I found a tin of this at my old residence last year and finally got around to dipping into it. It’s entirely possible that the 8 or so years between my purchase of this 314 and smoking it over the past few days have been hard on the tobacco, but I’m not sure. What I once perceived as a quiet vanilla aromatic is now practically mute. It’s still a mild tobacco, but far too mild to bring any pleasure. The big challenge with this stuff, however, is the serious bitterness that has developed in this weed. It’s genuinely unpleasant to smoke and may well be a candidate for the big blue bin.

But back when I was much younger…and perhaps when the tin was fresh…this was a mild, pleasant smoke.

This blend, however, has changed my perspective on the murky world of aromatics. It has no bite, has a mellow and mild flavor, and has one of the best aromas I have ever smelled. It is a light vanilla aroma with a subtle hint of almonds or walnuts. It burns very well. Truly a masterpiece of the aromatic variety. Definitely going to stock up on this one.

I must admit that it does tend to smoke very wet, as stated in previous reviews, however, nothing colors a meerschaum faster or better then this blend. If you haven't tried it in a meerschaum you're missing the real flavor of the blend.

At my ripe old age of 55, I've decided that the only thing important is to smoke what YOU like. That all that matters.

That said, I have come to the conclusion that Nat Sherman's 314 is my favorite blend. It isn't too overwhelmingly aromatic and provides me with a clean, cool smoke that is very flavorful. As a bonus, the room note will win friends as well. It loads and lights easily and burns all the way down with little, if any, relighting.

It's truly a delight and a great all-day smoke for me. I highly recommed it.

In the tin, this stuff smells almost like Senakot, a chocolate laxative. I almost passed on it, but since I used to love Nat?s cigars so much, especially the Union and University, I decided to try a pinch from an open sample tin at Jack?s Tobacco, Milwaukee. I was not disappointed. This is one of the finest, creamiest aromatics you?ll every try. It?s a soft blend of aromatic golden and dark Cavendish. Yes, it?s definitely a heavily cased American aromatic, so stay away if you?re a hardcore English smoker. Unfortunately, the downside is that whatever this stuff is cased with leaves a coating on my tongue that?s soapy and waxy. It also tends to leave some sludgy wet dottle in the bowl. I prefer McClelland aromatics because they don?t fuzz my tongue. But for one who enjoys an occasional ice cream sundae with their tobacco, and likes the pleasing fragrance of nougat and toffee ala McClelland Best of Show, you will enjoy this from time to time.

Two and a half of five stars

You have to give credit for truth in advertising ? the description says this is their mildest blend. It has to be.

I didn?t chance a treasured briar on this one, I smoked it in a cob first. Then as an experiment, I smoked it in a Kirsten ? just to see how wet it really smoked. After I smoked it down as far as I could, I checked out the amount of water in the pipe. I was amazed. I wouldn?t have thought a bowl of tobacco could hold that much moisture!

The tin when opened gives a strong vanilla cased cavendish smell that is inviting to the aromatic smoker. If there is anything besides cavendish here I sure can't find it. The leaf is ribbon cut and monotone in color like the color of honey.

When first opened the tobacco is a bit on the moist side. Packing when it is this moist will surely provide a lot of gurgle. Now to the first problem with this tobacco, if you let it dry out for more than a 15 minutes (the least IMHO that is needed to control the gurgle) the flavor begins to get flatter than flat almost as if the vanilla evaporates in the drying process. If smoked in a group 4 or larger gurgle is unstoppable. Attempting to control the gurgle, I smoked it in Savenelli 6mm and Vauen 9mm balsa filter pipes which helped tremendously. Even so, I still used more than one pipe cleaner to keep the condensation down. And, before I forget, when tried in a Peterson system pipe, it filled the reservoir - don't go there.

Strength: This is the mildest tobacco I've ever smoked (7 years smoking now). I notice no nicotine increase throughout the bowl.

Flavoring: As I previously outlined, this tobacco has a strong vanilla casing that is overpowering to say the least. It's a nice mix with cavendish, but is so monotone that the tobacco simply won't keep your interest for more than a few bowls. I never made it through the entire tin quite honestly.

Room note: This tobacco will make friends for you! People seem to love the aroma. While not as strong as some of the "cherry" blends, the aroma is definately a sickly sweet cavendish.

Bowl Experience: If dried out for about 15 minutes, the bowl lights quite easily and will smoke to the bottom with only a few relights (only needed because you're constantly using a pipe cleaner to stop gurgle). It burns down to a nice grey ash but it is hard to get 100% of the tobacco smoked. I noticed towards the very end of the bowl that all hint of the vanilla casing is gone and the flavor gets somewhat bitter.

Nat sherman calls this their most popular blend ... I can't see how that is possible. If you like aromatics I would suggest you try Nat Sherman's #307 instead. The flavor is much better and the gurgle, though still present, is less than this blend.

Legacy: The vanilla casing will stay with whatever pipe you smoke it in for a few bowls. Smoke it first in a cob in case you don't like it.

Possibility: This might be a nice tobacco to use as an ingredient in blending - if you wanted to add a slight touch of vanilla cavendish to "your custom blend".

Bottom line: If you love cavendish and vanilla is heaven, this is for you. Try it in a smaller pipe first (only to control the moisture).