12-1-11 A couple years in a jar has actually smoothed this out a bit. Not bad at all. I'll leave the rating where it is, since this is still not exactly my style, but that doesn't imply a lack of quality. I hereby retract my above statement concerning harshness, and lovers of light, spicy aros will be pleased by this blend.

Cornish Mixture has a definite tendency to bite ... in fact, "burn" is the more accurate word. I smoke it exclusively in a calabash for that reason, and if not for the bite would have given it a high recommendation.

I have no idea what the base tobaccos are. There do seem to be at least two, judging by color. The topping is not exactly light, but it's not heavy-handed either.

This might be a good tobacco for someone looking to get into aromatics, since there's a lot more spiciness than sweetness ... almost like a VA/Perique blend. It certainly appeals to this smoker, to the point of really craving it.

As Tantric noted, the topping did remind me of clove, and I also thought I caught what could have been cinnamon or possibly even ginger. It seem that every time I tried it, I thought of something different. I never was able to really nail it down, possibly do the aforementioned inconsistency of the topping.

While this was not a cool burning blend, I did manage to get away with my tongue intact ? but just barely. I found it to be a bit rough around the edges. Mine was a few years old when I smoked it. Maybe more age will help.

The weed itself is a visually appealing homogeneity of light brown ribbon cut, and the aroma from the tin is spicy, like clove ? really delicious smelling. Moisture content was good, and the mixture packs nicely.

Initial light sends up a rather thin stream of hot smoke, but the flavor, sidestream, and room note are really exquisite. One will wait for the smoke to cool. Perhaps on relight after the charring? no. The burn is hot, the smoke, thin and unsatisfying and more puffing won?t improve the density, but will of course increase the heat. Still, the aroma is wonderful. By mid bowl I found myself thinking cool thoughts, imagining the icy wind coming off the Celtic Sea, sweeping across the jagged dark coastline of Cornwall? but it didn?t help. I tell you the person who develops a viable pipeman?s tongue condom will be well remunerated!

The last half of the bowl yields up, for me, a pounding headache. The aroma has turned to that of bitter, cheap, sour burley and the hellish furnace that the pipe has become makes smoking a miserable chore. The only thing that induces me to finish the remaining flavorless soot is the pitiful compulsion to burn out the sop that has accumulated, which mission finally accomplished, the headache subsides in about an hour.

In a stoic attempt to render a just review of this tobacco I played this scenario through the majority of the tin. The result was consistently the same. My fantasy of a pleasant, cozy, subtly aromatic smoke on perhaps, a rainy day in a Cornish pub perched on a craggy shore remains unrealized. Much of pipe smoking is often wrapped up in one?s psychological state? too bad perceptions are so often impinged upon by such harsh realities. Mediocre tobacco covered with a spooky topping. Don the tongue condom and proceed with caution.

The tobacco is easy to pack and light, and smoke rather cool. It comes in broken flake, and its moisture degree seems to me all right. I would say this is a light aromatic, very tasty and spicy smoke. It is definitely different to any other aromatic I have tried. Yet you still get plenty of tobacco flavour, very refined and temperate.

If you like Cavendished Virginia, medium strength, with a slight spicy aroma, try this one. I would not smoke it constantly, but as a winter smoke I have really come to enjoy it.