Ashton Celebrated Sovereign

4 Ounce tin from early(?) nineties, "Blended by William Taylor" and "Made in EEC" on label.

Not bad considering that it's been sitting, unopened, in a box of other stuff from 5 relocations ago. Tin was bulging at both ends and made quite a fuss when it was opened. At first the smell was definitely more "odor" than "aroma", but with some air and fluffing out the leaf-lock, things in the olfactory department improved rapidly.

Fine ribbon cut, the individual leaves maintained their integrity quite well considering their long confinement. Short strands of gold, dark brown and almost black. Aroma became almost like that of an old Port, along with some well balanced smokiness. Pretty moist, all things considered.

Smoke was in the same genre as many similar blends, but more "Balkanesque" with the interplay of Latakia and Dubec. Virginias are both bright and deep in their flavors and aromas, and developed nicely as the bowl progressed.

Overall a bit disappointing, but my expecations may have been unreasonable. Stumbling on a long forgotten, almost 20 year old tin of tobacco while looking for an even older notebook can do that.

I bought a tin of this about two years ago, smoked several pipes full, and still can't seem to empty it. I go back to it from time to time, just to remind myself why I can't empty it. There's just too many other, better English blends in the house to put this unexciting mixture in my pipe.

The Latakia used is a smokier Syrian leaf, rather than the more common Cyprian. And the Turkish leaf is the naturally sweeter Dubec. The Red Virginia, bright Carolina and Black Cavendish make it a fairly complex blend.

But the complexity does not come through in the smoking. The various components go together alright, it tastes okay and is a reasonably enjoyable smoke, but its too simple and unremarkable to warrant ever buying it again. I have little to say about it that is bad other than, as an English blend, it is a pale third-place finisher. If I want an English blend, I'll go with something that has a bit more character.

To date, the 24 reviewers, including myself, have given it seven 4-star ratings, and thirteen 3-star ratings, while only four have given it 1- or 2-star ratings, for an average score of 3.08 stars.

I just finished a tin of this I had lost sometime in the 90's. It was just like I remember...dull as steam, with taste similar to dried out watered down standard mixture mild. Much like their kin in the regular McClelland line, if it was not one that they ripped off from Barry Levin, it has the depth of Paris Hilton and probably a similar flavor. I have always been sad when I smoked this (or Old Dog, or any of the McClelland Green tin line) that these tobaccos could not have found their way to good homes where they could be turned into great blends by Rattray's Cotton's Pease's or Astley's. So much precious Turkish wasted! Oh the humanity!

This was my second venture in what I considered - at the time, in 1997- strong, full English Mixtures.

Being a neophyte in English Blends, I wanted to try this one because I liked the aroma for an English; the Latakia was far from being overwhelming. Unfortunately, being in Canada, it was only available in bulk, like most Rattrays and McConnell blends - which is a shame, as the bulk tobaccos are either inferior, or totally different from the tin versions ( no wonder they're cheaper in price...)- where was I?

Yes, yes, the Latakia not overwhelming. Some brown, dark brown and Black leaves, loose cut, if I remember well, pretty nice aroma for an English. easy to pack, easy to lioght up, stayed well lit up, the crowd was pleased with the bakkie, so I was happy.

When I hit mid-bowl, things came out of hand. It started being a bit too much for what I could put up with at the time.

Nevertheless, this is a fantastic tobacco anyway, and I will retry ASAP, if I can get a hold of some! I am sure I would, today, absolutely appreciate it.

I'm partial to latakia blends, and am a proven sucker for a tin aroma somewhere between a BBQ pork sandwich and a hardwood campfire. Frog Morton, Stokkebye's Balkan Supreme, McClelland 5110 -- I'm there, dude. But Ashton's Celebrated Sovereign has always fallen short on that count, as its tin bouquet is significantly more understated, and has always struck me as being somewhere between mildewed leather and a Wal-Mart brand dog treat.

