Nat Sherman - 536 Empire English pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 22 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
jazzmoke	11/18/2010	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
The only thing I regret is that I will not be able to smoke after I finish my reserve. As one can only buy it from Nat Sherman NY, so that being said I am going to miss it. It is something to smoke daily, excellently balanced.
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Nurse_Maduro	03/07/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Great pre-light aroma that reminded me a bit of Dunhill's EMP. It lit with only one torch (which is rare for me; I usually require 2 good torches and 1 or 2 touch-ups to a new bowl) and burned cool and even. The flavor was slightly sweet with a bit of leather flitting around in the background. Nothing special, but a good solid smoke. And THEN...the second-third begins to burn and brings with it that familiar toastiness that I'd been longing for, and BANG! Damned if I'm not smoking EMP! This is a very close match, and I'll be trying to snatch up some more tins before they're gone (thanks to SteelCowboy for the heads up).
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SteelCowboy	02/05/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I would not have tried it as generally I don't want any black Cavendish in an English mixture. As fate would have it, I needed to pick up some tobacco while traveling along the highway. I stopped at a modern "tobacco shop" meaning a lottery and cigarette shop. As luck would have it, 536 was the only tin/brand in the entire shop! I would imagine that the tin was fairly old. It packed well and was at the perfect moisture level. Fate dealt me a nice surprise. This is not an aromatic, but it does smoke a little on the sweet side of English. Smooth, with a light leather, smokey taste. If you like Latakia as your lead player, skip this blend. With that said, its not like the Latakia doesn't show up, its just in a supporting role. It does have its fair share of nicotine. If you happen to be in the NYC area, pick some up at the Nat Sherman store, it's a great traditional tobacco shop worth a visit. UPDATE: One other important note, I was in the store in NYC this weekend and they have told me that they are doing away with the 2 oz. tins and are looking for a blender for bulk. This has caused some disruption at e-tailers. 2 oz. pouchs can be found at Nat's website. There were a few tins left, hopefully there won't be a disruption. Recommended.
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tabaco	02/07/2008	Very Strong	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I smoke Latakia-English tobaccos 99 percent of the time. This tobacco is very strong in the nicotine department. On the flavour side, it is a respectable morning or all-day English. The downside to being all-day is the nicotine content might be too much for many folks. A few bowls and you might be 'done' for quite sometime. It is very well balanced and the tobacco is of high quality, alas not enough in the flavour department. Mind you I do prefer a full-on Latakia assault like Esoterica's Penzance, Peases Odyssey, or Cornell & Diehl's Billy Budd. It might be suitable for aromatic pipers who wants to try a high quality English. Other than that I shall not buy it again, just not quite my cup of tea.
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Latakia	01/27/2008	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This is an excellent middle of the road English blend that is light on latakia but has a nice touch of orientals. Course cut and burns quite easily. Has a nice seet note given by excellent Virginanians in the blend with a mild smokiness but exceptionaly creamy. As some reviewers stated, the nicotine content is high but that does not take away from the fine blend that is integrated nicely. It reminds me of a stronger Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill. From what I can tell, has a nice room note and as the latakia is in the background, makes it a nice indoor smoke when around people that might not like the full frontal assult of a full latakia like Odessey.
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Taste Buds	10/16/2007	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This is a very good English blend. It has a lovely sweetness and burns very cool. The latakia is in the background and the orientals are up front. This reminds me of the great blends of the sixties, which I used to purchase from Wilke, Lane, Wally Frank and the like in Manhattan during my college years. It is a little too strong for regular use, but I will enjoy this tin and the memories it brings.
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PfeifenRaucher	09/22/2007	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This review is of the tinned variety of this tobacco, which despite what some have written, is still available in brick and mortar stores - at least in NYC. The bulk variety can be bought online through the Nat Sherman website. General impression: This is a mild English blend that has just the slightest hint of latakia in it. The tin smell is very pleasant and unusual in the sense that it smells both very sweet AND slightly smoky. The taste is not overwhelming nor bland and is best described as nutty and earthy. The latakia is not at all predominant and folds into the overall flavors well. Any sweetness is due to natural tobacco flavors, not casing, I think. It did not produce gurgle or bite for me, even when I tried to puff it fast, and burns nicely without too much relighting. Unlike a lot of English blends, this one is mild enough to allow you taste food afterwards and the room note gets compliments from non-smokers (I can't say this of all English-style blends). Who should buy this stuff: You are looking for a mild, English-style blend that won't offend those around you and won't stay on your tastebuds all day. If you tend to puff fast or smoke outside this might be a good choice. I also think this would be a very good blend to introduce aromatic smokers (or even beginning pipe smokers) to the taste of English blends since it does not seem to have too much latakia in it. This would NOT be a good choice if your are looking for something heavy and ultra-smoky (e.g, Dunhill Nightcap). Final notes: A good non-aromatic blend. It flavors won't have your waxing on and on with poetic lyrics, but it is very pleasant to smoke. Beverage recommendation: I would pair this with a gin or vodka martini.
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Casper	02/04/2007	Mild	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
I agree with CAMUS whole heartedly. I visited the store last May and regrettably only purchased one tin as a trial; not realising it would be my only opportunity to purchase it, (importing to Canada has become a fascist nightmare!). Moments ago I reviewed some syrian tobaccos and believe the sweetness in this is partly from this form of latakia. New to NY I happened by the store on Fifth Ave. by chance while exploring after a trade show. A real treat! If I'm ever in NYC again I'll be back for sure.
