J. F. Germain & Son Plum Cake Mixture

I'm working my way through a few Germain's tobaccos at the moment, this being the second. After the first, I was hoping for something good, so let's see.

The tin aroma is mild and fruity, not that strong to be honest though, I do like to have a good waft when I first open the packet. After very easy packing and lighting, I found the smoke a little disappointing, there is hint of fruit in there, not sure if it could be described as plum, and a half decent tobacco flavour but it can get rough at a moments notice for no apparent reason and back again. The roomnote follows a similar fashion.

In summary, a reasonable smoke that doesn't really do what it says on the tin with a hint of multiple personality disorder to boot.

Update 12th July 2013

Strange that I can't remember that I'd reviewed this one already, mustn't have been smoking it properly. Anyway, having bought a tin on a recent visit to my local shop, its now time to correct my mistake.

There's a small honey farm on the English side of the border with Scotland, it sits just up the road from the world's oldest suspension bridge still to carry road traffic. It produces, in my humble opinion, the nicest honey going. The tin aroma from this stuff reminds me of that very honey, not quite what I expected from a tobacco with Plum Cake written on the tin but none the less encouraging. The fine shag, again I find myself with a Germain's offering described as broken flake yet so finely cut, is relatively easy to pull apart and packs so nicely. The lighting is so easy, once again our friends from Jersey get the moisture levels just perfect. The first taste from this is a mild whiff of plum. The first couple of smokes of this did get a bit rough and that yucky boot polish taste from the black cavendish (or cavendish like pressed virginia if the description is to be believed) came through and wasn't particularly pleasant. However, I did read Smokey Sam's review above and decided to take my subsequent smokes a lot more slowly, probably the best decision I ever made. The taste flows from one of a brief sampling of plum to that oh so fine honey described above and stays like that to the bottom of the bowl. And it takes a good while to smoke too, even on a small bowlful. This is a tactic I've that I've begun to adopt with all my tobaccos and works well with all of them, though all the Germain's offerings I have seem to benefit the most.

In summary then, an excellent smoke if taken slowly, and worth every single extra second it takes to smoke as a result. It's like that beautiful, sophisticated girl at the bar or the gym, go in all macho and she'll bite your head off, go in and all honey tongued and she'll reward with so much sweetness you'll wonder why you never tried that tactic before. But then I'm happily single, so what do I know?

There is an almost bizarre characteristic to the topping applied to Plum Cake. The tin note refers to it in a mysterious kind of tone that mixes well with the idea of, well, a cake made with plums. To be honest, I've never had such a concoction, but the idea alone got me thinking that this might be something of an interesting smoke.

That it is. The flavor, whatever it is, reminded me very much of the uproar over the tonquin additive applied to 1792. You can get a feel of that reading the reviews here. There is really no comparison, however, in strength. 1792 will rip you apart while Plum Cake will, at best, set you in motion on a rocking chair.

It's an appealing package, presented with a slick graphic that seems to invoke poppy plants rising through a thick cloud. The cut alone is a great novelty, the tobacco itself dense as a cake, consisting of a highly compressed, almost shag-like collection of blonde and black strands.

I enjoyed RCUSElder's poetic tribute to the blend, and I think that fits well. Plum Cake takes you back to a time more simple in its demands. I would love to smoke this on a cold winter day when the smell of burning firewood wafts through the air. You know, I think I'll do that. Winter's just a few months away.

Bought a tin on a whim.

Smoked the first bowl... Ordered 4 more.

Former Somm and currently still in the wine Bussiness, so when I read about a tobacco that had been cured/marinated with wine I was both intrigued and skeptical all at once.

The smell in the tin is fantastic and took me back... In my younger years I consulted for a slew of restaurants and in building their cellars I'd always break a bottle of red on the floor to "baptize" it- but more importantly to make it smell like a wine cellar.

There's a certain dank grapey-plumminess mixed that sour tang of fermentation that is so very personal that smelling it ina tobacco sent me reeling.

