Borkum Riff Ruby

I ordered this tobacco by mistake - I meant to order Borkum Riff's Highland Malt - but I figured I may as well smoke it. Firstly the room note is very very good and the taste is not too overpowering. I would say it is every bit the equal of Cletic Talisman which is the only cherry tobacco I can tolerate. It burns well and provides a consistent flavour right down to the bottom of the bowl. The chief taste is cherry but the sweet vanilla does linger in the mouth after a few puffs. I'm not really an aromatic smoker but this makes a nice change of pace and if it's an aromatic you are after then I can recommend this one highly.

Smell: Chemical, quite strong. Yes, maybe cherry-ish, but not natural. It reminds me the smell of sweet fruity candies.

Taste: In the first puffs I detect that cherry-ish topping. Then it fades and it has no flavor other than mild and featureless tobacco. While smoking this tobacco I thought it wasn’t worth finishing the bowl. Since smoking is not the healthiest practice out there, I prefer to do it if I really enjoy the tobacco I’m smoking. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Ratio Smell/Taste: Even if the smell of the tobacco in the tin is quite strong, I did not find that distinct flavor in the smoke (if not in the first puffs). On the one hand this is good, because the smell is not the most natural smell you want from an aromatic, on the other hand it is disappointing, because you are left with nothing.

Moisture: Some time for drying the tobacco is necessary.

Filter: With and without.

Ghosting: Medium.

Got a pack from an ex-piper friend, so although it was a bit dry, it has been aged for 4 month! So maybe this review won't help much but I'll do it anyway.

The smell is a little chemical, but definitely cherry and some vanilla (with little fantasy) can be smelled. A bit afraid of the chemical taste I light it, and after the initial lighting I find it very pleasant, the chem taste is minimal, and the vanilla is finally there, with the light sweetness of Virginia, making a somewhat harmonic mix with the intense cherry and rum taste. Requires some experiencing, as the taste is better when smoked fast, but it tends to bite pretty strong. Consuming from medium to bigger pipes, the chem taste, along with most added aroma disappears when reaching the last 1/3 of the bowl, after that it becomes a nice lighter Cavendish blend, although if you are at least half into the bowl and the flame dies out, do not relight as it will be absolutely terrible.

Because it's medium-at-most quality, it requires the situation of not thirsting for a quality blend. Roadtrips, porches of summer houses, wildcamping, Dorm parties, etc. are situations in which Ruby can shine (but that also goes for most Borkums), paired up with a drink not too strong.

Not that bad

Se trata del típico tabaco para pipa de los últimos años de Borkum Riff. Una mezcla que podría llegar a ser correcta si no tuviese un topping puramente químico que hace que la fumada llegue incluso a ser desagradable. El olor en frío es marcadamente químico, con un dominio predominante de olor alcohólico aderezado con lo que se supone que es "cereza". Humedad bastante adecuada para fumar desde la bolsa, encendido fácil, y mantiene bastante la brasa. El problema es que seguramente debido al topping tan agresivo y químico que lleva, se convierte en un tabaco bastante picante tanto en boca como en nariz, además de tender a sobrecalentarse, lo que hace que haya que fumarlo muy muy despacio. En definitiva un tabaco totalmente prescindible para los fumadores habituales, y totalmente desaconsejado para la gente que se inicie. No me cabe duda que Borkum Riff es uno de los causantes de que muchos iniciados acaben abandonando la pipa debido a que en sitios no especializados se suele recomendar de inicio. Novatos, huid de este tabaco;)

It certainly tastes like cherry and is very sweet. At first, this might actually be enticing, but after smoking it several times I got tired of it pretty quickly. When you open the pouch it smells a little like a candy store. What I don't like about it is that the flavoring tastes a bit artificial. I still think it might be a good aromatic for beginners as they may find the sweet candy-like note appealing. Room note is definitely very nice though, your better half will love it

This is my first try from the Borkum Riff's tobaccos. Didn't try others although I want to. It leaves a very pleasant smell in a room. Everybody liked it (I mean the smell). The nice thing is that is not that strong and as a result your mouth doesn't smell after. Very light and not everything is perfect rather than the smell. One time thing.

It's smell like a cherry marzipan/almond and has a kind of chemical aroma, the flavoring for me and a people around me a little bit strong. In the taste that kind of strong smell doesen't feel. This tobacco likes bite my tongue so i recommend to realy slow smoke.