Terry Freeman: (snip) beautifully warm, nutty and leathery smell that reminds me of saddle leather and early spring air redolent of wood fires and freshly-turned earth.(snip) first touch of flame gives me a naturally sweet mouthful of rich, medium density smoke?smooth, slightly nutty ?barest trace of Latakia smokiness?.The most noticeable?the Virginia base and generous ? Turkish. ? VERY smooth but of light to medium strength? The ?first third ? sweet and nutty. On the tongue it reminds me of lightly smoked roasted cashews, while the smoke ? pure roasting chestnuts! ?reminds me somewhat of Dunhill's EMP. As the bowl burns ?, sweetness ..subsiding into a soft richness as the Virginias take on their usual later-in-the-bowl density and weight.

The Story: Down past the halfway point, the sweetness has subsided a bit and there is a distinct pepperiness and an astringency?. Not a trace of bite. ?great light smoke, perfect for a sunny morning like this?.changes flavors in a very subtle way with no obnoxious interludes. Denouement: Beautiful finish, ? sweetness peeking ?out between the full flavors of the Virginia and Turkish tobaccos. The Latakia is still in the background, used as a spice rather than a main course. ? rich biteless flavor and a pleasantly accessible simplicity. A quiet thoughtful experience which requires little attention to keep things burning easily and coolly.

Pros: ? no bite, lights and burns well, flavor relatively stable. It's rich but mild, low in nicotine and easy to smoke for extended periods?.Good all-day smoke for lovers of oriental tobaccos [who don?t like Latakia overwhelmed Englishes] yet enjoy the subtle interplay between a solid Virginia base and well-used condiment tobaccos. Cons: None that I could find?.This one's a winner.

Dave Haig: (snip) smoky, strong latakia odor was hard to overcome?. small sniff of Virginia and ? perique?amount must be minute. .This tobacco is solid from start to finish...definitely for the latakia fan! Likes: I am not a latakia fan, but ? This blend however wasn't unpleasant at all and I will happily add it to my cellaring blends?Dislikes: Some of you may be turned off by the latakian blends, (snip) but I think there is enough viriginia to appeal to a wide range of smokers.

Greg Hampton: (snip) first quarter of the bowl, ? quite unremarkable,...actually smoked nicely without tongue bite?latakia was the dominant flavor, though not heavy, with an underlying (Virginia) sweetness?half bowl ? picked up ? smokiness and sweetness, ?became more balanced. Now, I was interested. The flavors ? smoked meats and something darker, like cocoa or espresso, and the sweetness, like dried fruit. The texture ? smooth and fairly creamy. ?very end ? became a little dark and harsh. ?smoked fairly cool and dry throughout... 2nd smoke: ?tasted a bit fuller?not as much harshness at the end. Overall impression: 7 out of 10. ?good volume of smoke, room aroma ok ?didn't leave a bad aftertaste. ? pretty decent smoke. ?Not everyday smoke, but I will definitely smoke this again.

Lars Eriksson: (snip) Initially ?very, very mild ?burns tongue somewhat.. A bit boring, Unpersonal?Pipe ? very hot. I might have been latakia "poisoned" when I smoked this?didn't find any taste at all?nothing I would buy.

Don Givens: (snip) the champion of slow-smoking delight. The subtle interplay of Oriental versus Latakia with the occasional ?Virginia? very distinct flavor, ?develops throughout the bowl. ? undoubtedly light but the monumental complexities as the bowl wears on nearly overwhelm the palate. ?hot if puff [at more than smoulder]?though flavor wouldn?t allow?slight acidic taste [at the end if sample too moist but] overall quality more than makes up for the end. Overall Rating 9 of 10

I find this blend to be a nice, comforting, English blend with no surprises. I like the fact that it is not a latakia "loaded" blend. The balence is great. This is an English that I could smoke all day long.

It burns to a grey/white ash with little dottle left at the end. It does seem to stay dryer if allowed to air out a bit before packing.

