Dan Tobacco Choo Choo Train

(2.50)
Red and golden Virginias are cased with honeydew honey, pressed and fermented before adding a vanilla topping, and packing as a loose flake. A smooth and cool smoke, rich with flavors and scents.

Details

Brand Dan Tobacco
Series Anniversary Blend
Blended By Dan Tobacco
Manufactured By Dan Tobaco
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Virginia
Flavoring Honey, Vanilla
Cut Flake
Packaging 50 grams tin, 250 grams pouch
Country Germany
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium to Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.50 / 4
0

7

4

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 11 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 30, 2015 Medium Medium to Strong Medium Pleasant
Ever since I first tried this aromatic, I've kept wondering, if this is Sweet Vanilla Honeydew pressed into flakes. Be that as it may, this tobacco has been marketed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of DTM (Dan Tobacco Manufacturing), which should make it special.

The tin note of these red brown, mottled flakes is as pleasant and sweet as expected with strong hints of honey and vanilla. But there's still a faint grassy and haylike scent of Virginia tobaccos underneath the topping.

The slightly frayed slices are in perfect condition, and I pack them using the fold and stuff method. As long as you don't fill your bowl too tightly, you won't have any difficulty lighting and smoking your pipe with this tobacco. A thorough charring light, some leveling out the ashes, and a single true light will usually do. After that it'll burn evently from top to bottom.

The mellow taste is sweet and enchanting with distinct notes of honey(dew) and as well vanilla, balanced by a tangy tobacco flavor in the aftertaste. Maybe the aroma of honey is stronger in this flake than in Sweet Vanilla Honeydew, where the vanilla is dominating. It's a straight Virginia flake, so drawing too eagerly on your pipe will inevitably cause tongue bite. However, enjoyed at a leisurely pace Choo Choo Train will give you a pleasurable, mild, and dry smoke leaving some greying ash.

The room note is dominated by the flavoring and therefore quite pleasant.
Pipe Used: Volker Bier Morta
PurchasedFrom: www.danpipe.de
Age When Smoked: Fresh
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 05, 2017 Mild to Medium Mild Medium Very Pleasant
I wrote the first version of this review, when I started out pipe smoking. Now I wasn't really happy with it so I redone it today on 22th of June '17.

From my last Dan Pipe order I gave ChooChoo a 2nd try and ordered another sample. My first run with ChooChoo was at the very beginning of my pipe career, and I diddn't appreciate it that much. Somehow german pipe community raves about this, as an solid as rock All-Day and palatable Virginia blend. So I was teased to try it again, now that my taste has changed a lot.

The smell from the baggie is tempting, with rich honey, refreshening citrusy notes, as well as hints of grass and hay. This is rather an aromatic, than a slightly flaoured straight VA. Tobacco is almost not to be found in the smell, as well as I don't really find the descripted Vanilla in the smell. Has a touch of "iced-tea" aroma to the smell for me, which I find pleasing.

The flakes are of excellent quality, as usual with DTM flakes. Come a bit too moist and surely need at least 30mins of drying to get a flawless smoke.

On first light, I finally perceive the vanilla flavouring - rather mild, but it's there and, consistend, but never obtrusive, nor too artificial at all, well done! I'm always scared when "vanilla" is mentioned as a flavouring, as vanilla can be either a pile of gold or a pile of poo tastewise. This one defnetly is the first category. The sweetish Vanilla is accompanied by a honeyish sweetness, which comes really close to the taste of real honey. A gentle citrusy-fresh sourness helps balancing the sweetness and top-flavourings, as well as it makes the smoke really refreshing. A marginal, but palatable spice joins in after the first few puffs, which is consistent and gains a tad of strenght the further you progress down the bowl. Not too much of tobacco taste to detect. Slightly grassy, and maybe hints of hay, if I'm looking for it. There's also a fermented-quality to it, which again let's me think of "iced-tea", which I find to be very tasty.

Doesn't bite, doesn't get harsh - uncomplicated smoke, even if your smoking cadence is a bit faster than usually appropriate for a straight Virginia blend (like mine is). Burns slow and cool.

Summary: My 2nd try with this wasn't a revelation at all, again. It's a solid as rock aromatic based on a straight Virginia flake - yet it just isn't my style of tobacco, but I can see why there's a big fanbase for this tobacco. It's simply tasty, yet a tad to sweet and way too mild for my taste.

Great for aromatic smokers, who want a first contact with tobacco flavors 😉 Otherwise: Somewhat recommended! Rather for "a sweet tooth"
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 05, 2020 Mild to Medium Medium to Strong Mild to Medium Pleasant
Dan Tobacco - Choo Choo Train (Anniversary Blend).

When I picked this from my cellar wrongly I expected a ready rubbed/ribbon where I could just 'stuff and puff'. Ambiguity set in when I saw it listed as a broken flake on some sites and as a flake here. But the cut became indubitable when I popped the lid: very large, whole, flakes. They measure 3x2 inches. The blend smells sweet and has a great moisture content for immediate smoking.

The honey outweighs the vanilla, creating a leading flavour that's sweet yet slightly fragrant. The vanilla provides a creaminess but isn't as forthright as the honey; it 'smooths' the smoke. The Virginias feel nicely balanced with each other. I get a tartness from the reds but also a definite 'freshness' from the bright Va. It burns autonomously, needing little maintenance, but can issue a bit of a bite; to me.

