Aroma is rich... Latakia forward with some sweetness and a touch of something musky, the Perique I'm assuming. It's a black and brown ribbon cut with a couple of chunks of burley which makes it as pleasing to look at as smelling it.

Match to pipe is a unique experience. The initial light was almost disappointing, like hot air... after the tamp and relight it develops into something really special. If you are a fan of Orientals this is a must try. I found it a much more satisfying experience than EMP with as much or more aroma and natural sweetness and it burns easily with no relights all the way to nothing. Found it works best for me gently sipped in a medium size Lovat.

At this point in time it's not going to replace anything in my rotation but it will be added. The tin prices in the socialist state of Washington are absurd and this will fill the need of something affordable... hey, for the price, this one's a serious contender and I see pounds of it in my future. Finally a bulk priced winner. Way to go Altadis! Highly recommended.

*******Update 07/02/12.*******

It's been 2 weeks since my initial review and a month since I first tried this blend. I gave it a go in my clay pipe which is usually reserved for cool smoking VA's to try and distinguish some flavors. You may now find me in my overstuffed leather chair with said clay pipe, drooling all over myself in a semi-catatonic state sometimes mumbling incoherently whilst consuming as much of this as I can stand from a stimulant standpoint. I have pounds of "high end" tobacco's just sitting waiting to be smoked that are now second to this blend... It has replaced everything in my rotation sans Presbyterian.

Being heavy with Virginias it can bite if smoked too strongly. But the Virginias also give the tobacco a natural sweetness that gets better as it is smoked. There's no sour or foul taste at the bottom of the bowl. In fact the bottom is more flavorful than the top and I'm always sorry to see the bowl end.

The pieces are fairly large and springy, though not overly moist by any means. But this does make it slightly difficult to lead a normal sized bowl, something I don't find a hindrance to enjoying this tobacco at all. That does make it tempting to pack too tightly however, something that will make it hard to get it lit at first but even then, once lit, there's no problem in keeping it lit. When packed for optimum lightability (if that's a word) a bowl of English Oriental doesn't last as long as I usually expect a bowl of tobacco to last. It's not that the tobacco burns quicker than any other, it's just that it smokes best when not packed as firmly as others (thus using less tobacco). For this reason I prefer to smoke this is a big bowl.

While I wouldn't mind smoking this all day, it's naturally sweet enough to be a dessert tobacco, something I can't say about most English blends I've smoked. If you like aromatics and want to try some English blends to work into your rotation I strongly recommend giving this a try. If you're a fan of English tobaccos already then this may be something you'd like for the lighter, sweeter, end of the lot. It's very good for what it is. And like all other Altadis blends, it comes at a very good price.