| Identified by the seller as "Cavendish", seems to me that is not pure Cavendish.
It an "naturally" sweet and aromatic (no artificial) Tobacco; Is quite different, since it is not fully aromatic as a pure Cavendish or typical english mixture,
Is intermediate, since it is not similar to a pure, non aromatic Burley-Virginia mixture.
I recommend it for people that want a natural tobacco, but with only a trace or aromatic taste.
One interesting manner to describe it is: "show a weak flavour of Cavendish" but is not pure Cavendish.
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| I first smoked this tobacco back in 1980-81. Its name should be listed as Dunhill Mixture A-20000. It was better then. At the time, and a novice pipe smoker of a few years, my tastes tended toward aromatics. A colleague of mine was smoking it and it really smelled terrific! I tried it on that experience. I don't remember ordering it more than once or twice from the Dunhill shop that was at the time still in Manhattan (1 lb bulk). What I do remember - and what is lacking in the present incarnation - was a distinct smell and taste of rum/chocolate.
The present version is no way the same stuff. First off, the original was more of a ribbon cut, the present is much coarser in cut (I also remember Capt. Black White as more of a ribbon cut 30 years ago as well). There is no distinct pouch aroma other than a mild sweetness and vanilla. I could detect the vanilla flavoring while smoking and it was sweet tasting, but I couldn't really taste any tobacco. The chemical taste was accentuated the longer I smoked it; albeit, not as pronounced as in Dunhill Mixture A-21000 that I previously reviewed on this site. There was the ever present moisture as with most aromatics of this sort, but not in abundance. It was not bitey in any way, however, it created a harshness in the back of my throat half-way through the smoke with a definitive pepper-like after taste throughout the smoke. It certainly has enough sweetness (but not cloying) for the newbies and I would recommend this for beginning pipe smokers. It is easy to work with as far as packing, lighting and smoking go. If it wasn't for the sweetness, I could see that a blend as bland as this might make a beginner say, "What's the point in smoking a pipe?"
I'll rate it 2 stars out of 4. It was by no means terrible, but it didn't make its presence known for me in a way to rate it higher. Definitely a "smoke it on a whim" tobacco for me. Perhaps I'm hooked on nostalgia, but I believe any similarity between the older and present version is in name only.
UPDATE 8-14-10: On a whim I tried this again as I wanted something light and was intrigued by Pipestud's review of the Tinderbox Chartwell (RLP-6), which is what Mixture 20000 is purported as being. Filling a pipe bowl from my nearly 1 pound bulk provided me, this time, with a chemical-free, non-goopy smoking experience. Yes, it is light on true tobacco taste, but slow puffing brought forth some very delicate vanilla-chocolate flavor as well as a deliciously sweet sidestream aroma. Still no presence of the rum as with my first experience many years ago, but pleasant enough to up it a star to recommended. My having "put it away and forget about it" seems to have been the key with this one. And yes, it is smoother and better than CB White.
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