W.O. Larsen Craftmans Edition

This is a review for the blue tin 2015 Edition. The best word to describe this blend is: elegant. It's my go-to response when people say "aromatics are just goopy messes that don't taste the way they smell". This one is perfect moisture, little dottle, and tastes EXACTLY the way it smells!

It's an all-day Danish aromatic with subtle notes of coffee, vanilla, and caramel. It's all there and more if you take your time with it. Smoking fast and hot will negate most of the nuanced flavors.

Stunning presentation (as usual) and perfect smokability for a tobacco that's clearly made with the respect of an expert hand. Subtle yet very, very flavorful. (And pairs exceptionally well with a Guinness)

One warning: jar this blend (and any Larsen tin) IMMEDIATELY. These are not meant for in-tin aging.

Well, there are very few tobaccos that catch me by the look of the tin before anything else. Mostly I have to read the blend notes, reviews and such before getting a tobacco. And this was probably the only exception to this out of 30 or so blends that I purchased. This is not a regular blend, it is a special edition with around 1000 tins made. So each tin is numbered. 1. The tin itself is quite elegant and looks like an absolute collector piece. 2. The packing is great. Inside the tin there is a clear cellophane pouch that's well sealed and tagged with a 'W.O Larsen Craftsmans edition sticker' and inside is the absolute welcoming colour of the tobacco. 3. Tin aroma: Once you open the pouch, you are welcomed by a heavenly aroma of Vanilla, chocolate and candy. It smells amazing that it is very hard to resist not stuffing your pipe immediately and start enjoying it. And doing so is such a mistake 4. Moisture: The baccy itself is QUITE moist. And I can't emphasise this enough. It is drowning in moisture. So puffing it fresh will be awful experience. It won't open up to any of the flavours and require constant relight. The only good thing out of that smoke will be the aroma. It needs a drying time of 45~60 minutes. 5. Smoke: Once it is properly dried. The experience is absolutely amazing. Out of the charring & lighting. You are welcomed with a prominent vanilla taste and subtle grassiness and sweetness from the virginias. And just enough under hints of a cacao/chocolate flavour to keep you interested and seeking for that mystery flavour. It stays well lit and the flavouring is consistent overall till you finish the bowl. However, the flavour fades away a bit and become quite mild, which is my only gripe with it 6. Storing: It comes in a square tin and inside a cellophane pouch, so it isn't much of a storage. Best thing is to either jar it out of the tin, and dry what you use - which is my approach - or leave it all in the tin till it dries to your liking and then jar it. But it's a must try if you can get your hands on. My tin was 461/1000

Due to the high price (30€ for 100g tin), I only snatched me a sample of this twice... in my early pipe days, I primarily smoked aromatics, and I remember this being a TOP-NOTCH one!

Typical, high W.O. Larsen quality, both in tobaccos and flavourings. The flavouring is of caramel, vanilla and has a butter-cookie-ish aroma to it (reminding me a bit of Larsens No. 32 Curly Cut) and is very well done! Not chemical, nor obtrusive, this is in the classy Larsen manner... a high-class aromatic! This is also a full-grown aromatic, with only minor tobacco-y notes to it. Very mild spice.

A wonderful aromatic for lovers of this style, yet the price is insane... you may want to take Larsens No. 32 Curly Cut instead of this one, as they share lots of similiarites (besides the cut obviously.. ;-P). But definetly worth trying, if you're willing to pay the high price.

I'd give a "highly recommended", but due to the unreasonable pricing, I'll give it a "recommended", as it's easily replaceable with No. 32 by Larsen.

A nice mellow blend with a light flavoring of vanilla with a side note of somekind of sweet alcohol. Burns well enough requiring no more than the usual relights. I thinking that it ages well as I enjoy it more now then I did when I first opened the tin a year ago when I first opened it .