Paul Olsen BS 759

I bought some of this in Amsterdam from PGC Hajenius, badged as "My Own Blend Hajenius 759" - it looks to be the same stuff, 100g of lovely rich English mixture. Their shop by the way is a delight, I wish I'd had more time to explore, but was on my way to catch a train. As an aside, apart from numerous people smoking unusual herbs, Amsterdam boasts an excellent pipe museum, which I heartily recommend to any pipe smoker visiting.

I've opened this just as I've come to the end of a tin of Black House, another 759 clone, so while I've never tried the original, I can certainly compare the two.

This tobacco is drier than the Black House, at the lowest end of dry that I think is good for smoking: any drier and it would be brittle. Another difference is that the ribbon cut is a little finer and more even, which I prefer. It's more like the mixtures I'm more familiar with so I find it a little easier to handle and prepare. The aroma in the tin is of smoke, leather, old furniture, and rather less sweet than Black House - they are Berry similar though.

The dry ribbon packs easily and the dryness helps avoid stuffing it too tight. It lights easily, sometimes with a slight herbal note at the match before the smokey latakia opens up and the show begins. A black tea flavour predominates at the start, smoke in the background and noticeably less sweet than Black House. Latakia smoke builds up through the bowl, with leather and woody notes and just a hint of spice toward the end. The Cavendish certainly smooths it out and gives a creamy background, but in this blend it's not so sweet.

There's no bite, it doesn't overheat, dottle is minimal. Nicotine content is about average, its not strong but reasonably rich tasting. I've been enjoying this and the 100g is going quicker than I'd expected! All in all, a nice blend, and one I'll buy again if I visit Amsterdam in the future.