James Fox - The Banker's pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 32 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
tabaco	04/05/2013	Mild	None detected	Mild	Tolerable
As per other reviews it's nice to see the Europeans and Scandinavians keep the "names" of these days of yore brands alive; however, these incarnations are not even a match-stick close to the former British blends. This stuff is bland, monochromatic and frankly an utter bore. A fantastic cigar blend is Compton's Cuban Style, although it does not contain Latakia it's still wonderfully rich and more importantly interesting. And yes one can clearly see the cigar leaf.
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funkychorlton	03/16/2013	Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant
I feel the other reviews don't quite give full expression to just how absolutely mediocre and tasteless the currently available (German) version of this tobacco is. It smells amazing in the tin, like rich chocolate cake, and I was excited when I opened it thinking I was in for something fantastic. But repeated smokes give absolutely nothing at all - forget Cuban cigar tobacco, there seems to be literally none here. Even crumbling 2% of decent cuban cigar into an English blend will give a far stronger sense of identity than can be found here: try it. This said, the Burley and Virginia that are here are smooth and bland enough to make this blend quite good for mixing, for example toning down a latakia heavy mixture like Huber's English Balkan when you are not quite in the mood for the full assault, because they impart a certain mellowness without adding any of their own identity. So although I have found a purpose for it I can't help thinking this is a void of a tobacco which - though I never tried the original - must surely be shadow of what it once was? So I give 1 star, not because it is horrible, it doesn't have the balls to be horrible, but because I think it is an absolute failure of a blend of which the blenders really should be thoroughly ashamed.
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Kilmarnock Piper	06/18/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I'm not sure I can distinguish the Havana in this medium-English mixture. I do have some McConnell's Havana in my collection, and have found that when I add it to blends, it simply blends in rather than creating a strong cigar taste. I am no expert in cigars, as I do not smoke them. That said, I myself rate this as a good middle-of-the-road English blend. This style is not my favorite: I like my Latakia either strong or just a touch, and the average English is something I can smoke and enjoy, but not buy a lot of. I have to rate this as recommended, though, as it is quality tobacco well-blended. My tin is definitely the new version.
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TheWhiteAfrican	11/27/2010	Medium	None detected	Full	Pleasant
I am a sucker for tobaccos. I simply love all the different kinds. Browsing through my local tobacconist, I saw that this was on sale. Huzzah! I bought two 50g tins, for only a little over $16 together. Took them home, opened one, and smoked over a Jane Austin and my robe. Great stuff, great stuff. Smokes well, tastes like old-timey tobacco, and has a room note that smells like the cigars the old horse-handlers used to smoke back in Zimbabwe. I really enjoyed this English blend, and it has actually become my normal higher-end variety, me smoking a pipe or two full every few days. Once again, this one comes highly recommended.
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jazzmoke	11/05/2010	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I was afraid at first to try it in my favourite Latakia pipe, as I was afraid it will catch the Havana leaf smell, so I smoked it first from my test pipe and liked it (now I smoke it from my latakia pipe with greater pleasure and no "fear"). It is a very interesting blend and I will keep it in weekly rotation definetlly.
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Grundie	07/26/2010	Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant
I found this a very middle of the road blend. Definitely an English blend, not as obviously so as 965 or perhaps Provost. The cigar leaf isn't all that noticeable and overall it's just a little bit bland. An easy smoke with a light flavour.
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Alguhan	10/17/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Strong
This blend surprized me with its elegant and smooth smoke. Besides the Latakia touch it has also a fine cigar taste. Packs and lights well. It doesn't change its taste, gets a bit stronger after the first half of the bowl. It has a rich and ferm smoke with nice cigar flavor enriched with a hint of Latakia, offering a delightful English Mixture smoking experience. It can't beat my favorite Virginia, Perique, Burley and Oriental blends but for sure it is a good English blend and would satisfy the fans of these blends.
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jankoez	08/15/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
My "version" of the tin is different from those pictured above - it is plain white label with black inscriptions and green Fox... and it is from Germany (blended by certain R. L. Will from Buende). However, the blend itself is quite pleasant. Cigar leaf note is not dominant, so one may smoke it without fear that others will fall down because of heavy smoke. It burns easy and during smoking it does not change taste. Recommended even for Summer (evenings). My rate: 4.0.
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Pipepundit	10/03/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
Apart from The Bankers the only other mixture containing cigar leaf that I have smoked was the Balkan Sobranie Virginia No 10, and that only occasionally. I have from time to time mixed the wrapper from the snipped-off end of a Cohiba to enliven an insipid tobacco, but I do not, as a rule, turn to cigar leaf in pipe tobaccos. On opening the tin The Bankers exudes an aroma reminiscent of Durbar or Royalty, but in a much more muted way. The cigar leaf makes its presence felt in the mildest, subtlest, weakest form.It certainly adds something to the mixture, and I suppose it is an introduction to this type of tobacco. The usual virtues of Fox - impeccable cut, perfect moisture etc - obtain. My tin had some indeterminate age on it. It said made in the EEC: so it was probably made in Ireland.
