Dunhill Ye Olde Signe (Re-release)

(Un?)fortunately I haven't had the luck to taste the old version. Apparently it was better and if Ihad known it I would possibly miss it. As it is, I'm quite happy with the new version. The overall handling is easy. The Ribbon Cut makes it easy to ignite and keep lit. The taste is that of moderately fermented Virginias, lighter and slightly darker ones, BUT with a VERY pleasant undertone (casing?) the like I've never tasted before and which makes this tobacco very unique imo. I will definitely buy it again. It burns dry and steady. Tongue bite is possible, also the taste will decline a little towards the end which is why I withhold the fourth star. But definitely worth a try for all Va-lovers!

Since I was still smoking Marlboros back when this was last produced, I cannot compare that to what I recently purchased at my local B&M. I surely wish they wouldn't charge nearly twice as much for Dunhill as they do for Peterson here, simply because it is a "premium" brand, but i digress.

On the opening of the tin, your get that lovely Virginia smell right off and it definitely translates to the room note as well. Just a nice quality Virginia stuffed into my pipe for a very satisfying smoke. it behaves well and produces a fair amount of smoke and nicotine. All in all a good tobacco. It may not be close to the original, but again I cannot offer any insight into comparing this to its original back some 3 decades or so. I would say this is recommended for what it is.

I like virginias a lot usually, this blend isnt bad but it's pretty straightforward tho. Not much to rave about it, although very balanced and natural tasting.. very little moisture in the tin and no drying time necessary. The brown virginias dominate with Breads, nuts, earth and a little fruit and sugar and the light virginia adds some hay and citrus however very midrange.. probably won't be purchasing again anytime soon and storing it pressed in hopes it might meld into something better. Burns well. Might be good for an outdoor smoke while the suns out or on the porch. Could be an all day smoke if you enjoy it. 3 stars because it's basic and people will like it and has a decent fullness to it.

Never had the original, never even saw it, and I’ve been smoking a pipe since 1979. When the re-release was presented with full fanfare I bought two tins, “one for now, one for later” as they say. The first tin I opened right away and was quite underwhelmed. I ended up using that in a tweaked version I called “Ye Olde Tavern” which was quite good (I simply drizzled on 8 mg honey mead and baked on low heat until dry). That fresh tin (pre-tweak) would have received two stars.

Fast forward as I waited five years to crack the second tin (IPSD 2022). Better: any rough edges were softened, and the flavors deeper. Jarred and waited another year (IPSD 2023). Now it’s starting to get somewhere. Maybe three and a half stars at this point. I’ll probably let it rest undisturbed a couple more years because I have a feeling it hasn’t reached peak yet. Could very well hit the four star mark.

For now, this is what I get: enticing jar note of fresh baked light brown bread with a fair amount of malted yeast, somewhat sweet green tea, a tickle of some faint baking spice. Once lit it burned cool and steady, and did not have any of the negative attributes that I dislike in Virginias (grassy chlorophyll or boring white bread taste). There is also a woody spice (almost a cumin spice I’d say) and background of molasses. I’d say the casing formula and fermentation process combine to give this blend its primary distinctive character, which I like. So, for now, more of a like than a love, but it keeps getting better. If you’ve got tins in your cellar, wait a couple more years!

Kinda sucks to write a review about a blend currently unavailable. But perhaps there will be a comeback in the future, many of the Dunhill blends have had quite a rough past with being on and off the market.

Beautiful tin art: to be honest, this was among one of my first nonaromatic blends and the tin design was one of the points for picking the blend, just like Elizabethan Mixture.

Tin note: typically dark virginia with some hints of lighter grassy and hay notes.

Taste: initially some sweet and light notes that compliment the more darker bready and yeasty notes. Towards the middle of the bowl, the lighter notes disappear and are replaced by a nutty aroma reminiscent of burley.

Overall, a pretty good blend but I recommend using a small bowl. This is a high nicotine blend that fits after a generous dinner.

