John Aylesbury Finest British

John Aylesbury - Finest British.

Another from a recent trade with Gentleman Zombie!

As I've said on previous John Aylesbury reviews, Franck sent me a few blends in loose pouches, so there isn't too much moisture like there could be in a sealed tin. It's about 50/50 black and brown, and although the mix includes a few chunky pieces, the majority's quite slight in build.

I get a good flavour of Latakia, stronger for the first quarter. Then, the Kentucky and Turkish join in, filling out the smoke. The Virginia gives a subtle sweetness, and a delicate sprightliness. On a whole, I find it fuller tasting than my fellow reviewers do; prominently a Balkan/English Lat' taste. The smoke's below medium in temperature, and 100% bite free throughout.

The nicotine's medium, and the room-note's quite nice.

For me, Finest British is a three star blend.

Recommended.

This is a very nice smoke. Smoky, woody and nutty with just a touch of sweetness. I usually prefer a little more sweetness, but this taste just fine without it. Very smooth and pleasant on the retrohale. Nice cool burn with few relights. I think any Kentucky fan will appreciate this blend.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in taste. No added flavoring.

I’d call Finest British a mild to medium allrounder. It’s supposed to be a best-seller in the John Aylesbury program. English in character, Virginia and Oriental forward underlined by a modest and supportive smokiness. The smoother Syrian should be responsible for this, making this blend a limited offer in the future, though. Easy handling.

The only thing I don’t like about this blend is the cold, smoky aftertaste mainly from the Orientals I think, which stays present even after a good meal. Other than that this is a decent blend for all-day purposes, very enjoyable with or without filter and not a bad alternative to more expensive brands. The room note is typical English, yet tolerable.

A solid, quality smoke. No fireworks but plenty of light mellow taste. The Latakia is not heavy but nicely balenced with the other tobaccos. I think a nice starter blend for the novice to try out English mixtures and a good basic English smoke for the veteran. Sometimes basic is a good thing.

This tobacco is appropriately named. It is The Finest British and it really is just that. The traditional ribbon cut and the aroma in the tin are just right. The flavor, most importantly, is spot on. From the first few puffs of the pipe right to the bottom of the bowl it is a tasty English. I plan to buy more because it is one of the best English blends available. I highly recommend Finest British to all those who enjoy English blends.

Appearance: the tobacco was packaged in a 50 gram tin in early 2022. The blend is an evenly cut ribbon of different tobaccos, easily distinguishable by color. The quality of the raw materials is very high. There is a large amount of glycerin in the blend, which prevents drying out but somewhat mutes the taste and flavor.

Flavor: the overall bouquet is complex, but well sorted out into its individual components. Notes of peat and leather dominate, creating a dense but not overly bright base that is well supported by a spicy mix of orientals. Earthy, nutty and woody tones play second roles, with Kentucky adding very light notes of bitter chocolate and wood smoke - apparently not much of it here. The Virginias are almost drowning in this set, but bring a light scent of honeyed floral herbs to the overall bouquet. There is no flavoring in the blend, and there is absolutely no need for it.

Taste: mild, literally on the verge of being unimpressive. The blend of Virginia, Latakia and Orientals produces a dense, but not bright bouquet of creamy, smoky and woody notes, supported by a light fruity sweetness and spicy Orientals that are slightly trapped in the overall mass, but noticeable on the retrohale. The nutty and chocolate Kentucky notes are almost imperceptible in the overall bouquet until midway through the pipe, when the latakia and orientals begin to weaken a bit in the taste. Toward the end, the sweetness goes away and the blend becomes denser and drier in taste. Tobacco has some harshness at the beginning of smoking, but quickly gets back to normal. Does not bite in the process, burns cool, not prone to overheating. Strength is medium, in very large pipes a slight nicotine hit is possible. The tobacco burns into light ash without lumps and leaves almost no moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is woody, weak.

The smoke from has a typical English blend smell - woody and peaty, dense, well discernible in the room.

What's the bottom line? A good English everyday tobacco. No need to look for some kind of highlight in it. I have been slightly disappointed by the large amount of glycerin - perhaps without it the blend would have been more vibrant. As for Kentucky, it is added in a small amount to give strength, and does not play a significant role in the taste and aroma.