Uhle's Blend 255

This blend is truly delicious - if- you are a fan of Anise or Licorice. The burley is strong, soft and tasty. It also provides the smoker with plenty of old fashioned licorice flavoring that many blends back in the 1960s used. Because of the strength, the cool burning qualities of the Burley, and the taste of Licorice, I quickly ordered several more tins and they have been in my cellar for a couple of years. Time to take one out!

Pipestud

The only similarity between this and Mixture 79 is that they both have licorice in them. Whereas 255 indeed has hints of "soap", Mixture 79 tastes like the whole bar.

The other flavor I detect is maple, and in that sense, 255 is like Field & Stream. In theory.

The reality is that 255 blows the others away, and is a whole order of magnitude better in quality. As oldmanpipe points out, 255 is first and foremost excellent tobacco. The casing enhances the experience.

I don't usually care for the strong licorice taste, but in this blend it is sublime. The cube cut is a cinch to pack, and this stuff burns remarkably cool and dry. The aroma is delicious.

This only the first blend in a sampler I picked up from this shop. The people were very friendly when I called. The samples show up in zip-loc pouches, with wonderful retro style labels. To insure freshness, each pouch is then heat sealed into yet another polyethylene pouch. A nice touch. Their prices are quite reasonable.

It's very easy to see how these folks have stayed in business for so long. I only wish I lived near Milwaukee. I'd love to see the shop. Highly recommended!

A mild, pleasant smoking burley mixture. Blend 255 is a little hard to light, as the cube-cut pieces are tightly pressed, however the upside is it burns very slow and relatively cool, so you would have to really puff aggressively on this to get it hot enough to bite.

The flavor is light, with a subtle earthy taste (not much nuttiness) and a high note and finish that carries a smidgen of spice and distinct licorice note. I found this to be very reminiscent of Peretti's Blend DD, which I prefer, only Blend 255 is milder with less richness coming from the burley and a bit more essence from the topping. Leaves my garage smelling nice and the aftertaste is sweet and delicate.

The burleys are fairly nutty, a bit toasty, with some earth and molasses. The cavendish adds a toasty light citrus and earth with a few blades of grass in a support role. The lightly floral licorice and sugar toppings are mildly applied as they work in concert to make a harmonious, very consistent, and smooth taste with a light creaminess. I didn’t get much soap as some reviewers noted. Burns slow as cube cuts often will, and requires some relights. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has no harsh, dull or weak spots and won’t bite. The nic-hit is mild. The after taste pleasantly lingers and the room note is the same. An easy going all day smoke that seems to pick up a little more flavor as you go along. Two and half stars mostly because it doesn't quite have the flavor depth that a three star blend should.

-JimInks

Uhle's brochure says that this blend was created in 1937 and "has never been changed." I have been a customer and admirer of Uhle's for a quarter-century, but either Blend 255 has changed or I have. Unlike most tobacco blends, 255 has changed for the better. I only wish I could say the same for myself.

Medical science established long-ago that as we age, so our senses of taste and smell go the way of all flesh. Though I am willing to concede that possibility, I am more confident in saying the blend has been toned down since 1981, when I first tasted it. Even the look is changed. In the old days it was a consistent deep brown Burley cube (memory is the second thing to go) and the aromatic was much more evident in pouch aroma and in the smoke.

Every reviewer has likened 255 to Field&Stream, and so it is...in the current House of Windsor incarnation. Never having smoked F&S in its original form, I cannot go back to "original intent." All I know is that Uhle's 255 is a wonderful smoke.

A surprising strength of aromatic (floral, herbal, old-layd-soap- like) comes at you on first light (more-so with F&S) and rapidly subsides into an entirely pleasant smoke--aromatic, to be sure, but only enough to keep things intersting for the smoker and acceptable to those around the smoker. In Field & Stream the aromatic NEVER lets up; you either like it or you don't.