Nice, smooth, consistent smoke.

This blend is a dark-brown and black ribbon with a small amount of beige ribbon. On opening, the blend is a little damp, but quite smokable.

The early parts of the bowl produced a light, silky smoke tasting of Orientals, muted Latakia and a bit of Virginia sweetness and prickle. I noticed relatively little bite, although the flavor is thin enough that I sometimes puffed the blend into some heat.

By mid-pipe, the blend still seems "light," with an increase in the peppery note, and a sour-and-salty nuttiness that tastes pretty good.

The last third of the bowl always seems a bit dull to me.

The end of the smoke leaves just a small amount of light-grey ash. It often always leaves me feeling a bit unsated--this blend is light on nicotine, although it tastes good and smokes well.

The most interesting aspect of this smoke is the edge-play with the Orientals. They are a big part of the experience, but they never cross the line into true bitterness, and are always buttressed by the sweetness of the Virginias, or the smokiness of the Latakias, or both.

I note that this blend does better in bigger bowls and that it DGTs quite well.

In summary: a well-made, if occasionally boring light English, good for mornings, or for the all-day smoker looking for a moderate nicotine dose.

When I looked inside my tin a few days ago I realized I had been smoking this almost exclusively for over a week. I was even using this blend to re-season a small colection of estate pipes I had picked up recently. I plan to continue stocking my tobacco cellar with this blend and try some Bombay Extra in the near future.

Aroma: A well balanced aroma of sweet virginias, smokey Cyprian Latakia and spicy Orientals.

Packing: Packs easily into medium and larger pipes.

Lighting: Takes flame fairly well, neither too east nor too difficult to light.

Initial flavor: A nice balance, with the Va. Component most noticeable at first, the Orientals and Latakia coming out within a few seconds. All the ingredients play well together.

Mid-bowl: No significant changes, just a nice balance with a bit of layering. Not bland or monochromatic, but not very complex either.

Finish: Finished well, not much gain in harshness. The pipe was dry and clean with some gray ash left.

Summary: On it?s own, a very good effort. Compares favorably with Ashton Celebrated Sovereign, or Royal Vintage Latakia #2, but far short of GLP Renaissance.

Physical Charisteristics: Small ribbons, mostly black or brown, with a little golden showing here and there for good measure. Packs easily, due to the small pieces, but is a bit springier than is desired, for much the same reason, I imagine. This springiness is only a momentary annoyance, and not really problematic.

First Light: This blend did not want to be lit, and once lit, did not want to stay so. However, after a bit of wrestling, it decides that not only would it like to be lit, but it would like to be engulfed in flame. In the space of three puffs, it went from sputtering to raging inferno, and my tongue screamed in agony. However, I quickly got it under control and moved on to the full smoking enjoyment that Bombay Court can provide. I can tell immediately that this blend will require careful smoking in order to get everything possible out of it. I will not be idly puffing on this while working, I will sit down and give it my full attention. The rewards with Bombay Court are immense, if it is approached properly.

Notes: Dries out the mouth a little, but nothing a good cup of tea can't fix. Coffee seems to overpower this blend (at least the coffees I like), so I would stick to tea with this one. I love it with a little Irish Whisky, or a light Scottish Whisky. Stays lit with very little attention. I walked away from a bowl of this, and came back a good five minutes later and it was still lit. Fine white ash, almost powdery. The kind of ash it is awfully easy to suck through the stem, so I stir it up and dump it before tamping. Mellows out quite a bit in the second half of the bowl. I could easily smoke a lot of this, and in an age where the tobacco choices are so vast, that is saying something. Not as heavy as some 'english' blends, this is a pleasant year-round smoke, whereas some of the 'englishes' I enjoy must be relegated to the colder months, due to their 'weight'. This is most likely due to its relatively low Latakia content. The amount of Orientals in this blend is high, which makes a nice change from my normally Latakia heavy blends, but still within what I consider the 'english' type. I would caution against smoking this all day however, too many of the nuances of it are lost with repetition, and to lose its subtleties would be a crime. This is good in a meerschaum, but does not really shine unless it is in a briar, and gets even better once it and the pipe have 'gotten to know each other'. If you are going to smoke this on a regular basis, it would be worth your while to dedicate a pipe to it. You will not be dissapointed.