Why do we smoke a pipe? Is it because we enjoy the flavor of the many varied blends of pipe tobaccos produced? That's the only reason I smoke a pipe... because I enjoy the flavor of many pipe tobacco blends... some are wimpy, worthless, bland, lacking any, or in some "cases" too much flavor & bite you like a hungry Grizzly. Some are strong with good flavor that smoke mildly which is my preference. At the charring light, I didn't think I was going to like this due to a little bite. Using the DGT method, that issue was resolved.

Ye Olde Signe is just a simple, straight-up, no frills VA blend with some Vitamin N punch. This blend like all pure VAs is best served up in a deeper bowl to achieve maximum flavor & a tastier smoke. Was there a great deal of flavor? Not initially but like a VA blend, it gets a little sweeter & tastier after some has burned off. Was it like the Ye Olde Signe of old? I wouldn't have a clue but have read it was one of the finest VAs on the market. Was this re-release VA blend sweet on the palate?... not much initially but the VA sweetness increased after about 1/3 had burned off. Still, not a great deal of sweetness compared to some but enough to satisfy my taste buds toward the end & left a lingering sweetness on my palate for a little while after finishing off the mix in a large Cavicchi Dublin.

Also, this blend isn't that moist to begin with & has a fairly fast burn rate. I just dry out enough to get a little crispy & fill a bowl using the 1,2,3 method. In that respect, it required only one relight after picking & tamping. There was hardly any condensation produced but the dottle was a little moist. Now, as I have spent this much time writing this review, I can still taste a slight, lingering sweetness. I can't comment much on the strength because I don't inhale but I believe it would most likely rise above the medium & closer to the strong category.

As stated earlier, I'm just into pipe smoking for the sheer pleasure of a fine tobacco flavor with a little punch that will absorb into membranes rather than pave my lungs with nicotine asphalt. YOS surprised me as I wasn't expecting it to be as strong & that was a plus for me. I wanted to rate this a four but just couldn't bring myself to rate it that high. This was not a total bell ringer for me but it's a pretty good VA blend... not quite sweet enough to suit me as a superior quality VA blend might. However, I feel like a little aging will work magic on this blend. Coming from a fresh tin, its semi-sweet character wasn't bad at all. It deserves at least three stars.

Why do we smoke a pipe? Is it because we enjoy the flavor of the many varied blends of pipe tobaccos produced? That's the only reason I smoke a pipe... because I enjoy the flavor of many pipe tobacco blends... some are wimpy, worthless, bland, lacking any, or in some "cases" too much flavor & bite you like a hungry Grizzly. Some are strong with good flavor that smoke mildly which is my preference. At the charring light, I didn't think I was going to like this due to a little bite. Using the DGT method, that issue was resolved.

Ye Olde Signe is just a simple, straight-up, no frills VA blend with some Vitamin N punch. This blend like all pure VAs is best served up in a deeper bowl to achieve maximum flavor & a tastier smoke. Was there a great deal of flavor? Not initially but like a VA blend, it gets a little sweeter & tastier after some has burned off. Was it like the Ye Olde Signe of old? I wouldn't have a clue but have read it was one of the finest VAs on the market. Was this re-release VA blend sweet on the palate?... not much initially but the VA sweetness increased after about 1/3 had burned off. Still, not a great deal of sweetness compared to some but enough to satisfy my taste buds toward the end & left a lingering sweetness on my palate for a little while after finishing off the mix in a large Cavicchi Dublin.

Also, this blend isn't that moist to begin with & has a fairly fast burn rate. I just dry out enough to get a little crispy & fill a bowl using the 1,2,3 method. In that respect, it required only one relight after picking & tamping. There was hardly any condensation produced but the dottle was a little moist. Now, as I have spent this much time writing this review, I can still taste a slight, lingering sweetness. I can't comment much on the strength because I don't inhale but I believe it would most likely rise above the medium & closer to the strong category.

