Update: Weeks later, tasted many similar offerings, Perfection, Dunhill's EMP, and finishing off my Tin of Ashton's Old Dog. 5110 is still my hands down favorite. I have come to appreciate Old Dog much more, but I still prefer 5110.

Update note: Upon the release of Frog Morton on the Bayou (which I liked even better than the original FM), I added 7% Perique to 5110. Delicious! I recommend this to everyone.

The Latakia easily predominates but the Va. does have part to play. The flavor is that of freshly cured leather with generous amount of smoke that is reminiscant of a wood fire. This taste remains consistent throughout the entire bowl. It is a very cool smoke that cannot be prodded into biting.

Burns to a fine ash leaving the bowl dry and clean. Overall, a very cool and earthy experience that is amiable and trouble-free.

Initial light past the top 1/3rd, the latakia was definitly dominate. From this point I noticed a sweetness. I assumed there was a sprinkling of VA present. Around midpoint I also caught a hint of roasted chocolate; faint and nice. By near bottom, the sweetness was long gone and the above roasted hint had subsided.

I have never smoked Frog Morton to compare 5110 to it.

I smoke mostly VAs but could smoke 5110 for the change of pace.

As for the tobacco, it is very good. A nice, light English with an Aromatic background. The sweetness is difficult to describe. I guess it would be 'softly' sweet. That is to say, sweet like a sugar cookie, not like fudge!? (Still with me?)

The tobacco is wet, a little drying time might be in order. It is mostly dark, and does look like a cavendish, at first blush. But open the bag, and there's no mistaking this is English. The latakia is not overwhelming, but is definitely present. Even being moist, it takes and holds a light well.

The first third of the bowl are definitely a good combo of woodsy and sweet. By the middle, there is more of the virginia sweetness. By the end, the smoke had changed very little. Still very enjoyable.

I've only smoked a pipe for a year (although I've been a cigar smoker for 15). Maybe I won't enjoy this a few years from now, it is fairly one-dimensional. That's not offered as a criticism. As long as that one dimension is tasty, why sweat it? Just sit back and enjoy it for what it is. I did!

Smoking this moist and as arrived, it was very sweet in a non-tobacco way. I don?t know how else to describe this other than to say that the sweetness seems to be separate from the body of the smoke itself. It smoked wet, hot and uncomfortable in the mouth. Despite a high latakia content from the description, there is little body to the smoke and was the proverbial ?hot wet air? smoke.

After leaving it to dry, a very nice smoky aroma emerged that was quite pleasant in a hickory barbeque sort of way. This lights much easier when drier, but continues to be overly hot for my palate and/or technique. The flavor itself was much more complex than when smoked wet. There were moments of flavor that poked through the wall of discomfort reminded me of Frog Morton, which I have not smoked in about a year. I was unable to complete the bowl.

I cannot get past the heat, bite and lack of body to enjoy this particular blend and condemn it to a mason jar for a sentence of not less than one year to hopefully mend its ways. In fairness, I should point out that I have a somewhat tender mouth. While I feel that I have not done justice to this tobacco in providing a review on just limited input, I am unable to bring myself to further torture my tongue to obtain further insights into this particular blend.

October 2002

Tin Aroma: Latakia. It is almost impossible to smell anything but Latakia in the tin.

Physical Charteristics: a very loose blend. the uniformity of the cut seems to work against itself, at least in the cohesion department. Easy to pack using the 'trickle' method, but care must be taken to mix it well before packing, or the lighter colored ribbons will be much underrepresented in the smoke.

First Light: A musty flavor reminiscent of camp fires signals the amount of Latakia here. The charring light is easy, and the top layer burns nicely. The second light is just as easy, and 5110 catches easily with only the smallest puffs to urge it on.

Notes: I really only like smoking this blend in two settings; sitting by the fire during winter, with a good book, and something strong to drink, or during the fall, outside in the woods. Yes, I like smoking Latakia outside, big suprise. The woodsy taste and aroma just seem to beg for it. This is particularly good in a BIG pipe, like those Nording freehands that can be had cheap. Very easy to puff too hard and really heat this one up. A vaguely sour taste under the Latakia. not bad, just an interesting pungency. Burns evenly, requires miniml tamping.I cannot recommend this for all-day smoking, as it begins to wreck the palate completely after three or so bowls, but it does make a nice evening smoke, or a 'treat' tobacco.