J. F. Germain & Son Plum Cake Mixture
(2.84)
Blended from Virginia tobacco with dark cavendish and extra matured black cavendish. Flavoured with a delicate and barely discernable plum topping whose ingredients are known only to the owners of the company.
Notes: This is a traditional pipe mixture of which 80% is prepared from seven different types of Virginia leaf. The remaining 20% is a specially prepared black tobacco made from Cavendish and Negrohead. A rare air-cured leaf. This is possibly the only British made tobacco containing this particular ingredient. The unique added flavour gives an agreeable taste and pleasant aroma. Origin Channel Islands.
Details
| Brand | J. F. Germain & Son |
| Blended By | J. F. Germain & Son |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Virginia Based |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Plum |
| Cut | shag |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin, 50 grams pouch |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.84 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 20 of 21 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 07, 2014 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I've always been quite fond of aromatics, having smoked various blends. So, when I visited my local tobacconist recently I decided to get a tin of Germain's Plum Cake. I felt like trying something new and I spotted this. It was an aromatic, I liked the sound of it and I knew that it would be decent quality tobacco (having researched it) ... if nothing else.
On opening the tin I was greeted by golden shreds of tobacco and a lovely smell of fermented plum and/ or raisins. My first thought was of Victorian England (others have noted this as well; a typical English 'olde worlde' aroma). The tobacco was slightly too wet, so I let it dry out a bit over night.
This is a beautiful smoke. Flavoursome, satisfying and well behaved with no tongue-bite. I prefer it after dinner or in the morning, but you can easily smoke this all day long. The sweet-ish, fruity flavour is there but never overpowering. An all-round great tobacco. In fact, having smoked a tin of this, I have come to the conclusion that this is much better than some of the other aro's I used to smoke; much better quality tobacco and a much more natural flavour. A definite keeper.
UPDATE: After a couple of tins of this I stand by my review - great blend and I'm definitely gonna keep a tin of this in my cellar. One thing I've noticed, though, is that the tin aroma seems to diminish quite a bit after you've had the tin open for a week or two and, consequently, the smoke seems slightly less flavoursome as well. However, since I don't recall anybody else having commented on this, it could be just my imagination.
On opening the tin I was greeted by golden shreds of tobacco and a lovely smell of fermented plum and/ or raisins. My first thought was of Victorian England (others have noted this as well; a typical English 'olde worlde' aroma). The tobacco was slightly too wet, so I let it dry out a bit over night.
This is a beautiful smoke. Flavoursome, satisfying and well behaved with no tongue-bite. I prefer it after dinner or in the morning, but you can easily smoke this all day long. The sweet-ish, fruity flavour is there but never overpowering. An all-round great tobacco. In fact, having smoked a tin of this, I have come to the conclusion that this is much better than some of the other aro's I used to smoke; much better quality tobacco and a much more natural flavour. A definite keeper.
UPDATE: After a couple of tins of this I stand by my review - great blend and I'm definitely gonna keep a tin of this in my cellar. One thing I've noticed, though, is that the tin aroma seems to diminish quite a bit after you've had the tin open for a week or two and, consequently, the smoke seems slightly less flavoursome as well. However, since I don't recall anybody else having commented on this, it could be just my imagination.
Pipe Used:
Aldo Morelli, Ermanno Elite, Peterson Churchwarden
PurchasedFrom:
Brucciani Ltd
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2019 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Shag cut brown leaf with scattered pieces of black tobacco thrown in. Smells fruity and winey and if you put your nose close to the tobacco you can sense the peppery spices as well. It is quite moist and should be left for a few minutes to dry before loading to prevent a wet smoke.
This is a wonderful everyday tobacco, it reminds me a lot of Esoterica’s Tilbury. Plum Cake has the mild addition of Black Cavendish (actually not Black Cavendish) which is sweetened and aromatized but otherwise they are very similar and for my tastes these tobaccos are interchangeable. It has affinities with Uncle Tom’s and Royal Jersey Virginia as well, but to me Plum Cake is much more preferable to both: more natural tobacco taste and less aromatized. And whereas Royal Jersey Virginia tastes like an old-fashioned Danish (actually …English) tobacco, Plum Cake, despite its mild topping tastes essentially of matured Virginia done in the Germain way. The taste is sweet but not too much, a little pastry-like with a wonderful mature tobacco taste.
Strength is medium, as is nicotine, it's not a mild tobacco. Lights easily and smokes a little faster than most due to its shag cut and if dried beforehand does not need many relights. Excellent for a first smoke in the morning and very good for those who like to inhale.
A little whimsical, can only be compared to other Germain tobaccos but I really like it. Were it more easily available it could serve as one of my standard everyday tobaccos.
This is a wonderful everyday tobacco, it reminds me a lot of Esoterica’s Tilbury. Plum Cake has the mild addition of Black Cavendish (actually not Black Cavendish) which is sweetened and aromatized but otherwise they are very similar and for my tastes these tobaccos are interchangeable. It has affinities with Uncle Tom’s and Royal Jersey Virginia as well, but to me Plum Cake is much more preferable to both: more natural tobacco taste and less aromatized. And whereas Royal Jersey Virginia tastes like an old-fashioned Danish (actually …English) tobacco, Plum Cake, despite its mild topping tastes essentially of matured Virginia done in the Germain way. The taste is sweet but not too much, a little pastry-like with a wonderful mature tobacco taste.
Strength is medium, as is nicotine, it's not a mild tobacco. Lights easily and smokes a little faster than most due to its shag cut and if dried beforehand does not need many relights. Excellent for a first smoke in the morning and very good for those who like to inhale.
