House of Windsor Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street.01/03/07. I go along with everything that Pipestud,has written.It's not the best smoke on offer,but by no mean's the worst offering either. I only give this one two stars.

Ok if you have not tried this tobacco or the other floral like offering from HOW (Field and Stream) I say try this one. Upon opening the tin you are greeted with the familure cube cut tobacco of this manufacturer colored light brown to black. The aroma is a "unique" scent in the tin... anise seems to be the overall concensus though to me it smells a bit fermented. Upon lighting the blend one is greeted with an odd floral taste but it fades rather quicky and then it is just an burley blend with a different taste then nutty... must be the casing. The room note is pretty nice and overall this blend did not seem as flowery as Field and Stream... though I liked the flowery taste... sorta grows on you but to venture gradually into the taste try this first.

Oh one other thing the tobacco came very dry in the lil 2 oz tin. I had to douse it with quite a bit of water and mix it up with my finger and give it a day to moisturize. It is a pain in the tookus to do this but worth it just to get through the tobacco. I can not recommend trying to smoke any HOW blends bone dry which is how they seem to come thanks to poor packaging. This is something the company needs to address for it seems to really hurt them with some of their better blends (though on their bad blends nothing can save them I'm talking to you Model, Briggs, and Mapleton).

A very highly flavored blend! Has a "cool" flavor to it. (At least to me) Definitely smells floral. Burns quite dry, and didn't bite me. I was less than impressed with the taste. If you like the soapy, floral, type blends, this is decent. I won't try it again, but others seem to enjoy it.

Mild, Smooth, Not my favorite but I feel Price Wise, its a good buy.

This was the last tin of tobacco I tried in the sampler of HoW re-issue blends. It IS an 'Absolutely different pipe tobacco' as the tin suggests. At the zippo it is definitely soapy but this characteristic seemed to disappear as the pipe smoked down. Not a bad blend, I thought anyway. Slightly spicy about halfway down. Will probably buy it again.

I had first tried Bond Street, the former name for this re-introduced HoW product, back in the '60s. It had the same soapy, floral taste as it does now, which was the major reason for my dislike of it. But, I got a 20z. tin as part of an HoW assortment, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I got out an old Kaywoodie pipe I've had since I was 18 (35 years ago) and loaded it up. The first pipeful smoked well enough, but that taste was just not something I was used to. I resolved I would give it a full and fair chance to prove itself by smoking nothing else until the tin was gone. To that end, I got out my old Dr. G pipes and set out on the journey.

Well, guess what. I did get used to that strange taste, somewhat, and actually grew to accepting it. Somewhat. After all, it is mild, bite-free, and highly aromatic, from it's caramely pouch aroma to the sweet and rather pleasant room note. No real tobacco taste, though; it's all in the sauce.

In the end, I was happy to go back to my favored non-aromatics, but my affair with Bourbon Street was an interesting experience. I wouldn't buy it again, and I would recommend it only to those who like heavily aromatic tobacco. The taste is definitely something that requires getting used to. Whether it will find a niche in the market these days remains to be seen.

**Revised 4/30/05**

This is a summer blend for me. Initially, I smoked this blend in the summer and gave it a "highest recommendation" and since smoking a full (large) tin of this have amended my review.

Admittedly, I find myself enjoying some tobaccos these days that I thought I'd never smoke. I've developed a taste for the stronger G&H Lakeland flakes though I don't care for the one dimensional "fire cured" flakes, opting for the mostly VA/Burley blends. There is no accounting for taste. Tastes change, some tastes never change.

This is a cubed/rough cut mostly dark brown blend. When the P&T reviews on HOW blends this is one of the ones that was a "must try" on my list.

My taste buds are 'different' to say the least. In the past year I've really learned to enjoy Kendal Flake which is one of the most heavily scented flakes on the market. That said, Kendal Flake has a wonderful tobacco base under the flavoring.

Bourbon Street smokes strong, cool and dry all the way down the bowl. There is a taste here that reminds me of Kendal Flake. The tobacco in Bourbon Street is full, containing more than a decent bit of nicotine. From the top of the bowl to the dottle this smokes cool, dry and full for me.

However, since my initial enthusiasm of the summer months, I find that I'm reaching for this blend less and less. I guess the problem I'm starting to have is that this mixture has little tobacco flavor but lots of "flavoring" flavor. My beloved G&H blends are fine tobaccos enhanced with natural flavors. The one dimensional aspect of Bourbon Street has shown it's hand and I've downgraded this to "an occasional" smoke.

IF you like the Lakeland Flakes for the flavorings only then this can be a staple in your tobacco rotation. Bourbon Street does not bite, is very full and satisfying. But the tobacco underneath is hidden by the "Lakeland Flake" type of flavoring.

I really wanted to like Bourbon Street. I ordered it after reading the reviews here and learning about the House of Windsor reissues. The comments noting this blend's perfumey, floral, and incense-like qualities intrigued me, being a lover of Mixture No. 79 and Grouse-Moor.

Imagine my disappointment when I smoked this. As with the pouch of Field and Stream I ordered at the same time, Bourbon Street was ridiculously dry in the pouch. House of Windsor should do something to keep a better moisture level in its blends. Its aroma as I packed was strange--somewhat floral, but also containing hints of the perique and latakia that are included in this mixture. It was certainly pungent, but, for me, not altogether appealing.

Upon lighting, I was greeted with a flavor that was spicy, somewhat peppery, and, well, incense-like. I can understand why some have called it floral and perfumey, but those words don't quite describe what I experienced. The smoke was harsh and rather bitter, not at all the Lakeland-esque explosion of flavor I was expecting. The nicotine level was high; this is a not a light or smooth tobacco in any sense. All in all, a big letdown.

So here I am with an almost-full pouch of Bourbon Street. Anyone interested in a trade for another tobacco can feel free to contact me at [email protected].

This gets a limp thumbs-up from me. The soapy thing is a bit forward in a new tin or pouch. I have found as with Field & Stream, to put it away for awhile and return to it when it has a little more age on it. Field & Stream had lost most of the soapy-floral flavor after about a month or so after opening. I expect this blend will do likewise. I will update this review either for or against in a month or so.