Bjarne The Special One

Just noticed that this was my only tobacco left to review for now, so here goes. Shouldn't take long. If you can get an unopened aged tin of this, go for it. Good mainly VA smoke with a touch of Latakia and topping, like a mild version of SG Navy Flake (kind of, anyway). The below reviewer's comparison to University Flake is true for the topping. Needs to be sipped. I get a little bit bitten looking for nicotine. It's not there, or it is, but...oh well. Must say it is a pleasant sipper with a nice room note. The tin is great, and reseals almost well enough to eliminate the need for transferral to a jar (almost). The presentation of the flakes in a little ziploc bag within the jar is high class. I like more punch, or would go to four stars, but you can't please everyone. I am going to be sipping this bowl (in a big Orlik) for more than an hour, and liking it, just so long as I can keep my puffing cadence down. This does stay lit well and burn cleanly.

i like this pleasant mixture because it is easy to smoke, not too heavy in its nicotine and i can smoke it nearly everywhere even in restaurants, people seem to like the roomnote of good vas 😉 It used to be in my daily rotation, when i started pipe smoking again 4 years ago. Now i smoke it when i have little spare time, sitting in my office, relaxing infront of my pc to get a little nicotine. I therefore recommend it for smokers who like a good smoke of low nicotine, good smoking performance, i.e. not too many relights necessary and who own a lot of pipes they like to smoke more frequently. There is no problem with cake, it produces fine grey ash. Good for starting your hobby or keep the satisfying level of nicotine in your system up.

If you like a really mild and fruity Virginia Flake this is for you. It is very similar to University flake without the nicotine kick. A perfect no brainer smoke. Smooth and relaxing. nice taste and room note. 3 stars.

Wow this hasn't been reviewed in...forever! Maybe I can resurrect interest in this stuff.

Well, I got this blend because the description intrigued me and I have a special place in my heart for so-called "cross-over" blends. In a nutshell, this is a standard Danish-style aromatic (flavored mainly with something berry-like) with enough added Syrian latakia to actually be tasted and to add extra body/cut the sweetness.

A good analogy is this: it is a bit like having a California Zinfandel wine. Fruit-forward with a little bit a tannins, but not too much. The berry-flavor is there but its tempered by the latakia. It is not really a sweet tobacco but it does has a fruit flavor - like the way a red wine might have a berry flavor but not be sweet. The room note is very nice and will likely get you compliments from significant others. Maybe this blend might be "the special one" that will allow you to enjoy latakia inside the house without compliant? (Luckily I do not have this problem, but I know others do).

Not surprisingly, this tobacco pairs great with a glass of fruity red wine!

One other note: It has been mentioned in this blend's reviews and in all the other Bjarne reviews here that the tobacco is very dry in the tin. Mine was no exception. Surprisingly, this did not seem to hurt the taste or burning qualities for me. In fact, it burns VERY easily and was thus perfect for enjoying outdoors. I noticed no bite, although I did try to sip it slowly (as I would a Mac Baren blend).

This is a very mild and artifically sweetened blend in the very traditional Danish style. What is unique is the smidgen of Latakia added to the mix to make the smoking experience rather interesting if not earth shattering.

Latakia and/or nicotine addicts will not be sated with this blend, but those who enjoy sweetened Virginia and Black Cavendish that reeks of spices and fruits - well, this is "The Special One" for you.

It is a clean burning blend and burns well.

I entered into the world of pipes and tobacco six months ago. Like a child with unopened pots of paint and the world?s canvas at my lips, I?ve set out into a puffer?s odyssey. I?ve set off?meeting tobaccos with an inquisitive tongue, finding the right pipe for the right blend, developing technique, dabbling with tamp and match into silken moments and yes, the occasional grimace.

Early on, I ventured into Virginia tobacs (Dunhill Mild Flake). I fell in love with the scent of the tin. But smoking it brought on headaches and so, I shied away from straight Vas. Instead I explored other varietals: Burley and Latakia, English blends and the teasing pleasures of Cavendish aromatics.

I since have reached the point of experience where I can identify what I smoke and the headaches have vanished from the stronger blends. I?m now ready to drift into the world of VA?s?.

I came here and saw the reviews for Bjarne?s The Special One. All I can say is: Thank-you for turning me on to this tobacco!

This is an enticing, sensual smoke. With a slow cadence and an attentive mind, I have found that The Special One is a treat.

Virginia?s are at the fore-front here: sweet and evolving, rounded out by traces of Cav, their soft vanilla notes rest in the arms with delicate hints?mere whispered kisses?of Latakia.

This is a quiet, dreamy blend. Special One is not a rush for the gold tobacco. Instead, this is a fine, private type of blend, ideal for the enjoyment of a soul?s interlude. The breath technique brings out the grace of this tobacco for there are layers of character laying in wait with The Special One.

The door?s now open for further exploration of Danish blends. (I?m enjoying five different Danish mixtures at the time of this writing and this one is fascinating).

