the nicotine's quite mild from Ye Olde Sign.

This isn't a 'bad' blend, but to be frank I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting an EXTRAORDINARY smoke, to me though this is a steadfast three star blend.

Recommended.