Hines Blend is mostly Virginia/Burley with a generous touch of black fire-cured cavendish. The taste was nutty and a bit sweet. It reminds me somewhat of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic in the taste department, but perhaps a shade sweeter.

It stays lit well and does not bite even a little bit.

So, get a tin, pop the top, put the plastic cover back on and wait two years (minimum) before firing it up.

It certainly smells, tastes and burns like a drug store blend. I really don't care for the coco-nilla casing in this tobacco. The tobacco components are OK; Burly a little Virgina and perhaps a touch of cavendish. This only redeeming quality is over shadowed by the strong casing in this blend.

I can't see myself buying this aromatic again. I will pass the remainder of this tin off to my nephew he favors aromatics and may find this tobacco appealing.

11/25/06

I originally reviewed this blend in August of 05. I never gave this tin to my nephew. I happened to find it today when cleaning the cellar. I thought what the heck I'll giver another go! After a year of drying out it actually has improved into a blend that I can smoke. The coco-nilla flavor has mellowed out substantially. The smoke now has a nice nutty balance to it. I will probably finish the tin. It does have a nice pleasant room note. So the trick is: Open the tin, let it cellar a year and enjoy.

Hines is different from other tobaccos in the same way that Cross Eyed Cricket is, and I liked it about as much.

Hines presents a funky taste that doesn't seem to be able to decide what it wants to be, but it has nothing to do with tobacco.

If you insist upon trying this one, may I suggest you accompany the bowl with a nice glass of Kool-Aid, or perhaps even Hawaiian Punch....

Upon opening the tin, you will be greeted with a strong black chocolate cake smell. The tobacco smells good enough to eat.

The room aroma while smoking is very pleasant. The room will smell like a chocolate cake baking in a pipe shop. When you're done smoking, a sweet tobacco smell will linger (as opposed to a lingering stale tobacco smell). Hines will generally smoke cool and dry. If you puff too fast, you will get a little moisture at the bottom of the bowl, but it's not goopy like other horrible aromatics. Needless to say, non- aromatic smokers will probably not like this blend. One word of warning: smoke this in a dedicated aromatic pipe; the coconilla will stay in your pipe.

This tobacco is perfect for the times when you have a sweet tooth and are craving a sweet dessert.

I rate this tobacco 0.0000000001 out of 10

This is wonderful stuff! SWMBO loves the aroma. It tastes like tobacco and smells like a good quality german chocolate or black forest cake (sans cherries).

It can nip (not really bite) if attacked. I have a tendancy to inhale from time to time and it irritated my throat. Again, this is not the tobacco, this is the smoker. This tabak is a MUST TRY for all who partake. It behaves well in all sizes of pipes, including cobs. This is a true winner that needs to stay in the market.

8/10/2004: This blend turned on me, started biting and began making me physically ill. In all fairness, it may be my body chemistry, however, I PK'd my cellar and will not return.

To the blend's credit, it does not smoke wet, and it won't goop up your bowl. But all in all, for me, this is an undistinguished smoke that I won't restock.