The Latakia is the dominant flavor. The Orientals provide a floral scent. If I focus, I can taste the Perique. It has a flavor profile that reminds me of Penzance, not that it tastes like Penzance, just a close cousin or sibling. There is no sweetness at all. This is strictly a savory and smoky blend with a floral bouquet from the Orientals.

Not as much nicotine as the Mississippi River blend by SPC.

The big negative is that it burns very hot. That could just be the casing. Puff very slowly or you will have a scalded tongue!

Recommended only for Latakia-loving English blend smokers.

A word about the blends bitterness, it's not a bad thing, just diffrent, kind of like eating a 90% dark chocolate, not a bad thing, very flavorful just not sweet, ( I'm in shock with some of the other reviewers that find this blend sweet, knowing the knowledge of many of these fine reviewers, I feel this may be due too my chemistry).

Although, I'm rating this 4 stars , I do have other blends I like better. I prefer a little more sweetness.

updated 12/23/12- I've purchased another bulk batch, and now has about 3 month of cellar time (original review had about 9 months). I'm somewhat disappointed, this batch seems spicier and more muted in flavor than before. Not as creamy and not enough Latakia or Oriental for me, others may find this perfect. This may improve with more time but I'm reducing this to 3 stars

The latakia is pungently excellent throughout! For fellow latakia fans, I'd rate PP as a medium-latakia strength English blend. Smells great in the tin, tastes great smoking it, and PP smells great clouding up wherever you are when you are puffing away.

The best praise I can give Plum Pudding is that I really look forward to smoking it. I love latakia and this is the kind of English blend that makes me really enjoy pipe smoking.

Four stars amigos!

When I first saw the name Plum Pudding, I was sure it was an aromatic. Strangest name for an English blend I've come across. It smokes evenly, burns well and does indeed leave a bit of a Latakia breath hanging around the mouth.

This is a great choice for any smoker, from the lover of rich English blends, to the new smoker who likes aromatics. This is a great smoke, well worth trying.

soli Deo gloria

Well, aside from my initial anger here, not quite getting the advertised product, I actually do prefer its present state. In truth, the brick is only a pressed block of ribbon, anyhow, the same as many C&D crumble cakes, and seems mostly an aesthetic alternative that adds no particular dimension to the flavor. I just find it somewhat random to see a tin of tobacco in such confused disarray, from the good people at Habana Premium, of all places.

As for the taste, this is wonderful stuff. It's a solid English mix, with plenty of strength, a pronounced sweetness, owing perhaps to a topping of some kind, and it has a nice, spicy prominence no doubt characteristic of the Oriental component. What's not to like? The proportions are well balanced-- the sweet smokiness drives the blend, with dark leaf comprising roughly half the tin, the remainder, a dark, reddish brown assortment of Virginias and Orientals. There are no high notes here, but instead a deep meaty flavor, with a heightened strength most likely a product of the added Perique.

And yes, this is the rare, cased English, of which I have tried a couple, namely those in the Frog Morton Series, which I find too light in body, and Perfection, which, while stronger, had a strange aftertaste that didn't quite meld, in my opinion.

There are a handful of Cavendish laden Englishes out there, Black Mallory comes to mind, and of course, 965. But I'm terrible at placing the leaf--hell, I can't even begin to describe how 965 differs from Standard Mixture, though I'll admit to loving the both of them. For all I know, a cased Cavendish might be the source of Plum Pudding's sweetness, rather than a straight topping. Though I'm not an expert on these matters. I will say, however, if you want a sugary English with some decent body, this is your best bet.

Well done!