Upon opening the pouch you're greeted by the scents of a nutty, vanilla concoction. Nicely cut ribbon strands of assorted black and gold. Lights up well on the first match and burns all the way down without a relight. This was quite surprising because I usually find heavily cased blends of the drug store variety to turn into a sticky mess after smoking. This one burned nice and dry, no goop or stickiness in my bowl upon finishing.

The flavor is definitely sweet but not cloyingly so. I tend to like aromatics so there may be a little bias in my review but this stuff smells amazing! Not a complex smoke by any means, just pleasant and sweet when you want to kick back and fill your surroundings with the scent of a musty bookshop. Easy all day smoke as the vitamin N level is almost non-existent. Also, no tongue bite after chugging away at it.

A definite winner from BR (finally...) on par with the ilk of CB White if you like the easy going aromatics on occasion.

This might be too sweet for most, but when you crave a sweet hit, this is a cheap and easy option.

It is readily available and cheap where I live. It packs easily, lights easily, burns evenly, and you don't need sugar in your coffee if you smoke this. Effortless smoking.

I find myself comparing this blend with Erinmore Mixture every time I smoke either. Erinmore Mixture is more subtle, whereas this has a more even and consistent burn. Room note is pleasant, but it can linger.

This is one of Borkum Riff's better blends, perhaps their best. This might be the ideal choice for the pipe noob: cheap, easy to pack, light and smoke, with enough "feedback" to discourage fast puffing. Stay away if you are not a confirmed sweet-tooth.

The contents list reads like a dream-team of tobaccos and although visually comparable with a bog-standard cavendish, the aroma is deep and sensually alive. It makes for an interesting marriage of cherry stones, vanilla, and seasoned, dried apples - and yet it remains delicately smoky. I have to say that it's pretty evocative of seasonal niche tobaccos, and as such, reminds me of Peterson's Christmas 2009 mixture.

Much like Peterson's offering, the taste of No.8 fell way, way short of expectation: light on flavour; airy; papery - all rather insipid, really. It certainly would be a crime to cough up £8.50 of hard-earned English Sterling for a full tin. Even the Queen would appear extra-miserable on the front of the £10 note you'd have to hand over.

That said, It did scrape back kudos with a pleasing side stream of baked fruit and vanilla, but it was at messy odds with that horrendously bland taste. By the mid-bowl, it was smoking dry, with a toasty finish. And by 'dry' I don't mean dry as in the moisture content, but dry like a wine, which was an interesting positive to take from the experience. However, there was still time for a touch of chemically-induced tongue bite, which made things a little too prickly for comfort. When it came to my second pipe, things faired a little better - leading to my recommendation that you smoke this in nothing bigger than a medium sized bowl.

If 2 stars are my median, Borkum Riff Special Reserve No.8 is definitely a sub-par tobacco. It is neither delightful, nor offensive. It just is; propping up the blander end of the commercial market.

1.7 stars

Update: the top flavoring is not vanilla, its something that I dont like, this blend is to try if you dont have any better choice.