Rich's City of Roses

A quality offering from Rich's in Portland Oregon. This is somewhat reminiscent of Steven Book’s Wild Rose only sweeter, less spicy and more aromatic. The flavor is nutty with a sweet floral honey note and a touch of spice that lingers on the finish. The Turkish plays a subdued roll, but it does deepen the overall taste adding a perfect amount of Oriental character. As the bowl progresses the Turkish begins to dominate and the smoke develops a richer flavor. The overall balance is great and the flavor is clean, fragrant and fairly complex. Perfect in a meerschaum or cob and I could very well smoke this several times a day. Rich's price point is pretty steep, their tobacco however is very good.

It seems the only guy who reviews Rich's tobaccos is me! I live in Chicago and they are in Portland, Oregon. Go figure. Anyway, This is a really unique blend. Unique in the sense it has all the properties of both a non aromatic and an aromatic tobacco. It is very rich in flavor and smells quite pleasant, yet has almost no casing or sweeteners added to it . The blend is reminiscent of a very high grade Half and Half with some excellent sweet Turkish added to it.It appears that the Turkish is slightly cased. I know that sounds strange but really, it's true. This would be a more non aromatic version of their Sweet Oriental Blend. Some might detect a slight cigar like note in the flavor. A must try for those who hanker for blends from yesteryear. 3 of 4 stars!

I bought some of this after Stephen Books left and absolutely loved it.

I would label this as a Natural Aromatic as it smokes semi sweet and is very well balanced.

All the tobaccos meld well and what one ends up smoking is a very pleasant tobacco tasting blend that is good any time of day.

On the flip side I tried HoC Wild Rose with the idea that would be the same thing - which it turned out to be a pale imitation and quite disappointing.

Good is the enemy of excellent and this is excellent. Steven Brooks must have studied with Merlin. Most compelling about this blend is the balance of it all. There is no 'forward' element that I seek out, it is all there melded into one delicious puff at a time. It is 'naturally' sweet tasting, walnutty and no bite. From the first light to the bottom of any bowl, Kirsten, normally aspirated briar, cob, the experience is somehow consistent and I would say the reason why I smoke a pipe...it is a quiet joy. If there is a downside it is that it sooooo spendy as they say in that neighborhood, but you're worth it....right?