Tabac Manil Le Petit Robin

A type of burley called Semois, which is only made in one region of Belgium. It is difficult not to mention his presentation, which seems to transport us to another era. It reminds me of the tobacco packages that were smoked during World War II and that I could see in the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum, in Normandy (France).

The packaging is quite rudimentary, in golden aluminum foil, and as it is not sealed it does not retain moisture, so the tobacco is very dry. I changed the tobacco to a glass container, where I inserted a humidifier bag and it worked perfectly. Once the tobacco absorbed the moisture it needed to do its best, everything was so much better than when I smoked it dry the same day I opened the package. The cut is an extremely fine shag, which together with the dryness of the tobacco makes it burn as well as it does quickly, although it can sometimes have the consequence of heating up the pipe. For this reason, I highly recommend transferring it to a glass container and moistening it, since it allows this tobacco to express itself and offer its best organoleptic qualities. Loading is very simple, since it is enough to take the tobacco balls that are formed and introduce them into the pipe.

It took me about four or five pipes to get a taste of this one, but at this moment it seems like a very good option to smoke something different and enjoy it from time to time.

I would recommend giving it several chances before making a hasty judgment, as you could miss out on a tobacco that is very original and natural, compared to the many blends on the market that resemble each other. However, if you are one of those who are fleeing cigarettes or you do not like that type of flavor with some mineral nuance, I will understand that it is not for you.

Whoa..... what a cool smoke. If you're looking for something different in a nice, natural, every day tobacco, give this a try.

It really is different. Think the sweetness of a good virginia, a little nuttiness like a burley, and an occasional VERY LIGHT cigar-like ashiness. The cut is very very fine, it comes super dry in the package, and burns awesome. Since it is a little faster burn, use a slightly larger pipe and sip.

Its not an "in your face" blend AT ALL. It's subtle but highly complex. Every taste shows me a little different side. One taste will be a little grassier, then next a little sweeter, the next a little richer tobacco flavor. I'm going to age about 10 oz of this and see if those complexities develop or if it becomes more uniform, but after a few months it's keeping that "draw by draw" complexity that is fascinating.

Because of the complexity, I could smoke this stuff non-stop, because every draw is lovely, different, and fun.

Not big and bold and brash -- just lovely and evolving. What a treat. Oh, and a nice little nic-hit to boot. Yum.

Such a beautiful CLASSIC pipe tobacco. So flavorful and satisfying. World Class! Burns fast so temper puff cadence. Wonderfull... cellar deep! Doesn't age... perfect as is!!!!!

This is an extremely fine cut shag blend that is fairly dry due to the packaging. My first sniff noted a slight tea aroma which I noticed in another blend I once sampled... I believe it was Pete's Sherlock Holmes. The charring light produced a burst of flavor that improved considerably after about 1/3 had burned off & provided more flavor & a better taste without any harshness. I loved this Belgian Burley flavor combined with the VA from the very first puff but the third ingredient or ingredients seem destined to remain a mystery but I think it's an Oriental variety. Whatever, the varietals play well together. I've never seen or tasted anything like it before. Very unique indeed & fairly strong.

There's a lot of tobacco packaged in this brick-shaped, gold foil, wrapped container. It didn't feel like it weighed 3 1/2 ounces when I received it but I didn't put it on a scale. It comes in a very dry state so I hydrated it within a zip-lock bag with a pouch humidifier for a couple of weeks. Afterwards, I could feel that it had gained a little weight. It is not packaged to retain moisture & the folded ends are not sealed. It will inevitably contain a moisture content of its environment. I had read reviews prior to purchasing & pretty much knew what to expect & it is very tightly packed within the brick.

It must be packed tight & drawn lightly to get the best flavor & won't bite if puffing cadence is properly controlled. It has a tingly sensation on the palate & leaves a pleasant aftertaste. I liked this well enough to reopen the package & load up again. I'll be keeping this in my rotation as long as it's available & ordered another brick & will be filling up my Mason jars after a proper moisture content is achieved. From my experience with cigars, cigarette & pipe tobacco, they all seem to smoke best with the proper moisture content & from my experience, Le Petite Robin is no different.

If you're looking for a quick tobacco preparation with an easy load and good flavor & a decent burning rate, you might consider giving this one a try. Much better than expected. I plan on sampling all the Tabac Manil offerings & liked this one well enough to prompt a purchase of the Reserve Du Patron brick & will give my review on that shortly. I found this blend to be "convenient," easy to use, takes readily to the match, burns to the smoker's preparation choice/preference & produces little or no moisture. It has a captivating taste & aroma.

I stored this in a Mason jar after hydrating to about 65-69% humidity & pinch off a quick bowlful on many occasions. There's a lot of fairly dry tobacco... hard-packed in one of these bricks that can be quickly hydrated to increase weight & proper smoking moisture & thus, found it to be a great value... a fine blend that will remain in my rotation. FWIW, I preferred the flavor of this over that of Tabac Manil's Reserve Du Patron & will stick with this one... just right for me.

