Ashton - Old Dog pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 31 of 31 reviews of this tobacco
Beer	09/01/2004	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Ok, this is a Latakia mixture in the McClelland family that I truly like: while others claim to be "full" blends or Balkans, none of them are. This one ain't either, but its fullness is at a decent level at least. The cavendish adds some roundness and sweetness to a tasty but otherwise quite ordinary blend: as a medium EM, it definitely can be recommended to anyone. So, if you have been slightly disappointed by the light taste of the Frog Mortons, of British Woods and the Bombay Court couple, or by Celebrated Sovereign, but you still can't find the courage to try the "real stuff" (Odyssey, Caravan, Abingdon, Blackpoint...) try this and you will find its richness and intensity quite rewarding.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Ivanhoe	10/31/2003	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
I concur with Norm, tilman and JClark about this tobacco. It is one of the best English blends I have tried. It makes a large volume of thick, creamy smoke that is very, very smooth. There is no tongue bite here. The taste is rich and creamy, too, with a little interesting perfume added by the xanthia. The nicotine level is satisfying, but not overpowering. Put your feet up and watch the fire while you sip on a bowl of this stuff.
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mesacactus	08/11/2003	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
For about three months I was smoking Peterson's "Sherlock Holmes" blend. When I finely tired of it, I bought a can of Old Dog. I mean, how can you go wrong with a name like that? Does not the name remind you of a faithfull friend, that was happy to see you at the end of a long day? This tobacco was that friend for a while. When you open the tin, you are greated by the scent of Latakia, and an overtone of a mild casing added. The cut was a corse ribbon, which packed into the bowl nicely. Upon first light, I expected to taste the Latakia, but instead, a sweet taste from the casing came through. However, soon after, the Latakia made its way to the top, and stayed there throughout the smoke. Occasionally during the smoke, the Virgina and Orientals came through, and always just in the background, the flavor of the casing was there. I liked it at first, and I stayed with this tobacco for some time. But, as some good friendships end, this one did too, I moved on to full English blends. There comes a time though, when I think about this tobacco, and I feel like I left that faithfull compainion, that "Old Dog" sitting on the step looking at me, as I moved on to new adventures.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Adguru	05/18/2003	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Warning this "review" is by a 6-month newbie, who doesn't yet have a palette. Having said that, I am disapointed in Old Dog. I read great reviews, but to me it just seems like a "watered down" version of FMOTT. OK, OK I promise not to impart my impecable wisdom until 3 bowls. It is definately growing on me. There is some spicyness here that I missed the first go round. I will be smoking this more often.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Willy	03/19/2003	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Can't add much to tillmanj and KEF except to agree with them and others. Old Dog is one of my favorite English blends as well. I rotate between VA,s & VA/Perique blends with the English/Balkan blends getting airplay whenever I have the chance, and OD is always there. The sweet yet tangy flavors together with the citrusy, smoky and nutty flavors make for a very enjoyable pipe whether relaxing with a good book or writing tobacco reviews :o). Smokes cool and burns well to gray ash. If you like blends of this sort you owe it to yourself to try this one. Works for me.
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Stogie	03/15/2003	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Ahh... down to the last bowl of this enjoyable blend. I want so badly to fall in love with Latakia blends, but it seems my palate just doesn't enjoy them the same way it craves aged Virginia flakes. Old Dog however, has really caught my attention. After receiving a sample of McClelland No.1 Balkan bulk blend, I realized that my poor experiences with Dunhill English blends could be a specific brand problem. So I bought three tins of 2000 Old Dog from a local retailer who was happy to get rid of them. (Actually I bought his entire stock of 1999/2000 Ashton tobaccos except for the aromatic blend). Here is my review. Tin Aroma: Big Latakia with a high note? Visual: 65% Black crinkled Latakia with the remaining 35% consisting of tan & mahogany ribbon. Texture: Moist and just a bit sticky to the touch. I tend to prefer my blends on the moist side, so this was not off-putting. Pack/Pipe: Since 90% of the tobacco I smoke comes in flake form, I'm afraid my packing technique with ribbon cuts leaves something to be desired. I began this tin with gravity feed and just a tiny bit of compression. I did not experience good burn qualities, and had 2 - 4 relights per bowl. (I usually require none or one). By the time I was halfway through the tin, I began packing more firmly, and experienced longer, more consistent smokes. This was smoked in my full Latakia rotation including a '73 Dunhill Redbark pot, Caminetto business squash/prince, Castello Old Antiquari and a few Israeli Alphas and virgins. Liked it in larger/taller bowls better. Lighting/Burn: One long match to char, one long match to light. Occassionaly I needed a relight within minutes of starting the pipe. Once I began packing more firmly, the burn became consistent. 