Wilke Pipe Tobacco Shipmate

The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is the star component. The nutty, earthy, woody, lightly sweet Tennessee burley is a secondary player It also provides a touch of cocoa. The grassy, citrusy Virginia is a condiment. The floral, woody, earthy, herbal, dry and sour, lightly spicy Turkish lurks in the background, though you’ll notice it in most every puff. The strength is a couple of steps past medium, while the taste level is just past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but it does have a rough edge at times, which is typical for a blend that’s very close to the borderline of being a lat-bomb. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent, lightly sweet and very savory flavor that never weakens. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering campfire after taste and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Wilke’s Shipmate presents as a thick-cut ribbon of mostly medium to very dark browns, with a smattering of lighter tobaccos. Arrives at optimal moisture level, takes a match well, and from the char to the final third, requires few if any relights. I smoked multiple bowls straight through, with a consistent cadence and not much attention paid to my sipping. That’s high praise for an English but what I’ve come to expect from a high quality American English.

My immediate reaction to this blend is “dry”, and for me that’s a compliment, not being a fan of the damper Virginia-based English blends. This American English features high quality burley, with a healthy dose of smokey Latakia, and creates plumes of creamy smoke with a full mouth-feel. In the first third, there’s a condimental sweetness and ever so slight tang from the conservatively added Virginia, and a smooth spiciness from the Oriental, which doubtless contributes to the dryness of the smoke as well. But there’s something more, and I would swear it’s a pinch of that secret, dry and delicious Cavendish seemingly present to some small degree in nearly all Wilke blends.

By mid-bowl, the burley and Latakia assert, largely drowning out the bit players, and the blend asserts itself as stout, robust, full-flavored. The final third is slightly musty, leathery, smoky Latakia in all it’s glory, with a sharp note from the burley and condimental players that have all but dissipated (or perhaps been drowned out). The finished bowl, once left to rest, is remarkably dry and doodleless. Leaves the pipe clean and dry, nearly as if unsmoked. A masterpiece of a finish in the pipe.

I believe this is a resurrection from Wilke’s deeper past, or perhaps a new addition from John, as I don’t recall it from Carole’s catalogue. And it’s delicious. Shipmate reminds me of several of Peretti’s low- and no-Virginia American English blends; think Royal (even though this blend includes no burley), or perhaps 7485 (basically Royal with burley). A very favorable comparison! Though Shipmate has a subtle undertone that is uniquely Wilke, more Latakia, and a more robust finish.

Overall an excellent choice for lovers of American English blends, or those who prefer a dryer smoke than Europe’s often Virginia-forward English offerings. A dry-smoking, Latakia rich blend that will scratch the itch while entertaining the palate.