Imperial Tobacco Group, PLC - Amphora Red Full Aroma pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Lancelot Gobbo	08/14/2005	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Hot and dry, even when newly opened was always my impression of Amphora Red, but it was easily available in almost any newsagents when I was a student in London in the mid-seventies. It always disappointed me, but was better than the awful Clan, and less biting than Holland House. Knowing what I now know I think HH could have been a great tobacco if I'd known then how to smoke it. At least Amphora Red doesn't have such heavy casings that are thick and syrupy like some aromatics. It, Sail and Capt. Black are still available in these puritan days in the rural Canadian village where I now live, but I never buy any of them. Aromatic smokers stick to their favourite concoctions because they fear the strength of english mixtures - at least, I did for many years. Anyone who smokes Amphora, should know there are far better, milder, less hot and more tasty english-style tobaccos out there waiting to be tried.
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prinakis	08/01/2005	Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Okay, first of all this is a tobacco you can find everywere. The price is good. It tastes fine to me especially in the middle of the bowl, it bites a lot and it's dry.But the particularity of this one is that the taste always takes you away all the day. I'ts an all day tobacco to have in your collection. Don't know what to smoke today? Smoke an amphora!
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Pipestud	07/30/2005	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I was fortunate to get an old tin version of Amphora Red off Ebay not too long ago. Did this one ever bring back memories of my early days of pipe smoking. Nostalgia in a can! I would not call this a bell ringer or a sublime way to spend your day with a favorite pipe, but it was a good, solid smoke with decent all-tobacco flavor and it was plenty cool. I don't think this stuff could bite even the wimpy tongued brats among us. (-;
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Pipey	05/24/2005	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is one of the WORST tobaccos i have ever smoked. It was like a pouch of dried out sticks, and had a nearly unbearable flavour. There are many, many good aromatics out there, and since smoking does actually kill you, you may as well smoke something worth dieing for. This is one that should be left on the shelf - think drum tobacco smoked in a pipe. Sorry to all those that enjoyed it, this is one of the only tobaccos sold in New Zealand, and we are definately the worse for it. :(
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Air Commodore	03/10/2005	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Very good everyday tobacco that is readily available. Having returned to pipe smoking after a break of 24 years I am presently doing the 'trying out thing' and found this to be one of my favourite 'vin ordinaire' mixtures.
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Tiger	11/11/2004	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Strong
Amphora Red was my everyday tobacco when I first started smoking a pipe. But when it disappeared from U.S. stores I moved on to other things... and many of those o"other things" sure made me wish "Red" was still available here. If it ever comes back I'll certainly buy some. Rated it highly because I liked it a ton and smoked it every day for years. Tiger
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English Bulldog	11/06/2004	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I got given a pouch of this for my birthday (phew) and it is a nice smoke. While not something I would class as a contemplative smoke after a hard day's work/study, it would make a good 'all-day' mid-afternoon-tea smoke which will not knock you for six as the nicotine content is rather mild, but satisfy oneself until an after dinner smoke perhaps. In any case, the pouch aroma is very pleasant but not overwhelmingly so as with some other aromatics, but I decided, as a prudent pipe smoker should, to smoke it in my trusty cob. The first few bowls I tried not rubbing out the tobacco which is very light in colour and was sorely (literally as my tongue was fried) disappointed-I got nothing out of the bowl apart from tongue bite and an acrid, unpleasant smoke. But by golly how things change! When some reviews talked about flavour changing with the consistency of the tobacco I thought they were joking, but after personal experience I can vouch for it!I would advise rubbing out. This blend is extremely 'easy' sometimes only one light is needed with perhaps one relight throughout the entire bowl, which makes this blend good while doing something else like reading a book outside in the sun or for you older chaps gardening:) The first few puffs reveal little in the way of taste apart from the flowery casing,but the smoke smells delicious which is unfortunate as I sometimes am tempted to inhale through the nose. Mid-bowl the flowery aroma fades and the tobacco flavour comes to the fore with the casing in the background-a very nice combination. I for one prefer the mid bowl and like many other tobaccos this one changes throughout from beginning to end each nice in its own way, although near the end there is a slight gurgle. The smoke is not very thick but whitish, and there is a fine white ash left after the smoke so I do not think this would be good for breaking in a new pipe as the cake buildup is not great. Be that as it may, it's a pity you yanks cannot get a hold of this stuff anymore because it is very enjoyable as a relaxing, none too heavy smoke. I give it 3 stars out of 5.
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Mephisto	10/18/2004	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
OK This can be found at my local wallgreens but the packages are very very very old and felt hard and dried out. This stuff I guess was for some time not available in the US so this must have been old left over stuff. I had heard so much about this that while on a trip to Europe I made a point of getting a pouch (6.50 Euros is a bit expensive but hey) anyhow this stuff is decidedly easy to smoke and stays lit pluss does not bit however I did not find it exiting and the final part of the bowl is not as great as the start. I liked it and if out of tobacco and in another country with none of my regualr blenda available this would be a first choice for shure. definaately the better of the pouch blends I have ever had. If you can you should give it a try just as I did. This blen remindsme of Navy Flake without as much honey and some fruits added.
