Tobaccos Schürch - Onyx 128

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3023)	2012-09-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The smoky, woody dry, wine-like Syrian latakia is more dominant than the other parts, though the perique has a nice peppery, slightly raisin quality as just more than a background player. The high quality Virginias have a light citrus and darker fruit, as well as a little hay/grass, and some earth. They form a base for the other tobaccos. There's a very light sweetness that comes from a topping I can't identify, but it doesn't tone down the tobaccos. The nic-hit is just past being mild. No chance of bite, and has no dull or harsh moments. Burns slightly slow, clean and cool with a smooth, deeply rich consistent flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste. Almost an all day smoke.

-JimInks

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-04-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Sweet, smooth, tasty.

I don't care whether this peg fits in some old fashioned hole or not, this is a great mixture!

Update 1st may 2011 I've smoked this for weeks in my trusted vintage Peterson meerschaum and it became my favourite latakia blend, smooth, tasty, round, naturally sweet, peppery. But then I tried it in a Dunhill group 4 shell which I normally use for EMP, Royalty and such; totally flat taste.. Then in my Savinelli sandblast Churchwarden, flat and harsh! And I always clean my pipes very thoroughly with alcohol before using it for a new tobacco. In short to the 2and3star crowd: try Onyx in diffrent pipes before you give up on it, it's worth it!

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2006-04-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I was recently given a sample of well aged (more than 2 years) Schurch Onyx by fellow esteemed reviewer Johnnyflake, who said it was his favorite English. I can see why. Johnnyflake is a fan of Perique and there is a fair amount in this English concoction.

There are many other outstanding English Blends that use Perique to "spice up" the monochromatic flavor of Latakia. Greg Pease uses the Perique treatment in many of his English blends as did the Murray's produced and highly touted Dunhill's Nightcap.

Onyx is very similar to Nightcap, but does not produce the unrelenting heavyness of that Dunhill blend.

I think the broad cut leaf of Onyx also contains high quality Virginia. Although other reviewers have complained of too much moisture, my sample actually arrived a tad on the dry side, which is fine with me. It burned well and evenly.

I am not personally a regular consumer of English blends with or without Perique. I do try to conduct reviews by comparing what I am smoking to others of its type. In that sense, many of my briar brothers/sisters will no doubt agree with many other reviewers here that Schurch hit a home run with Onyx.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefano Bisotti (4)	2017-10-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I could evaluate this mixture both in a 50g tin and in bulk (in Switzerland because in italy this tobacco is not distributed) I smoke the pipe for 40 years and the sensations that triggered this mix are memories of quality grade products such as those of the Dunhill home. Already the raw tobacco evaluation offers the smoker's nose a sense of great quality and balance: torbate and smoked notes. Tobacco offers excellent combustibility and during smoking it is a good and interesting evolution. The Siryan latakia offers a distinctive feature to this mixture which results in a very balanced and characteristic feature is undoubtedly one of the English Mixtures that at this time I prefer.

Pipe Used: Dunhill, Peterson, Charatan, Mastro de Paja

Age When Smoked: fresh tobacco

Purchased From: Dubini, Chiasso Switzerland

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2012-04-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The reviewer below encouraged not giving up on this blend and it couldn't have been more true for me. I really love a lot of the Schurch English blends as they often remind me of my beloved Dunhill blends. Onyx was one that took a lot longer for me to get a handle on than the other Schurch blends. I had consumed more than four ounces in various bowls before really getting into the zone.

After finding the right bowl size and smoking it on the dry side (almost very dry), I fell in love. Onyx has somewhat of a unique flavor and the use of Syrian instead of Cyprian Latakia really makes this an outstanding blend. The pouch scent is smoky and rich. It has the look of a typical medium English blend. The chopped ribbons pack with ease and the flavor is more and more enticing as the bowl progresses. It's smoky and builds in spice throughout the bowl with just a hint of sweetness. It's not a surprise that Onyx is one of Schurch's most reviewed blends. Tarek's Robusto, Torina, Zaffiro and now Onyx; four excellent English blends from Hans Schurch! Highly Recommended!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sim40 (8)	2018-07-09		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

I have smoked the bulk version of this. I have a tin as well, but it's unopened.

