Chonowitsch T 16

Bought T16 from Germany. The tin does not write on the description "Latakia" instead it writes black cavendish, Virginia and perique. The scent brings to mind coqnaq when you open the tin, the scent is mild and discreet. It's cut makes it easy to fill the pipe even for an amateur, burns very well and dry, it keeps it's scent up to the 3/4 of the bowl. It does not leave much dirt to the pipe. It has a characteristic aroma that someone will love or hate. My personal opinion (if it matters) I liked it a lot and will buy it again. Please excuse my writing because I am not a native speaker. Thank you for reading.

N.B. The composition of T16 as stated on the bottom of the tin: "Hergestellt aus kostbarem Black Cavendish, Virginia und Perique". No latakia or orientals whatsoever. This is also true of the vinegary bouquet and the smoked product itself. As such, it is an interesting experiment in the field of neo-vapers. Again, a meerschaum pipe is to be preferred for capturing the fresh notes at the end of a rim-filled bowl, unlike no other tobacco. Sweet sixteen or an enigma? I can't make up my mind.

I was expecting the usual charcoal smokeyness of an English when I popped this tin, but was shocked when the smell of prunes and other sour fruits basking in the sun wafted up. It was in no way unpleasant, just unexpected and challenged my idea of what an English is supposed to be. The fruit does settle down considerably after being open iust a day.

The ribbon is cut so thin, it is simply shag in my book. Like other spindly weeds, packing a pipe is like wadding up cotton into a canon (though of course I've never done such a thing), where airflow is a consideration. This tinder fires right up and tends to burn quickly, so it helped to use a tall bowl with a small aperture. Tasted great, with a faint almost sour/bitter earwax hint that let the Virginia and Perique come through. The Latakia and Oriental were very mild. Nicotine is on lt milder side of medium, though I did get a small bite from the dry smoke.

I will certainly be ordering it again, though not for any shocking flavor, rather because it would pair nicely with a good book, and I need to open one of them up soon.

By far, the most popular of the K&K produced Chonowitsch blends, T-16 is loaded to the gill plates with rich, ripe, sweet and very smoky Syrian Latakia. Despite the palate filling leaf's ability to overwhelm other leaf, the Syrian was added with just enough discretion to allow the outstanding sweet and spicy Smyrna Oriental leaf to be a player. The Perique is also applied with a light touch and the Virginia is of the Bright Variety and adds a little sweetness and depth to the overall presentation. Just a marvelous blend.

The tin description is interesting. Traditional English Mixture with Syrian Latakia, Smyrna and Virginia varieties, long matured. Full Body, classic aroma. It is wet and displays a melange of color as a background to a tin note that reminds me of Sacrament Wine. After letting a bowl's worth dry for awhile, I lit it up, without difficulty and started to enjoy the Smyrna's moderation of the Bright Virginia leaf that's mixed in with darker Virginia. I'm thinking that this tin note, which does not really influence the smoke, is the result of fermentation of Virginia leaf, that has not been pressed into cakes, but instead allowed to age in this ribbon cut. It's an earthy, reflective smoking experience of sweet character, that has no bite or regrets. Surreal in it's light hearted character, the component contributions weave in and out like fleeting images in a rippling pond. This one's worth investigating further as it does not disappoint. Good tobacco produces good blends. The Syrian presence is just enough to provide occasional counterpoint, but is not a central figure in this act.

12-04-2004 A beautiful English blend!

Appearance and Tin Aroma: This blend is beautiful to look at! There are reds, yellows, browns, and a few dark smidgins of Syrian Latakia. The tin aroma is musty and pungent like a good English should be.

Packing and Lighting: After letting the tin breath, it packed easily and lit with 2-3 lights.

Initial Flavor: The VA's are dominant but taste delicious. The red VA leaf in this is particularly noticable, a good thing.

Mid-Bowl: This blend is a delicious English, it reminds me of Renn., BlkPnt., Solani Gold, with the exception that the Orientals and Latakia are a little more in the background.

Bottom of Bowl: A nice build up of strength, the smokiness of the Syrian comes out at this point and blends well with the sweetnes of the VA.

