Wilke Pipe Tobacco Commander

The nutty, molasses and sugary sweet, earthy, woody Tennessee burley has some richness and is the lead component, but barely so. The brown sugary, lightly toasty black cavendish is a close second. The grassy, citrusy, lightly dark fruity, woody, earthy Virginia is a secondary player. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is just above being a condiment. The strength is just past the mild level, while the taste is a tad stronger. The nic-hit is mild. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no roughness. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a slightly more than moderate pace with a very consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. An all day, comfortable smoke.

-JimInks

I have had great luck with Wilke tobacco. Smoked at least 4 blends(Commander,Pipemakers Choice, Vermont Maple Cavendish, Chocolate) and all have one thing in common; quality!

Commander is a Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia, Latakia blend that smokes cool, dry & flavorable without bite regardless of how you puff. Every tobacco in this blend will show itself but it's the Latakia that shines. Toasty and great on a October day.

Leaves the bowl dry, burns to the bottom with no dottle. Needs no drying time, moisture is spot-on. Only wish Wilke was sold in tins.

As our friends across the pond will say, "Have a go with this one!"

CDM Jr.

The direction of the blend gives the impression of an alternate take on No. 524, with Commander being more grassy and emphasizing the citrus notes. With each puff, I could detect a hint of Latakia, and in Retro hale, I could detect the presence of Tennessee burley. the grassy bitterness from Black Cavendish forms the contour of the blend and is consistent. perhaps because the Latakia content is low, its The characteristic aroma is perceptible, but it does not overly mellow the smoke itself. I would describe it as a bright English blend, but not so bright that it quits being full-bodied.

This is described as an American style blend but to me it veers more toward being an Aromatic English. There are no added flavorings but the quantity of sweet creamy Cavendish tends to suggest this genre. However you classify it I enjoy it, on a fairly regular basis, whether for mid-morning walk, afternoon on the porch, or in the evening gazing at the stars. Two of the three reviews here talk of this being grassy and with some tartness. I only got a hint of grassy chlorophyll in one pipe with a tall narrow chamber, with all the other pipes I didn’t get that. Above all, at least with the batch that I received, this is a smooth and creamy smoke (possibly a bourbon vanilla note). I get some restrained Latakia and scorched brown sugar poking through the creamy foundation.

With the first half of the bowl I had best results employing micro sips, three or four in a row, per mouthful, rather than one long draw or vigorous puff. But by mid-bowl I found it retained its delicious flavor even with heavy puffing. The distinctive flavoring persists throughout the bowl which tells me it is derived from the casing process by Sutliff, and not a topping added by Wilke.

I have several jars in varying stages of aging, and with the one jar that is almost two years old the yummy factor has not diminished. This is not a deeply profound or complex blend but I give it a full four stars for the amount of pleasure I get every time I load up a bowl.