Paul's Pipe Shop Arrowhead

The grassy, citrusy Virginia forms the base of the blend. The earthy, nutty, molasses sweet burley is a little more noticeable. The black cavendish provides some brown sugar in a support role. In the background is a small amount of smokey, woody Cyprian latakia as well as a little toast and honey from the gold cavendish. A little spice and plum from the perique underscores the experience. The vanilla topping has a little richness, and I also detect a slight caramel as well. No chemical taste exists here. The nic-hit is a step or two past the mild threshold. Won’t bite, and has no harsh or dull moments. Well blended with some complexity, you’ll observe the majority of the aforementioned aspects in most every puff. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a fairly smooth flavor, though the topping does weaken a mite toward the finish. Requires an average number of relights, and leaves just a little dampness in the bowl. The after taste and room notes are very pleasant. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

I was given an ounce of this with a pipe my daughter bought me for Father's Day. The description sounds like a blend designed by a committee. There is a little bit of everything, and I did not expect much. I was pleasantly surprised.

The blend reminds me a little of a mildly vanilla flavored Walnut maybe. The vanilla flavor is very good and there are no chemical flavors. The latakia and perique are subtle touches. There is a little sweet from the Virginia and some body from the burley. Sometimes blends with black cavendish taste musty or thin to me, and this does not. Some plum and spice from the perique may be what holds it all together. Then there is a whiff of latakia. It all just works.

This one is easy to recommend.

Recently had a pipe gathering and had a fellow piper bring 4 oz. of this mixture. At first pouch aroma seemed like just another vanilla type aromatic that would be jarred and placed in the cellar to never be smoked again, or given out at will. Even when I loaded my first pipe it felt kind of PG sticky. For sure this would smoke goopy and bite my tongue. Boy, was I ever wrong.

I don't get overwhelmed by latakia or Perique, but the Virginia's, burley and Cavendish show nicely. This blend just has that classic pipe aroma that brings back so many memories. Bourbon vanilla, some butterscotch sweetness, and toffee notes are detected. In the last two days this is all I have smoked! Doesn't get harsh or bite, and smoked fairly dry all the way down. Relights are very minimal. Definitely an aromatic I would have no problem recommending.

I am fortunate to have Paul's Pipe shop on my way from my home to my cabin and I occasionally will drop in. It is a piper destination for certain as the shop contains probably around 10,000 pipes, a pipe museum and so much tobacco that your likelihood of finding old treasures is always high.

Arrowhead is the signature blend of the shop and I picked up a pouch of this a few years back. It is an aromatic that has some latakia and Perique which is meant to give it something a little different than, say, any other vanilla blend. I think Paul's has successfully differentiated this from other vanilla aromatics, but I am not sure how much the lat and per has to do with it as I really don't distinctly taste them. I am not really sure if it is the topping or the leaf that is causing it to be different.

I am pretty sure the topping is not limited to just vanilla as I do get some whiskey notes off this. There is also some spiciness to it, but it doesn't really taste peppery to me as Perique typically does. In any case it is a good aromatic, not necessarily to my tastes, but I would recommend it just on the fact that it is something different than just the same old vanilla aromatic.

This is a very interesting and pleasing blend. The latakia is not noticeable; it just adds a subtle smokiness. The vanilla is smooth. Top notch tobacco quality, too. I bought a Cristiano signature pipe at the Columbus pipe show, and got a 2 ounce bag of Arrowhead from the vendor (Dan Spaniola of Paul's Pipe Shop) thrown in as part of the deal. I thought this blend would be a ho-hum vanilla but I was pleasantly surprised that it is a unique aromatic with a certain presence and the more I smoke it, the more I want to smoke it. Yes, it is another vanilla, but there is an interesting hint of spice that shows up throughout the bowl at times.

Govern Yourself Accordingly!

One of Paul's Pipe Shop's more popular house blends, Arrowhead had it all. An English style tobacco with a nice little dose of Latakia and Perique mixed in with the Virginia and Cavendish. Not sure about that secret recipe Vanilla though. It produced more of an Almond Extract flavor to me... and frankly, I enjoyed it. This was a fun smoke. And for whatever it is worth, I purchased several of the Spaniola house blends back in the late 1990s while purchasing one of their Cayuga pipes, which, by the way, came with a casing, too. The inner bowl was pre-carbed with honey, I think.

I found this to be a pleasant, easy smoke with very little tongue bite. The initial smell of it and the taste were similar to Lane 1Q to me. I would definitely recommend this blend. Dan S (Owner) and son run a great shop there in Flint, Mi

This is a very pleasant blend that is mild and yet, complex. The tobaccos play very well together, with a tough of mystery from the light brushing of latakia and Perique the blend has. The topping is a mild vanilla based, with a light touch of burbon and other floor notes. Well received when smoked around others, the delightful flavor and richness of flavor makes this an all day blend. Highly recommended.

This is the first tobacco I ever purchased that wasn't OTC. It is also one of the few blends that is an all day smoker for me. I absolutely love it. Very easy to see why this is one of the shop's signature, popular blends.

The tobacco in the pouch smells very strongly and nicely of vanilla, no different than many other vanilla aromatics. It has always packed well and easily for me, lighted relatively easily, and tends to stay lit for me no problem. It tastes delicious, the vanilla is not chemical tasting nor overpowering, blending well with the natural flavors of the tobacco. I do detect a slight smokey, nutty flavor while smoking as well. Room note is perfect. My roommate has regularly stated how he loves the smell of that blend, and doesn't mind being around me while smoking, nor that I smoke occasionally inside. Friends and family I've had over while smoking have likewise complimented the aroma. If you are a fan of aromatics, and particularly vanilla aromatics, this is a must get.

Unfortunately, it does appear that Paul's Pipe Shop doesn't do online ordering of tobacco, however they may do mail order, I'm not sure. If you are in the Flint, MI area, for sure worth stopping in to pick some up.

I went to Pauls some time ago and picked up several different ounces and a Cayuga pipe. Arrowhead is kind of the flagship blend over there so I was sure to get a couple ounces of that.

Arrowhead is pretty good. handles, lights, and smokes great. It is a mild blend with all components lending a mild profile to the whole. I found the flavor to be interesting and good but a bit "muddy". That is there is a lot going on in this blend, mostly components you would find in an English blend but with the added vanilla casing. Arrowhead is unique for sure and quite enjoyable. It doesn't bite and lends an enjoyable experience albeit without much nicotine.