House of Windsor Field & Stream

My first two-ounce tin of F&S was bequeathed to me as a holiday gift from a professional acquaintence a few years back when I had first started pipe-smoking. I was so excited to open the tin up (having never had a tin before, only cheap mall tobacconist pouches full of shredded tinder). Immediately, the aroma wafted from the tin and enchanted me. I can't catagorize the aroma definitively, but I certainly would not characterize it as "old lady perfume" or "soap". I think "floral" is more accurate. However one chooses to describe it, I found it heavenly. I'm sure that smoking F&S, back when my only concern was not enduring the embarassment of having the pipe go out, I burned my mouth, esophagus, and had the kind of tongue bite that only a bear trap can deliver. Despite the pain, that delicious aroma kept me wanting more. But a years-long haitus from smoking ensued, and those memories are lost.

I am now a far more experienced and patient man. And this is key. About the time I chose to re-enter the life of bowl and stem, I was on my way to my father's boat for a canyon fishing trip (60 miles off the NJ shore). I passed Greentree Tobacco in Washington Township (a wonderful place for pipe-smokers in South Jersey) and eagerly picked up another two-ounce tin of F&S, and a Corncob pipe (I wasn't about to lose one of my two briars overboard). That was a about 6 weeks ago, and I am just about finished the tin. Here are my thoughts:

I love this blend. My enjoyment of pipe smoking comes less from nuanced tastes than from the overall sensory experience of smoking, and it is this holistic view that lends itself to really enjoying F&S. As noted throughout the reviews, the tin art is wonderful. Just fall into the scene and everything will be okay in this world. Every time I open the tin, from the first opening to just this evening when only a couple pipes-full of tobacco are left, I am greeted by an aroma I wish I could bottle. Closing my eyes and inhaling the heavenly vapors, I am transported to a wild-flower laden field next to a gurgling stream. I'm in heaven. I look into the tin and find hearty chunks of tobacco, colored as if I just splashed my warm mug of coffee with a touch of cream, and the carmel and darker brown colors are mingling together. I reach in and feel the satisfying texture betwixt my fingers, and watch it fill my bowl. The light releases the aroma, and I sit, relax, and just enjoy the sight of the curling smoke licking at the currents of air on my back deck, the smell of the smoke, and the feel of a comfortable pipe in my hand and my mouth. The complete sensory experience. Is there anything better?

Some notes on smoking F&S:

Experiment! After packing light and heavy and everywhere in between, I find filling to the top, tamping down lightly to 3/4 full, then overfilling and tamping down to full is best. Using a heavy hand on the tamper never gave me good results. After lighting, I make judicial use of the tamper, making sure that the tobacco doesn't expand too much as it burns down the bowl.

Experiment with pipes as well. I've had the best smokes of my life with F&S in my Missouri Meerschaum. Something about the briars that keeps F&S from burning well for me.

While I do get bitten now and again, everything about the smoking experience with F&S keeps me wanting to learn how to smoke it better.

One week ago, I would have rated the strength as Mild, but three days ago, after puffing away in a particularly determined manner, my head swam for an hour.

I'm a poor judge of room note, since I always smoke outside. I base my 'pleasant' response on the fact that I love catching whiffs of the smoke in my nose, and that my wife, who hates that I smoke at all, said, in reponse to the 'room note query', "I don't want to encourage you, so I'm not going to say anything." Certainly sounds like she likes it, but doesn't want to admit it, for fear that mouth cancer is sure to follow.

In sum, I highly recommend this blend to anyone who hasn't tried it. I don't recommend it because you are guaranteed to like it, but you certainly owe it to yourself to experience this unique blend. Some hate it, some love it. Try it, and work with it, and see where you fall. As for me, I'll be looking out for a ten-ounce tin next.

I decided to give a free sample of F&S a try, after reading that President Gerald Ford was a fan of this. The aroma is pleasant, the strength is nearly overwhelming after a full bowl, and it?s best smoked in the car or wherever else pipes are tolerated. F&S doesn?t have a luxurious flavor but it?s entertaining.

I am hesitant to throw in my 2 cents worth for a tobacco I don't like, but I guess I'll kick a man while he's down. Little chunks of tobacco reminding me of the texture of Edgeworth Ready Rub, smells like soapy perfume, tastes the same. A bit of tongue bite as well. I love the tin art though, and I recognize that this may be an acquired taste. I wonder if this would be better in a pipe well caked with only this tobacco? I will never know. I love old school stuff though, which is why it's hard for me to do this review without feeling like I just yelled at an old man in front of his wife. If you like Mixture 79 this would be a nice addition to your rotation.

I think that Redd nailed this one, saying "FS. is a slighly better version of MIXTURE 79."