If you want creaminess, look no further. This is the creamiest Latakia tobacco I've ever smoked. It's also a delicious English in its own right. It's high quality leaf and it burns very well.

Only in the long run does it disappoint very slightly. After smoking it for a time, I started to wish it didn't rely only on being deliciously savory, but had a little more character. Still, a very solid 3,5 stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Pleasant

Because today is my birthday (I became 45) I wanted to write for one of my favorite tobaccos. The forth member of an exceptional gang (Tarek robust - Torina – Amount – Onyx). It encloses Virginia, Sirian Latakia (for which I may have a soft spot after all) and Perique. Same fine cut as the other two, it easily fills the bowl. Careful not to block the air hole with one of these small pieces. This is the only reason you may not enjoy this tobacco. Needles to say it does not cause any tongue bite. Velvety taste, with slightly spicy sensation, which if not present, honestly I would miss it(YES miss it, me, the sworn enemy of Perique). Don't attempt to find if it resembles any other mixtures. It is unique.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Ordered this from Daniel at Synjeco about eight years ago and never got around to it. It has been in a jar in my office filing cabinet where I keep my stash, and I decided to crack it the other day.

Dry, after eight years in storage, and dark-to-black in colour, it is a fantastic oriental blend; I actually rate it higher than Squadron Leader: it is harsher, and has more oriental, I think. Didn't notice the perique, but caught the virginias from time to time. Nothing cloudy about this, which one sometimes gets with a big Latakia proportion: sharp, complex and stays the same right to the end. It could probably bite if drawn too hard, but it behaved well to the bottom of the pipe.

Altogether a great blend. It might be a little milder when fresh.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-04-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

very interesting bland. with unique touch. i like it very much.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JB (44)	2007-02-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

Onyx is delicious...it just is. I don't understand any of the two-star ratings of this tobacco. It is one of the best examples of a full English blend anywhere in the world. It warrants no worse than three stars based on construction alone. You either like English blends or you don't. If a complex English blend is what you crave, Onyx is a great choice. My only complaint is that it should be sold in America.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-05-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Predominantly dark, short flakes and ribbons.

Pleasant smokey smell in the pouch. A classic English profile.

Latakia is present but in no way dominant, A sturdy foundation of Virginias is overlain with plenty of Orientals. Lots of creamy white smoke. Sweeter than many English/Balkan type blends. Delicious.

An exceptionally dry cool smoke that is relatively easy to smoke to the bottom of the bowl.

Overall: I was given a pouch of this and several other Schurch blends by someone who said he just didn't like them. (What was he smoking?!) I hadn't heard of Shurch before this, so my expectations were quite low. What a surprise! This stuff is wonderful. ==/==

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Shurch does seem to know how to blend them. This is one of my all time favourite smokes - creamy, full of English flavour. Best of all I seem to be able to smoke a bowl of this without the need for relights more often than not. Not that I mind the relighting process, but this tobacco just seems to smoke perfectly for me. The mix can be a little varied at times, but I find just giving it a good stir or decanting the baccy from the bag it's supplied in to a suitable jar tends to cure that problem. Every time I order from Synjeco's (the only supplier I know of who stocks this) I order some more Onyx to make sure it will be a looooong time before I risk running out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-01-20		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I just received my order of 6 different Schurch English mixtures to try out. Onyx was the first I tried. I have now smoked this blend several times in just 2 days. I had previously tried Schurch's Torina and found it to be outstanding.

This is a classic English mixture of a somewhat wild cut. Moisture level out of the bag is a little more than what I prefer, so I let it dry some before trying it. I like my tobacco on the dry side, so most smokers might be happy just as it comes.

To put it simply, this is outstanding. The flavor is of an excellent latakia, but not dominated by the latakia. The characteristic Schurch creaminess is there with just a hint of perique to balance it out. My guess is that the virginias in this blend are a little sweeter than most. As I smoke down the bowl, the flavor builds and each puff brings just a subtle variation of flavor. The burning characteristics are good. I am sure that I will reorder some of this before my sample runs out.