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Mr. Dottle	10/12/2004	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Boy, did cracking the pouch of Amphora Red bring back a flood of memories! I had regained my youth: My muscles no longer ached, I had (more) hair and I had all my teeth?????..and they were ALL good! I hadn?t seen or smoked this blend for decades. As it is no longer available in the U.S., I ordered some from an overseas mail order firm in Cyprus ($20.99 for 7 pouches including shipping ? 5 week delivery). This tobacco has one of the most delightful pouch aromas I have encountered: sweet and fruity but not overpowering. This is what I remember most about this tobacco. It almost smells good enough to eat. While I did smoke this blend in the past, I more often smoked Amphora Brown. I also had the bad habit of repeatedly calling this stuff AMORPHA, not Amphora, that resulted in a lot of kidding by my co-workers, several of whom smoked Amphora Brown. This was in the late 1960s. In our group of about 20, there were 6 of us who smoked a pipe. It was these other guys who got me hooked on pipe smoking. But to get to the point, this is a great aromatic with a flavor that is definitely akin to its pouch aroma. Unlike many aromatics, it doesn?t leave goopey residue in the bowl. I did notice, however, that the flavor dissipates somewhat towards the bottom of the bowl but its burning qualities are good. (I like to shred most cavendish blends a bit.) I do not smoke aromatics on a regular basis but I haven?t abandoned them either. If you want a quality aromatic of the Dutch variety, try AMORPHA Red (or is that Amphora Red). A delightful, flavorful and relaxing smoke to be sure! I rate this tobacco 9.8 out of 10.
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pocket	09/02/2004	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
This is a good tobacco. It is one of the few tobacco's of my homeland that I think is good. It is not expensive and good for an allday smoke. But it is not a very special tobacco. I think it is a bit "middle of the road" however, at the better side of the middle. I mostly have some of it in my cabinet, but I don't panic when it is not. I think it will be difficult to get better tobacco for the same price.
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Beer	09/01/2004	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
It is the second time that I try an Amphora tobacco (first was with Vintage Malt Whiskey), and it is the second time I get disappointed. This tobacco seems to be a popular choice, one of the most widespread aromatic cavendishes here in Italy: I thought it might be good, so why not give it a try? Well, it is not bad, I just find it a bit boring. Upon opening, the pouch has a wonderful smell of vanilla, orange flowers and the like. The cut is fine, making it child's play to light and keep lit: alas, it burns a bit too hot and wet for my taste. Tongue bite is not excessive, but the smoke is rather harsh in the mouth. And what about the taste? The first bowls I had were rather sweet and with hints of citrus aroma. Not my favorite kind of aroma (I like Latakia!), but not bad at all. When I got used to it, after a few days, all the faults started to come out: the aroma vanishes in the second half of the bowl (typical of this kind of aromatics...), leaving with one of the dullest tobaccos I have ever tried. The room aroma is very sweet, vanilla-like, very "kind" to non-smokers... Well, I'd rather smoke some TRUE tobaccos on the balcony rather than smoking this bland stuff indoors just because it pleases the other people... As a conclusion: I have nothing against Amphora, and this Full Aroma is probably one of their best blends... but I'd rather stick to more exciting stuff. If I want to smoke something that is flower/fruit flavored, I'll keep using my narghile with the delicious Egyptian molasses tobaccos made by Nakhla!
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Greytata	08/10/2004	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
After several years of absence, I bought again a packet of Amphora Red, just to remember how it was like. And besides the fact that it is a great, well "mixed" tobacco, I find it a bit wet for everyday smoke. No tongue bite, easy, slow burning, a very decent and pleasant smoke,on occasion.
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Ratcat	07/21/2004	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
I haven't meet any pipe smoker who haven't tried Amphora before. There is a reason why I suppose. Cause the packaging looks good? Maybe because it is like a ready rubbed quality flake? Too bad I am not the mood for virginia these days. If so this would be pretty cool. It is made of good quality aged Vs. All the flavoring of this mixture intentional brings out the Vs with no other agenda. The casing is pretty heavy but never over powering the main course. Like the casing in all quality aromatic, you can't laid your finger on it...cherry?...raisins? Spring flowers?...oranges?...it changes with the burning temp and the course of the bowl....but in every changes you are still very focus on the Vs. A fine dish it is if you are a V lover...and like all good Vs...beware of the hidden strength
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DUPE.629	06/06/2004	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
October-2003. Well at least Amphora Red is still consistant as always when I picked up a pouch recently while on a fishing trip. I still say its one of the best pouch aromatic tobaccos around,which is still easily obtainable.I also enjoyed the change of pace. The quality in Amphora Red by far out-weighs many other sweet sickly smokes,no goop here. This aromatic gets 8 out of 10.
