Craven Craven Aromatic (Original)

Smoked a couple of packs of this in my early pipe smoking days,before I found a proper tobacconists. The only thing I liked about it was the topping,kind of a flowerey taste, apart from that it burns hot and is harsh. I won't be buying it again.

Tastes just like Clan to me, a tobacco I dislike intensely. Craven came dry in the pouch as though it were some fossilised form of sugar which had begun to break down from indifference or lack of attention. One to avoid. Seriously.

Have smoked this quite a few times and always have some lying around in a pouch or jar.. Pouches can be dry or moist, i don't mind either because the difference has a certain effect on how this blend tastes: it can be quite a transformer. Opinions of it amongst those I know who smoke and enjoy it vary in the taste descriptions which I find interesting ;its as if your own pipe or mouth brings out unique identity in it. Its an enigmatic va/bur I think.

First time I smoked it I felt it was a burley forward (maybe uncased brown Cavendish)ready rubbed with a milky cocoa factor which I think I would attribute to the burley within. In fact anybody familiar in the UK of having had the breakfast cereal of 'chocolate ready brek' porridge ,this was a dead ringer in taste(when smoked in a Brentford pipe outside on a freezing winter porch in the evening).

Later pouches have filled the gaps between my taste and the opinions of others having smoked it moister and in different shaped falcon bowls. It tastes slightly different when smoked indoors. Lately I feel the base tobacco has a more matured Virginia forward citrusy /burnt orange delivery over the burley ; the effect is a slight (and you have to use your imagination) chocolate orange factor of the natural tobacco's , its not an added casing or topping..

Of the aromatic property; yes it has one, and this depending on how dry or moist your pouch is will determine the reasons why opinions differ on the actual overall tasting experience. The aromatic factor is more of a topping I recon ,this tobacco doesn't seem cased to me because it burns too cool and there is no bite. The aromatic taste is of a curious limey/grapefruit with a very green shrubby coniferous slightly bitter but sweet cool taste as well (green tea maybe) : Almost menthol but not quite ; it reminds me of that smell of conifer hedge trimmings and chewing supposedly poisonous berries as a kid(to taste what the birds eat before I would spit it out).. Anyhow I like it for this peculiarity ;also if blown out of the nostrils you get a sort of mild zesty Vicks vaporub pow factor that brings you to your senses.

Similar contemporaries would be the discontinued 'Parsons Pleasure' In the matured and ripe fermented Virginia side of the taste , with a smidegeon of bobs chocolate flake in the burley side of it ;but of the aromatic factor I don't feel Craven aromatic has any equal contemporary ;it is unique but not overpowering either. Really its like the aroma of playing in the bushes as a kid.

Aging or drying the pouch out some does make a difference and delivers a more cocoa burley surprise later. 'Surprise' kind of sums up my experience with this over the last 5 years..

Worth a solid 3 stars *** with me.

Oh dear, where should I begin on this... The smell from the pack is actually OK, smells like caramel/molasses; nothing too interesting. The smoke itself is cool but it has some tongue bite and the taste is just flat soooo flaaaaaat. I actually had the taste of really old banana with this stuff. Just avoid this stuff please. This goes as one of the worst tobaccos I have ever tasted. Runner up to Brokum Riff tobaccos.

Some very interesting observations on this tobacco.

Like DrDyson I too have great affection for Craven as a manufacturer recalling my days of cigarette smoking in the 70's with the likes of Black Cat.

Also, like Ex20 I found the contents of this pouch was dryer than a teenagers toothbrush and the consistency, indeed, like old leaf tea.

It was taken back and I insisted the Tesco's personage checked all of the pouches before settling on one that seemed to have retained some moisture. I bet Tesco's won't withdraw those I rejected, and some other poor sod get a dry pack. I have a suspicion that they don't sell many of these anyway...

Ah yes the tobacco.

Dry it certainly is and a pleasant pouch aroma. It has a mild creamy taste, but no room note at all. It's pretty ordinary really and not a million miles from Gold Block.

Together with Gold Block this blend is possibly the best of the supermarket brands.

*UPDATE*

6 years on and this blend is now called Craven 'Original', and the observations I made at the time are much the same.

The pouch aroma is what lifts this blend above other OTC's. I don't know if this still counts in the UK as an OTC or indeed if it can still be obtained from supermarkets. Certainly since my fun and games with Tesco I've never seen it since, even behind those ridiculous metal shutters where they hide their tobacco products.

If I could get this locally then I'd certainly have it in my cupboard for picking out as a regular smoke, along with St Bruno's flake.

I have a lingering affection for the Craven name, and a sort of forlorn hope of one day stumbling upon a fully satisfactory Craven Mixture sub (any suggestions?); so I thought I'd give this a go to see if it's any better than the Craven Ready Rubbed that has been so soundly thrashed elsewhere in these reviews.

Bleccch! The man who invented or blended this abomination ought to have been boiled in oil; or, even better, made to smoke it. I confess that I haven't smoked much of it; but I didn't need to. I bought some at Tesco's, took it home and lit up. Shortly afterwards, Klio (cat) left the room with a reproachful look and went outside to bother some mice; I was left alone with this apology for a tobacco. SWMBO was out, fortunately, or I should have been in real trouble.

This is desperate stuff. I feel much more strongly about it than previous reviewers, for some reason. Like its ready rubbed brother, Craven Aromatic is in my view dreadful: coarse, cheap, nasty, and an offence to all right-thinking nostrils. It's admittedly cool and slow-burning; but if ‘aromatic' means ‘smells fit to render you senseless', this is aromatic and then some. Smoke it, and death will lose its sting, but you won't have any friends. This is the worst kind of mass-produced supermarket floor-sweepings, with added smell.

I see that it has its devotees. Well, best of luck to you, says I; each to his own, etc.. Strange, how tastes can vary. Personally, I wouldn't put a match to this sorry concoction again for all the rice in China. A 100% no-no, as far as I'm concerned: awful, awful, awful.

This, along with Clan, was one of the first pipe tobaccos I bought - being readily available in 25g pouches. As soon as I opened the pouch I figured something was wrong, although it smelled OK it had the consistency and dryness of loose tea. I smoked about four harsh bowls of the stuff and was going to bin the rest but thought better of it and sent it back to BAT. They replaced it with a new pouch - see below.

The tobacco is moist in the pouch with a sweet mild fruit smell. Easy to pack in the pipe and burns well. However the flavour is pretty nondescript and the smoke has a peppery aftertaste that irritates the back of the nostrils. It doesn't offend but if you're looking for a readily available aromatic seek out Clan or Erinmore as they are much more tasty. This is pretty bland and rough.

Good room note as it says on the pouch - "appreciated by the smoker and those around him"

There's not much that can be said about Craven Aromatic: it's just another one of those middle of the road 'supermarket' aromatics.

This is a rather dark mixture of pressed virginias, lighter ribbon and rough-cut leaf. It's scent is not very distinct, being a mix of dried vegetable with a flat fruity note.

Sadly Craven doesn't manage to clearly distinguish itself when smoked. Having a slightly limey back and a generic summer fruit casing that dominates the centre, that is common to countless aromatics.

Nothing to write home about, or to write any more about.

Pretty much the same review as Holland House to be fair. I did find this a little 'hot' but that was probably my fault trying to get some strength out of it. Most of these aromatic types can be layered in the pipe rather like St Bruno on Gold Block on St Bruno and so on. I used to do the same with different Gawith flakes/mixtures.

Craven-Craven Aromatic.

I must admit, I had quite low expectations for this, I think for a moment I was allowing myself to become the proverbial tobacco snob who frowns upon OTC blends!

When I opened my pouch and took a whiff my first thought was 'aromatic?', seems a bit of a misnomer, the only smell I can trace is a woody/cedar one. On the plus side its moisture level is perfect from the pouch, I love it when imminent smoking can take place and that's the situation with this. As I said, it's of great hydration and this takes a massive role in allowing lighting it up to be straight forward and simple. I do enjoy the flavour of the smoke, but aromatic? Come on! Again, like I found upon opening the pouch up the only extra taste I get is a woody/cedar one. Other than that it's your archetypal VaBur flavour, and quite an evenly balanced one at that. I find the smoke medium in temperature and for me it doesn't bite. I would say that the amount of nicotine is mild to medium, and that's medium at a push.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I had low expectations for this based on bias but after a few bowls I am going to make the bold move of giving it four stars. A very surprising blend!