CAO - Midnight Ride pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Noorrmm	08/30/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Appearance: Nice mixture of light to dark, with everything in between. The ribbon cut is fairly long and of medium width. Aroma: Great Oriental spicy/nutty aroma with Virginia sweetness and a hint of fermented fruit. (Perique?) Almost smells like some Latakia present. Packing: Packs easily into any pipe, just don?t over-pack the small ones. Lighting: Lights easily, just tamp and relight. Initial flavor: Wow, really rich. Great interplay of Virginia and Oriental. The Perique merely adds some fruitiness to the Va. Mid-bowl: Great complexity, marvelous nuances in the smoke when puffed slowly. Can get hot if over-puffed, but this is not a work day blend. It shines when you can relax with it. Finish: Ends on a great note, no noticeable change until it?s gone. Pipe is clean and dry always. Summary: I wasn?t sure about the Latakia, so I waved a can in front of Greg Pease. He confirmed that there wasn?t any present. My only complaint about this blend is that Dan doesn?t put it up in larger cans or bags.
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emmbee	12/07/2005	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Oh, Mr. Revere, I didn't know your midnight ride could inspire such tobacco greatness! I made the mistake of smoking this at the end of the day after my mouth was seasoned from soul food and latakia; big mistake. This is the first smoke of the day or early afternoon blend. You need a clean palate to taste the myriad of subtle yet sublime flavors in this contemplative mixture. This is the perfect VA/Oriental/Perique with hints of latakia for spice. CAO blended these consummately without one overcrowding the other. I hope all the batches are consistent because if they are, this will be counted among my regulars. The aroma is very similar to Germain's Royal Jersey or 1820, with that sour apple tanginess. As Old Ironsides is CAO's signature latakia chorus, Midnight Ride is its VA/O/P counter melody. My pipe pal indicates to me that he much prefers European VA/Perique blends to American. Though I don't favor one over the other, I must admit, European VAs are different and less forward than their American counterpart. Should you choose to smoke this at night, make sure you haven't smoked heavy blends or eaten spicy foods, as you'll never taste all of MR's delightful subtleties. Hats off to CAO/Dan! Five of five stars ----------- Update - 12/7/05 Something happened. As with a number of European tobaccos I've revisited, Dan, Dunhill & Rattray among them, these blends they are a changing. This stuff is strong & juicy. It lacks the depth of aroma & flavor it once had. It's not terrible, but compared to my glowing review above, it has changed. It's less smokey; less apple flavored; less Germainy. Or maybe I'm getting so much pleasure from American English blends by C & D, that this stuff doesn't do it for me any longer. Old Ironsides, also by Dan, was a big disappointment when I tried it the second time. Another tobacco which will live in infamy. Two and a half of five stars
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lustra	11/14/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Suprisingly bitey for an English, Midnight Ride starts out with a big perique blast, and then settles down to a nice, full English in the second half of the bowl. I care for the first half of the bowl--nippy and pungent--less and less the more I smoke of this tobacco. The second half is uniformly good, although it can run to some bitterness in some pipes. I've smoked a full tin of this blend in a variety of pipes: clays, large and small briars, pyrolitics, cobs. Midnight Ride is pretty consistent across all types of pipes, although the full experience, such as it is, is muted somewhat in smaller-bored pipes. This is the badger of English tobaccos.
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sasha	07/08/2005	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I was told by some friends about how great this blend was, but I have been a little disapponted. Not that I mean this is a foul mixture, but it lacks something in body. To me, such a good taste evolution along the bowl simply has to be supported by some "guts" that are missed here. However, this to me is more of a perique-oriental blend than an English Mixture: it's cool, dry, with sometimes a pleasant bitterish taste and a "winey" flavour throughout the bowl I could have sincerely done without. I suggest you a medium to large pipe, to enhance the flavour evolution that would be missed if you don't leave it some room.
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	05/24/2005	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
OH, so sweet is this leaf!I rarely give 5 of 4 stars to anything ,but this truly deserves it!I will tell you exactly what this tastes like.Take Presbyterian Mixture have it wed Germain's Royal Jersey Latakia Mixture and you have their child-Midnight Ride. This is by far the best Oriental/Virginia/Perique mixture on the market.There are so many layers of flavor that it would take pages to describe them.Nutty,sweet,and slightly sour with a wisp of Latakia in the background. All English blend smokers should try this and some natural aromatic smokers should also.A little expensive,but well worth the price. Stunning!
