The tin I smoked was quite aged, perhaps 8-10 years. I'm here to tell you that it aged well. The shag cut and sublime Virginia/Burley leaf was peppered with an unusually naturally sweet flavor that I thoroughly enjoyed. It did indeed smoke cool, burn slow and provide lots of smoke. If you want a "tobacco tasting" tobacco with an unusual sweetness that is certainly unique, live on the wild side and try a bowl of this delightful blend.

Bright virginia spiked with some burley in a sting cut but pressed into a near solid block in the tin. Not a crumble cake but a cavendish cut when you break some out and rub it a little.

Buttery sweet but light in taste. Room note more noticeable.

Burns ok to me; not wet. A little hot first couple of bowls but settles down into your pipe afterwards.

A true light virginia with a little added sweetness. Delightful, but sip don't slurp.

BUT! My father used to smoke a pipe (he's still alive by the way) and GB was his favourite tobacco. He used to be a pub landlord (bear with me guys' I'm getting there!) and had B+B (bed and breakfast) facility. One of his regular clients was a sales representative for Ogden's tobacco who claimed that one of the finest smoking mixture was a 50-50 mixture of Gold Block and St. Bruno flake mixed together. My father never tried it himself he didn't like St. Bruno - but I do, and I have tried it! It has now become a staple smoke for me 50g of GB and 50g of St. Bruno. I sit and cut up the flakes into a decent size zip-lock bag with a pair of scissors (who's a philistine?) to get the pieces fine enough - no rubbing out by the way, then throw in the GB tease it out, then finish up giving the bag a really good shake. I?ve also found the flavour improves if you let the mixture ?marinade? for a couple of days in the air tight bag before smoking.

The end result is very pleasant, the St. Bruno, being in little ?lumps? tames down the tongue bite associated with GB, and that the GB lightens up the ?heaviness? that can be experienced with pure ST. Bruno. Nicotine strength increases and the 'room note' is very pleasant. For those of you who may rate the two brands why not give it a try?

My father said to me ??if this mixture is so good then why don?t they market it?? I suppose if they did that then they would only be selling one product instead of two, who knows?

An weird outsider this tobacco is.. Almost cigarette-cut, bright VA with a strange topping that i find very interesting. I smoked this when it was still made by Ogden's of Liverpool and haven't tried it since, so this review may not be up to date.

Upon opening the tin I was greeted with the smell of freshly mown hay and that special topping which you either love or hate. I have difficulties describing it, so I won't even try, but i remember thinking about sweet English Breakfast Tea.

The nicotine level is, unfortunately not very high, but it doesn't matter, because the strange taste tickles my senses and makes me forget it.

All I can say is: Try it for yourself - It's 50/50 if it's gonna ring your bell I guess.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

neo_knockout@hotmail.com

Not a bad choice for old-fashioned Anglicans: this was a mild, smooth, tenderly contemplative composition, as moderate in temperament as it was sedate in your pipe. Elegant, with "a demeanour nobly bland". A much more liberal Anglican, I always found Gold Block a blend for grand dads with pocket repeaters and rimless spectacles. (Like mine!)

I describe this in the past because what Imperial Tobacco, a soulless, heartless octopus dedicated to buying up everything and then turning it into cheap, wet-paper-flavoured ersatz Lumpendreck now sells as Gold Block is NOT what C. S. and bonpapa used to love back when. (Then again, I. T. is the company that bought up THREE NUNS in order to sell it with the "périque" flavour applied as A SYNTHETIC CASING AGENT!!!)

If you love the Screw-Tape Letters and the Chronicles of Narnia, and can get your hands on an old tin of GOLD BLOCK, bon appétit! Otherwise, you're out of luck.

Aroma: Sort of grassy, as in not well matured Viginias.

Packing: Packs easily in most pipes.

Lighting: Lights easily, someimes with one match.

Initial flavor: I wish I could describe it, but I can?t find it. There is hardly any flavor to speak of. Maybe this is why so many Virginias are pressed.

Mid-bowl: Exceedingly mild flavor, reasonably cool and dry. The room aroma was similar to English cigarettes (Players, not Sobranie).

Finish: A bit stronger at the end, but still not much taste.

Summary: Way too mild and uninteresting for me, but YMMV. If you like very light Virginias, this might be the one

On the positive side; 1) it is very easy to light and keep lit (almost regardless of how you pack it) 2) the possibility of 'bite' to the tongue or roof-of-the-mouth for new pipe smokers is very low 3) it's room note is not super-heavy but neither is it memorably pleasent.

For pipesmokers who inhale the odd puff, Gold Block's strength will not knock you over.

On the negative side; 1) the initial room note is not unpleasant but fades to a stale cigarette-like smell in an hour or so. 2) it burns rather rapidly (even when puffed slowly) and is rather uneconomical over the long haul.

I think there are much better pipe tobaccos out there and am saddened to see the famous name of Ogden's associated with this rather unremarkable and insipid blend. Bring back Ogden's Special NutGone Celebrated Flake Tobacco!