Dark black with streaks of chocolate brown, this is the heavier companion to Red Rapparee in the sense that the tobaccos are the same. However, the quantities of each are different, and the result is a heavier, richer smoke with fewer subtleties than RR. It smokes cool and sweet and has a hearty flavor that goes well after dinner... or after a big lunch. This is one tobacco that demands a relaxed state in order to appreciate its robustness. No limp wrists in this blend. Since Dunhill 965 has made itself scarce in the U.S, this will take its place in my rotation, next to Red Rap. Very sensuous tobacco with great rich flavor.

If you like full flavor and depth, this is one you can't afford to miss. The K&K version may be different than the older one, but it stands on its own.

I came from cigarettes and always liked black tobaccos like Javaanse Jongens Sterke. This mixture however is extremely satisfying, nice natural aromes, awesome spicyness. i totaly like it.

The blend has a nice proportion of good tobaccos. The strength is fit to my taste, it does not overhelms and I don't seek for a richer smoke. My normal and slow puffing cadence makes a good, satisfying smoking with this blend.

Lights easily and it no need to effort for keeping it lit.

It has a delightful Latakia taste which remains on palate for hours after finishing the bowl. This is an elegant English mixture. Highly recommended.

The cut is a perfect ribbon. There might be a couple of larger bits throughout a tin, but this is minimal. The coloration is a mixture of lighter, medium, and darker browns. And when opening the tin, I get a deep, almost woodsy smell that is lightly sweet. Packing and lighting also come quite easily and without effort.

Once lit, I find myself swimming in a smoke of intricate subtleties. The latakia is present, of course, and is flavorful. It does, however, seem to lack the punch that many other English blends that I enjoy have. Perhaps this is because of the Orientals, which are equally as present as the latakia, if not a little bit more so. The Virginias are also present, coming through sweet and mild. It is on the lighter side of "full English mixtures," but is still a great smoke nonetheless.

I think the reason this one fell slightly flat for me was (1) the build up to trying it and (2) the lack of age. The build up before I bought a tin was incredible; I had people who have tastes quite agreeable to mine tell me how much they love this blend. Also I opened my tin less than two weeks after purchasing it, meaning it had no time to age. And honestly, I think this is a blend best left untouched for a while so that it may age. If I had let my tin sit for a year, I may have been saying this was a favorite blend of mine. As it is I find it to be great - but not quite the best - and worth purchasing again with intentions of cellaring.

Because so much has already been posted here -- and I'm not sure my report has much bearing on what a fresh tin would taste like -- I'll just say that this is a well-made, medium-weight English with sturdy and spicy orientals and a dash of cavendish. Being a lover of English, oriental, and Balkan blends, I enjoyed it.

I must add, though, that it reminded me a bit of Margate, which I actually prefer somewhat. Although I rarely smoke English with cavendish added to it, if I'm going to do it I want it to be something special; there's something about Margate that really sets it apart for me. Black Mallory is good, but it never reaches that higher level of pleasure for me like Margate does consistently.

No bite but not too much strength either. I would have preferred less latakia in it which as it stands determine too much the bouquet in my view. Ideally use a meerschaum for this blend.

Black Mallory comes up short. It's too harsh for my tastes, but paradoxically, not strong enough, leaving me pulling on my pipe in search of satisfaction. I suspect the former is due to Orientals, and the latter Cavendish. I was never a big fan of 965 due to the Cavendish, but if you were, you might try this one. I just feel it lacks a full body feel, which is typical of cavendish blends.

update.. I have had a hard time getting through the 100 grams I bought of this stuff about a year ago.. It is great stuff.. but for some reason I am finding it is not my thing. This is just a personal preference.. I am finding I like balkans a little more for latakia.. also it is a constant battle of drying and rehydrating.. which I haven't experienced with other tobaccos.. I have gone through about 100 grams of rattray's old gowrie in the same amount of time it took me to go through a quarter of this blend.

Excellent taste, especially through the nose (which it won't easily burn). Peat, myrrh and wood - overall a well-balanced taste that obscures the individual ingredients.

Cool smoking and difficult to get hot. Right amount of dryness in the tin and the ribbon cut make it easy to keep lit.

Similar to original Frog Morton with a little less sweetness but about the same (maybe a bit more) body.

Similar to Westminster but has more incense and much more body. Also, the cut is more consistent and generally smaller.