This, of course, is not saying much for the virtues of F&S, which is but another soapy, licorice flavored repugnance.

On a positive note, it's difficult to find. :^)

I was prompted to buy this tobacco because I read that President Ford liked it. I wanted to like it. Sorry to say that the soapy perfume taste was not for me. It took a while to get the taste out of my pipe. Harsh and hot.

Ok, so this review may be a bit biased. I have to admit to loving this tobacco since childhood...No I didn't smoke it..I remember seeing the ads in Field and Stream, Sports Afield, and Outdoor life, and thinking wow....that looks cool, a man's smoke. I have wanted to try Field and stream since then. And after taking up the pipe again after a 15 year hiatus, was pleased to see that HOW brought this old time classic back. (When I smoked before in the late eighties, F&S was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND), Well got my 2oz sampler on Monday and since then have smoked three bowls. WOW, it is so nice in life when our expectations and hopes match reality....I love this baccy, the licorice flavor is right up my alley, I love the fact that this burns so dry and cool and the flavor lasts through the bowl. I can see where this would not be for everyone, but for me...its my new favorite.

This is the first "floral" type tobacco I have ever tried. In the tin it is a good smelling aromatic with what I recognize as burley being the predominent facet of the blend. Then I lit my first bowl. It is a unique scent that hits the nose right away soapy to say the least, but as I kept puffing I had to note that there was no bite or odd taste from the tobacco and was rather mild. I could not detect any maple or anise flavor but it wasn't a bad flavor either. Odd the room note for me was not the flavor in my mouth well maybe a bit on the after taste but I just tasted tobacco. Anyway I feel this is a good intro to the floral type blends for the price is so low. Upon smoking the tin I will go back and try Bourbon Street and give a lil contrast comparison review. Worth a shot for something completely different.

Of the five different HOW blends I've tried, Field & Stream was perhaps the toughest to deal with. Was I smoking road kill from the Field or dead fish from the Stream? Take your pick, there was little I liked about this blend. For that matter, none of the HOW blends I tried really grabbed me. This blend may have some history about it, having been around a long time, although it escapes me how. Perhaps it was 'state of the art' in blending at some time, but thankfully times have changed for the better. There is little to recommend here...maybe just saying that it burned in a pipe is enough. Even the Country Doctor can't (or shouldn't) save this blend from a flat taste, so-so room note and overall disappointment. I tossed what I didn't smoke of this, not even thinking about possibly ageing it or blending it with something else. Why ruin another blend mixing this in?

This tobacco (to me) is what I call a 'classic cut' in that it's not really a cube, definitely not a ribbon (as is stated in the description above) but is more of a plug cut in style.

The tobacco in the pouch smells "different" in a Gawith and Hoggarth way and is the perfect humidity to fill and light.

For about 10 years I was a tobacconist. The old men used to come in with their pouches of "drug-store" tobacco and would not really tamp the tobacco into the bowl; They would literally dip the pipe into the pouch and let the tobacco fill the bowl and dip the pipe again until the bowl was full; then they'd take their finger and gently press the tobacco down, light up, tamp again and smile. A true gravity fill?. This is how I fill a pipe with Field and Stream for best results.

The tobacco, upon lighting, has an aromatic quality but not in the way we think of aromatics in general. This is more of a G&H type of aromatic. The predominant flavor that I get out of this blend is licorice..and plenty of it!

F&S is medium in strength, enough to fulfull my taste for stronger tobaccos. The tobacco stays lit well and smokes pretty darn consistently all the way down. Nothing complicated and somehow charming in that "old school" sort of way.

If you are looking for natural tobacco then this isn't for you. Mostly Burley but the flavoring is going to be one of those things that you either like or hate. Thoroughly enjoyable but not recommended to those who don't like licorice! Fortunately I do.

Well first of all, the obvious. The tobacco description listed in the heading isn't even close. If you go to the HOW website, they describe F&S as "100% rectangular-cut burley blend with a traditional maple, licorice and other flavorings".

That out of the way: this is a nice, smooth, cool burning all burley smoke that is about as retro as it gets. There are those who are put off by the licorice flavoring, which for me tends to burn into a somewhat floral note. In this blend it's not over the top and it's actually nicely balanced by the barely discernable maple (and apparently "other") flavors. A few minutes into each bowl I find the flavors settling down and the slow burning burley comes into it's own. It smokes down to the nubs without any souring or bite at all. Makes a great "puttering in the shop" kind of tobacco, with enough flavor to remind you of why you took up the pipe in the first place. The room note is very agreeable.

I recommend you avoid the pouch (which other's have noted tends to be too dry) and buy one of the 2 or 4 oz. tins: they come with just the right moisture and seem to be fresher.