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Young Piper	05/07/2005	Medium	None detected	Very Full	Strong
I recently decided to splurge on a tin of this from Mars Cigars and Pipes for $8.25 which is not too bad for a tin of truly quality tobacco. The tin is an art in itself and the contents are packed ala Macbaren with a round flap of paper with a compass to remove. This is where the two similarities end. This tobacco has thin ribbon cuts of all colors like autumn leaves and has a wonderful tin aroma. Fruit like and smokey with alot of smoke volume and no bite. I packed a fresh bowl right from the tin and there was no gurgling or relights so this came at the right humidity for me. Smoked two more bowls last night watching the movie "The Fog" a great 1981 horror flick about ghost pirates that attack in the fog and each bowl of midnight ride was better than the last. Smooth and tasty until it burned down to a nice fluffy ash.
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DUPE.1512	01/22/2005	Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable
This blend is very unique. The tin aroma is sweet, tangy and slightly musty. The oriental tobaccos, virginias and perique blend well. The Latakia stays in the background for the most part, but its always subtly present. The flavor, while quite full, is not overwhelming and this makes for a very pleasurable smoke. It burns cool, dry and with clean ash all the way to the bottom of the bowl. This is an excellent blend I give 4 stars, however it's one star behind Blackpoint.
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workingstiff	11/30/2004	Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Very Pleasant
I am so cheap you have to pry my hands open to get a quarter from me. I hate spending too much on my tobacco but this blend is worth every penny. This is a wonderful smoke I like everything about this tobacco, it has a great aroma and taste. Like many people who reviewed this I was originally drawn to the tin art. I also read the reviews on this site which made me even more eager to try it. This is a real treat for me since I often smoke cheap burley blends while on the go or working. The rich flavor, which might be the perique, makes this so relaxing to smoke. Upon smoking the first tin, Midnight Ride, became my favorite for those rare quiet times that I can sit back and enjoy a really good smoke.
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Tiger	11/07/2004	Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I guess the reviewer "Memlapse" and I share a similar capriciousness when it comes to selecting tobaccos scientifically. I couldn't resist Midnight Ride" simply because I'm an American Revolution and Civil War buff. But, as with "Memlapse", Midnight Ride took me captive without firing a shot. I can easily echo every positive comment made by the others about Midnight Ride. In fact, I seem to always be "almost out" of it even though I buy 7 or 8 tins at a time. Every pipe smoker should give Midnight Ride a try regardless of what their "usual" preferences are. If nothing else, it should be a delightful "change-up" smoke for almost anyone. It's that good! Four Stars,... and a hearty Hi-Ho Silver to Midnight Ride! Tiger
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JeffreyMorgan	10/15/2004	Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Based on the previous reviews I bought a tin. The tin aroma was strong and not pleasant to me. The cut is rough but the moisture content seemed good and packed well. The taste was not like the tin smell would make you believe. It was smooth and fantastic and if smoked hard had some tongue. Really nice blend, will continue to smoke this one.
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Beer	09/01/2004	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Frankly I expected more from this tobacco, at least after reading the enthusiastic reviews here. Old Ironsides is a favorite of mine, but this other CAO offering suits my taste a bit less... It is a good tobacco, but it's not my favorite kind. The tin aroma is very pungent and spicy: lots of red/brownish leaves, and a good dose of black ones (latakia and perique). The cut is rather rough, not as even and fine as in Dunhill's blends. The smoke has a very distinct flavour, just as spicy and pungent as the tin aroma: the problem with me is that while it is pungent, in contrast it sometimes lacks in fullness. A big first moment impact, but then little "meat"... In a similar vein, I prefer Dunhill's Standard Mixture Medium: sweeter and much more balanced, probably due to a stronger Virginia presence in comparison to Midnight Ride. I don't mean that I don't like MR, but it doesn't end up as one of the tobaccos that I'd choose blindly any time for a completely satisfying smoke: I still prefer straight Virginias (especially in flake form) and high-Latakia English mixtures. Anyway, after almost finishing the tin, I must say that it is slowly growing on me (or maybe having left the tin open for a while improved its qualities), especially because of the very pleasant nutty taste, but just falls a bit short of the mark. To end the review, a note on the burning qualities: perfect. Midnight Ride leaves one of the cleanest, driest and whitest ashes I have ever witnessed! This as a consequence of a very cool and dry smoke: a quality that must not be quickly dismissed.