By the way: My wife, recovering from a sinus condition, loves the room note. She was thrilled last night that she could smell, once more, the pleasant aroma of this tobacco.

Highly recommended.







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This is one of my favorites! Not an english blend by any measure, but I believe they must put a hint of latakia in there, I know I can taste it (or just want to taste it). It has that burning birch bark smell when inhaled through the nose. Rasberry notes and a subtle sweetness. Just a real pleasant smoke for me. Just right in every aspect except for nicotine maybe, I like it in the medium spectrum. 9 out of 10

I like this tobacco alot. It falls within a unique and narrow spectrum of tobaccos. This is one of those lightly sweet VA/Cavendish blends that contains some Latakia but is not an "English" blend by any means.

The Special One comes as a partially rubbed out flake. On the drier side. Slow burning. A very natural medium brown in appearance with flecks of black. It burns clean and dry all the way down to the heel. I had no trouble with it biting, but I am a slow smoker.

Real tobacco flavor with natural sweetness from VAs. A hint of Cavendish that gives it a cinnamon-clove like spice in taste and aroma, and with just a hint (barely there) of smokey flavor attributable to the Latakia. Basically a naturally sweet rubbed out Danish flake with Latakia added as a mere condiment (like salt on your food).

I very much enjoy this tobacco.

I write this review after just a sampling of this blend. It was a freebie thrown in with an order from an online tobacconist. I had no experience with Bjarne blends at all, barely even having heard mention of them. I also had never tried a blend with Syrian Latakia and did not know this blend contained it when I got the sample package. It was just marked with the blend name "The Special One".

When I first examined the tobacco it looked just like any other broken Virginia flake I'd tried. Oh well, I opened up the baggie and got quite a surprise. This was definately not just Virginia! I immediately started nosing around the web til I found a description of the tobacco. It was not so coincidental I found it on the same website from whence the tobacco was sent. Virginias, "a touch of Syrian Latakia", and some black Cavendish. Here we go.

I loaded this into a Missouri Meerschaum cob as is my wont with any blend that I know nothing about. It fired easily and only required a couple of relights during the rest of the bowl. Right away the sweetness of the Virginias along with smoky characterisitcs of the Syrian come headlong at the tastebuds. I like this. The flavoring seems at first to be from some sort of casing but I'm not certain. As the bowl continues I'm less convinced that it's topped or cased that much.

Room note. This was a very pleasant surprise for me. I'm used to the driftwood campfire aroma of Cyprian Latakia, this is more like a fireplace filled with a slowly smoldering hardwood like oak or hackberry. The mother in-law gave me that description along with a big thumbs up as to it's "crowd pleasing" ability. Much richer than Cyprian to me though it does not have the cool smoke feeling of the Cyprian. This blend can get hot in a hurry if proper puffing cadence is not heeded. I am assuming this is mostly from the Virginia's sugar and I'm still unsure as to whether it's topped with a sweetener of some sort. All in all I love the flavor of this tobacco and it smoked quite cleanly all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It's unlike anything I've tried so far but I am not a long term veteran of pipe smoking so take these comments for what they're worth. The second bowl of this was in a Peterson Killarny 999. A bit less heat was noticed than with the cob but only a little. This is definately a blend that will burn you if not smoked delicately. It tasted about the same to me in the briar and I still think it tastes great. I really like the Syrian Latakia component here and it is something I will absolutely explore in other blends as well. I'll grab a 100g tin of this and work my way through it over the next several months and see how it does with the airing and aging. If the heat factor settles down a bit this could be an interesting blend.

Bright red 100 gm. tin, with the following warning: ?We Danish people do like some ?English style? in our blends?. We are thus presented with a mellow golden Virginia leaf to which a pinch of Syrian Latakia and another pinch of unsweetened Cavendish have been added, in flake form. Hmmm?.In fact, this is an English that no English (or smoker of English mixtures for that matter) would recognise as such. It may have some of the elements, but it just doesn?t have the spirit, the body or the depth of even the mildest of English tobaccos (be it Skiff, Early Morning or Campanile).

Having said that, this is a zesty, natural tasting Danish flake, with a slight toasted flavour, very palatable, made form high grade leaf and well pressed (alas, too mild!). Neither dry nor moist, it is easy to break up, pack and light. In spite of the alleged Latakia it does not smoke cool, and if carried away trying to reach that promised leaf, it will bite! The predominant flavour is bright, golden Virginia (not sweet). The Latakia (Syrian, at that) is just an anecdote. It is so well hidden you can?t taste or smell it.

If you can live with that, this is a very nice Virginia flake, savoury, mild, probably a good choice for a summer smoke. Similar to Orlik Golden Sliced, with a bit more of spiciness, or to PS Navy Cut, but milder (so far the only Danish I have tried that actually fits the description of an English, is Larsen?s Selected Blend N° 20).