A little whimsical, can only be compared to other Germain tobaccos but I really like it. Were it more easily available it could serve as one of my standard everyday tobaccos.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
To me it is one of the great fruity aromatics. As soon as I opened the tin and breathed deeply i found myself salivating with thoughts of Christmas pudding. Not for everyone, but one that everyone should try at least once.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Fishermans 069
PurchasedFrom:
Online
Age When Smoked:
54
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 06, 2016 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This reminds me a bit of a rustic version of certain older Dunhill blends, royal yacht and some of the old My Mixture blends you could find at the old Dunhill store on Duke St (i believe it was). I make a distinction between new aromatics and old school aromatics. This is old school. I taste a sour plum note, and maybe hints of vanilla (but just a hint) and perhaps something else -- in fact it reminds me a bit of the flavoring of old Fribourg and Treyer snuffs, the perfumed ones that used Arrak and Violet. Out of the tin it looks like an old Dunhill blend, too. Finely cut. Mildly moist. Whatever this *black* tobacco is, you can taste it. And this is what gives it this quality of rustic or traditional English pipe tobacco. I love it, I have to say. It may not be the most complex, though it has some complexity to be sure, and it can burn hot if you aren't careful, but overall this is a fine Virginia based old aromatic. High quality throughout. In fact all the Germain & Son tobaccos are quite high quality and I think somewhat neglected.
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 10, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
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 taste full Aromatics I've ever encountered...Perfect balance of prime tobaccos and plum flavoring...Thank you Smokingpipes for being o.o.s. for my first choice...Plum Cake is not something I can afford on a daily basis but, I will re-order a few tins for special occasions like changing my socks and/or taking the dog for her daily walks...Perfect strength...Perfect taste...Burns to a clean, white ash...And the room note couldn't be better...What more could you ask for in an Aromatic!?!
Pipe Used:
various for testing
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh from Smokingpipes
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 01, 2013 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
The first time I opened a tin of Plumcake not being a fan of black licorice, or the Anise flavor I was worried, as the smell of black licorice filled the air, but as tobacco often never tastes like what it smells like I gave it a go, and as I lit the her up I was happy no real strong licorice flavor, maybe a hint, but paired with what other flavors tingling my senses it was ok, for a long time I was never sure what all I was tasting, I just knew that I liked it, and the more I smoked it, the more I liked it and noticed the different spice notes, a carnival of flavors if you will, but now I believe (and this is just a guess) there may be a small amount of tonquin bean hiding in there
Pipe Used:
Big Casino Dublin, I prefer it in a larger bowl
PurchasedFrom:
Allegheny Smoke Works
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 20, 2012 | Medium | Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
To my taste this is the ideal "outdoor" blend. I generally smoke this in a small bowl pipe when I'm gardening or kayaking etc. and its ideal for that. Full taste, satisfying with an almost "peppery" note, you can taste the cavendish. Importantly, I found it to be a great burning tobacco as others have noted- stays lit very well and burns right down to fine ash. Its very lightly cased, you don't get a lot of sweetness once out of the tin, although as noted it does have an intriguing "nose" in the tin. If you are looking for a nice outdoor blend look no further
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 14, 2010 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
Just like some of the other reviewers here I find the flavour of Germain's Plum Cake slighty difficult to categorise. Vanilla, fennel and licorace with some sweet damp hay? I don't know, but it's very sparingly applied and actually quite pleasant, to my palette at any rate.
The tobacco is very damp on opening the (wonderful looking) tin and so will bite like a violent psychopath in a straight jacket until given some airing time.
I found that it burns better when given a fairly firm packing into the bowl and you can then sit back and pretty much forget about it. Like Jakob Kiilerich, I found that the taste didn't really work with my usual liquid accompaniments and I've not yet settled on a fitting alternative. If this is the worst thing to say about the taste though, it's obviously not the end of the world.
The smoke is light and creamy but I found myself wanting more; more flavour, more nicotine, just more. So I had another bowl and another and another...
The flavour (of casing and tobacco) is so light that it never gets over bearing and the nicotine is so light that it never gets over powering.
I have to try to remain resolute when tempted to inhale though. Despite it's mild nature there is something about all flavoured tobacco that I find to be very irratating to the much abused haggis casings I use for lungs.
UPDATE...
I found that this worked particularly well in summer as it is a lighter tobacco but one with an unusally interesting flavour which never gets repetative, for me at least.
The tobacco is very damp on opening the (wonderful looking) tin and so will bite like a violent psychopath in a straight jacket until given some airing time.
I found that it burns better when given a fairly firm packing into the bowl and you can then sit back and pretty much forget about it. Like Jakob Kiilerich, I found that the taste didn't really work with my usual liquid accompaniments and I've not yet settled on a fitting alternative. If this is the worst thing to say about the taste though, it's obviously not the end of the world.
The smoke is light and creamy but I found myself wanting more; more flavour, more nicotine, just more. So I had another bowl and another and another...
The flavour (of casing and tobacco) is so light that it never gets over bearing and the nicotine is so light that it never gets over powering.
I have to try to remain resolute when tempted to inhale though. Despite it's mild nature there is something about all flavoured tobacco that I find to be very irratating to the much abused haggis casings I use for lungs.
UPDATE...
I found that this worked particularly well in summer as it is a lighter tobacco but one with an unusally interesting flavour which never gets repetative, for me at least.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 29, 2015 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Tolerable |
A nice, mild, and very unique British aromatic. Every few months I want a tin. It's shag - pack accordingly so you don't light yourself on fire.
Age When Smoked:
1 yr plus
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 09, 2017 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Unnoticeable |
Grassy hay like Virginia. The casing wears off even with light puffing. Not much too This mixture at all. Medium to strong nicotine hit. Enjoyable and will buy again .
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