I'm surprised that I seem to be in the minority here, I really enjoy this blend. I'm an full english lover and was wonderfully surprised by this blend. It has wonderful licorice/marshmallo tin aroma and room note. It is a very even and consistant blend,burns nicely and evenly, never harsh, no bite. Very enjoyable and a great price as a bonus. I made another call to House of Windsor (those guys are great to speak with and enjoy talking about their lines) and found out some trivia about this blend. President Gerald Ford and Attorney General John Mitchell smoked this blend. I also get lots of compliments from family members who enjoy the room note. Last but not least, I also enjoy the art work on the tin. I suggest giving it a try, I don't think you will be let down

As much as I'd like to enjoy this old classic I cannot. This blend taste like licorice perfume. It taste's foul, will foul your pipe, and is probably the nastiest tasting blend I have ever had. That said aromatic fans and licorice lovers will probably LOVE this blend and should completely disregard my review. Had I known of the licorice/soap/perfume combo ahead of time I wouldn't have bothered. Sorry HOW 12/25/04 Merry Xmas!

Field & Stream may be my second favorite HOW blend, with Mapleton being no. 1. This is a powerful aromatic that makes no apologies. It has that room-filling old fashioned pipe smoke aroma which convinced many of us to take up the hobby in the first place. The aroma and taste are, I believe, dominated by licorice and perhaps maple and/or other natural flavorings. I find the flavor and aroma ro be absolutely delectable. The cut is a typical and traditional small burley cube cut that cannot be packed too tight and is easy to fill your pipe with. I keep a tub of this blend around at all times. The charring light releases a slight Gawith & Hoggarth soapy note, but this disappears completely upon the second lighting of your pipe. The one floral note released here is nothing compared to those blends produced in the Lake District of England. What I find most attractive about this blend (and Bourbon Street, for that matter) is that it has substantial strength and body; it is not one of those light aromatics that are all flavorings and aromatic agents that burn off quickly so that one if left with nothing but hot steam after a short while. I find this blend quite satisfying. I give Field & Stream a grade of "A-".

Field and Stream is bone dry in the pouch and has a somewhat sweet odor. With a sprinkle of water and a few days rest the licorice flavor pops out. Put to the test, the aroma and flavor are mild and remind me of a cheap after shave my Grandpaw used to wear. Back in the 60's.

I see where they are going with this blend. It is a respectable smoke, if you like the flavor. I do not, which is why "not my cup of tea" is a fair assessment.

This classic from the House of Windsor is one that I think most of us have just had an urge to try since the excellent P & T article. That being said it is also nice to search out tobacco that is not only of good quality, but also cheap and available. Not a bad combination at all.

This particular blend was somewhat unique. The cut in the little tinfoil pouch was a rough cube cut. Very good for outdoors smoking. It lit easily and stayed lit well. It smoked dry and clean.

The taste was what set me back. I suppose I was not thinking of Lakeland floral when I bought the tobacco, but that is what I got. Or at least a hint of it. For some this is a prize to find, for others not. I fall into the latter group.I like the floral offerings from SG and HG. This blend too I found pleasant. The floral notes were not over-pronounced nor was there any hint of bite. A cool smooth smoke when you dont want an overpowering tobacco or something fussy. All in all I would recommend giving it a try.

***And editoral addition here: This blend will leave its esscence behind in the pipe, so be careful to clean it well or dedicate a pipe to it.

This is surprisingly bad. It tastes awful, and contaminates the pipe to boot. The tin aroma is enough to turn the stomach. Blecch!

Cube cut Burley with a little flue cured Virginia, flavored with some strange something. This will goop up a pipe and make it taste and smell like the aromatic agent that this tobacco is flavored with. Burns hot,taste is middle of the road in sweetness, but the room aroma is really good. Sorry, this old blend just didn't excite me at all.

This one is another winner from the House of Windsor. It is the only pipe tobacco I ever smoked that seemed to be mentholated and I liked the effect more than I would have normally thought. It did remind me of Bourbon Street which I didn't care for one bit. This ,however, has a delicious tobacco taste underneath all of the topping. A very unique tobacco I will come back to in the future!

Another tobacco I wanted to like. I set out to try all of the "old school" tobaccos reviewed by P&T magazine.

Sadly, I did not like this much. Sort of tasted like a stronger Bond Street. For some reason I think this tobacco has the herb Deer Tongue in it, but am not sure that it does. Maybe it is the licorice topping. Either way . . . too "mentholated" for me. If you liked Bond Street, you might like this. I did not. Not saying it is a bad tobacco, just not my style.

Otherwise, a decent natural-style tobacco with cubed Burley and some bright flake. A bit dry but not too much so. No modern glycerin topping, etc.