Deeper olfactory examination of the fine and fluffy shag begins to reveal bitter-spice elements (someone before said Italian bitters which is spot on).

On the palate (sip this!!!) it fills your palette with that same wineniness found in the tin and the back-end unfurls with a panoply of dark sweet bitters and tobacco flavor proving the skill, ultimately, that went into creating such a daring (but balanced and delicious) blend.

I like it.

It's a grown-ass-man's aromatic.

Properly, it is a scented tobacco that the Brits seem to pull of brilliantly.

Everyone should try this- but everyone shouldn't expect to like.

This is another traditional Germain's blend that comes in a fine ribbon, almost shag cut. Opening the tin, there's the sweet, fruity smell of dessert wine and aniseed. The tobacco tends to be quite moist, so you might want to dry it.

It's important not to fill your pipe too tightly, because it tends to burn rather hot and fast. I usually use the air pocket method. It lights and burns nicely, producing a dense smoke.

The taste actually delivers the honey sweetness promised on the tin with strong notes of aniseed or licorice as well as something flowery like lavender. Personally, despite the name I can't detect any plums or prunes in the aroma. Towards the end of the bowl some bitter notes like dark roasted coffee appear, and there's a lingering aftertaste. Enjoyed with leisure, it burns down coolly and dryly to some greying ash.

The room note is rather unobtrusive and sweetish.

J. F. Germain - Plum Cake.

A pleasant looking shag with a couple of larger pieces. The unlit note's fruity, and because this was supplied bulk the moisture's good.

The smoke's pleasant, to me. A natural fruitiness comes from the Virginia and is enhanced by the added plum flavour. This extra flavouring refrains from becoming too sweet, or gloopy. It burns well and gives a bite free smoke.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Germaine's Plum Cake? Very good. Four stars:

Highly recommended.

I guess I am the black sheep here, because this the bomb for me. I am normally not into aromatics, I wouldn't touch'em with a poker, but i found this one so unique and special that I would not count it as an "aromatic".

The cut is shag and the tin aroma is indeed very special. As always I will try to compare with foods: Aniseed, overly ripe oranges, dank store-room (yes I know, it is not food, and somehow or other it is meant positively) and Tawny Port. A strange mix indeed, but when lit, it produces the sweetest buttery smoke one could imagine.

The leaf is of outstanding quality and I sense some insignificant amount of orientals in it. It burns well, packs enough nic. to make me happy and does not bite at all. Normally I like some hot Earl Grey with my pipes, but somehow this does not work at all, because the fragrant aromas of both would mix in a negative way. Instead try some rich red Port wine with it, and sit back and dream away: This will tickle your tastebuds and lead your thoughts far away from the grey and dull everyday life.

The best (non-) aromatic I have ever tried, and I will explore the whole Germain line from now on.

***** Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark *****

Wow! This blend is sublime. I know it divides opinion, but the best blends often do. Upon opening the tin you are greeted with a predominantly yellow shag (or at least very fine ribbon) with black flecks, which has been pressed into a block. The smell from the tin is wonderfully rich, deep, fruitiness. The tobacco benefits from 15-30 mins drying time to really make it sing.

Plum Cake Mixture lights easily and rewards when packed correctly. It needs to be sipped or it could potentially bite. The casing, though sweet and fruity, is clearly derived from natural flavourings and I detect no chemicals whatsoever. Additionally there is a proper spiciness to the smoke which tickles the back of the nose on exhaling, similar to that of Perique. Lovely.

Alongside the quality Virginia and "plum" flavours is a touch of anise and an almost powdery element. Someone mentioned that this blend transports them to Victorian England and I can see why. This is what we imagine the world used to taste like.

The nicotine level is low, but this is not a weak smoke. To someone who usually favours strong blends, I still find myself satisfied by this blend.

It is a delight. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

Don't be swayed by negative reviews. If you think this blend may appeal to you, grab a tin and find out for yourself.