Smoking it for the first time in years, I am still impressed with its easy smoking qualities. It contains more orientals than I'm generally fond of, but balances them well with its sweetness. The latakia isn't really so much in the flavor so much as the aroma.

The flavor is a sweet, salty nuttiness that reminds me somewhat of salted pecans, with a very slight smokiness. As you progress down the bowl, the orientals build up and the smoke becomes drier and more pungent, and the orientals start to build up on the back of my throat and I get a bit of dry-mouth. This never gets too bad, though, about the same as Pelican does, and much less so than Dunhill Std Mixture Medium.

Good stuff. Not quite as much latakia as I generally like, I'll have to try tin of Bombay Extra soon, that sounds like it's probably right in my sweet spot. (edit: nope, prefer regular BC).

Packing and Lighting: I'm going to put this in a Don Carlos 3-note partially rusticated bent pipe which is, by far, my best pipe for English tobaccos. It's got a rather large bowl and I filled it to the top, as I think this will be a fine, long smoke. It packed easily as I tried to get a good variety of the component tobaccos, a task made simpler by the variety of cuts with many ribbons to help hold things together. There was only one thick stem which had apparently gotten pressed into a flake, but those are fun to chew on so I don't mind.

The first touch of flame gives me a naturally sweet mouthful of rich, medium density smoke which is smooth, slightly nutty and contains the barest trace of Latakia smokiness. It lights easily and starts out cool, with promises of great things to come. The most noticeable elements are the Virginia base and a generous amount of Turkish. Above all, this stuff is VERY smooth but of light to medium strength thus far. All in all, it's going to be a great morning smoke. Exposition: The key notes for the first third of this bowl have been sweet and nutty. On the tongue it reminds me of lightly smoked roasted cashews, while the smoke wafting from the bowl when I send light puffs into the stem is pure roasting chestnuts! The Latakia is only present for me in the room aroma which reminds me somewhat of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe. As the bowl burns however, the sweetness is subsiding into a soft richness as the Virginias take on their usual later-in-the-bowl density and weight.

The Story: Down past the halfway point, the sweetness has subsided a bit and there is a distinct pepperiness on the tongue and an astringency when exhaled through the nose. Not a trace of bite yet but the spicy flavors are drying my mouth a bit; the strong Assam tea I'm drinking with it matches well though and enhances the light smokiness of the Latakia. This stuff is a great light smoke, perfect for a sunny morning like this. It's dry-smoking, stays lit extremely well with only light tamping and changes flavors in a very subtle way with no obnoxious interludes. I detect no air- or fire-cured tobaccos in here at all.

Denouement: Even the finish on this tobacco is beautiful, with the sweetness peeking back out between the full flavors of the Virginia and Turkish tobaccos. The Latakia is still in the background, having been used as a spice rather than a main course. There is also a rich, slightly sour note which calls to mind the end of a bowl of McClelland's #2015, but not as distinct. It's a wonderful way to end a great smoke - fluffy mottled ashes, rich biteless flavor and a pleasantly accessible simplicity. This isn't a complex smoke for me; rather, it's a quiet thoughtful experience which requires little attention to keep things burning easily and coolly.

Pros: This has no bite, lights and burns quite well (but not like tinder) and the flavor stays relatively stable throughout the entire bowl. It's rich but mild, low in nicotine and easy to smoke for extended periods. I can see this being a good all-day smoke for lovers of oriental tobaccos who are overwhelmed by the amount of Latakia in many Englishes yet enjoy the subtle interplay between a solid Virginia base and well-used condiment tobaccos.

Cons: None that I could find, unless one can't make room in one's day for something this mild and smooth.