This is an extremely fine cut shag blend that is fairly dry due to the packaging. The charring light produced a burst of flavor that improved considerably after about 1/3 had burned off & provided more flavor & a better taste without any harshness. I loved this Belgian Burley flavor combined with the VA from the very first puff but the third ingredient or ingredients seem destined to remain a mystery but I think it's an Oriental variety. Whatever, the varietals play well together. I've never seen or tasted anything like it before. Very unique indeed & fairly strong.

It must be packed tight & drawn lightly to get the best flavor & won't bite if puffing cadence is properly controlled. It has a tingly sensation on the palate & leaves a pleasant aftertaste. I liked this well enough to reopen the package & load up again. I'll be keeping this in my rotation as long as it's available & ordered another brick & will be filling up my Mason jars & try to retain a proper moisture content. From my experience with cigars, cigarette & pipe tobacco, they all seem to smoke best with the proper moisture content & from my experience, Le Petite Robin is no different.

If you're looking for a quick tobacco preparation with an easy load and good flavor & a decent burning rate, you might consider giving this one a try. Much better than expected. I plan on sampling all the Tabac Manil offerings & liked this one well enough to prompt a purchase of the Reserve Du Patron brick & will give my review on that shortly. I found this blend to be "convenient," easy to use, takes readily to the match, burns to the smoker's preparation choice/preference & produces little or no moisture. It has a captivating taste & aroma. Stored this in a Mason jar with around 65- 69% humidity & pinch off a quick bowlful on many occasions. There's a lot of fairly dry tobacco... hard-packed in one of these bricks that can be quickly hydrated to increase weight & proper smoking moisture & thus, found it to be a great value... a fine blend that will remain in my rotation.

The smell out the wrap is wonderful. The cut is way beyond "shag", or at least any other that I have seen. It deserves a name of it's own. Perhaps "fuzz" would be appropriate. It comes dry and do to this in combination to the "fuzz'', It burns as quickly as a pyle of 3 yr.old leaves would in Death Valley. As a result, I did get a little tongue-burn, but only because of my quick pace. It was like, it burned so fast, I wanted my money's worth.

The good news ... I thought it tastes good, especially during 1st light and if your lucky enough to have any relights. Room not was floral and very enjoyable. To me, the floral note transfers to the taste, but with the addition of an earthy quality. There is a very slight grassy flavor that stays in the background, and I would love to know the mystery addition to this blend. I'm tempted to fire-up Google Earth and pan in close enough to read any top secret order list that might be labeled on a stack of "in-coming!" 😉

I found the nic-hit to be in the mid-range, probably because my cadence being rapid.

It's unique, with a great history/story/ mystery behind this blend. As a result, I think every piper would choose to experience this.

Package note of mildly sweet, earthy, and mild licorice. Tobacco is brown very fine shag, a little on the dry side but soft, no prep needed. Burns fast with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with complex notes of a moderately spicy cigar, rich dirt, mild sweet nuts, dry wood, very mild cocoa, very bready, floral hay like, mildly tangy-sweet background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with the "secrete leaf" (maybe red Virginias?) supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

It's this simple: either buy this because you can't/won't tolerate chemical additives (like every thing else on the market has) or grow your own. Nutty, floral and satisfying every time - actually, subsequent smokes without something else in between just get better.

I love fine shag cuts, they do not get enough love in the pipe world. I find that with some kinds of leaf they smoke better, allowing for more smoothness too, and I like blending with them. The taste of Le Petit Robin is very like something between an old school blonde Gauloises and a balkan/turkish blend with plenty of light Virginia leaf in there, maybe even a hint of halfzware smokiness. Mostly, I would say this is like a really nice smooth Virginia blend with a little extra depth, cocoa and breadiness.

A nice clean, pure flavour (nothing added at all from what I can tell) with a touch of sweetness and cream, and the complexity is subtle. Delicately spiced woody, hay, bread and cocoa powder taste with light hints of citrus, raisin, sweet floral notes and cream. The finish is short and dry with a little raisin, wood and charred bitterness, and the room aroma is quite light and pleasant, but you get some draws with a creamier doughy kind of taste that's particularly delicious. I don't find it particularly strong, but around the lower side of medium at most.

If anything, it could benefit a bit more from just a touch of proper quality light and sweet Turkish leaf, which is sadly becoming completely muscled out of existence by the big tobacco companies and their drive to move everyone onto their cheaper-to-manufacture vape liquids and gear, which have bigger profit margins... I luckily have some rare Turkish and Macedonian from D&R left over which I mixed in a little of and it enhances the sweetness and smoothness beautifully. An added hint of light and fragrant Bursa and Yenidje would be ideal.

You can clearly see thick clumps of the darker Semois leaf in the brick, which you are free to blend in more evenly yourself if you prefer. It does indeed come packaged quite dry, but not crumbly or with any dust whatsoever. You are just getting the proper weight for your money (something we should champion). Just carefully jar it up with a little 69%RH humidity pack and after a few days it will be perfectly supple and smoke with a touch less bite. For those curious about tubing/rolling, the inhale is very light and smooth with just a touch of bite, mostly from the Semois.