This tobacco is really smooth, it is mild but it isn't bland anymore, I can taste a hint of chocolate and vanilla and the room note is just like the pouch smell.

I think this is a good blend that, no matter how fast you smoke it, it will not bite. Lighting the pipe is usually a one match job and it stays lit throughout the bowl. It does not get goopy and it isn't overwhelmingly sweet. A nice simple smoke to keep non-smoking visitors quiet.

This surprisingly has some mild nicotine in it (being an aromatic), but then again, I smoke this slowly in a XXL pipe that has a bowl which is 2 and 1/2 inches deep and an inch wide.

The pouch aroma is quite wonderful, and so is the room note. It tastes pretty close to how it smells: a sweet vanilla and chocolate mixture, that can actually be overwhelming if you don't let it dry for a couple of hours before smoking it. If it is not dried for a couple of hours, the taste and room note are sickly sweet and it will burn wet and hot.

This is the perfect after-dinner tobacco, to go with traditional deserts like german chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream.

It has propylene glycol (the bane of bulk tobaccos) in it, but not enough to entirely soak your bowl unless you puff too fast. This would easily be a four-star tobacco if it didn't have any thrown into what is otherwise a wonderful blend. Usually, unless you puff too fast it only leaves the bottom of your bowl wet. But puff on this one fast, you'll end up scraping out black gooey chunks the consistency of mud by the bowl's end.

This is far better than McClellan's best of show, which are as about as good as plastic chips soaked in vanilla extract and chocolate liqueur. I really enjoy the flavor of nougat. If only they could produce one without any PG...

Pouch aroma is very pleasant: vanilla/chocolate/nougat/nutty.

The smoking flavor is a mild vanilla with a subtle nuttiness/ nougat flavor. There's nothing really outstanding about this tobacco; it's just an all around good smoke suitable for when I want something simple and sweet. This would probably make a good after dinner smoke.

My first impression on opening the bag was that this was a nicely blended, good-looking tobacco. The moisture content was a bit high though. The aroma was tantalizing. Though the topping was a bit overpowering at first, when I left it open for a while, things settled down.

I was anxiously waiting for it to dry a bit, when it became evident that this simply wasn?t going to happen any time soon. So I loaded up. I decided to take extra precautions so as not to sear my tongue and smoke it as it was, moisture-wise.

The initial light brought forth nothing but topping. This soon settled down, and by the 1/3rd mark, I was actually getting the suggestion of the taste of tobacco. Toward the end of the bowl, the topping ran out and I got some real tobacco taste for a few puffs.

In spite of the high moisture content, it was a smooth and enjoyable smoke. The pipe was relatively dry, and the tobacco burned down to the bottom of the bowl with minimal effort.

For a comfortable aromatic change of pace, I will undoubtedly reach for Nougat again.

*****UPDATE Sept-04*****

A sample of this was included with a recent pipe purchase. The pipe was for my wife, who has been smoking a pipe for under a month. She fell in love with the smell of this and couldn?t wait to try it.

Unlike my previous encounter with this blend, this time it dried nicely, and was ready for smoking in about an hour. She smoked a bowl and raved about the taste, how smooth it was, and the complete lack of bite. Of course, after hearing that, I had to load a bowl myself and try it again. This experience was completely different from my previous encounter with the blend. I found it to be everything that she?d said it was. The first time I tried Nougat it came from Tinder Box.

ALL AROMATICS BITE THE TONGUE! You have to be a seasoned pipe smoker to avoid this, and even some of the best can burn their tongue when they're not careful. It's the biggest single reason why I don't like these bulk in-a-jar aromatics. I've yet to find one that I'm completely enamored with.

I apologize for breaking a precedent of "only talking about this blend" but if you're looking for an excellent tasting aromatic that will only bite if you're reckless, try Freddy Vegas' Nevada '64.

This is NOT the worst aromatic I've ever had, but it's far from the best. I think the '64 will fit the bill best for any "nougat" taste someone would be looking for.

You know what? One thing I really haven't tried yet with these kinds of pipe tobaccos is letting them dry out a bit first. Might make a substantial difference, but there are so many other blends I like so much more, that I just have to ask myself:

"Why bother."

God bless you if you like it. If you do like it, that's great. I don't like it enough to smoke it.

Cheers!

Daniel

Nougat is a tobacco of fine quality with a topping that, I swear has the potency of the goopiest Lane casing, but isn't goopy, that tastes great, and burns cleanly to a gray ash. It leaves the pipe dry and smelling nice. The mixture is a broad ribbon cut composed of medium brown burley and stoved black cavendish. There appears to be a touch of P.G. (it's longevity in the bag gives it away), but it can't be much, even though any - IMO - is generally too much. It doesn't leave the pipe a hopeless sump. It packs easily, though it is moist so a gentle touch is essential, it burns easily after a charring light.

The thick white smoke is cool and fragrant. The topping works really well with the nutty burley flavor, which isn't at all lost in the chocolatevanilla. There is no bitterness, or weediness had from cheap, poorly cured burley, but a faint bit of the usual ashiness towards the bottom. For the most part, the flavor holds throughout the bowl. I find it most enjoyable in a pipe with a short throw and a short, wide bowl, (I have loosely dedicated a delightfully stunted little GBD "New Century" 1353 for the purpose), so you get the full effect of the smoke. I have not found the blend to "poison the well" so other tobacco can be smoked in the pipe without ill effect.

If you like the burleys and aren't afraid of intensely sweet flavor, this is a top notch smoke - a highly recommended guilty pleasure.

Update: The last batch I got (Oct. '04) had a sour piquancy to the casing that is very offputting. Have not tried again since.

I smoke and enjoy many virginias some of which are very strong.And I don't have a problem with a scorched tongue. Maybe,it had something to with the flavouring?

Boy-o-boy,the next day my tongue felt like it had been placed on the BBQ Griller!

Apart from the down-side of my experience. The taste was rather pleasant. Lights easily enough and leaves a light white-grey ash at the end of the bowl.

Give it a try and see how you,go.

Good-luck!