As stated earlier, I'm just into pipe smoking for the sheer pleasure of a fine tobacco flavor with a little punch that will absorb into membranes rather than pave my lungs with nicotine asphalt. YOS surprised me as I wasn't expecting it to be as strong & that was a plus for me. I wanted to rate this a four but just couldn't bring myself to rate it that high. This was not a total bell ringer for me but it's a pretty good VA blend... not quite sweet enough to suit me as a superior quality VA blend might. However, I feel like a little aging will work magic on this blend. Coming from a fresh tin, its semi-sweet character wasn't bad at all. It deserves at least three stars.

A blend that I would simply categorize as a decent, somewhat easy-going ribbon cut Virginia. The tin note is raisin-like with a mellow fermented tobacco aroma to go along with the typical grassy Virginia notes. Ye Olde Signe is labeled as “A Dark Virginia Blend.” However, visually it’s more of an equal-portion blend of brown and light tan ribbons with a few reddish strands present in the mix.

The general flavor is crisp, dry & brighter than I expected. I couldn't pick up on the natural tea-like scent in the tin aroma suggested by the manufacturer, however the smoke finishes with a pleasant astringency which is reminiscent of strong black tea. The flavors do deepen as the bowl warms, giving hints of citrus, toasted grain and a few subtle woodsy notes.

What I enjoyed most about smoking Ye Olde Signe is that the light astringency remains throughout the bowl but it never presses. And while the finish does become a bit spicy the smoke remains fresh tasting and slightly effervescent. The room note is that of pure tobacco, which may or may not be appreciated by the non-smoker.

Altogether a no-frills straight Virginia mixture that burns even with no bite, moderate strength and a consistent flavor profile.

Why do we smoke a pipe? Is it because we enjoy the flavor of the many varied blends of pipe tobaccos produced? That's the only reason I smoke a pipe... because I enjoy the flavor of many pipe tobacco blends... some are wimpy, worthless, bland, lacking any, or in some "cases" too much flavor & bite you like a hungry Grizzly. Some are strong with good flavor that smoke mildly which is my preference. At the charring light, I didn't think I was going to like this due to a little bite. Using the DGT method, that issue was resolved. Ye Olde Signe is just a simple, straight-up, no frills VA blend with some Vitamin N punch. This blend like all pure VAs is best served up in a deeper bowl to achieve maximum flavor & a tastier smoke.

Was there a great deal of flavor? Not initially but like a VA blend, it gets a little sweeter & tastier after some has burned off. Was it like the Ye Olde Signe of old? I wouldn't have a clue but have read it was one of the finest VAs on the market. Was this re-release VA blend sweet on the palate?... not much initially but the VA sweetness increased after about 1/3 had burned off. Still, not a great deal of sweetness compared to some but enough to satisfy my taste buds toward the end & left a lingering sweetness on my palate for a little while after finishing off the mix in a large Cavicchi Dublin. Also, this blend isn't that moist to begin with & has a fairly fast burn rate. I just dry out enough to get a little crispy & fill a bowl using the 1,2,3 method. In that respect, it required only one relight after picking & tamping. There was hardly any condensation produced but the dottle was a little moist. Now, as I have spent this much time writing this review, I can still taste a slight, lingering sweetness. I can't comment much on the strength because I don't inhale but I believe it would most likely rise above the medium & closer to the strong category.

As stated earlier, I'm just into pipe smoking for the sheer pleasure of a fine tobacco flavor with a little punch that will absorb into membranes rather than pave my lungs with nicotine asphalt. YOS surprised me as I wasn't expecting it to be as strong & that was a plus for me. I wanted to rate this a four but just couldn't bring myself to rate it that high. This was not a total bell ringer for me but it's a pretty good VA blend... not quite sweet enough to suit me as a superior quality VA blend might. However, I feel like a little aging will work magic on this blend. Coming from a fresh tin, its semi-sweet character wasn't bad at all. It deserves at least three stars.

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