I smoke mostly English/Orientals and try new blends all the time for the sake of variety. Haven't found anything better yet. I most frequently pack this loosely in a narrow bowl, sip, no tamp.

Is it an English tobacco? I think so - it tastes only of Virginias, Latakia and maybe some Orientals. I cannot detect much in the way of casings - MAYBE there is a smidgen of Cavendish in this, but it's merely a pinch. The Latakia is used sparingly, but is definitely there.

Is it a "full' English? No. Its a mild-tasting blend. You actually can taste food after smoking this tobacco. The Virginias seem more predominant than in a typical English-style perhaps. It reminds me a little bit of GLP Blackpoint - only without the Perique, sweeter and with more nicotine.

This could be good morning smoke or even an all-day English for some. I would second the opinion here that BM would also be appropriate for aromatic smokers moving to English since it does have SLIGHT sweetness to it.

It won't have you waning on about its complexity but BM is well blended, tasty, easy to smoke without biting and won't dominate your taste buds for the rest of the day/evening with the lingering flavor of Latakia.

The current blender, Kohlhase & Kopp, describes Black Mallory as a mixture comprised of ?spicy Latakia and two distinctive cuts of Virginia united with Black Cavendish and Orientals? (Würziger Latakia und zwei unterschiedlich geschnittene Virginiatabake vereinen sich mit Black Cavendish und Orient). For all intents and purposes, this in my mind makes Black Mallory a Scottish mixture (rather fitting, it would seem, given the mixture?s pedigree).

In both appearance and smoking characteristics, the main components of Black Mallory are unmistakably those of Red Rapparee. The difference, and it is substantial, lies in the heavy use of unsweetened black cavendish. Its presence dominates the blend, relegating the Virginias to the background and forcing the Orientals to a space somewhere in-between. Latakia, much more detectable in the tin rather than the bowl, is used sparingly here and while it does make its presence known now and again, is clearly a minor player. This, however, is to be expected given the genre to which Black Mallory belongs.

Composed of what are obviously tobaccos of some quality, Black Mallory is mild, with a soft, somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Its mellowness is matched only by its rather monodimensional flavor profile: tart and somewhat sour orientals floating atop a core of unsweetened cavendish with the Virginias adding a bit of sweetness and the latakia an occasional, very occasional, smoky spice. Overall, Black Mallory stands out as a mild, very easygoing representative of the genre, although contains little in the way of qualities which would allow it to stand out in a crowd.

Pretty to look at, especially the Virginias' contrasting colors. Great tin aroma that smells just like...really nice tobacco.

A bit sharp at light up, but settles down quickly to a nice balance of spice, smoke and sweetness. No gurgle in four different briars and burns cleanly all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

My first experience was that I tried it the first time right out of the bag; big mistake. Although it felt about right - way too much moisture. Could not keep it lit beyond the first half of the bowl and after a lot of tamping to keep it going, it finally turned into a hard gob that I had to toss out. Spread it out and let it dry overnight until I thought it was just too dry but tried it anyhow and it packed and lit well and burned OK.

BM turned out to be, against my expectations, A little ho-hum. It came on with only mild to medium strength, flavoring was only mild, and the room note was unspectacular also. In it's favor, this baccy does not burn hot, I experienced NO tendency to bite, and it went to the bottom of the bowl without a whimper, mostly tasting like it started. The balance between Virginia and Latakia was perfect and the taste (for a mild tobacco) was as well balanced as I could expect for a very English blend. I cannot fault it and will happily finish what is on hand and probably order more when it it gone. I just can't put it on my favorites list (yet).

I have a feeling that some of my slight disappointment may be in the batch that I received. Against the descriptions I have seen here, the blend was not very dark and there was not even a hint of visual oiliness. I have come to recognize an appreciation of strength and richness for blends expressed by guys like pipestud and It occurs to me that I may have had a somewhat weakened blend. I will certainly be accountable for a revision of this review if another batch presents itself differently.

1 star for me. 2 stars for English fans, they seem to like it.

Much better English mixtures out there without that "brassy" taste I get here. I certainly won't pay $$ for this one - lucky I got to try it for free.

If you're into English mixes and hate aromatics - this might be your thing.

Ohterwise, try it only if you can get some for free ;)

how it could be seen as a strong tobacco by anyone is beyond my comprehension. was it perhaps the harshness of the concoction that did it?