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elpheasant	04/06/2004	Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
The other day when I was out on a beer run, I decided to check out the liquor store's smoke shop, just to see what the pickins were like. I just about yelped when I saw a pack of Amphora Red sitting on the shelf smiling at me, since I understand this is no longer imported to the U.S. I looked at the price, which was 99 cents, and I suspected that it was a leftover from the old days. I thought, "oh, heck, it's only a buck!" and quickly snatched it up. When I got home, the tobacco seemed a little dry, but I thought I'd still give it a whirl. It turned out to be one of the best smokes of the week. A classic one-match light, I immediately noticed the delicious aroma. It smelled of fruit and blossoms, just like the package promised. About half-way down, a slightly stronger favor developes. Others have identified it as raisins, which I agree with, but there's also a little cinnamon in there. Towards the end, the taste of natural tobacco comes to the fore. This was a great back porch smoke. I can't think of any better way to enjoy the sunset. -El Pheasant
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Steerpike	03/18/2004	Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
This is another of those really good aromatics. It comes in a gold foily packet, and looks like a ready rubbed blend, with a few longer strands of ribbon in there. It packs and lights just fine straight from the pouch, despite containing some quite large chunks of flake. Do not be tempted to rub it out any more or it will get hot and bite. This can be a problem with the last couple of fills from the pouch too. The smoking qualities of this tobacco are really good. It burns cool and slow, and the flavour is surprisingly complex, although very mild at first. The beginning of the bowl tastes light, sweetish and flowery, with fruity, vanilla tastes building as the smoke progresses. The vanilla taste is only ever a hint, and the bowl finishes with a rich chocolatey aftertaste from the burley tobaccos. The room aroma is as varied as the taste, a friend once commented that it smelt of chocolate, while at the beginning of the smoke it smells more floral. This is definitely a very high quality aromatic, of a very different flavour from most, the casings must be very different to what is used in a lot of aromatics. A really interesting smoke, but not very heavy.
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	02/13/2004	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable
Once readily available at drugstores and supermarkets all across America, this surprisingly high-quality Dutch blend is no longer sold in the U.S. Pouches still occasionally pop up from time to time and one can still mail order it from online shops outside the United States. I had expected yet another sticky black Cavendish to lurk within the attractive red pouch, but instead was greeted with a nice dark brown mixture containing quite a bit of broken flake. The pouch aroma is very heavy with a sweet chocolate cherry essence mixed with natural tobacco. I like to break up the mixture a bit as I am a slow puffer, but faster smokers should pack it as is. The room aroma is an extremely pleasant and refreshing blend of natural tobacco (I suspect mainly burley with some Virginia), the fruity citrus essence, and the musty chocolate essence. This aroma disperses very quickly after smoking. The flavor is predominantly one of light burley with the chocolate flavor lurking in the background and the citrus flavor providing a bit of perkiness. It is pleasantly sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The burley provides a solid medium nicotine strength. While I only smoke this occasionally, I enjoy it immensely every time I do and typically wonder why I don't smoke it more often. It is especially nice during warm weather. I find it very easy to light and keep lit all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Amphora Full Aroma is not to be confused with Amphora Regular which comes in a brown pouch. While somewhat similar, I find Amphora Regular to be the most bland tobacco I have ever tried. Available from Synjeco, Switzerland. *
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pop-pop's pipe	02/10/2004	Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Pleasant
This was my favorite aromatic. Kentucky,burley,virginia,and oriental. The kentucky is what gave this blend it's nicotine punch. I loved it! But you can't get it in the USA no more. I found a can of this in a corner Philadelphia cigarette shop about a year ago when nobody else had it. I felt like I just found a diamond in a coal mine. It is a blend to be smoked slow because it had a tendancy to get hot due to the virginia and the flavoring. Fruit Whiff is how the flavoring is described. It's kind of like cherry mixed with roses but it wasn't syrupy. It could also get kind of wet if smoked too fast but there is so much nicotine here in this blend I would sometimes get the hiccups. If you like sweet and high nicotine punch this is your tobacco.
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Pounder 5000	02/10/2004	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This is a very tasty weed in the same vein as skandinivak(sp?) and Mixture. I find it to be a good all day tobacco when I want a lighter cavedish with a little spice to it. It is ashame that I had to order it from Synjeco in Switzerland or I would smoke it more often. I love the intermingling of citrus and berry. It can bite but is an easy beast to master. I find myself craving this quite often and nothing else will do.
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	01/22/2004	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is the only ?industrial? tobacco that can be (sometimes) part of my tobacco collection. The first time I tried it (I obtained it from a corner shop after midnight?) I was surprised by the quality and the appealing aroma. Perhaps this first impression was a result of my poor expectations but later I discovered that I was enjoying it even though I usually smoke either English style tobaccos or VA/Perique ones. It is medium-to-fine cut and its colour ranges from golden-brown to reddish-brown. The pouch aroma is fruity (cherry and grapes/raisin). It packs easily; it smokes cool but wet and stays lit very easily. The fruity (citrus fruits) aroma and flavour remains during smoke (there is also a light chocolate flavour in the background) but it disappears after having finished half bowl. The flavour becomes worst as smoke is progressing towards the bottom of the pipe. Its strength is light-to-medium, while its aroma is medium-to-strong. The room aroma is pleasant but almost overwhelming. It is accepted by other smokers but not so by non-smokers colleagues at work. All in all Amphora Full Aroma is ?possibly recommended? especially when you are out of tobacco and the only source is a corner shop or even a gas station.
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