Ordering this was purely serendipitous...When ordering holiday tobaccos from Smokingpipes, one of my choices was out of stock...In a mad scramble to replace the o.o.s. tobacco I defaulted to Germain simply because I like and trust their blends...Lo and behold Plum Cake...Well, Plum Cake, plum pudding...Close enough...One of the most tasty aromatics I've encountered...Perfect balance of prime tobaccos and plum flavoring...Thank-you Smokingpipes for being o.o.s. with C&D's Christmas offering...Plum Cake is not something I can afford on a daily basis but I will reorder a few tins for special occasions like changing my socks and underwear, or taking the dog for her daily walks...Perfect strength, perfect taste...Burns clean to a white ash and the room note couldn't be better...What more could you ask for in an aromatic!?!

Teaching an old dog new tricks....

Parable: A city slicker stops at a general store out in the country. As he nears the store he spys an older gentleman sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, with a dog lying next to him, blocking the front door. As he approaches the dog raises up and looks at the stranger. Apprehensive, the city slicker asks the old man, "mister, does your dog bite?" The bib overall wearing country gent replies, "no sir, my dog doesn't bite." As the stranger nears the dog, it turns and bites him in the leg. The stranger angrily turns to the older man and says, "I thought you told me that your dog didn't bite!" To which the codger replies dryly, "that's not my dog."

Pipe tobaccos have personalities, just like people or animals. Some dogs, such as the family yellow Labrador retriever, will allow two year olds to pull on their ears and tail, ride them like a pony, and will generally allow themselves to be abused. They show no aggression and will often just grin and wag their tails at the silliness of it all. Carefree, user friendly, pipe tobaccos in this category would be Frog Morton Cellar and Larry's blend. They don't care how they're smoked, wet, dry, sipped, or puffed - it makes little difference. They just continue to act amicably.

Smoking my first bowl of J. F. Germain & Son Plumcake, I treated it like the family Labrador, showing it little respect. I packed a fairly moist bowl tightly, lit it aggressively, and puffed on it like a freight train going up a grade. Germain's Plumcake showed its dissatisfaction of my treatment, and turned around and bit me in the leg. In fact, my tongue bite and mouth burn was so bad that I couldn't smoke a pipe for three days - lesson learned. Thank goodness for Biotene!

Today, two weeks later, I thought that I would see if I could make friends with the beast. The tin that I opened had been packed very moist. The wax paper inside was discolored and several strands of the broken flake had fused to the paper. On the other side of the tin, there was a divot where I had filled my first bowl. This tobacco was fairly dry, and looked promising. Picking up a pinch of the golden tobacco it fell apart loosely, and looked and felt reminiscent of South Carolina delta Spanish moss. Using the three layer method, I allowed three pinches to settle into the pipe extremely loosely. I used my pinkie and put the tiniest possible amount of pressure on the tobacco. My second layer was the same. Only at the top layer, did I put the lightest resistance. This time I was showing the Rotweiler respect.

I lit the bowl, not as if stoking the fires of Hell, but gently, using only enough fire to get the bowl burning. I slowly sipped the pipe. When the bowl on my vintage Bennington Irish briar got hot, I stopped puffing and put the pipe down. The result was a satisfying two hour smoke. This time there was zero tongue bite, and I didn't even have to drink anything to accompany the pipe. I could faintly taste the fruit topping. The loosely packed pipe puffed easily. I did not touch my tamper, but used my little finger to GENTLY tamp the tobacco when it would not relight. The tobacco burned all the way to the bottom of the bowl. There was only the finest powdery white ash, and absolutely no dottle - a satisfying three star experience.

Some dogs are gentle, and some will bite you in the leg. Those latter dogs, and tobaccos, require one to show the proper respect and let their personalities dictate how they need to be handled. Germain's Plumcake taught me a new lesson. I guess its never too late for an old dog to learn a new trick.