I've just finished another 50g tin of this blend, much of it smoked quite dry. Without the heat from excess moisture this tobacco has been so complex, layered and flavorful that I have purchased a few more tins. The virginia tobacco and the black cavendish gives this a dark sweetness. Balanced against this, however, the orientals are sharp. I could never smoke this every night.

I'm sure it's different than the original but we are fortunate that someone is still blending this classic. Unique!

Anyway, on to the tobacco: This is a combination of cavendish, virginia, latakia and oriental. A little like 965 it seemed at first glance. And this also seemed a bit wet too. Please, for the love of all things sacred, do not let this be a bucket of propylene glycol. :'( Well, it turns out it just needed to dry for 30 minutes (should have given it longer) and loaded up a Sasieni billiard dedicated to English mixtures. So, I head for the river for a walk. Upon lighting immediately I was amazed at the scent and taste. Faint hints of chocolate, frankincense, woodsmoke, a sweet virginia and a musty oriental all at once- as well as a sweet something I cannot put my finger on, almost like a spice candy I enjoy in the fall. This was amazingly incense like. But wait! Halfway down the bowl the flavors really started coming out- suddenly the smokiness really starts flowing. Gurgling also began but was relieved quickly by a flick of the pipe to throw the water out. This is one of the best flavored English blends I have ever, ever tasted. The strength is much stronger than any other English I have tried (a very good thing) as well. In fact, this is bordering on some of the ropes I smoke. Does it get any better? Thank goodness I ate an entire large pizza right before lighting up.

Burned all the way down leaving the bowl only slightly moist. No heartburn, so the humectant must be mostly water. The remaining ash was white as snow with a little bit of black flecks at the edges.

And for the first time, the latakia taste has subsided after ONE HOUR from my mouth. Is there anything at all wrong with this tobacco, aside from the moisture level upon opening??? This is an unbelievably smooth tobacco. I puffed like mad for two minutes to see if it even COULD bite. Nope.

If you haven't tried this one yet, get some! 9.7 out of 10 points.

*Update*

Leave the tin open for a few hours and the moisture level reaches perfection. Burned all the way down to the very last strand of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl, all fell out with one tap, and left absolutely no moisture in the bowl soever. Taste improves with slight drying also.

Anyway, on with the review. There isn't as much latakia as some blend I smoke nowadays, like, say, Margate or Balkan Flake, and certainly not as much as Pirate Kake or Commonwealth mixture. This is fairly sweet, owing, I think to the black cavendish and virginia, and pretty smoky, despite it's lack of massive Latakia content. I really enjoy the (I don't like this word) interplay between the turkish and cavendish, though I normally don't care much for black cav. (even unsweetened)

Having never smoked Red Rapparee, I can't compare the two. But, it's other companion, 7 reserve, is certainly several notches lower on the smoke-enjoyment scale. 7 reserve, while passable, is nothing to write home about. Black Mallory is something to keep on hand at all times. Another fine smoke from Rattray.

It is a little deceptive in presentation. Its Oriental bent is obvious upon opening the tin, but the bright browns with the black strands and the aroma from the tin seem to suggest a milder English than it actually is.

Among the first bowls, the Cyprian Latakia seemed to strengthen through the bowl, but never overpowered. The second and third bowls revealed its character more homogeneously through the bowl as compared to the first. While the Orientals never overwhelm the Virginia, they subtlety give it a fuller body, and certainly don't hide, offering a nice Eastern spice. The flavour notes don't quite resolve into a chord, giving it an interesting arpeggiated profile.

Although the flavours seem to keep their distinct notes, they are all in the same key, offering a nice complexity, and the blend is a full, smooth, interesting English smoke.

I found the fully rubbed out chopped and ribbon cut easy to pack, and smoked from the tin than a lot of strong English blends; cool and smooth with a light Virginia sweetness, though not at all cloying, and remained cool and dry throughout. Not having tried its sibling, Rattray's Red Rapparee, I can't offer any comparisons, but I enjoy the Mallory well enough to want to try the Rapparee. It does remind me of a slightly fuller, and more English Sobranie Balkan, or a lighter C&D Star of the East.

All in all, a fine smoke for those times when one wants a stronger flavour that doesn't force itself upon one, but will still make itself known, now and again. Very nice for a rainy afternoon and a book or the remains of the day on the veranda, and great 'early in the day' pipe for the confirmed Latakia lover.