As with ALL Uhle blends, 255 never lets you forget that you are smoking TOBACCO! There was a time when the sound of a well-tuned engine was part of the pleasure of driving a fine car; now auto makers brag about the utter silence in the cabin. Blend 255 harkens back to a wonderful era of plugs and points and timing lights---and an honest, cool and dry smoke...in any pipe

Overwhelmingly Recommended.

4/20/13

I have lately become reacquainted with this blend, and I would like to pass on a suggestion: For 70z., blend 3oz. 255 with 2oz. Crushed White Burley and 2oz. Blend00...and 'tis very heaven!

I recently discovered Uhle's and sure wish I had a long time ago. They are a small manufacturer/blender and appear to focus on old-time Americana style blends. Extraordinarily high quality leaf and processing. Far better IMO than some of the super popular "boutique" blenders out there today.

#255 is what Field & Stream is supposed to be but missed. This tobacco is far superior. It is a beautiful small cube cut with a few flakes. Comes on the dry side. At first light, there is a blast of old-fashioned floral-type aromatic which quickly subsides. The entire bowl then becomes creamy, nutty Burley which is slightly sweet. Never a gurgle and never bitter. If this is too aromatic for you - try #300 or Perfection Plug which are both fabulous Burleys without the floral aromatic. They also have Burley/Latakia blends if that is your preference.

I very much urge each of you to call Uhle's and order a sampler. Their tobacco is an art form that has been lost. Their Burleys in particular are wonderful. I hope to see other reviews of Uhle's tobaccos in the future.

I can only echo what my pipe smoking colleagues have already said: if you at all enjoy burley tobacco, this might well be a blend that you would enjoy.

I am, indeed, a smoker of Field and Stream and I can see considerable similarity. But 255, IMHO, is an overall better smoke. The quality of the tobacco is very good and it smokes as slow and cool as anything I've tried in over 30 years. Uhles printed information states that blend is intended to be "on the dry side". You'll notice a quick blast of flavor at light up but it settles down nicely and the both the topping and natural tobacco flavor run neck and neck throughout the bowl. I've encountered none of the burley bitters at the end of the smoke and it's quite tolerant of careless technique.

While other old time tobac's have only changed for the worse (I'm thinking Half & Half for example), it's good to know that there is an authentic older blend that can be experienced exactly as our grandfathers might have smoked it. Uhle's is a smaller outfit that has a reputation for quality and it's great to support such an endeavor. This is a very good smoke.

Created back in 1937, I would like to know which came first: this blend or "Field and Stream". If you like Field and Stream, you really must try this wonderful mixture.

It is comprised of some bright flakes, a little dark leaf, a whole lot of cubed burley (just like, well you get the idea...), and flavouring. Of the flavours added, liquorice is the one that makes itself most apparent to me.

What makes this blend different from, and better than (IMHO), Field and Stream is the wonderful creamy softness of the tobacco as Uhle's processes it. I haven't yet tried their more extroverted aromatics, and may never do so, but every mixture I have tried from them has been simply wonderful. The tobacco is fresh, the taste is natural, and suitable for frequent smoking; the real wonder is why we all aren't beating a path to Uhle's door!

As a bonus, here's a mini review. Uhle's also markets a blend by the name of "Crushed White Burley" which is Blend 255 with the aromatic agents toned waaaay down. I have grown to prefer this for indoor use, and smoke 255 outdoors.

The Burley lends cocoa, earth, and a little nut. The Cavendish offers a little citrus and toast. The licorice topping is just a little stronger than I prefer, but if you really like licorice you will probably like this level. There's a fair amount of sweetness. Had the same burn issues that I had with Perfection Plug Burley so I lightly crushed the cubes after drying and got a near perfect burn. I recommend doing that if you have trouble with it. A quality blend, but not to my taste.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is mild.

Someone brought a bag of 255 to our first pipe club meetup here in Milwaukee, so being the social dude I am, I packed a bowl and gave it a whirl. It was sweeter than the other Uhle's cube cut I had (300), so it appealed more to my palette.

It had a good nutty smoke to chomp on, but still fell someplace between not sweet enough, nor bold and rich enough, to poke it's head above the pack.