Wilke Pipe Tobacco Wilke No. 222

The rather floral, herbal, woody, buttery sweet and rather sour, earthy, moderately spicy Turkish yenidje takes a little of the lead. The very smoky, earthy, woody, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia plays above its percentage in the mix, and is almost a supporting player. The Virginia provides some tart and tangy citrus, grass, honey, light earth, tangy dark fruit and wood, and a slight floral note in a competitive third slot. The natural cavendish offers tart and tangy citrus, grass, and a light cognac topping in a condimental role. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste is a rung below the medium mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, though it does have a very light rough edge. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent, mildly sweet and sour, savory, light campfire flavor that translates to the lightly lingering after taste. The room note is a tad stronger. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars out of four.

-JimInks

Initial thoughts, bowls 1-3: Wilke No.222 presents as mostly light to medium ribbon and arrives at the optimal moisture level: ready to smoke immediately. There is a distinct Cavendish sweetness on the nose, much more so than, say, No.184. 222 takes a match well with a touch of sweet on the charring light, and burns cool and dry throughout the smoke. Overall this is very similar to 184 and I would simply reference my review of that blend, as this seems a reshuffling of the same core tobaccos with the addition of Virginia. But what a fantastic reshuffling it is!

Conclusion, bowls 4-6: Slightly sweeter and crisper out of the gate, 222 is basically 184 with Virginia. For some, this will be an even better blend. For me, I prefer 184, as I like my Virginia straight up, or with Perique, and find that Virginia gets in the way of the complexities of Oriental leaf. But for those who disagree, 222 will be a great tobacco. Unlike the more forgiving 184, this one will require more of a slower, Virginia sipping cadence as it will heat up a bit as you lose yourself in that magic Oriental/Cavendish bliss. The Virginia calms down a bit in the final quarter of the bowl and there’s a nice coda of musty Latakia and white peppery Oriental that makes for a pleasant conclusion while leaving little moisture or mess in the bowl. For me, a three Star blend based solely on personal preference and an affinity for 184. But could easily be someone’s 4-star blend.

I have smoked many times before writing this review, but I could not write a coherent impression. It's floral, herbal, and a bit sweet, but not as floral or earthy as Presbyterian, and it's not a mellow smoke. However, it's a rather subdued smoke to describe as a bright blend, so I'm confused as to how to describe it. I prefer No. 111 in these Wilke's Oriental blends, but that is not to say that No. 222 is a bad blend. It's a well-made, carefully crafted blend that, like the Burley-based TC Ebony and Safari, offers subtle flavor variations depending on the tastes of the individual pipe smoker. Try it and choose.

I love Wilke blends. Opening the jar, the scent is a creamy sort of sweetness. I'm not sure what the added flavor is, but it's somewhat reminiscent of C&D's Epiphany. A rich sweetness with a small touch of fruit. First few puffs... sweet and sour. Very flavorful. I don't taste a lot of Latakia, but the Virginias are quite tangy and match with some really nice herbal Orientals. It really doesn't taste that "English-y" at all, though. Still, it's a very nice Virginia/Oriental favor. There seems to be a good amount of smoothing Cavendish too.

Bottom line: Maybe I'm a poor taster, or maybe I got a bad batch, but I detect almost no Latakia. So there isn't much of an English flavor. Still, lots of Oriental complexity and Virginia tang smoothed out nicely with a heap of Cavendish. I've had the same jar now for about a year, and I enjoy smoking it every so often. A good blend. 3 stars.

This is the tobacco flavor, appearance, and smell that I think of as a classic. Before smoking pipes I imagine this is what it would be like. Not extraordinary, nor aromatic, but refined and worthy of a casual smoke.

The room note would probably scare some people away. It reminds me of smoking a cigar. The flavor is earthy and a bit spicy but does not bite the tongue at all. It was easy to keep lit and perhaps a few man hairs sprouted after smoking.

This is No. 184 with added Virginia. The idea is alright but for my taste the wrong type of Virginia was used. This type of lemony bright Virginia gives a very grassy character to the blend. Coming right after something like PS Luxury Twist Flake this is a real shocker. I can take a little grassy, but this one’s too weedy for me. I prefer to eat my greens and veggies!

In this style I prefer Amphora Virginia, or with a bit of Perique, 4 Noggins Prairie Wind. The addition of Virginia to 184 also sublimates the interesting floral, mild Lakeland character of that blend (three stars by me), which I prefer over this. I tried adding some more neutral Virginia to my 184 – ten year old Tilbury – and had better results. So, as I said, good idea, just the wrong ingredient. Does develop ever so slightly more mid-palate depth by end of bowl, but why suffer along to get that far? I put the rest in my giveaway box.