I quite enjoy the blend, and intend to put some away. I have a feeling that allowing the Virginia to age a bit will add a new note to the mix, and I'd be interested to see if the blend marries more fully, to resolve the flavour notes. I feel Rattrays Black Mallory could be an even smoother, full bodied medium-strong English with, possibly, a finer character after aging a year or three.

The intensity of the flavor is pretty comparable to Frog Morton, in my opinion. But the Virginia adds a savory, sweet dimension that offsets the smokier Orientals quite well.

My tin is several years old and has dried out almost too much, but burns better than ever. Drying it out makes all the difference.

It's a great choice for a mostly Virginia smoker who occasionally wants a taste of something more English. I suppose you could consider it a "gateway" blend for learning to enjoy the classic English stuff.

This loses a star because it is far too wet in the tin. One is left paying a premium price for the privilege of drying out a surprisingly small amount of tobacco.

With that said the tin I own is probably four years old. When I opened it four years ago I was not really impressed with this blend so I put it away to age some. I recently "reconstituted" the blend using deionized water and wish I had read the reviews prior to doing this. Needless to say I'm still not impressed.

I began by smoking this like I would any English/Latakia blend and found a fair amount of tongue bite. In addition, I am in agreement with most of the reviews here, mostly with the two stars or less ratings. I don?t even get a nicotine rush from this blend like I would from most Dunhill blends.

What prompted me to write this is a comment made in comparison to Dunhill?s Standard Medium. This blend isn?t close to the same league as Standard Medium. Black Mallory is harsh, unrefined, dare I say one-dimensional as compared to any Dunhill blend. Heck even Dunhill?s Standard Mild has more punch and MUCH better smoking qualities.

With that said, after reading the other reviews of this blend I can find this tolerable if I take my time to smoke it SLOWLY, I?m in my early 30s (always on the go) and unfortunately usually do not have the time to doctor a pipe as much as this blend requires.

To wrap this up, there are so many quality English/Latakia blends out there it is just a waste of time to buy this blend. If I?m going to offend the olfactory senses of the non-smoking public I?d rather do it with a Dunhill (Standard Series Blends), McCranie?s (Old Syrian), Samuel Gawith (Perfection or Squadron Leader), Cornell & Diehl or McClelland (25th Anniversary or Frog Morton Series) blend.

It lights with ease, and burns just as well, evenly and fairly slow, right to the bottom. The flavour is full, spicy, with a pleasant smokiness well backed up by the orientals. The flavour gets richer toward the bottom of the bowl, and the sell is wonderful, especiallly whenm smoking out of doors in the crisp winter air.

Where RR is a smoke for the autumn, this is a tobacco well suited to winter, the cold air brings out the best flavor and aroma. I cant think of many things more pleasurable than smoking this while walking home from the pub through the snow covered Hertfordshire countryside. Strongly reccomended to lovers of Latakia.

Meerschaum Man Smoking an Altinok Smooth Canadian

Is this named after the mountaineer?

Three of five stars

Like most of Rattray's offerings, this blend is unique and pleasing. It reminds me of a stronger Highland Targe (yet another great Rattray mixture).

It may just be me, but the tin nose of the "English" genre of Rattray blends has a consistent signature smell, not unlike the way McClelland's tins do. While McClelland's tins smell something like ketchup (or whatever), Rattray tins smell like some kind of Malt to me. I wonder if you smell the same thing?

Either way, Rattray blends are subtle and they pack and burn wonderfully right out of the can. But please, don't smoke Rattray's "English" blends if you are looking for a Latakia "knock out", because that's not the point here. Not at all. The point is balance and quality - two attributes sorely missing from a lot of contemporary English blends out there.

Use a little patience and time with this and other Rattray's blends - there's a lot to learn from them.

This is a high quality English/Balkan blended from Rattray's that really didn't do much for me at first, but after trying several aged 50g. tins, I have been pleasantly surprised. Upon opening the tin you are greeted by mostly dark medium-cut ribbon leaf. The tin aroma is mostly Cyprian latakia with the Orientals close behind and the Virginia way in the background. The quality of the leaf is apparent, packing and lighting are easy. Flavor is medium to full English all the way down the bowl with some sweetness from the VA popping in and out. I have to say, that the flavor seems much better from the 50g. tins than fromm the 100g. tins. Why that is, I don't know, but after smoking several pounds of this blend, I only buy the 50g. tins now. Definitely in the top 10 of English blends.

