H. Simmons Aromatic

It is a mystery to me why the Simmons-blends have not been posted on this lovely site. In the eighties and the first half of the nineties, Simmons had a large variety of blends on the market, such as "Down the Road Mixture", "Luxuria", "Sixty-Three Flake" etc. I will post more of them, and hope that some of you fellow pipesters will review them. (I have not tried the other blends).

Aromatic is what you could call an English "underdog", because it is a mostly burley-blend. Kentucky, a pinch of Latakia, VA, and Orientals are also present, but in very small doses.

The result is a potent and different mixture. Tin aroma is mild Burleys, and Kentucky. The other leaf smell very subtle. Upon lighting, the Burley and VA are the most dominating leaf, and the Kentucky and Latakia stays well in the background. Aromatic gives you a quite monochromatic smoke, but this is not to be taken in a negtive way, because the blend is so well balanced that I do not wish it to change..

A strange English traditional on a Burley-base, that would appeal to VA-fans also.

High quality tobacco that you should give a try, if you can get hold of a tin, that is; they stopped the production in app. 1998

Besides: McConnell has since taken over the production of Simmons "Sixty-Three flake": It is now sold under the name, C.B. Møller, "Osborne 63 flake", and is only made for the Danish market. It can be bought at www.danishpipeshop.com. Please see my review under the brand: C.B. Møller.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

This is indeed a mainly burley blend. When I opened the tin a flowery sent was detectable and the scent of really matured virginias as well. The first puffs were quite mild but the strength increased quickly. The sent is very well build in the flavour profile . The blossom taste interact fine with the burley.and the virginia prevent the whole from getting to musty, ashy and dark. In conclusion , this is a fine example of an english burley besides the heavy Gawith stuff.

I also smoked a H.Simmons blend called Summer Smoke which had a similar topping and a more virginia base. Summer Smoke was far better than Aromatic but Aromatic was a pleasure to smoke . At least to extend my knowledge about lightly topped english blends.