Nicotine: maybe medium. Room-note: nice.

Choo Choo Train? It's only the bite that shaves a star from the rating! Recommended:

Three stars.
Pipe Used: Tekin meerschaum
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: New
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 09, 2019 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Tolerable
Tin presentation as usual from DTM is flawless... soft mottled brown flakes inside that need some dry time. Tin note is a little odd to me, I swear I smell burley. Smells like a flake of half and half almost. Lighting reveals the same flavor... no burley in this? Really? Something about the flavor profile just really tastes bad to me. Ok maybe not “bad” but I’m not looking forward to the next puff. I don’t get any flavor from the Virginias at all. It has a nutty odd piquancy to the blend. Room note is pretty much plain smoke. Tried new from the tin and aged 2 years... still not one I would smoke. I dumped out half a bowl from a small meer... and I never do that. I will give it two stars as it’s a high quality tobacco and a good flake body but it’s just not one I can appreciate! I’ll be giving my 2 year old tin away!
Pipe Used: Dunhill head meer
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: New to 2 years old
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 25, 2020 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Tolerable
I think it's an somehow aromatic tobacco, therefore is described as a "light aromatic" Very nice flake with a good smell, when opened, of Virginias+vanilla toping. Maybe it needs some drying to be packed properly, as a classical flake packing or (better) striped like ready rubbed. Needs extra lights to burn regularly up to 2/3 of the bowl, then worked with tamper and relight again for some times, till arrives to the end. Taste is beautiful and you can sip it savorely, but attention! It can give a severe tongue bite if you are not careful... Anyway, burns slowly and a regural bowl can please you for more than an hour and a half. Noteroom it's non unpleasent.

Not very reccomanded for newbies.
Pipe Used: a number of different pipes
PurchasedFrom: Estervals DE
Age When Smoked: new from tin, 8 months aged
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 22, 2020 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Medium Pleasant
As a model train enthusiast this was a must have. A nice presence of medium brown flakes greeted me upon opening the tin. The tin note was of a floral honey and not over the top. I didn't readily detect the vanilla. Loading was easy as the flakes broke apart quite nicely. It took to lighting easily, but required a few relites along the way. The Virginia presence was mildly evident in the taste all the way through the smoke. Although fading after the first minutes of smoking, the floral honey remained for the most part with the vanilla never really discernible to me. Overall a nice, relaxing smoke. Nips at the tongue a bit, but not too much of a problem. An aromatic Virginia is my take, with a very nice room note to smell after re entering the smoking room. A solid 3 stars.
Pipe Used: Stanewell featherweight smooth poker
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh from tin
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 12, 2019 Medium Medium Medium Pleasant
a nice virginia flake of good quality regarding both the used tobacco and the quality of the flake itself.

comes a little moist out of the tin but airing it out for 15 to 30 mins helps a lot.

folds, packs and lights easy, some relights are necessary though. i guess this will improve after some weeks when it lost some of its moisture.

pleasant taste of grassy, haylike virginias with a smooth topping of only some vanilla and honeydew which lingers in the background of its nice virginia taste

i can definately recommend this one!
Pipe Used: diverse
PurchasedFrom: Schwazenbohler Othmar E.U.
Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 27, 2023 Mild to Medium Medium to Strong Medium Strong
A sad tobacco. I'm a big fan of MacBaren's Scottish mixture. A tobacco that never gets tiring, with hints of honey, sweet but not overwhelming, enjoyable at any time. Unfortunately, that's not what we find in this derailed train. The cold aroma is incredible; it feels like you've just opened a jar of honey. The tobacco comes with optimal moisture for loading and smoking. And that's when the horror begins. It smokes well, burns without getting too hot. I smoke it slowly, and still, it never goes out. The problem is that its flavor is not fulfilling. Do you notice hints of honey? Yes. You also feel as if a swarm of bees is attacking your tongue. It stings a lot. A whole lot. Moreover, the flavor is poor and boring. Vanilla doesn't even show up to say hello. The first time, I couldn't finish the pipe. It can be endured using a filter and a lot of beverage, but it still bites and leaves the tongue damaged. A good tobacco should be enjoyed without the need for any filter. Total disappointment.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 06, 2023 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Broken flakes that smell extra fruity and extra sweet like honey. I don’t detect a vanilla topping on the aroma but this is not fresh from the tin.

The taste on this is more Virginia flake then aromatic. The topping is evident but it’s mild and does impart a sweet, vanilla, flavor. This mildly retards the tobacco flavor but the citrus hay and malty bread qualities of the Virginia are still very much there. I rather enjoy it as it’s subtle and takes the edge off of a straight Virginia. Sweet, honey, hay, malt, bread, vanilla. Nicotine is mild to medium. Smoked cool and dry.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 04, 2019 Mild Medium to Strong Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
The tin note is very sweet of honey and vanilla but it blends so well with the Virginia. To me this is what Sweet Vanilla Honeydew would smell like if it decided to finally grow up.

I rub out all flakes simply because I never got the hang of folding & packing.

Lights easily. The Virginias are grassy and citrusy. The honey saucing is the key ingredient for the golden brown taste. The vanilla adds a subliminal fairy tale layer. Smokes rather fast, probably due to the high sugar level. Tongue might get bitten. Recommended for aro lovers.
Pipe Used: MM Cobbit, several filtered briars
PurchasedFrom: Nancy Friedenthal
Age When Smoked: Fresh
1 person found this review helpful.
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