Schurch tobaccos are available from Switzerland at http://www.synjeco.ch. The prices are most reasonable and my order arrived in about 10 days.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-04-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This stuff is outrageously good. Packs and lights well. Smokes with a minimum number of relights. Very cool. Refined, even elegant taste. Great depth of flavor, a little sweet, nutty. Just superb. A little bitter at the very end; but otherwise wonderful. Highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-01-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I'm still in the process of smoking my first tin of this , but my first impressions are that this is a fine english tobacco . A little care needs to be taken to keep the temperature down , but once it cools off and gets going the flavors blend together for a rich smoke .

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-07-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ah! Friday Night. Great night for a bowl, bit then again any night when your not being chased by men wearing hoods is a good night for a bowl. Tonight marks my 15th bowl of Hans Schurch's Onyx. Ramones on the Nakamichi, cup of java accompanied by a smidge of an old Calvados, Let's rock......... Product: Schurch Onyx, part of the Classical English Series by the same. Available through the fine folks at Synjeco. Average arrival time (Tempe) 5 days after order. Cost: 100g $9.80, a Kilo will run ya $97. Schurch's Top Seller. Appearance: Kind of a crazy "wild" cut. Composed of Two different Virginias, a Latakia, and some Perique Packaging: Vacuum sealed bags Packing: Excellent moisture content, feathers out nicely, a fairly loose pack seems called for. Tin Aroma: MMMmmm. Absolutely delicious Va/ Latakia, with just the tiniest hint of leather and coconut in the back ground Test Drive: Fire hits weed, releasing a slightly sweet, medium, smooth cloud with an unusual balance and delicacy, The signature Schurch "creaminess" is there, so is the accent of Perique. The Perique is applied judiciously rendering it attractive, not "loud" like so many other perique blends. What holds my interest are the Virginias, One of them seems familiar, comfortable almost. But for the life of me, there's one that I don't believe that I have seen before adding an interesting sweetness/ piquancy. Mid bowl, improving on the excellent! Nuttiness developing fully, as many great English's do, but with little to no loss of the nuances of the first light. Dottle, good, very good. Earthy, nutty, the "incenses" pretty well ceased in the last quarter of a bowl, but the blend was made man, not god Summary: Highly Recommended 9 out of 10 Bearclaws. Get this one, if ya don't like it, I'll buy all ya got!

-- Bear Graves

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-03-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Pouch Aroma: This tobacco has similar characteristics to McClelland's #2020, but there are distinct differences. The smoky/leathery aromas are more delicate, the sweetness is lighter - more like honey than dark caramel - and the dusty Oriental smell is a little more noticeable.

Appearance: This is a fine cut mixture that's probably 50% dark brown/black, 40% red/medium brown and 10% yellow and tan.

Packing and Lighting: Packing this into a Don Carlos ½ bent is a simple matter due to the fine cut and perfect moisture level. The flame brings out a rather dry, toasty flavor with some underlying sweetness but not a lot. It's a very delicate sugariness which is fairly heavily overlaid by the musty, dusty orientals and a sharp smokiness from the Latakia. Very different from the previous sample, and a nice change.

Exposition: It took a good 10-15 minutes of smoking to get past the initial disparateness of the components, but once the Turkish settled down a bit and the Virginias asserted themselves the flavor changed to a pleasant musty sweetness - almost too sweet for me this morning. The Latakia seems to be waiting in the wings for her cue; I can barely taste a slight nuttiness to clue me in to her presence at all.

The Story: Once I hit the 2/3 point though, the sweetness subsided and darkened and the fragrance of Latakia burst forth! Wow - I set the pipe down for a few minutes and the whole tune changes! Now it seems that the Turkish and Latakia elements are singing a duet while the Virginias take a break. It's turned warm, dusty, smoky and redolent of the desert campfires of nomadic tribes, camel dung be damned! This flavor seems to be holding as I near the end...

Denouement: Right at the very last, the sweet Virginia comes out to take a bow, sharing the stage with her companions. This is a very nice finish, and I've had at least three customers compliment me on the aroma - one said it reminded him of cooking maple-smoked bacon on a campfire. A very nice finish, with naught but fluffy ashes and a few burned fragments left.

Pros: This is a great smoke - it burns well and dry, undergoes some fantastic changes and leaves my pipe clean save for a light coat of fluffy white ash.

Cons: Umm...the bowl's done too soon?