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Mike Castello	07/27/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
This is the third blend I've tried from Fox. All three are excellent. Bankers is described as a medium blend and I will agree with this statement from the tin's label. The tobacco has a wonderfull aroma in the tin. Very English reminding me of a Dunhill blend,but Havana leaf added for a cigar like flavor. The cut is a very nice ribbon without stems or odd cuts like I recently encountered with a tin of Pease's Westminster. Moisture was more than I like, but not wet like most first opened tins. Lighting was very easy and only one relight was needed after the charring light. The draw from my Castello medium size billiard was effortless. The tobacco smoked down to the bottom of the bowl leaving just a small amount of light colored ash. The flavor throughout the smoking was very nice..rich, balanced, sweetness just right..in all more than I expected. The cigar leaf is at the top of the flavor, latakia follows with the orientals and Virginias serving as the base. I would say the blend reminds me of Pease's Robusto, another fine cigar leaf English blend. This is by any standard a top notch blend worthy of a try by all those who enjoy tobaccos of this type.
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petersonsmoker	05/17/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The Cuban cigar leaf is not as noticeable in this blend as in, say, G.L. Pease's Robusto - which makes sense because Pease uses Maduro cigar leaf and Fox uses what seems to be something similar to what makes a Romeo & Julieta no 2. The cigar leaf stays in the background except every once in a while you get the great taste of Cuban cigar (I am fortunate in that I live outside the embargo where Cuban cigars are widely available). The blend is a medium English similar to a medium Dunhill blend and is of high quality - which you would excpect for the price. The cigar leafs mostly adds what I will call "mouth feel" to the blend. It seems fuller and richer than a regular English, albeit not sweeter. From the tin the tobacco is a bit moist. The nicotine content seems only medium to me (not requiring I eat a full meal before I smoke). Having said that, I smoke mostly strong tobaccos like Dark Birdseye and ropes. A great after dinner blend. Wonderful room note - only gave it a "pleasant to tolerable" because the wife says tolerable where I say pleasant. I have dedicated a Peterson Antique for this blend. Cheers, Tim
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	03/28/2008	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
A bad version of "123" mixture. Take a pass.
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Beer	03/23/2008	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
When I first tried some of this tobacco 2 years ago, it was still Irish-made: sweet, round, full bodied but not overly strong or aggressive. It had a delicious balance between the Virginias, the Latakia and a marvelous cigariness (withouth the harsh or heavy overtones of bad cigars). It was simply unique. Then some months ago I had a tin of the "new version", which is German-made by Kolhase & Kopp (makers of the Rattray line)... It definitely had changed, in worse... The cigar aroma was less rich and delicious, and the whole blend seemed lighter in taste, more undistinguished. It was still fresh, absolutely not bitey, and quite enjoyable... but the magic had gone! It still is probably the most balanced of all the Cuban leaf blends (GLPease Robust is equally good, but as the name says it can be robust and spicy), athough I also feel that the nicotine content has increased: not untolerable, but I have to smoke it in a bowl which is no more than medium sized or the room starts spinning... UPDATE: I have just opened a tin of the K&K version which I had let age for 5 years since buying it... not bad at all! It has become smoother, rounder and tastier than my previous experience with a fresh tin. The Cuban leaf has gone to the background even further, leaving a very rich, sweet and thick Latakia-heavy flavour. I am definitely enjoying this! Not as great as the first version I had tried, but certainly recommendable.
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Contemplative	11/06/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The cigar aroma is noticeable from the outset, though not as strongly as with an actual cigar. At first I thought that this mixture doesn't really work, because, as noted by others, cigar leaf is better experienced in a cigar, but its depth and richness does grow on you. The mix doesn't seem to be burning quickly, but it finishes sooner than expected, and leaves a fine ash. I'm glad to have tried this one, but it's a one-off experience for me, and I will be even more glad to return to what I now regard as my 'staple' mixture, from the same stable, the marvellous Provost.
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Wolfpaw	05/28/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
Thirty-some years ago, I used to enjoy an occasional pipeful of Balkan Sobranie's Virginian No. 10. I set out to find a similar type tobacco that's currently available-- not necessarily a duplicate of the Sobranie offering of yore, but something that had the same components and character-- primarily Virginias flavored with some good cigar leaf. This was recommended to me, and, although it isn't exactly what I anticipated, Fox's "The Bankers" is quite good. Old No. 10, as I remember it, packed a lot more of a punch and the cigar flavor was much more pronounced. The Bankers has the character of a decent medium English mixture. The emphasis is on the slightly sweet Virginias, with a little Latakia for seasoning. The cigar leaf is well in the background, not at all assertive-- along with the Latakia, it's more of a seasoning. Nicotine level is in the middle range. Tin aroma is light English with a hint of cigar; the room note is much the same-- almost as if someone smoking a cigar walked quickly through a room where a pipeful of an English mixture was being smoked. If you're looking for a nicotine powerhouse, or a big blast of cigar flavor, this isn't it-- but it's nevertheless an enjoyable smoke, just different enough to be a change of pace from "regular" English mixtures.
