The tobacco is nice smelling, no particular flavours that I could pick out. It packs and lights very easily.

To me this tasted like a nice mellow virginia and burley blend rather than cavendish. (Shows how accurate my tastebuds are!) But never the less, the taste is slightly sweet, a nice straw kind of taste. It is relatively slow burning, and very smooth indeed.

I would recommend this as an all day smoke.

Smokes great, I just let gravity fill the bowl and top it off with a push of the thumb, char it then light it up full. After 5 minutes or so, I drop out the top ash and then it pretty much smokes all the way down to the heel with minimum condensation. Even with aggressive smoking it doesn't bite. Leaves a nice room-note.

Nothing real fancy in the taste, some sweetness in the wafting smoke some mild nicotine but does get some bitterness near the end, but then again, most of the tobaccos I've tried do that near the heel.

Good all-around starter or those who want to try a light Aromatic.

Lane purchased it fom the Tinderbox which became Lane's infamous 1-Q.

Oh well, it's a low-maintenance, pleasant smoke if not pushed too hard. Plus, it passes the girlfriend/wife room note test with flying colors.

Recommended.

Positives: It smells sweet and vanilla-ish in the bag and the smoke is the same (my girlfriend reports the smoke is almost too sweet-smelling for her liking, actually). To me, the taste is akin to smoking a cigar while drinking a cream soda... but not too horribly sweet. Pretty mild, but not lacking in flavor. I felt no tongue bite, even with pretty aggressive smoking. Very cool-smoking, no gurgling problems. I packed it via the frank method and only had to relight it once toward the end of the bowl.

Negative: The only real negative thing I can say is a bit of a bitter-acid taste in the back of the throat that I've randomly encountered (rarely). Now, I have smoked pipes and cigars for about 8 years now and nicotine doesn't usually bother me, but the flavor I'm talking about is LIKE the nicotine flavor you get from a strong cigar or from chew. I'm not sure where this is coming from or if anyone else encounters this with this blend, but I have experienced it more than a couple of times. Strange... I'll update this review if I figure out what's going on (ie what I'm doing to cause this??)

The vanilla in the Willshire seems heavy to the smell...once lit though, the tobacco flavors kick in and remind you that you are, indeed, smoking something. As others have found, I thought this one to be a bit on the wet side and I had some issues keeping it lit through the first few bowls. Of course, as a new pipe smoker that might have been user error as well so I won't fault the tobacco too much.

My wife and friends enjoyed the scent from this one which is a big win since much of my smoking time is around others. I will purchase this again as I really like the fragrance and copious amounts of smoke that it imparts when it gets burning good!

I'd also like to note that I really enjoy reading the other reviews on this site! They've been invaluable to a newbie and I appreciate all the work done by others!

This is a great blend for someone just getting started with pipes: Not too harsh, but just enough spirit to keep you interested until you find something you like better, as you most certainly will.

I feel that Wilshire is often unjustly written off by those who are looking for a bolder, more distinguished and prevalent flavor, and by those that don't care for a sweet smoke. That being said, Wilshire isn't for everyone, and shouldn't be smoked by those that are looking for something more than what it has to offer.

I would actually caution newcomers away from this blend because it can be more temperamental than others if you're not yet proficient with a pipe. It can be on the moist and sticky side, so I would recommend letting a fresh batch sit and dry for a time before being packed. Also, don't smoke this one too quickly because it can bite and muck up your pipe if you're impatient with it.

If you find yourself frequenting this blend, I would recommend having a briar pipe to use just for it. It doesn't smoke as true in pipes seasoned by most other aromatic blends (though some aren't a problem) nor does it compliment pipes seasoned with English blends. However, its subtle flavor wont ghost an aromatic pipe.

Wilshire is perfect for a relaxing and gently flavored pipe to linger on for an hour or so, filling the air with a hearty and sweet aroma that aims to please both the casual smoker and company alike.

Enjoy.

The taste was OK, but not something that I would have in a regular rotation of tobaks. I do enjoy cavendish at times, but this smoke was almost too sweet for me. This might be a good starter for someone who wants to try a sweetish aromatic.

The biggest turnoff for me, was the amount of deposits it left in the bowl and the stem of my pipe. I don't enjoy having to use pipe cleaner after pipe cleaner, just to get all of the residue out of the stem and pipe.

Perhaps I'll try this one again in about 6 months, and see if it has gotten any better. Otherwise, I'll go back to my VA's and VA-Per blends.

UPDATE:

After 3 months of aging in a shoe box in the closet, the sweetness level has gone down and a very smooth, non biting aromatic has taken shape. I really like it. Taste did change when I got to about 1/2 the bowl, so I dumped, but overall a quality bulk tobacco.

This is one of my all-time favorite aromatic blends. It is nutty, sweet, tastes like tobacco, has a bit of nicotine strength, is very cool burning and is enjoyed tremendously by those non-smokers who happen to be around me while I'm puffing on this classic. Enjoyed by pipe smokers worldwide in droves, it is not THE all-time top selling Lane tobacco blend for no reason.

Good anytime, day or night... If you have a sweet tooth.