I smoked another bowl of this right after the first (a rarity for me, to be sure!), but this time in a smaller bowl - a Sasieni "Cromer". The results were virtually identical excepting that the finish was a little shorter but much more intense. I'll be finishing this sample slowly while I wait for you to tell us what it is so I can get some!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jared (7)	2017-05-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I love Schurch 128, it's magic. A beautiful composition. And no tricks, because Schurch 128 is a very high quality blend. Elegant, round ... and lovely.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rob73 (77)	2016-10-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another great swiss tobacco, with a very reasonable price. 128 is highly balanced, enriched by a high quality of its components. It is a little bit less sweet than its 'brother' SOB (in fact, it doesn't contains Orientals). 4,5/5 in my personal rating system.

Purchased From: Dubini, Chiasso (Switzerland)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Alessio (1)	2016-03-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I was looking for an alternative to my preferred english mixture (SG Squadron Leader) and I found it here. Not strong, sweet and very pleasant and rounded. I smoked it first time some days ago in Bulk and the ribbons were ready to smoke in a dry and very satisfying way without rebournings. Tobaccos inside are excellent, and I rate it 3 stars because I reserve 4 for later tastes.

Pipe Used: SantAmbrogio Poker Large, Dunhill Cumberland 3104

Age When Smoked: 1 week

Purchased From: Tabaccheria Dubini, Chiasso

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Squadron Leader.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dzacca (8)	2015-11-14		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

The best mild english mixture I tried so far. Full body, sweet, and so tasteful. This became my preferred smoke over Squadron Leader straight from the first time.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Couple of months

Purchased From: Tabaccheria Dubini, Chiasso

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2014-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

First thing to say is: perique here does sting. And I like perique, normally. Second thing to say is: too much perique does not only make the blend sting but also make it bitter in taste. Good, but not excellent blend. But tobaccos inside are first class, and I rate it 3 solid stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-12-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

well i have not tried it.

I smoked it since round about 10 years regurlary in Bulk and Tins

and its complex enough. I think its very complex, but too very rounded. Booth together is seldom founded.

It improved by aging, but is fresh unlike the GLP - C&D stuff a good smoke

Pipe Used: diverent

Age When Smoked: 1 - 7

Purchased From: tin + bulk

Similar Blends: nothing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-04-24		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Schürch's Onyx leaves me at a loss for words. And, frankly, I am dumbfounded at the high reviews for this weed. There is nothing particularly striking about Onyx. It is a nice looking blend, but certainly smells unpleasant in raw form. In smoking, the Perique comes forward for certain and stings a bit. I must add that I am not a fan of Perique (it has no satisfying place in a proper English blend). Everything else, in smoking flavour, is muddled causing no nuance and little enjoyment. Further, even after some drying I found it difficult to keep this weed lit. I am tempted to give this one star rather than two, but it is not 'unsmokable'--it is simply something not to smoke again. If this is Hans Schürch's 'most successful and popular English mixture', I am frightened at the prospect of trying the other eight Schürch blends that I purchased.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-10-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

While in the pouch it is not too "stinky", this is actually quite a tasty EM, while mantaining a certain delicate quality. Very balanced, with no peaks or dissonant aromas: the presence of Perique is quite moderate, and doesn't interfere.

My complaint is that it isn't very distinguished from other EMs, so I don't have many reasons to buy this again, but you could find many worse blends!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-10-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is the most extraordinary English type blend I've yet come across. It apparently does not contain any Orientals though I'd swear it tastes like it does. Apparently these flavours come from "a very rare VA" whatever that might be. It has such a great balance between the high notes of the Oriental type taste with Latakia and the mid notes of the VA. This is a lot smoother than Dunhill's Baby's Bottom so if you like that for it's smoothness you will love this for the same reason and for it's additional complexity. It is very good on the draw and fabulous on just letting the smoke float from my mouth. A masterful blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Matteo (12)	2020-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was really really surprised by this blend, really pleasant the flavour of this natural tobacco. It's the perfect EM form me, and is not a problem the absence of the orientals. Creamy, a very good flavour (not aromatic), good and intresting evolution. That taste offered by the very good quality tobacos is peculiar. Absolutelly I need some else tin for my personal reserve and pleasure.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Joker 673 ks

Age When Smoked: 40

Purchased From: Dubini

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