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smokeasaurus	06/17/2004	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
i bought this because it had a 4 star rating and i like cao cigars. very good choice. thanks to all for the high rating. i will be smoking this often.
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Mr. Dottle	05/10/2004	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I do not have the time to describe the attributes of this tobacco in detail as others do. However, as I do wish to contribute some feedback, I will simply rate this tobacco on a scale of 1 ?10, including tenths. I no longer smoke English blends but when I did this was one of my favorites. I rate this tobacco 9.9 out of 10.
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thedigger	04/22/2004	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This one is a winner! I liked this one the first time I tried it (and it generally takes a few bowls for me to warm up to a new blend). The Orientals make it a sweet experience; The Perique makes it a full and spicy experience with an interesting finish. To top it all off, it burns excellent! (The first C.A.O. Blend that I've tried that impressed me.) It even looks good on my shelf! This is also the first C.A.O. blend that I found worthy of the price tag.
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preppypipe	02/24/2004	Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable
As other reviewers have mentioned the tin art prompted me to try this blend.I purchased it at the historic shop of L.J.Peretti in Boston,MA.Believe it or not I bought it on the Anniversary of Revere's faithful ride.It smells delicious in the tin.It smokes cool in my pipe.I believe it's a real stand-out among tobaccos.When I'm tired of everything else it's a welcome change from the norm of the thick english blends I usually smoke.I also bought a tin to cellar.I'll try it in a few years... Recommended! prep
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chaplikc	02/12/2004	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is by far the best cao blend i've had. It is wonderfully complex, smooth, round and unique in that I don't know much to compare it to. There is a vortex of flavor here that swirls through out the bowl and keeps my attention. Just an excellant blend that has many high points and very few if any flaws in my opinion. Smokes cool and the aroma is very approvable to those who love turkish or english blends. Highly recomended to turkish or english lovers or any one that wants to try a unique, savory blend. Edit: 5-18-11 - I have noticed many reviewers State that there is no latakia in this blend. ALL of the tins I have smoked contain latakia with out a doubt. All of the tins I have smoked are CAO versions. Is there a difference between the CAO and Dan blend Midnight Ride?
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lvnvbiker	09/09/2003	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
Black Dog thank you for this one! Got a sample and bought a few tins the next day! Good flavors and complexity, an all around hit as far as taste goes. The wife will most likely hate the room note, but it is tolerable to mine even though it is note her favorite! A must try baccy this one.
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Black Dog	06/29/2003	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I've smoked several bowls of Midnight Ride, and I love this stuff. It's got a great sweet/sour flavor that I have not found in any other tobacco. At first the tin aroma put me off, sort of a musty sour smell, but the flavor is wonderful. I'd liken it to gently fermented raisins, with latakia for an undertone spice,and the perique for the high notes. They all work together wonderfully. Highly recommended!!
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RCUSElder	04/10/2003	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
This is my favorite from the folks at Dan Tobacco and CAO. This blend is very well balanced and is the only blend that contains Perique and does not trigger an allegic reaction in me.I can't really call it a "English" blend but rather find it to be in a class all by itself. It can be smoked all day and is not sensitive to bowl size. After three tins, the consistency is still the same. This blend is so unique, that I usually smoke it on special occassions. No dottle is left in the pipe and leaves a fine white ash.
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dangpipes	04/07/2003	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a very nice smoke. It starts out mild and very well blended with no one tobacco taking charge. The Latakia stays in the background, but not silent. The Perique offers a nice offset to the Virginia and Oriental mixture. As the smoke progresses, the flavors integrate well to provide a very harmonious taste. I enjoyed this smoke but was left feeling that it needed something to make it standout. maybe next time.
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