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Camus	11/21/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
A good friend brought me a eight ounces from the New York store (I'm in New Zealand) and I decanted most of it into a jar to age for a bit. I liked this smoke right from the start and found it (as has been mentioned before) to be a sweeter English mixture. As I also like sweet VA's this tobacco really suited me. Recently I dipped into the jar (after about four months aging) and it's just getting better and better. The virginias are even sweeter and the smoke has more body (however I do think it could do with a bit more Oriental leaf to round it out and make it a bit fuller). I know many will consider a tobacco like Squadron Leader to be a "truer" English but I recommend you to try 536, you may be pleasantly surprised. If in New York a visit to the Nat Sherman store is a must - a wonderful "old style" tobacconist.
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SparkleMotion	09/16/2006	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This tobacco is very sweet for an english blend. Outstanding quality, and smokes so smooth I can inhale with no problem. But to be called a "classic english" I think it needs a little more latakia and less sweet. Why do they bother to write "non-aromatic" when its supposed to be a classic english anyway? Like you can have an aromatic english? Well now that I think of it, thats almost how I would describe this. In any case, whatever you call it and whatever it's composed of, the quality is outstanding.
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Ducksbreath	03/31/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Flavor wise, this does remind me of a more refined Stokkebye bulk English, like English Luxury, but with a better and stronger grade of VA perhaps. And yes, there is a Dunhill like kick and Dunhill like intensity too which I like, similar to Standard Mixture Medium with no particular flavor element standing out. It's not very smokey or zingy but creamy, smooth and well integrated. No longer available in the tin, only by bulk, with no apparant discount for a lb purchase. I'll give it four stars but I really think it needs a touch of Perique to make it there.
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Pipestud	03/10/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Hot dog! An English blend with a nicotine punch worthy of my pipes. This masterfully made blend has Latakia and Turkish leaf that will burn easily, cleanly and cool. I tasted quite a spicy undertone at first light, but the blend settled down into a deep, rich smoke almost immediately. I think this has become my favorite English blend.
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The Unknown Piper	01/16/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant

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maynard	12/27/2005	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
A good smoke, down to my last two tins, Ill buy it agan if I can find it. think Ill save my unopened tins for a while. smoked in a cob last year on a fishing trip, And liked it.
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Cactus John	12/15/2005	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I don't see why this one is liked so much by the other reviewers on here. It didn't impress me at all. Its not bad but its not good either. It is a flavorful tobacco but seemed like something that could have came in a box from the drug store to me. Nothing special.
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Professor	12/03/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Nat Sherman's No. 536 is worthy indeed. The flavour is delicate yet it packs a whopping nicotine punch. The tin states that 536 is 'Full Bodied with Natural Bouquet' and that description certainly is fitting. In fact the nicotine level may be a bit much for me, but how I enjoy the velvety flavour and the splendid room note. No. 536 is what I have always imagined a top Dunhill blend should be. This being my 50th review here at TobaccoReviews.com, I am overjoyed to give a glowing report for this gold-tinned beauty. This is a classic that should be more widely available and recognised.
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Surgeon General	12/02/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
As other reviewers noted, this isn't available in tinned form except at Nat's NY store. It is available in bulk through their web site, but then you miss out on the beautiful tin. This tatstes and smokes fantastic. The latakia is in the background, and the orientals are superb. It's medium-moist direct from the tin, but burns dry and with lots of smoke. Usually only one relight, even for the large pipes that I usually smoke. Along with McClellands Oriental #8 and Peretti's English 110, one of the best of the genre.
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sasha	07/01/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Honestly, I bought this tobacco the first time because of the tin! It's so nice, one of the best around. The tobacco is one of the best around too. It's a perfectly balanced English mixture, the components are all of extreme quality and are blended to give a smoothness seldom seen nowadays. It reminds me a little of Butera Pelican, but the Virginias here add that sweetness missed in the Butera one.
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Spike	05/04/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This blend is very pleasant. Why do these companies quit selling a product right after I purchase them for the first time? Example: Edgeworth Slices, A&C Petersens' 421 Blend, Erinmore Flake. Well maybe Erinmore Flake was not a huge loss... This blend is a little like Skiff Mixture(Samuel Gawith)or Squadron Leader with less Latakia. The Turkish comes to the fore in this tobac and I enjoyed the quality of the ingredients as well. But these Nat Sherman tins are really tough to open. If you get too ham-fisted you'll bend it all up. I finally stuck a knife up under the lip and released enough vacuum to get it open. Well recommended.
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	04/28/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Warning! This really is a great tobacco! I shall try to give a perfectly objective review as I would not want it tainted by any"Provincial Smugness"that might come into play. I have always enjoyed Nat Sherman Products since I started smoking them in the 80's.The pipe tobaccos are some of their finest offerings.Blend #536 offers a true Turkish taste.It is very smoky,buttery, and rich. The Latakia plays off this and gives a slightly sweet edge to the blend.The feel of the smoke is rather creamy with a sweet&sour flavor in the background.It is a much more refined version of a Stokebeye English blend.The burn is cool,yet it packs a punch.The only drawback is it burns rather quickly due to the cut.It is very satisfying during the day or after a nice and spicy meal. Unfortunately,this is out of production in the tinned form.My experience has been that it can only be procured on the east coast.If you find a tin buy it!3.5 of 4 stars!
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 22 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >