James Fox - The Banker's pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 32 of 32 reviews of this tobacco
Professor	08/31/2005	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The Robert Lewis offering '123 Mixture' is nearly identical to this offering--James Fox's 'The Bankers'. Both are cigar leaf products blended by Kohlhase & Kopp of Germany. 'The Bankers' is distinctly lighter in colour than '123', but beyond that I cannot see or taste much of a difference even if I like 'The Bankers' a bit more (I imagine that it was aged longer in the tin). With that said, I must point you to my review of '123 Mixture' as it is, for all good reasons, the same blend as 'The Bankers'.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Spike	08/31/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I must assume I bought the made in Germany version as it was not like I thought it would be. I like a good cigar. No where in this blend was there the suggestion of a good cigar. An O.K. medium English blend. Two and one-half stars.
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sasha	08/31/2005	Mild to Medium	None detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant
Exactly the same as my review of Robert Lewis 123 Mixture, this isn't the legendary tobacco it used to be when made by JJ Fox. The guys at Kohlase&Kopp do a good job in keeping alive some historical brands, but fail in recreating the real taste of the blends. If your goal is a fine English mixture with Havana leaf added go for Schurch Mogano instead.
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JulioJustice	08/04/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Ireally enjoy this blend. I liek the occasional cigar so I picked htis up to see if I could get some cigar influance. Good choice. It did get a little flat near the end.IMO
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Ducksbreath	08/02/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
This is a wonderful blend which I've just recently discovered, devouring a tin in less than a week. It is a medium English mixture, with a decent but not large amount of Latakia and a very nice VA base to which real Havana tobacco is added. I don't know for sure but all my taste detectors tell me this is the genunine thing, not chopped up White Owls or shredded Garcia Vegas; there is the unmistakable taste of the world's finest (cigar) leaf, albeit probably floor sweepings. I've had a Cuban cigarette before and it had the same taste component as I find here, but in an artfully made pipe tobacco it tastes much better of course. It is not like smoking a Cohiba at all, not as heavy, though smoking in a larger diameter bowl will increase the body a bit and intensify the experience. Rather this is an incredibly smooth English mixture (one of the smoothest I've had) with an extra component of creaminess and strength from the cigar leaf. So this provides a good kick for those who look for such things. I haven't had the orginal so I have nothing to complain about. I don't detect any humectant, my tin dried out nicely (drying is needed otherwise it does taste bland. The proper amount of drying will change the strength from med to med-full imho). The cons: it's expensive and not available everywhere.
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peacepipe	03/23/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
This is a truly excellent blend. I echo all above, adding only that The Bankers is very fine from match to dottle, developing nicely but not getting too acrid or sour near the bottom of the bowl. It is smooth, full but not at all overwhelming. One curious detail is that I've had my current tin open for 3 months or so, and it shows absolutely no sign of drying out, leading me to wonder if there is some type of casing or humectant in there somewhere ... but no matter. And besides, I find it a bit annoying to rehydrate a tin, that's just a quirk of mine. Now granted, I do keep my tins (most of the time) sealed in relatively airtight sandwich baggies, but even with that treatment an opened tin will dry out over time. About a year ago, I embarked on a search for a pipe blend containing cigar leaf. After a few duds (Dunhill's "Cuba" should probably remain in Cuba, or in London at the very least), I found and settled upon Fox's 'The Bankers'--perfect for those moments that cry out for the subtle orchestration of a fine English blend combined with the bold edge of cigar leaf--or just about anytime a bold-yet-smooth smoke is desired.
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preppypipe	03/05/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This is one of those tobaccos that really grows on you.I've enjoyed every bowl of it more than I had the first.The cigar leaf sure is a nice change of pace away from the typical english I usually enjoy.It's full and rich without being over whelming to the senses.Recommended! Preppypipe
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Briarabbit	12/25/2003	Mild to Medium	None detected	Full	Very Pleasant
A classy pipe tobacco that really is part english,part good cigar. The aroma is nice and unique in that it does smell cigar-y but pipe-y too. The "Havana" leaf is really good along with the Latakia,and cavendish. It produces a really good silky smoke.
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Blackhorse	10/18/2003	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
Life is good. This tobacco is incredible! There are certain milestones one encounters along the pathway of any endeavour. In my smoking experiences I might rate my first bowl of a newly opened tin of Penzance, the first time I matched the right pipe and the proper technique to understand a Virginia like Marlin Flake, the first half of nearly any bowl of Bob's Chocolate Flake, realizing that Dunhill's were cheap as well as astonishingly fine (well, MOST of 'em), knowing enough that when I once discovered six tins of 2000 Samarra at a small tobacco shop...I snatched 'em all! Well, the list would go on - and it would include this superb blend - The Bankers. Yes, it's deep...yes, it's wide...yes, it's delightful. The flavor, the aroma, the light, the main bowl, the denoument...etc. are best left to others of greater descriptive subtlety. I will simply supply you with a directive of hopefully sufficient strength to motivate you to act: If you know your bowl from a hole in the ground (ahem!) then you will immediately obtain and smoke this tobacco. You will then revaluate your past five years (or so) as wasted time and effort...lamenting that you can not relive them with this in your bowl at least once a day...but you will be bouyed up by the expectation that you have at least the next five years to make up for it (of course, I wish you far longer). You will then buy more...much more. Men will fear you...women will want you. You will find large pipes too small...and buy new pipes to dedicate...name children for it...grandchildren...well, you get the drift.
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Noorrmm	07/30/2003	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Mfg: James Fox Blend: Bankers Preface: I didn't know what to expect when I opened the can. I Anticipated a blend similar to Sobranie #10, or GLP Robusto, but was pleasantly surprised. This one stands on it's own, and is a treasure. Appearance: Dark ribbon cut, with some lighter leaf evident. Perhaps a bit finer than average for an English, but not a shag cut. Aroma: Smells like an English blend with some maduro cigar leaf. Very nice indeed, you could enjoy this without a pipe. Packing: Packs easily into medium and large pipes. Would probably do well in a smaller pipe, but this blend seems to want a larger bowl. Lighting: Lights easily, just a tamp and a relight and it?s going. Initial flavor: Wow, there is some Latakia which is in perfect harmony with the cigar leaf, and together they form a dark, sweet, smokey melange which is captivating. Burns cool, but stays lit well. Mid-bowl: The Virginia peeks out regularly, but is usually a supporting player. There is an interplay of the three main components, which adds a nice compexity to the smoke. One of the best behaved blends I?ve smoked, rarely needs a relight. Finish: Finishes just a bit too soon. Not that it burns quickly, just that I wish the pipe werer bigger Summary: This is a nice medium to full blend, excellent after dinner. Would also be great in the afternoon with any beverage of your choice, if you can give it your full attention. Probably too full flavored for an eye opener. This also did not draw any hostile fire from the LSW, despite the cigar leaf.
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Tantric	11/21/2002	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is a fine tobacco. It is rich in taste, flavourful, yet smooth and elegant. Basically a straight matured Virginia with an added creaminess from the Havana cigar leaf (and probably with some unsweetened Black Cavendish), its overall structure is somewhat similar to the bygone Sobranie's Virginia Reserve. It smokes cool and easily, and once you let it air out overnight it should not be difficult to pack and light. Medium strength (though not advisable for beginners), this mixture can be enjoyed after a good, hearty meal (let's say after a juicy New York steak, washed down with a glass or two of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo) and should be a delight to both cigar and pipe smokers. In the tin the tobacco comes rather moist for my taste (something that is common to the Fox's blends I've tried). Thin ribbon cut, it presents attractive hues of browns together with small, jet black strands. It has a strong yet inviting aroma, as if an entire tobacco shop was condensed in the tin. Because of its richness I don't find this a constant or an all day smoke (unless you have a strong Freudian-G.Marxian-Castrean complex, and smoke cigars all the time!), but as an after lunch-dinner companion it is absolutely splendid. Great stuff.
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flakeman	03/21/2002	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The blender's notes say that this blend contains some Havana cigar leaf and my first thought was - why put cigar leaf in a pipe tobacco? If you want to taste cigars buy a King Edward. However in the search for the holy grail I decided to try this blend anyway, and I'm really glad I did. It might not be the holy grail, but this is a very tasty and satisfying blend indeed. On opening the tin the first aroma to tickle the old olfactory membranes is Latakia, but a wonderfully subdued and soft latakia that mingles with a winey fermented aroma reminiscent of Virginia/Perique. The latakia is not at all dominant, not at all in your face. The blend packs and lights easily, due I think to the fine ribbon cut. Again the initial taste is Latakia, and again it is a subdued and subtle Latakia. The smoke is rich and creamy, the taste medium, its the sort of tobacco that causes me to roll my tongue round my mouth to get more of it. The Havana mentioned at the start is barely noticeable. This is pipe tobacco of the finest sort. The havana is just about noticeable in the room note, but there is no doubt that a pipe is being smoked - not a cigar. If you want a good relaxing smoke try this one. Smooth, cool, no bite, just a rather sublime smoking experience. Recommended
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