Ashton Celebrated Sovereign

For starters, let me just say that I only smoke Latakia laden blends as a rare change of pace. Most do not rock my world, but this one sure did!

Celebrated Sovereign is one fine hodge-podge of British tobacco. Each element complimenting the blend. Not for the weak hearted though, this blend packs as much wallop as ole' Henry Cooper (who once knocked down Muhammed Ali).

If you want a different sort of Latakia blend that is more complex than the usual, put on your track shoes and head for your nearest tobacconist. By the way, I smoked my tin of this bloody good stuff in a EXEXEL Barling Quaint that I reserve for only Latakia blends. The experience was just a tad short of religous!

I am sure I am only writing this for my own personal tasting notes, but I felt compelled to review a unicorn. This is from a 1992 tin of Ashton Celebrated Sovereign. I have never smoked it young and the only comparison I have is to the version made by McClelland young. It is well aged and as good as you would think. I love the Virginia's used, I sense the same as in Black Parrot. Sweet, bready and mildly earthy. The Syrian Latakia is what makes the blend. I love this stuff, it brings a subdued, sweet, smokey and incense like flavor to the smoke. When mixed with quality Virginia'a and the woody Turkish leaf you get a complex, mid strengthed old world English. I love the newer McClelland version and had smoked plenty before I got my hands on the original. I can honestly say that, in this case, the older is even better than a darn good copy.

A member of a French pipe smoking forum exchanged my HH mature Virginia with this one. And I am so happy we did this. This mixture sets itself apart from the other few English/balkan/Latakia mixtures I tasted because it contains some black cavendish and carolina tobacco. There is certainly the spice of Latakia (I am not sure it is Syrian though) and the Orientals, it also has a very highly sweet virginia and I suppose the cavendish and carolina mellow the taste, which makes it softer than most other blends of the same family.

This is the discontinued K&K blend I am reviewing.

Very recommended, but too bad no longer in production.

Blast from the past #2 - Found a single tin dated 1990 online, the McConnell/K&K version. I know I smoked one tin in the early 1990's but wasn't impressed. It seemed like an also-ran in a crowded field at the time. Today of course, Syrian latakia is a luxury. At any rate, this was a lighter colored ribbon with a huge oriental tin aroma. HUGE! Smelled like Compton's #21... very enticing.

The latakia in this one has virtually disappeared and consequently this became a very oriental forward blend riding a backbone of sweet and spicy Virginias. A little extra sweetness from the Cavendish but I got the impression that had been quieted somewhat as well. I really don't have much of a memory of this one from "back in the day" but 24 years of age turned this one into a delicious, delightful oriental blend with a hint of sourness, a hint of perfume and a massive amount of depth. It was soft but full, in the best Scottish tradition. I didn't miss the latakia at all. Nuance upon subtlety, the complexity I often crave is here. This is simply an excellent blend and I'm going to search for more. Meantime, I believe I'll sample the McClelland version as well. Very highly recommended and cellar-able!

From 2005: I enjoy this blend fragrant with oriental and Syrian latakia tobaccos. As other reviewers noted, this is a "creative" english blend, as are the Frog Morton blends. Like FMAP, the latakia isn't center stage but a player that lends its transparent color. Wonderful stuff, this.

1/09: Note to self: thanks for buying up the last tins fro dealers for the cellar. Four years later, a tin retrieved and popped open this week has been the joy of the new year. This stuff aged wonderfully, becoming richer, more complex and aromatic in the oriental sense. If this combination of tobaccos re-emerge somehow, stock up.

Upgraded to 4 stars, as if...

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