John Aylesbury English Mixture

(2.80)
Bright Virginia, black cavendish, and burley.

Details

Brand John Aylesbury
Blended By Planta
Manufactured By  
Blend Type American
Contents Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50 grams tin, 100 grams tin
Country Germany
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.80 / 4
2

5

2

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 10, 2003 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
A mild, savory tobacco, mostly natural tasting, with some piquancy and a vague sour sweetness that, in my opinion, provides a surprisingly friendly room aroma. Is such thing possible in an English blend? Yes, provided it does not carry any Latakia or Oriental leaf. This is the case with John Aylesbury's English Mixture. Not at all heavy tasting, the ingredients used in this blend are of excellent quality: bright Virginias, Burley and a touch of toasted (not steamed or saucy), unsweetened Black Cavendish, barely apparent in the mixture as a whole. The fact that there are no Orientals or Latakia in this blend is no betrayal to its English nature, for it is basically a non aromatic mixture, i.e., there is no casing or topping.

When I first opened the tin, I was intrigued because I got no sign of Latakia or Turkish components. The tobacco is on the dry side, but it has a remarkable burning rate with no harshness at all. Bright to mid brown in color, with very few strands of blackish leaf thrown in, I proceeded to load the bowl and light up. Mmmm. Tasty, palatable, but with none of the traditional density and earthy flavors commonly associated with even the lightest of English blends (say, Early Morning Pipe). Instead, I tasted the crisp, woodsy tanginess of straight Virginias in perfect harmony with the nutty and almost acerbic flavor of natural Burley. As a I progressed further on, I perceived a faint, discreetly elegant, floral sweetness from the Cavendished leaf which, without being bothersome to the palate, enlivened the blend, highlighting the basic flavors of the other two components whilst issuing a very pleasant room aroma. The taste was rich, yet mild, and though it did have some effect on the palate, it never reached the tongue biting point.

The green label round the 100 g. tin, printed in German, reads: "Eine milde Mischung mit den Hauptkomponenten Bright Virginia, Black Cavendish und Burley". Since I had previously tried the Scottish Blend from the same house (that one does have Latakia as well as Cavendish and Virginia) but which I did not really find to my liking, I was quite surprised with this English proposition. In fact, this is very similar?but I think better tasting?to Macbaren's Mixture Scottish Blend. It has virtually the same components, but Aylesbury somehow avoids that harsh, bitter-sour aftertaste that haunts Macbaren's.

A nice, simple and friendly natural taste that can confidently be smoked in public without attracting negative attention from uncivilized non smokers. If you like a natural smoke and want a change of pace from straight Virginias, this is a very good option.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 25, 2017 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium Tolerable
John Aylesbury - English Mixture.

Here's another blend from my pal Gentleman Zombie, in the USA, cheers mate!

He sent me numerous John A' blends in loose pouches, so I haven't had a sealed tins moisture to contend with! It looks more of a broken flake; ribbons account for a high proportion of the blend but it includes a fair few chunkier pieces. I can't see much, if any, black Cavendish in the mix, so I assume it's brown Cav', as opposed to black.

The smoke has a large Burley flavour, only a little Cavendish sweetness, and I could swear I can identify some Latakia woodiness. This Lat' note isn't the raw smoky kind, but the rich cedar type. After a few bowls, in close succession, I started to notice some bite, and I also found the smoke a bit too warm for all of them.

The nicotine's medium to strong, and as the smoke's thick it fills the room quite heavily.

I really appreciate Franck sending me some 'difficult to get' blends, but I'm not too much of a fan of this one! Thanks though buddy.

Two stars.
Pipe Used: Peterson Dracula #221
PurchasedFrom: Traded with Gentleman Zombie.
Age When Smoked: ???
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 18, 2002 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Tolerable
Being a tobacconist, I happen upon various tinned tobaccos that I never had any real intention of trying. This is one of those tobaccos. I was filling an order and managed to drop one of the tins from the top shelf onto the hard floor and it opened spilling part of its contents. Needless to say, I couldn't ship that tin, so it became my personal 'test' tin (it's a hard life...how many industries give you the opportunity to smoke 100g of your own screwup?).

It's an attractive blend with various mottled browns from the Virginias and, I believe, a little oriental component. The dark blacks also plainly visible are constituted in what seem to be even, but fairly small, proportions of latakia and unsweetened black cavendish.

The tin aroma is pleasant, but nothing spectacular-- pretty much what I would have expected from a medium english, the category into which I can wholeheartedly put this blend.

My test pipe is a Lane-era Charatan relief, though I've smoked the blend in various pipes over the past six weeks. The flavor is pleasant, but unexceptional. It is a remarkably dry and clean smoke, which is very much to its credit, but I find it doesn't truly excite me. Granted, I'm rarely overly excited by an English blend, though a few more notable ones have turned my head. That said, the flavor is still well modulated and the smoke well balanced. The blend is, on the whole, pleasing to the palate. To my delight the Latakia does not overwhelmingly dominate the blend nor is the cavendish overly sweet.

As stated, the blend pleases me though it doesn't excite me. However, given the remarkably good per tin price (100g for about $8), it is most definitely worth a try.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 03, 2020 Mild to Medium Medium Mild to Medium Tolerable
On opening the tin I get a cloud of alcohol, sweet cocoa or chocolate and some other aromas that I cannot identify. Without hesitation I categorise it as an Aromatic mixture and certainly not as an English mixture, as the name insinuates. After some evaporation, the scent settles down to a pretty average Cavendish forward pipe tobacco. Looking closer into this tin of ribbon cuts, surprisingly, I can hardly find any Black Cavendish.

On the tin label it says, the main ingredients are Bright Virginia, Black Cavendish and Burley. Obviously there are some ingredients that are not listed. Given its name, there ought to be at least some Oriental and Latakia in this blend to make it and to call it an English mixture. Unfortunately, I cannot detect any traces of either of them.

The moisture in tin is slightly too high, therefore more attention is needed to loading and lighting my pipe. The most dominant aroma in this mixture is flavoured Cavendish. This leads me to the conclusion that there is definitely some major casing in this mixture – far too much for my liking. I find it rather hard to identify the aroma palette. Cocoa is definitely around, but not as strong as my nose perceived it in the tin. There are some notes of Burley and notes reminding me of Dark Fired Kentucky.

In my view, the quality of tobacco in this mixture is far from being first choice. Some acrimony or harshness may occur if you draw too vigorously. However, this mixture is not my cup of tea anyway. I expected a real English mixture. I am generally scared away by artificial flavourings. If you like light Aromatics, I guess you might like this one.
Age When Smoked: Two year old tin, freshly opened.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 06, 2014 Medium Medium Full Very Pleasant
Very nice and not overly sweet. Nice woodsy like element. Somewhat earthy. Flavor is slightly drier. Tin note reminds me of the inside of an old cedar chest. A tad strong which works in this blend's favor. Virginia's noticeable, the burleys less so. Smokes cool and lingers on the palate and timewise. This claims to be an all-day mixture, but I'd say better as a morning stater or for when you just want to unwind. No bite but has a spicy undertone that never gets in the way. John Aylesbury is one brand that should not be overlooked. Looking forward to trying other JA blends. As for the room note, it's toasty and warm- very old world like.
Pipe Used: Corncob
PurchasedFrom: Pipes and Cigars.com
Age When Smoked: 1yr.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 30, 2019 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
This IS an English blend. Meaning a mixture prepared in the English manner, ie, very much a Lakeland style. I was first turned on to JA tobaccos while visiting Germany in 2015 for the Christmas Markets. I found a shop in Leipzig a block off the square from the Market there. The name escapes me now. Very beautiful shop. Upon opening the tin tobacco’s are very fresh with good moisture. Immediately there is a bright and light floral essence that greets you, combined with the grassy sweet Virginia scent. Darker, richer aromas bring up the rear by the unflavored cavendish and nutty Burley. The cut is mostly ribbon with some unrubbed flakes throughout. Packing is fairly easy with some rubbing of the larger pieces when I come across them. Upon first lighting I immediately am hit with the floral notes and bright Virginia. Then the Cavendish chimes in with some richness. The Burley then adds to the nuttiness ever so lightly but gets a bit heavier mid bowl. The smoke stays pretty even though the bowl but then near the finish it’s starts the slight sour piquancy. I also detected every so often the classic Lakeland flavor in the background. Very slight. It burns very evenly to a nice fine salt and pepper ash. Smooth with no bite. I put the nicotine level at a solid medium to medium-high. Very tasty mixture. Solid medium flavor. I reserve smoking this either early morning or evening after work.
Pipe Used: Peterson 305 Standard, Peterson Donegal Rhodesian
PurchasedFrom: Boswells
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 14, 2017 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This is the description at Smokingpipes: John Aylesbury's English Mixture is a refined blend with the main components being Bright Virginia, Black Cavendish and Burley. A real classic for the lover of true tobacco pleasure. The flavor is mild, but well balanced, since the Black Cavendish isn't overly sweet and the Latakia is more of a ghost in the background.

Definitely has Latakia in it. I added it to the description. Starts like a good VaBur with a nice nuttiness from the Burley and a touch of hay from the Virginias. It seems as though the little sweetness it has is from the Black Cav. The Lat starts showing about 10 puffs in and by halfway it matches the Burley in strength. It finishes that way. A very nice tasting smoke that has a smoothness to it.

My tin had lost it's seal and the tobacco was very dry. I smoke mine dry anyway, but this was really dry. That may explain why it burns a little warm. Still a nice smoke.

Medium in body and taste. No added flavorings detected.
Pipe Used: MM Marcus, Country Gentleman, Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: Mars cigars and pipes
Age When Smoked: fresh
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 11, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
4 stars for this tobacco? YES! If you are searching for a very special and fantastic tobacco to experience a unique smoke, then J.A.-E.M. will not be the choice. But it is (IMO) a very solid high quality tobacco with a natural earthy and nutty taste with hints of dark chocolate. No problems at all with heat or moisture/gurgling. It's burning characteristics are perfect and absolutely clean. I think it needs bigger bowls. Because of this very solid taste, it perfect characteristics and it's very reasonable price (200g for € 25,--) it's my all day smoke and I think it deserves 4 stars.

BTW: As far as I know there was a mistake with naming this tobacco 50 years ago. They mixed up the names of 2 tobaccos and never corrected this mistake. So this tobacco stayed with it's name "English mixture", even without Latakia/Perique.
Pipe Used: IL CEPPO XL, CHARATAN FH XL, LORENZO Titano OomP
Age When Smoked: fresh
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 04, 2023 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
This is a very soft English mixture from John Aylesbury, the German collective. It smokes very well, some flavors are more strong than others. In my opinion, the latakia is very smooth and somehow is there. The blend, in general, is fine, but very light in comparison to other English mixtures. Perhaps it can be a good experience with light latakia and oriental tobacco.
Pipe Used: John Aylesbury - Billiard Dunkelbraun
PurchasedFrom: Pfeifen Tesch
Age When Smoked: 1
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 21, 2021 Medium to Strong Very Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
A lovely blend - although there’s no mentioning of any Latakia ingredient, I too detect a clear hint of it - a smokey and savory one. A good choice overall - I keenly use this tobacco any time of a day. Not my top choice, but I’m glad to have it in my inventory. Cheers!
Pipe Used: Various briars, usually with a filter
PurchasedFrom: Online tobacconist from Germany
Age When Smoked: Fresh - to some months
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