Overall: This is a very nice English that is up there in quality and taste with some of the offerings by Pease, Esoterica, Solani, etc.. While not a daily smoke for me, I do thoroughly enjoy it when I do. The VA component is particularly delicious in this blend and for that alone, lends itself to ageing. Don't expect a high Latakia content in this as the Syrian, while detectable, is here for support only.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 points, enjoy....

About two months ago I was at my local pipe and tobacco store and was talking to one of the guys that works there (really great guy by the way) if he had any recommendations. He spied this one on the shelf and said that this was a really smooth Latakia blend and he had tried it a long time ago. So, I bought it without even looking at it. Went outside to join the club, opened it up, loaded my pipe and started smoking it. Well it did not taste much like a Latakia blend. So, I flipped the tin over and read the back of the label and here it is verbatim. “This extravagant, medium strength mixture of sweet Virginia, full-bodied Black Cavendish and Perique carefully refined with the piquant aroma of cloves.” Now scroll up to the top of the description on the page and you will read the following: “Syrian latakia, Smyrna and several Virginia varieties are blended and long matured for a typically natural English mixture, with full body, classic fragrance, but mild taste.” I was going to say maybe the lids got mismatched at the factory but ‘Gentleman Zombie’ noticed the same thing back in 2017. I was so pissed off after forking over 18 bucks that I could only smoke one bowl that day and have not tried it since. I don’t even know if I care for cloves. The following week at the pipe store I told the tobacconist what I am telling you and he was sort of at a loss for words. I am sure that whenever he had it, it was a Latakia blend but not now. What happened? They ran out of Syrian Latakia and had so many extra tins they did not want to waste them? (Sarcasm). I am going to try it today and review it for what it is and not what it says it is. I will be back. Back, and yes, the tin note is sweet with a faint smell of cloves. Predominantly light brown ribbon cut with what appears to be black cavendish interspersed throughout. This is a smooth, light aromatic Virginia blend that does not appear to be heavily cased. For what it is around 3 stars, for misleading 1 star. I wouldn’t kick it out of bed but there are plenty of other blends around.

The components listed above are clearly wrong. Put me in the Black Cav/Virginia/Perique camp. The flavor profile is mostly Bright Virginia lending sweet hay. The Black Cav is light and lends sweet vanilla. The Perique is even lighter lending hints of dark fruit and a modest spice. Overall it tastes very nice. Can burn a little warm if you don't watch your pace. Has enough strength to easily satisfy.

Medium in body. Mild to medium in taste. Flavoring is very mild. Burn is great.

This is a mildy flavored English Mixture based on Virginias and Orientals, with Latakia on a secondary role. There's a slight dominance of bright over dark Virginias and the Izmir is well noticed throughout the bowl. I'm not sure about the topping, it tastes like nothing I've smoked before, and it's subtle enough to make this mixture more of a unique English than an "American English".

Not an all-day smoke, but certainly something to enjoy every few days.

The only German-blended tobacco that I have tried in the past, to my memory, were a trio from Robert McConnell. I have not reviewed them, but they were Pure Havana, Black & Gold, and Oriental. They all were dreadful, but the latter is probably the worst pipe tobacco that I have ever smoked. I do not think that I have smoked another German pipe tobacco until T 16. (I also recently purchased a few Robert Lewis tins and a tin from Fribourg & Treyer. I some point I will review all of those, no doubt, but this review is about Jess Chonowitsch's T 16.) The tins states that is it a 'Product of England', but this weed is made in Germany. It is another disappointment from the DE. With that said, this is not without some decent qualities. In the tin, the odour is rather inviting and reminds me of honey; it may have a mild topping. This is a good-looking Virginia-base tobacco with a sprinkling (very little) of Latakia. If you like Virginia-base tobaccos this might be something to try (even if the weed tastes utterly cheap). I am more of a Latakia fan so, as-such, I cannot recommend this fully--it is very expensive and finishes very harsh (odd for a generally mild tobacco). Indeed, it is a shame that T 16 is not more flavourful and the aforementioned harshness is a bloody letdown. One can buy two tins of something far superior for the price of this enttäuschende vergeudung. Let it pass.