Schürch Onyx 128

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.

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 www.synjeco.ch. The prices are most reasonable and my order arrived in about 10 days.

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.

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 .

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

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!

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.

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.

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.