Wilke Pipe Tobacco Mettowee

The sugary black cavendish is smooth and creamy, and is complimented by the mild vanilla topping. Very one dimensional and consistent in its sweet flavor to the finish, it makes a good mixer as well as a decent smoke on its own, though I think it’s rather expensive to be a mixer when cheaper, similar tasting straight BC bends are on the market. The strength and taste levels are mild. Has virtually no nicotine, and won't bite or get harsh. Burns slow, requires some relights and may need a little dry time, depending on your preference. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

Unlike most vanilla Cavendish, there is neither any goopiness or burble. A very mild cool-burning smoke with no bite.

The vanilla is very light; while very enjoyable, I rated this at three stars only as it might have delivered just a touch more on the aromatic front - I admit I am a sucker for Borkum Riff's Admiral's Flake Vanilla et al.

This said, I have only just begun smoking P&W and am deeply appreciative of the high quality of all tobaccos tasted thus far, as well as the consistently "light hand" relative to the flavorings.

Four stars for quality and burn, three for aromatic qualities.

Update: nearly perfect in a Vauen filter churchwarden. Still only 3 stars, however, as spouse did not rave about room note as with other vanilla aros. That said, on the smoking end, maintain a solid 4 stars for quality and burn. Easy on pipe and smoker alike - not even a hint of gurgle or bite at any point.

To date I have reviewed 12 of Carole's wonderful tobaccos and Mettowee is the first that has added up to less than three stars. P&W offers a very unique Cavendish, unlike any Cavendish I have ever tasted. It is simply terrific. However as the star of this blend, it is so mild that it doesn't carry enough interest beyond the few bowls I have tried. It's very, very mild in taste and flavor with zero complexity. To be fair, it sets out to do exactly as described. For me, it would make a great addition to spruce up other blends, but not as a frequent aromatic smoke, especially since IMHO Carole produces other outstanding aromatics.

This is a great blender. In fact, this is the Vanilla in blend 191, which is the most popular blend they sell. That blend is far more complex offering a much richer smoke. This can be a little boring. It is mild, mild mild, in every respect. One might say bland. As a mixer it can wake up some lazy blends, but alone it is just OK. This blend might be a good first smoke for the beginner.

This is a very mild yet sweet and tastey smoke. Not complex or exotic, just a straight Black Cavendish done right. As others have mentioned, it does make a nice addition when added to less favorable blends, thus salvaging what might have been thrown out. It can also cool out some hot, bitey blends. Excellent for the begining pipe smoker and anyone looking for an easy sweet smoke. As with all aromatics you must let it dry out a little first. You will then be rewarded as it will burn clean and dry down to the bottom of the bowl and leave you with a sweet pipe.

I was curious about the name of this blend. Turns out it is a valley in Vermont, through which a river of the same name flows. The valley seems to be known for dairy farms, cheese, and good grouse hunting; while the river is a good fly fishing waterway for trout.

On to the tobacco, this is a flue-cured black cavendish of the vanilla variety. There are many vanilla pipe tobaccos available, and I've tried a few in the past. I liked the general effect and idea, but did not like how they were implemented. The base tobacco was not very good, they tended to glop up a pipe, and be like a stealth weapon. Taste mellow - but steam the heck out of your tongue. They were the kind of ilk that creates a jugged pipe, because there was always a large wet dottle left at the end.

Pipeworks and Wilke seems to know a thing or two about blending this kind of tobacco, as they managed to somehow avoid these evils. This one smoked much drier, and I got no tongue bite. It was not as dry as say an english blend, but it smoked down well in a perfectly acceptable way. The flavor is a very distinct vanilla, and very pleasant - enough sweetness, but not overdone. It is a friendly smoke - not requiring a lot of attention, but giving back a nice return in a cool satisfying way.

That brings me back to the name. This a great blend when you are afield, I can see it being a favorite for me when shooting sporting clays, fishing, or hunting. Not that I won't smoke it at home - I will. It's also other person friendly - the kind of tobacco people say "mm..that smells good". Unlike other blends that I have tried that generate that reaction, I like it even more than they do. It's not a complex blend, just a very enjoyable one, carried out with skill. Easily the best of breed that I've run across.

Like my fellow reviewers have stated Mettowee is not a goopy sloppy mess but rather a very elegant Vanilla aromatic. Using the finest and expensive Vanilla powder, Carole creates wonderful aromatics that are at the top of their genre, using only the cream of the crop base tobacco's, she reverts back to antique blending recipes that the 1890s through 1970s New Yorker enjoyed. The whole family loves the aroma of Mettowee and I use it to cut a stinky English so I can smoke anywhere I please with them, the car, the bedroom etc.

I'm not big on flavored tobaccos but this stuff is extraordinary. I'd just come off a small pouch of Captain Black, and there is no comparison. The flavor here is there, for sure, but it is not obtrusive, there is absolutely no bite, it's an all-day tobacco for people who live with a pipe clamped in their teeth.

In my search for the "perfect" vanilla aromatic, I was glad to find this from Wilke, which is available locally from Old Firehouse Smoke Shop.

Mettowee comes in two versions. The common version is topped with a light vanilla. Sometimes John Brandt has the a version which is not topped, or at least not as much. This is a review of that version.

This is a very easy smoking aromatic. What I enjoy most is the way the tobacco flavor dominates this version. You clearly taste the mild Viriginia cavendish, which provides the base, and very light, vanilla flavor, along with some grassy notes. More prominent is the burley, which adds character by providing a unique cocoa quality to the smoke. Black cavendish provides a very smooth, thick and lightly creamy smoke as well. While the untopped version doesn't have much vanilla flavor, you do get much more of the tobacco flovor: a nice change of pace in an aromatic.

The tobacco comes ready rubbed, with small chunks of a dark brown and black color and a light vanilla aroma. the topped version has a layer of sugar crystals, but in my experience neither version burns too hot.

Burns fairly completely with no dottle. The topped version is much moister than this plain version. I am not sure how often John has this version, but I was glad to find it and try it.

This would be an easy and enjoyable all day smoke. It has a very plain, direct personality, consistent through the bowl. Like a neighbor who you know in passing and gives a friendly wave, not much to this tobacco, but it is easy to like. Definitely a good tobacco, but only great if you are really looking for this unique version of an aromatic. A solid 2 stars.

This has to be my Number 2 vanilla cased blend, behind Paradise by Boswell. It has no tounge bite, great flavor. It burns nice and retains the vanilla casing flavor even after hours of not lighting it. Great tobacco. I didn't use it for blending as they recommend...I used it straight and it was phenomenal. Get some, smoke some...love it.

On a side note. My wife loves all my aromatics but this one was more aromatic for me, and less for her. She actually got choked up by it...but I puffed away happily and liked the aroma.