1st 3rd: By far the best portion of the bowl. Loads of flavor with a nice zingy spiciness and the comforting smokiness of the Latakia. Burns at a medium rate, and never felt hot - even with enthusiastic puffing. 2nd 3rd: More of the same as long as I kept the ember rolling. If I backed off to a slower pace, the smoke became much cooler, but lost flavor. Final 3rd: Very seldom did I enjoy this portion. It was often ashy and devoid of flavor. Sometimes had difficulty smoking to the bottom of the bowl. Notes: I have two more tins from 2000 cellared. I will come back to this again in 2 -3 years and see how it behaves. My palate may be much more attuned to Latakia at that time as well. Also, I will leave tin open for two weeks before smoking it next time. Stogie rating of: Seven Heavenly Hoyo's
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
JClark	12/10/2002	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
I would like to point out that I am an english fancier and enjoy lots of latakia in my pipe. Having said that, this is one of the better english type blends I am yet to come across. This is a rich smoke, smokier than most. The tin aroma is what you would expect, latakia (I love the tin aroma of this one). The only down side is the McClelland moisture. This tobacco definitly needs to be aired out unless you have plenty of pipe cleaners next to you at all times. The flavor upon lighting is basically the same as the tin aroma. There is no flavoring used here but the black cavendish adds a slight sweetnes that compliments the smoky latakia quite nicely. This smokes cool everytime, all the way to the bottom. If its not properly aired out, there may be a little moisture as well as a small amout of dottle (this is not a problem when properly aired). For some reason this one reminds me a little bit of McClellands British Woods, another top player among english blends (IMHO). Fellow enlish fanciers should definitly try Old Dog, and I feel confident in giving this one my highest recommendation.
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pmonroeb	07/29/2002	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Strong
Old Dog is one of the better English mixtures that is somewhat smokier than the run of the mill English. Like most tobaccos blended by McClelland, it needs a little drying to get the best burning qualities. It packs and burns well. While this is not really a regular in my rotation, it is a most satisfying blend and if I ran out of my regulars, this would fill in nicely.
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Jon Tillman	07/12/2002	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Tin Aroma: This is quintessentially english; dark and sweet, musty and vaguely oily. Really, much of my preference for english-type blends may be solely based on their tin aroma. Physical Characteristics: A short ribbon cut, almost a cross-cut, if you will. Needs a bit of airing before it is smokeable, due to a high moisture content, but otherwise a beautiful dark blend. Smokes to a dove grey ash. Notes: Fortunately for degenerate latakia lovers like myself, the taste and room aroma both accurately reflect the tin aroma, making this a near flawless blend. Make no mistake about it, this is 'big latakia', and may well destroy relationships with those uneducated to the sublime mysteries of the Cyprian leaf. Verdict: Having so enjoyed Celebrated Sovereign, I have no idea why I did not try this earlier, but now that I have smoked my year old tin of it, I am sure to purchase more
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KEF	04/17/2002	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Strong
On opening the tin a strong aroma - sweet cyprian latakia and xanthi oriental - reminds me a bit of Frog Morton OTT. Kind of a mix of pebble and ribbon cut, darker brown with some light ribbon. As with many McClelland's blends, it is a bit moist, and takes some time to dry out. Packs and lights well. On lighting, it is a sweet/sharp cyprian latakia scent with mild sweet casing. As it is smoked down the oriental flavors grow stronger and temper the latakia, but the casing flavor, which I like, stays pretty constant. I don't know cavendish tobaccos well enough to say what role they play here. Tends to burn a bit wet, with slight bite if smoked quickly. The room scent is not overwhelming. I don't smoke this often, but when I do I find myself saying how much I enjoy it. 8 of 10. - Kelly
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Noorrmm	03/22/2001	Medium to Strong	None detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong
A very dark blend with a very full can aroma, mostly sweet smoky (Cyprian)latakia with naturally sweet cavendish. Like most McClelland blends, this one benefited from some airing out before lighting. I may just like my blends a little drier than some. Upon lighting it, the flavor is just like the can aroma. Lots of latakia, balanced by the turkish and virginias, and a slightly sweeter note form the cavendish. I believe the sweetness is natural, as I could not detect any artificial flavor here. It burns well when puffed at a slow to normal rate, and is always cool on the tongue. As expected, the room aroma is quite heavy, and will drive most "significant others" to complain if they are not used to this much latakia.
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