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Ben Rich	01/22/2007	Medium	None detected	Mild	Very Strong
I allowed my tin of The Bankers to age nine months before I opened it for the first time. It is a very pleasant tobacco to look at and sniff while in the tin. I wonder what the original J. J. Fox blend was like, as I was not overly thrilled with the Kohlhass & Kopp version once I packed my pipe(s) and lit up. Don't get me wrong, The Bankers is a decent smoke, but I believe there are better blends for the price. I picked up very subtle, very occasional hints of Cuban leaf, but for the most part the smoke was a one-dimensional very very mild English. It smokes smoothly, doesn't bite and was quite mild from first light to the light fluffly ash left in the bottom of my pipe. My wife does not/did not care for the room note and remarked that it was quite acrid. (This is really the only tobacco which she has criticized; she generally enjoys the room notes of most of which I smoke.) I have tried The Bankers in a number of different sized pipes (from Petersons 317 to an Ardor Ninfea of about group 5 to a big big Cavicchi). It behaved about the same in all pipes. My other complaint was that while I am a pretty slow puffer, The Bankers sure seemed to burn quickly... I've noticed others have had the exact opposite experience and wonder again whether the original blend by Fox burned slower. I enjoyed my tin, but not enough to buy another as it is rather expensive.
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Mr. Dottle	12/08/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I agree with others that this is a very subdued English blend in all respects: it is a most gentle, exceedingly smooth, sweet and mild English yet largely one-dimensional. Regardless, I found it different than many other English blends I have smoked that are all too similar. I will call The Bankers a ?unique? English blend. The Havana leaf in this blend must be in the most, minute proportion as there are several other 'cigar' blends that present more cigar notes than The Bankers. Although hard to detect, I have no doubt that the presence of the Havana leaf is what makes this English blend unique. I also swear that this blend actually ?soothes? the tongue making it an ideal end of the day smoke that will cure ?tongue weariness.' ?CHECK' it out! BANK a few tins of this in your tobacco VAULT! A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored. I rate this blend 8.8 out of 10.
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wyrmis	06/03/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Considering this "cigar blend" is the most expensive blend in my current "pantry", I have to come down harsh on it just a little. It is a standard English at its core with just a hint of something more underneath. It lights well, burns moderately well once dried, and gives an ok room note. It has a pleasant complexity to it, nothing too suprising after the first few puffs. It smokes slow enough for a long and enjoyable session, only bites the tongue a little, and relaxes more than kicks. The problem I have with it is the fact that the Havana blend-in is too subtle. Occasionally I would pick up a hint of it on the tongue throughout the longest portion of the smoke, but generally the flavor was dominated by what I would assume to be Perique but is possibly the Havana interacting with the Latakia. I could sort of pick it up in the room. Once, in the middle of the bowl, it intensified for a few puffs before dropping back down, and that was the best part of the experience. Without a stronger presence, it is not worth the (slightly) steeper price tag. It will cost you a good three to five dollars more than the tin sitting next to it, and will not distinguish itself enough to justify it.
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Irish Newbie	03/29/2006	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
Not sure about this one yet - pleasant but bit bland with a hint of bite - sounds contradictory I know. It could be that I haven't quite got it yet. Also am smoking in a pipe that is not yet fully broken in yet (in the same pipe Provost is superb). However, I don't get the feeling it is a cigar substitute. A nice if bland smoke - nothing special - unless it is dramatically different in one of my other pipes not one to repeat. Smokes cool with a slightly nutty flavour- burns to a fine ash. Would rate it 2.5 stars - nothing wrong with it but not enough to make me come back for more. Will update soon. Well I think I get this tobacco now - rich and creamy with a slightly nutty or woody flavour - there is more to it than that but I can't quite describe what. There is the mildest of mild hints of a cigar but not a full blown havana. I smoked it in a properly broken in pipe and it was a different beast altogether from my intital reaction - nice and cool. So why not four stars, well I think it does not quite have the depth of the Dorisco and Provost and it is a bit high in nicotine for me although it tastes quite mild it packs a punch. Enjoyable - will definitely revisit it on occasion but not every day - more of an evening smoke with a bottle of beer.
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NEWMAN	08/31/2005	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
Although I normally smoke VA flakes, this was an enjoyable change for me. The tin aroma is strong and gives more than a hint of Latakia. This fades somewhat after the tin is opened and the tobacco dries some. I also obtained more consistent packing and therefore smoking after drying but this may be more a matter of personal taste. The nicely prepared wide ribbons range from light brown to deep black. Smaller amounts of greenish/grey Havana cigar leaf are also present but don't overpower the taste or room aroma. If you're seeking more of a cigar influence, go with Mogano. There is no question that you are smoking high quality pipe tobacco. Overall, the taste is rich but creamy, cool and smooth and the various components complement each other very well and were masterfully blended. Although the taste and nicotine content are greater than my choice for an all day smoke and I miss the natural sweetness of my favorite VAs, after a meal, this blend is fantastic. However, the room aroma is strong and was disliked by non-smoking family and friends. But they don't like cigar smoke either.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 32 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >