Dan Tobacco Devil's Holiday

The first thing that hits you is the fruity sweet toppings, and the aroma out of the tin is strong and intoxicating. Various berries, cherry, vanilla, spice, sugar, butter, honey, caramel, and Lord only knows what other flavors are in here. Once in a while, I got a little grassiness from the Virginia, but not often. I don't notice the black cavendish, so I assume it provides smoothing sugary sweetness. Has a medium nic-hit. The strength and taste levels are very deep and potent. Won't bite or get harsh. It burns clean at a moderate pace and fairly cool with a very consistent, incredibly sweet, mostly smooth, creamy flavor. Leaves some moisture in the bowl, and requires a few relights as it tends to burn wet. Has a long lingering after taste and strong room note. It will quickly ghost a briar, and will do the same to a meer in short order. Not an all day smoke. A very polarizing blend depending on which side of the fence you’re smoking.

-JimInks

A previous reviewer claims this is a "shallow tobacco for shallow people."..... Okay, call me Pipeshallowstud then because I liked this blend.

Another member here offered a more legitimate review and really nailed it when he said this was similar to G&H Firedance Flake. While Firedance Flake has more strength, this offering has more flavoring. Devil's Holiday reeks of quality leaf and a natural, fruit taste which certainly makes its presence known. It was moist right out of the tin, but after spreading some out on a paper towel and letting it sit for a couple of hours, I found it dried more quickly than I had anticipated. I do think this helped a great deal as more of a tobacco taste was noted. My first bowl was straight from the freshly opened tin and I was overwhelmed by the topping.

If you enjoy cased blends made with really quality leaf, then Devil's Holiday may take you for a ride to Heaven.

This is a "top cased" Aromatic. I propose it as a Benchmark in Aromatic Tobaccos, together with Larsen's Signature.
Is an worderful mixture,one of my favorites.
Strong flavour and taste. Notes of Fruits, Flowers, Caramel, Butter, Sugar. Seems an popourri or tutti-frutti...
I advertise that for enjoy this blend, is necessary that you like aromatics so much...
Simply, the most flavoured betwen all the Aromatics.
One of my Favorites, Fully Reccomended. 4 Stars.

A dark mixture with a few yellow bits which adds visual interest.

Smells and tastes like blackcurrant cordial to me. Which is a good thing. When I go to a tobacco with a strongly sweet aroma I want it to have a strongly sweet flavour too. Along with Cornell and Diehl's Autumn Evening this is one of the few aromatics I have found were the flavour not only matches the smell but is also delicious. Nor does it require you to smoke it at a snail's pace to avoid a scorched tongue and a spoiled flavour.

Good stuff.

This is a very unusual blend. If one does not like aromatics then this is for sure not for you and you might as well move on. Because this blend is for sure an aromatic to the highest degree. At first, I was given a bowl to try and well, was a little put off by it, too aromatic. A few months later, I was gieven a full tin of this in a trade and thought, well, I will give it a test to review and give the rest away. But the more I smoked it, the more I need to try another bowl and now I have almost emptied the tin. Now I must say, I like all tobacco types so I am totally unbiased when it comes to reviewing tobaccos. The most striking feature I have noticed with this blend is that even though it is a very strong aromatic in flavor, forest berries in fact, it has none of the gunkiness of a lot of aromatics. I have smoked every bowl down to the bottom of the bowl to a dry grey ash with little if any dottle. Can't say that about to many aros. Next, it does not getstronger or bitter as you smoke it down. So it is quite the aro.

It smells very Koolaide like in the tin and is a pretty mix of flake tobaccos running from black to golden in color. It does not need to be dried out as it is not wet or goopy and is very easy to pack and light. The room note is incredible. In fact I have drawn several bees to me while smoking it. It takes a little time to get used to the forest berry flavor, but it actually grows on you. I could not make this an all day smoke as it is too over the top and I like to taste the tobacco, but it is a pleasant now and then smoke. All in all, I do recommend that those who smoke aros to give it a try, it is different, tastes like it smells and it will not turn your pipe soggy.

I as some have noted here kind of liked the tin appearance--so I said--what the heck--go ahead, and give it a whirl. I had read the reviews here, and was VERY skeptical about even trying this blend. Well I must say my tin when I opened it was very good as far as moisture, and it required no drying out before I put it in a pipe. Also when I put my nose to the open tin I really liked the smell. When I lit my pipe up I was actually surprised that in fact the taste was actually pretty darn close to the smell of the tobacco when I put my nose to it. The berry taste in my tin was not very over powering, and as I got to mid bowl it got better, and a little weaker. It also finished off nice to the bottom of the bowl, and did not leave my pipe bowl all nasty with goo that some aromatics are noted for. I know there are some really mixed reviews here on this blend, but if you are into aromatics, and I am one that is usually not, but love to try ANY pipe tobacco just to see what its all about---as was already stated it is worth a try. For the most part it isn't all that bad at all. For those that like the Dan Tobacco "Malonga" you may also like this. I have tried quite a few of the Dan Tobacco blends, and they are pretty decent. I would actually say that I would consider another tin down the road when I am in the mood for an aromatic--by far not the worst tobacco I have ever smoked.

Just an update--I recently once again tried this again. I guess my tastes have changed, but WOW--a very cloying, and heavy berry flavor that totally dominates this one. I previously found it ok, but holy cow--if you like a heavy aromatic this is for you. I only enjoy aromatics once in a while, and this one is just too much berry for me as it totally smothers any real tobacco flavor for me. It also ghosts the living God out of a Briar pipe. I MUST state--it's a high quality product, but I would only recommend it to those who like a heavier aromatic tobacco blend. If you like berry--this is berry at it's best. If you are on the fence with aromatics you may want a little less aromatic flavoring. This one is a power house berry aromatic. It is cloying, moist, and I found it needs smoked very slow so as not to ruin, and over heat the tobacco rendering the flavors into steam, and unenjoyable.

The tin note was overwhelmingly fruity. So much so, you knew this blend is absolutely saturated. Sometimes the strong tin note doesn't transcribe into the smoke - well this one did. It was just simply too much, with too much casing. I could not discern the nuances within this one, it was simply in your face, take as much topping as you can handle. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy a good aromatic, but this is one that is over the top in trying too hard. It lacks tobacco nuance and the overpowering flavoring gets old real quick. If you can discern any individual flavors other than "berry", you have been gifted with some outstanding taste buds!

I'm definitely one of those lovers of this unique aromatic tobacco. I always have trouble finding aromatics that are classy and quality. I just like having a couple on hand for when the mood strikes, so I am very particular about what I invest in. Devil's Holiday is pitch (fork) perfect for my palette, and it is unlike any other I have tried. Yes, berry; yes, premium tobacco...but what you don't hear is how sinfully decadent it makes your pipe smell and taste. It's like how those chocolate dipped cherries smell. Just fantastic. I definitely recommend picking a dedicated pipe for this one, as it may ghost - but that is one marvelously wicked ghost. I love what my dedicated pipe smells like, and my pipe bag, too. Absolutely a huge advocate of Devil's Holiday. Truly one of a kind, and a sure bet for someone who is looking for just one or two aros to have on hand. Great tobacco. A+

Having tried Blue Note, it is a wonder that I had yet to come across this blend. Based on the previous reviews, I was surprised that the tin aroma was not as strong as I expected. Just as with Blue Note, the leaf is of high quality. This is however a much darker more dried fruit smelling kind of leaf. The mixed corse and ribbon cut strands are surprisingly dry to the touch but noticeably coated with some substance (top casing I would guess). Fruits and berries (mostly raspberries), some dried fruits/figs, and the slightest hint of whatever gives Blue Note its candy like aroma. Overall a high quality tobacco with an easy burning leaf, moderately cool for this aromatic of a blend, and a room note that is pleasant to the majority of bystanders. A good blend for the Virginia lover that needs a public friendly option (but still heavily aromatic of course). On par with Blue Note in quality. Maybe a bit preferred due to the cut, leaf, and smoking properties.

I bought this based on the reviews that claimed this tobacco to be 'heavily cased'. I thought I was going to get a berry tobacco in which I could taste some berry.

What I ended up with was a shadow of a memory of a hint of a whisper of berry. I can hardly taste berry (or tobacco for that matter) at all. There is not even a room note of berry. The predominant flavor in this tobacco is WAX PAPER.

I guess Dan has joined the long list of other tobacco companies in pandering to the people who want their aromatics to taste like squadron leader (i.e. hot air - no taste at all - not even tobacco).

Dan, please put the flavor back in and stop using wax paper in your tins.

This is what seems to be a disturbing trend. If you dont want to taste berry/apple/vanilla/cherry/orange then dont buy berry/apple/vanilla/cherry/orange tobacco DUH!

If you only buy aromatics to draw attention to yourself then complain that you can taste berry/apple/vanilla/cherry/orange, well - grow up and stop ruining it for everyone else, and tobacco companies, stop listening to them.