Tabac Manil Le Petit Robin

Now this is the most unique pipe tobacco I have tried to date. The presentation merits a comment in a review. This comes in a very neat gold brick with very nice (IMO) "old school" paper labeling. I comes as a brick of peat moss...well it is tobacco but it looks just like peat moss to me. It is a solid mossy brick and is unlike anything I have put in a pipe. It is also dry, according to Webster dry. I actually took some and put it in my survival kit to use as tinder, it is that dry. I have not smoked the pure Semois version from Tabac Manil, disclaimer. This is a cool blend. Tin note is a light floral and packaged cigarette like. It also has a light cigar note: like a Macanudo or Ashton Connecticut shade mild cigar. Very earthy "tobacco" notes. This tobacco is very pleasant, it is a light vegetal smoke, earthy, woody and dry. It also has a lot of tannins, like a black tea or Chianti in body. The flavors are reminiscent of Burley, but not a direct comparison. I do not get the nutty flavor I get with most Burley blends but it has that woody quality that is not quite Oriental and quite unique. The other tobacco's are not named but I would guess that they are Virginia based, a light sweetness and very grassy hay like. Not old damp hay but more like fresh cut dry hay bales. The parallel to cigar that I have read in other reviews is certainly there but not the cigars I enjoy. I am a Maduro fan and Nicaraguan cigar fan. This is more like Mexican leaf. Very straight forward with little nuance. There is a noticeable nic hit. I do not inhale and toward the end of the bowl I got a little light headed and felt that not so pleasant feeling in my stomach (I am a nic light weight). I enjoyed this smoke, it is not an all day or even an every other day smoke for me but I do find myself going for it every few weeks. prior to the review I smoked it every day for a week to get a good feel for it. Pack this tight and smoke it slowly. I noticed that in a cob it has a bit more sweetness and is a bit more flavorful, especially in my Cobbit Churchwarden (a bit more forgiving if you puff more frequently than suggested). I would give this a try, especially if you like mild cigars.

The Semois is earthy and a little nutty and has a lot of body. The "blond" taste a whole lot like bright Virginias to me and I suspect that's just what it is. Sweet hay. Altogether this is more or less a VaBur and a pretty good one at that. As Drums said you need to pack this firmly and smoke slow or you'll create an inferno. Flavor is good enough for 4 stars, but I'm deducting one for the heat.

Medium to strong in body. No added flavorings. Taste is medium. Burns very well, perhaps too well.

Sweet grassy with an earthy nutty roasted grain taste. Very shaggy, could say beyond shaggy! An interesting mixture to say the least. Can burn hot due to the cut, so pack it pretty tight and keep the tamper handy. Easy to the match and a consistent flavor profile throughout the bowl. The nose out of the package put me in mind of the tobacco barn when we had booked down several sticks of good red tips and let them mellow for a year. I think this is one you should try if you like burley and bright leaf mixtures. Am interested to see how it ages, if I don't smoke it up too quickly!

This is a mild hay smelling shag cut that smokes cool, ever so slightly sweet with low nicotine, just to let the ones who require a jolt of vitamin N. This is a nice smoke, packaging is great. A nice 3.5-ounce block of tobacco wrapped in gold foil. Glad I was able to sample this one. I admire the Man’s craftsmanship that produces this and the others he crafts.