I bought it in Berlin, only available in a 50g pouch. Mention of fruit aroma on the label.

In the pouch it smelled like wax (shoe polish?). Smoking it I found not much aromatic particularities, neither fruit or red wine. Rather high nicotine touch which may satisfy some smokers.

That used probably to be a legendary blend but what I smoked is far from anything worth remembering. Perhaps if I found it in a tin I will have a try...

But again, this is not a tobacco for the experienced smoker unless you don't mind low doses of Vitamin N.

Apparently, this is the no 1 seller in Germany among pipe smokers. But then, I don't believe everything my tobacconist tells me ;-)I see Germans smoking something that has more character to it.

The pouch had a little extra label detailing that the tobacco would contain "fruit extracts/spices," which I thought was considerate since the original pouch does not contain any information as to what to expect. The tax label indicates German manufacture, so the reviewer who noted that it's made by Planta may well be right.

The pouch aroma is, in one word, fruity. The tobacco feels a little dry; the ribbon cut suggests using a small bowl and medium-tight packing.

Right after ligthing up, this leaf has an unpleasant, artificial taste which lasts for a few puffs and then gives way to a nice, VA-dominated sweetness with a gentle fruity tingle that lasts throughout the rest of the pipe. The room note shows the Cavendish in a nice way; it's gently sweet and dry.

For all its niceness, Mixture No.7 does have a tendency to burn hot and form a lot of condensation. It's nothing out of the ordinary; not a blend I will be coming back to. Not one to throw away the rest of the pouch either, though. Not a bad smoke, but the artificial taste at the beginning leads me to only somewhat recommend.

-- Update -- After finishing my one (and definitely only) pouch of this, I find that the aftertaste does not grow on me; rather the contrary. It's tinny, artificial-tasting, sour and, for lack of a better expression, lingeringly nasty. No longer recommending even a bit.

this time round, i find it completely unrecognizable. it's a heavily cased (and top flavoured, too, i reckon) aromatic. a goopy and disgusting blend.

closer inspection of the paper disc inside the tin, reveals that it's made by planta. oh dear.

...and why in heaven's name did i buy a 100g tin?????

To smoke it is very similar in flavour to MB Mixture but much smoother and dare I say, tastier. It burns evenly down to a grey powder. It has much more of a honey smell in the pouch and this does translate into the flavour. Very easy going as an all day smoke.

For fans of Mac Baren Mixture that don't like the bite that some associate with their products this can be recommended. Also recommended in it's own right as a good quality 'non sticky' aromatic smoke.

I'm impressed with this one and will probably get more. I've been smoking it in the same pipes that I use for MB Mixture (Falcon filters) and found no problems with crossover.

One surprise is that given this tobacco is manufactured in Jersey it cannot be found in the UK. I got mine from Germany.

The aroma is intriguing - people around find it aggreeable. My pipe never got hot and when the smoke was over, some fine gray ash was left behind. No goopy residues, no need for re-light no..,no... etc.

Why not 4 stars? Mostly because I did not get the one great smoke that I craved for and because it lacks personality.

Three of five stars