Dunhill Ye Olde Signe (Re-release)

Marvelous classic Virginia flavor. If this somehow pales to the original I would give my right arm to have some of that "backy"!! This is a very tasteful blend with succulent sweetness and a nice tart characteristic which appeals to my nose upon exhaling. This is what tobacco should taste like. No frills or flavorings, just consistent smoking pleasure. Easy to light, burns evenly with few relights. Virginia's, Vapers and Latakia blends are my smorgasbord of tobaccos and this blend has found it's permanent place in the Virginia category of my pallette. Try some, if you like Virginia's you will not be disappointed. Very much recommended.

I thought I was a veteran smoker until I tried this tobacco.Several times. Found it to smoke bitter.The nicotine component is not the issue.Royal Yacht that I smoked a tin of two years ago was FAR better.I think this could use some aging,say two to five years.So,that is what I am doing.I’ll give it a chance.Maybe it’s just me and the PH level in my mouth,but a newer tin of Standard Mixture Medium was bitter,also.

The smell in the tin reminds me of J. F. Germain & Son - Royal Jersey Perique Mixture somehow. The fermented Virginias are musty, chocolaty and have a definite black tea like smell or is it the cut that reminds more of tea?

Oddly enough, when smoked it has a lot of hay, earth and a spicy cigarlike taste, not much sweetness but some oats round up the flavor profile. Nicotine is on the full medium level making it a good after lunch or dinner tobacco. Could be an all day smoke for experienced Virginia smokers.

Virginia lover

(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.

To me this is the most interesting of the latest Dunhill re-releases. Described as " A Dark Virginia Blend" on the lid, this is supposed to be a classic English pipe tobacco.

It's a loose ribbon cut of medium to dark brown color. Suprising for a straight Virginia blend, the delicious, sweetish tin note has hints of nuts, chocolate, aniseed, cloves and dried fruits, which makes me wonder if there's a light casing involved. However, the scent doesn't seem synthetic to me.

I prefer the Frank method for filling the bowl. Even though the tobacco seems a little moist in a fresh tin, so you might want to let it dry a little, a god charring and true light will usually do the job.

Right from the start, it's clear that this is rather a full-boddied smoke as far as taste and niccotine content are concerned. There's a complex, deep nutty, chocolaty, malty sweetness combined with dark, flowery, earthy notes that become more pronounced towards the end. Tamped down occasionally, it'll burn down evenly leaving some grayish ash.

The room note is not a crowd pleaser, but tolerable.

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!

Oh my...this blend is pretty strong. It always shock me how this straight Virginia can be so strong. Flavor is natural with some hints of tea-like aroma. I cannot enjoy it. My tin goes to the friend of mine. He will enjoy it better. 🙂