Too mild for my liking and it had a little tendency to bite.

The tin aroma was very enjoyable, though. Something like maple syrup!

Moisture content has been fine on all tins I've tried, it lights easily and stays lit with a minimum of effort. I've never had a toungue-bite issue with this one but it can burn a little hot if you don't go easy on it.

This has evolved into one of my favourites along with its sibling the A&C Caledonian N.10. Greatly recommended for lovers of aromatics that actually still taste like tobacco, just with something a little extra added.

Opening the tin, there is nothing special, really, but that is part of the charm. Ribbons of bright and red leaf, with some Black Cavendish in there, and a fruity-sweet tin aroma.

This is a blend that can be stuffed pretty tightly without turning too hot or losing flavour or aroma. It works well in all bowl sizes except maybe the very largest. The taste is sweet and fruity, with very little hint at artificial toppings; fresh berries seem to dominate, and later on, a nice note of caramel comes through. The maple syrup occasionally mentioned I must relegate to the realm of myth, however; there is none in there.

Calmly smoked, even under outdoor conditions, #421 is very well-behaved, needing little more than an occasional tamping (I managed to smoke a large bowl of it, rather absent-mindedly, with only one tamping somewhere in the middle).

Not much strength, but for an aromatic, it's OK with me. The taste is nice, the smoke uncomplicated and not too weak. In the final tally I think this is pretty good stuff, and therefore recommend.

Update: 11/05/2006 Down graded to three stars. Didn't take long to put aside. Still four stars if you smoke mainly Aromatic blends.

My review is extremely similar to that of Noorrmm's a few review's above this one. (In fact, his thoughts mirror mine, so, if you skip this review I will not be offended.) I don't know whether it's because my tin is 8-years old, but the moisture content was perfect. And surprisingly, not a bit of goo in the bottom of the bowl after my smoke either.

While hazelnut is the easily recognized topping here, it is indeed a tobacco tasting blend as well, which I appreciated. A delicate mist of the topping ensured a delightful "aromatic" presence that did not overwhelm me or my pipe. For me, it will be a nice after dinner smoke.

I will finish the tin eagerly.

The one thing that bothered me a little, as these were the last two tins they had, that Caledonian was not going to be available in the US any longer.

As far as being kept a secret in the tobacco world I would credit this to bad marketing.

The tobacco has a mildness to the taste, could not really detect an aroma, but I credit that to my smoking aromatics that are cased with a Vanilla flavoring.

I first smoked this in a new Stokkebye and was a little surprized that there was little to no tongue bite. The tobacco was easily packed and once lit I had no problems in keeping the tobacco burning. It seemed to take on a mild sweet taste as the tobacco was being smoked down past the half-way point of the bowl

This smoked great in a medium sized bowl, but would most likely be better in smaller bowl. All in all I enjoyed the tobacco and will let the second tin age longer, or until I find more of the Caledonian Superior Mixture.

Aroma: Definitely an aromatic, but not cloyingly sweet. The aroma seemed to be hazelnut over Virginia tobacco.

Packing:. The smallish pieces pack easily in any bowl size, with no tendency to overpack.

Lighting: Lighting was often done with a single Vesta, and a mid-match tamp.

Initial flavor: The initial flavor is hazelnut, slightly sweet and qute nutty. The Virginia starts to add it?s own sweetness after the first few puffs. The blend, like many Danish aromaics, can become hot if puffed too strongly. A calm measured pace yields the maximum of flavor, and stays cool.

Mid-bowl: No surprises toward the middle, except that I?m enjoying it more than I usually enjoy an aromatic. Still cool, still dry, with delicate interplay between the Va. and the light flavoring. The ash appears to be light and fluffy

Finish: Wow, little to no dottle and a dry bowl at the end. The finish was in character wih the earlier phases of the smoke.

Summary: A really fine aromatic which could also appeal to fans of the lighter Virginias.

Particularly liked: The quality of the leaf, the delicacy of the flavoring, and the burning qualities.

Particularly disliked: Really nothing to dislike in this blend.

I'm not generally a fan of aromatic tobaccos, but keep a few around for when I'm in the mood. Like a good Danish aromatic, the flavoring doesn't overpower the taste of the tobaccos, allowing the taste of the burley and orientals to shine as well. The nuttiness of the Burley complements the hazelnut very well, and there is just enough Turkish in the blend to add an additional spicy touch, and the hazelnut aroma smells heavenly.

I detected no PG in this blend at all -- it dries out just as quickly as any uncased english blend. Nonetheless, it arrives in the tin at the perfect moisture level, and from the first pipeful this stuff lights easily and smokes dry down to the very bottom of the bowl.

It's not an incredibly complex blend (though more so than most aromatics), but it really is a very nice early morning pipe, with a cup of cafe au lait.

Don't let its lack of popularity or the fact that this is a danish aromatic fool you. This is world class blending at its best! It is made up of four base tobaccos - virginia, burley, black cav and turkish/oreintal. The blend is top noted with a medium hazelnut flavoring that brings out the nutty under tones of both the burley and turkish varieties.

It burns cool, to white ash and all the way down. You won't find any wet dottle here and only enough glycols are used to preserve it's contents during shipping and storage. It will dry up if left open for more than a few days.

I can't say enough good things about this blend. IMO, it's one on the best danish aromatics ever made and should appeal to just about anyone brave enough to try it. It's rich, nutty, complex and a very satisfying medium bodied smoke in all types of weather and conditions. You won't get any complaints about its aroma either!