But boy-oh-boy, fire this tobac up in a bowl, and it has consistently wowed me with its smoking qualities: It has become one of my all-time favorites (surpassing even the fine blends named above) because it consistently draws smooth, tastes complex and spicy, and gives off voluminous amounts of delicious smoke that is nothing short of incense. Although its character changes throughout the bowl, it is always multi-dimensional and worth savoring. It burns down to a fine ash that allows me to clean my bowl with a simple inverted tap. Mmmmm, tasty.

If anyone can give me a line on where to find more of this precious blend, or identify a passable proxy, I'd be very glad for the information.

My curse continues unabated. Finding a tobacco I enjoy seems to be the kiss of death for it's existance. First Scandal, then Edgeworth Sliced, now Sovereign. Note that this review is of the now-discontinued US version produced by McClelland.

Celebrated Sovereign is a wonderful medium English blend that could easily be an all-day affair in this pipe smokers opinion. The Syrian latakia, once again, makes all the difference between a good smoke and a truly outstanding one.

Its Appearance is much darker than most lat blends, likely due to the cavendish. Sovereign packs easily and will typically light with a single match. This blend is easy to smoke an entire bowl with no relights.

Full of character from the beginning, the flavor builds nicely throughout the bowl. Sovereign exhibits no propensity to bite, even when smoked aggressively.

My first tin is five years old so your mileage may vary. Still, the dozen I ordered recently were stamped '04 so I'll see what the difference is. Most pundits indicate the first year is the crucial one in the aging of this fine blend.

One of my favorite pipes is dedicated to this and another blend. It is a sandblasted Jess Chonowitsch Pot with a bamboo shank, and the pipe loves this blend, as it is reserved- appropriately I think- for Syrian Latakia. The other blend that I smoke in it is Syrian Full Balkin.

I have over 20 tins most from 2000 and 2003 cellaring as I have come to learn that it is no longer being produced- at least not by McClelland. What a shame too, gone the way of the Three Nuns! May it rest in peace.

This easily manageable blend is simple to pace and light. Keeping it lit and tamped is a breeze, and the flavor of the Syrian Latakia is superb, backed by the sweet Black Cavendish and Virginias. There is a tremendous, but not overpowering, amount of body, and flavor to this blend- the different varieties of premium tobacco make for an excellent affair of analysis and contemplation. Or if your bag is to vegetate while walking about that would work too!

I am- for the most part- a VA smoker but when I want to reach for something with Latakia in it my hand finds Celebrated Sovereign, or Syrian Full Balkin, another Syrian combination masterfully concocted by McClelland.

Highly recommended!

Celebrated Sovereign was my first foray into a decently aged tobacco. I managed to stumble into a well hidden smoke shop in Los Angeles during a training session for my work in the area. You could tell the place catered mostly to the cigar crowd.

Steering clear of the wide bulk assortment, I checked the pipe tobacco tins to find a small collection of Peterson and Dunhills...and this. They had a ton of five year old tins from the Ashton line, dated to the year 2000. The clear plastic tin cover had darkened heavily and the tins themselves had a distinct cigar-smoke aroma. At nine dollars, I couldn't miss, so I picked up two--Celebrated Sovereign and Black Parrot. How could I pass up the opportunity to get some well aged Syrian Latakia and real Perique? It was one of those drooling impulse buys, I admit.

Compared to the other Syrian blend I smoked, Full Balkan--also by McClelland--this is by far the better tobacco. It's more rich and full, and the Syrian clearly shines through in contrast to its more subdued counterpart, Full Balkan. Full Balkan seemed to simply lack flavor, and the Latakia was rather tasteless, leading me to wonder the mystique behind the Syrian name. Although less pronounced than Cyprian, the leaf here shares the same smoky element, but there's a greater nuance in taste. It doesn't seem to rely so much on the smokiness but on the leaf itself.

There's a hefty variety of tobaccos in the blend, so the smoke doesn't get boring, although I can't say I was able to pick them all apart and distinguish one from another. If I can complain at all, it would be nice to have something a bit more heavy, but this will do fine. The trade off was well worth it.

3.5 out of 4

Rich, sweet, full and complex akin to Brittish Woods. The virginia dictates the need for a very slow rate of puffing to avoid a burnt tounge. A good blend to try at least once, but just tempermental enough to not be an all day smoke candidate.