House of Windsor Field & Stream

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.