Rattray - Hal O' the Wynd pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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salopst	05/08/2012	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
I bought 100g of this after hearing someone not exactly extolling this blend's virtues, but talking of it as a very good example of an excellent VA/perique. He was not wrong. It is quite sweet, I find, but in a natural uncloying way (the VA) and tangy/sour (the perique), and the combination is quite heavenly. Perhaps it is the old Barling straight billiard I am smoking it in, perhaps it is the way I pack pre-rubbed flakes-- I don't know-- but I cannot get this to burn evenly. Not that that concerns me as the flavors and balance I find quite, quite lovely. A lot of reviewers find the nicotine level to be high; I cannot quite find that, and think about right for me. There is zero burn from the Virginia leaf in this.
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(ln(-1)/i)pe	04/24/2012	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
This tobacco promotes itself through its strength. I suppose the strength refers to the nicotine not the volume of flavour. This isn't to say that HotW is bland. This tobacco has a gorgeous acid tartness that develops as you progress down the bowl, but it doesn't smack you in the mouth with flavour (in the way that 1792 does). The nicotine stands out in this one. Nicotine is a chemical and it shouldn't come in different varieties, but this does seem to be a perky nicotine. Go figure. The broken flakes are prepared just right, so you don't need to rub anything out for an instant yet slow burning smoke. Not just Highly Recommended, this is the dog's.
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Ted Bratton	04/15/2012	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
A fantastic Va flake. It is Less sweet and dried fruit-y and more earthy and burley-like than old gowrie/marlin flake. It is also fuller bodied and higher in nicotine.
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Darth Vader	04/10/2012	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant
Very good stuff that burns slowly. In the same league as Full Virginia Flake and Union Square. Superb value for money and easier to get than FVF. Others have said the rest. An all time great.
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IanTimothy	03/30/2012	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Never thought I would say it but Hal is a better tobacco than Full Virginia Flake..I know they are different, but Hal has the edge, more taste, sweeter, burns well after the second light and the flavour gets better as the smoke progresses, I just love it and the consistency is far better than my previous favourite FVF, In fact I am going to re-review FVF on this site, so Hal is a super tobacco and it is consistent tub after tub..I love it
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cgar	02/07/2012	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
HOTW has a beautiful balance and presentation in its 100g tin. It’s a subtle slow smoke that commands respect with its vitamin N, but has the perfect balance in flavor and burn quality. I couldn't be more surprised how well this leaf smokes and how well its flavor from the Virginia's and perique come together to provide one of the finest Vaper smokes I have experienced. It’s not too sweet or too spicy but a fine common middle to some of the other Vapers on the market. A highly recommend and a deserving lifetime rotation for me.
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elelion	12/12/2011	Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
A softer version of Ashton Black Parrot. Softer in every aspect: softer broken flake, softer in taste, and softer in flavor, too. Maybe I am not judging fairly between the two blends: ABP aged 1 year versus HOTW newly ordered. I believe HOTW will perform much better given some time. With ABP no longer available, HOTW will serve as perfect replacement. ---Updated on 25th Dec. 2011--- HOTW performs even better if you let it dry a little bit (an hour probably) after a pipeful packing. There is more sweetness throughout the entire bowl from bigging to end, and this characteristic overperforms ABP.
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vsvsvsvsvs	10/24/2011	Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
try the first puff today,real nice fruit tin aroma and perfect cut strong srength for me,va dominate the most,great taste,3 star cause none sweet sence at all
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OldComoyYoungGuy	09/24/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Very Pleasant
I smoke a lot of this in a grp 4 sized pipe dedicated to it. It is a slow, cool burning broken flake with lots of flavor but not too much. Unlike others, I find the strength only medium (keep in mind I am a big smoker of Dark Flake so strenght might be relative). Although it is billed as a pure VA blend, I swear I taste a little burley in here somewhere. It is easy to pack - no rubbing out required - and burns well and evenly. Consistency from tin to tin is excellent. A little spicy and a little bit malty. I like a previous review that stated this blend is like the country fair... It is a fun fresh hay type Va with enough complexity not to get boring. I also like this blend for breaking in a new pipe with as it is hard to get to burn hot and builds cake quicker than some other pure Va blends I smoke.
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Tee-dub	08/31/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Top-notch stuff. I'm a relative novice at Virginias and Va/Pers, but I find this tobacco very satisfying. Other reviewers are spot-on in their tasting notes. I taste a sort of malty, bready Virginia that is slightly sweet, with a richer, heavier texture than expected. My frame of reference is small, but this has a similar flavor profile to Escudo. Compared to Escudo, this is stronger, richer, and tastes better.
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Wood Chuck Gardner	08/23/2011	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable
This ain't no hay ride in the country. Hal is the equivalent of all the fun rides at the county fair. This concoction never fails to surprise and delight me. There is a whole melange of bright citrusy flavors here with a solid nicotine hit in the punch. Setting : Summertime sunset on the back porch with a glass of iced tea.
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Mesh	08/21/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
An excellent tobacco. Rich VA flavour in abundance.
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Hendu3270	07/22/2011	Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
I tried this one at the recommendation of a friend and it didn't quite live up to what I had hoped. I also got no sweetness or tartness from this blend. full body flavor though so that was a plus. it does have a decent nic hit to it so to me it's avery relaxing smoke. I also found it needed little tending to in terms of the burn. It lights up from the beginning and burns straight through. Won't be a "go to" tobacco for me but I will but I will see if my tin improves with a little age on it.
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fireball	07/19/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Lacks the usual tangy edge of other Vas, it has a rounded almost malted caramel like overtone but with absolutely no sweetness that I can sense. Quite strong, I like the fine shag cut and it is not fussy what pipe it wants to be smoked in. Overall, a good Virginia, but I guess I miss the slight sweet edge too much for a four star rating.
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ap	07/08/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
A sweet, full bodied straight Virginia smoke. No more need to be said, go get some :)
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DrDyson	06/16/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
A top class tobacco, as you would expect from Rattray. There’s a very satisfying, unusually full Virginia flavour, and the tobacco behaves itself well from first light to last puff. It’s a very consistent, reliable smoke, and stronger than you might expect an unadulterated VA to be. I like to take it slowly in a big bowl with a strong black coffee. It needs to be enjoyed at leisure, with “breath smoking,” otherwise you miss the nuances. Also, it gets hot if you rush it; but what doesn’t? Perhaps a little strong for the beginner, but a great choice for the experienced VA lover. It’ll age well, I think.
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GSTQ	06/11/2011	Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Appearance is a medium brown broken flake. Tin smells of hay and dried fruits, mostly fig. Tastes lightly sweet and grassy with bready notes. Nice sweet smoke with a lovely grassy flavour, developing aromas of a bakery. When I want Virginia this is what I reach for. With all Rattray's, like a fine wine, they benefit from airing.
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BingCrosby	04/15/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I didn't expect this one to dissapoint and it sure hasn't.. Hal o the wynd lives up to its reputation. It is similar to old gowrie, as people say, but it does have a touch of spice to it and quite a bit more nicotine.. sweet, bready, grassy, maybe a touch of perique.. I will buy more to age.. i tried to age this one but the curiosity was killing me.. next up marlin flake.. I hope to find another great virginia in that flake.
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rintrah	03/24/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Good leaf. Recommend it.
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JohnnyMcPiperson	01/28/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is what I think of as a quintessential VA blend. I think that if there is something that Rattray really does well it is VA. Hal O' The Wynd will not disappoint the discerning smoker, with a nice perky, bitey flavor, it's like aged cheddar. The flavor reminds me of dry hay in a barn if you've ever jumped into a pile of it, kind of scratchy, but fun none the less. This is not my favorite smoke, but it sure places itself as a classic in it's genre for me. The room note is not to be sought after, but it's a good blend, I can't comment on the tin note as I've only ever had baggies of it. I think it would be worth an experiment to smoke this in tandem with GLP Union Square just for an interesting compare and contrast, two different VA's might be good partners in a VA lover's rotation. I found I really like this blend in fresh new pipes, meerschaums and narrow small cobs like the MM Pony Express. Give it a shot, it's curiously strong, kinda like Altoids...
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