Black Mallory is much more "English" in its demeanor nobly bland. It's a lovely old English smoke alright, but I find it kind of staid. One might as well be smoking Dunhill Standard Medium, you know?

The mixture is dominated by black leaf. Judging from the smell, I think there is quite alot unsweetened Cavendish in it, The Latakia is not very present. When lit the Latakia comes to its right; very robust.

All components in BM are so well balanced, that I have not seen or tried anything like it before. BM is friendly to the palate, nose, friends, wives etc., and people around me are asking: "what is this lovely tobacco you are smoking, Jakob"

I am normally not a Latakia-man, but BM has made me want to try other Latakia/Oriental-blends. I have stashed several tins, and now I am off to discover the famous Nightcap.

Outstanding!

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

I enjoy that little hint of spice all the way through and the toasted cavendish works well with the turkish leaf. It's a quality blend that merits a try. As mentioned before, it is more refined than RR. I prefer BM over RR simply because of the latakia content (go figure).

Though a light English, the good earthy flavor and subtle interplay of flavors are enough to keep the dedicated English smoker happy. Similar, in a way to ?Accountants?.

I found that sweet drinks such as iced tea enhance the flavor of Black Mallory. Because it is fairly light, I can see this as a summertime ?on the porch with a pitcher of tea? blend.

I don?t give away 4-star ratings very easily ? Black Mallory is worthy.

This being said, BM is a good medium English smoke. If I had to smoke one or the other all day, it would clearly be BM. However, I generally only smoke Englishes towards the end of the day, and prefer one with more latakia punch than Black Mallory provides. (Gee, maybe I have a latakia dependency problem...) I will still keep some BM around, however, for a change of pace. So many Englishes, so little time...

Red Rapparee is a much stronger blend, and not quite as flavorful. Some may consider me crazy, but I kind of liken Black Mallory to G.L. Pease's Renaissance. There appears to be a noticible Syrian Latakia presence in this blend, giving it a buttery, nutty flavor.

Unlike Red Rapparee, this medium blend works well as an all day tobacco. While it has only average lighting qualities, it does burn clean and dry. The flavor is consistently good from one bowl to the next. If you happen to like English blends, this may be one you can be loyal to.

Mineral and strong I can only think of Black Mallory as an upgraded, rounder version of the old Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. BM is less ?aromatic?, but strangely enough deeper in flavour, and much more defined in the Latakia-Oriental spectrum. The Virginias here are virtually non existent, or in any case they are of such variety that they merely add a whisper to the final flavour, leaving the centre stage to the stronger Orientals.

I agree with Pipestud in that this is a more refined tobacco than Red Raparee. Indeed it its stronger, but I find it is less pungent and astringent. There is a certain ?nature? quality---a zest almost grassy, earthy and humid (maybe the steam sensation referred to by tillmanj?)--- that sets it apart from most English blends.

Full but not exactly heavy, it burns very nicely and has a long lasting, bitter-sweet and smokey flavour, that invites you to meditate or to contemplate things with a certain aloofness. The only other tobacco that slightly reminds me of RBM is Dunhill?s London Mixture, albeit the latter in a much more milder and restrained fashion. If Black Mallory has a drawback is its jealousness: once you smoke a couple of bowls, it will be some days before other tobaccos taste like something. An excellent choice for the full bodied Latakia smoker.

If you enjoy a hearty palate pleasing latakia blend, then this is for you. If, on the other hand, latakia overwhelms you in large doses, then avoid this one. Not real strong but full of flavor. And the smell right out of the tin is heavenly.

Aroma: Very full Latakia aroma with goodly amounts of darker Va, and black Cavendish (unsweetened). Some Turkish in the background.

Packing: Seemed to pack best in larger pipes, with a light touch needed.

Lighting: Took flame readily when not overpacked

Initial flavor: Very big, rich and mellow. The Cavendish led the parade with its smooth nutty taste, the Latakia lent it a smokiness that was just right..

Mid-bowl: No single flavor dominated the mixture, but all of them weighed in to form a nicely layered, complex, undemanding smoke. Cool at all times, can be enjoyed alone or with any beverage of your choice.

Finish: No surprises at the end, just a bit more Latakia presence.

Summary: This was one of my favorites in the pre-Danish days, I smoked it almost every evening. I?m really happy that it?s been restored so close to the original.