Reiner Professional

I needed a quality aromatic in my rotation for those occasions when I smoke my pipe around mixed company--or when I'm in the doghouse with the Mrs.--so I picked up a 100 g tin of this while at the New York Pipe Show this past weekend. The medium to long ribbon cut flakes consisted of black cavendish and medium to light brown Burley and Virginias. Naturally due to the higher moisture content of the casings, packing the bowl was a little tricky. When the match struck the tobacco, the aroma was pleasantly sweet and reminded me of Iwan Ries' Three Star Blue. Kind of an Apricot Brandy- Franglelica combination filled the air. Pretty nice stuff. This blend smoked cool, and surprisingly, there was no dottle at the base of my old Charatan billiard near the end of the smoke.. a real novelty in the world of smoking aromatics. This is a true Danish, high quality aromatic with a totally yummy room note. Highly recommended when you get that sweet tooth or for an after dinner treat.

The tin note is truly amazing sweet fruity aroma. The tins I bought had some inconsistency in them. I have purchased this twice and the first tin was much better than the second one. Its a very flavorful smoke, but it must be sipped if smoked hard the flavor is gone. Lots of fruity notes and a touch of sweetness really nice aromatic. I found it very light. Not much nic hit and I had no need for relights. It burns fast I am thinking due to the cavendish. The whiskey was more noticeable in the first tin I had. I think the second one was on the shelf for a while and lost some of its flavor. The packaging is not air tight and I think unless you get this fresh its not the same. If you can get a fresh tin its great and I would give it the max stars but if its been sitting around it looses its flavor fast I was disappointed with the second tin and its fairly expensive as well I hope they package it in vacuum sealed tins if they sell more.

I recently decided to have a fruit showdown with some other blends I was meaning to try (Rattray's Exotic Orange and Sillem's Red) - who will reign supreme?

Of the three, Professional had the least potent bag opening, though slightly. Kind of a berry, fruit mélange thing going on, that isn't to far off of a good quality cherry that had been dusted with some sweet Vanilla dust. Definitely pleasant, without artificial crutches. Not to sure about there being a Whiskey/Nut/Bean element however.

Springy, without much dampness to spare. Nice chunky bits, rough cut ribbons, and an occasional party-pooper stick. Once lit, it was the least flavorful of the three, but still maintained a 'soft flavor' which did compliment the natural smoke.

It is an aromatic you can smoke without breaking your teeth on sugar, has a quality to the product, and works as solid smoker.

A very mild-flavored, sweet-smelling aromatic. It does tend to give me tongue-bite. So I use a 9mm filter pipe when I smoke it. Why even bother to smoke it? Well, with the filter, I get a nice smooth flavor, and it gives me a dry, cool and relaxing smoke. And oh, the room note is awesome! My family loves it when I smoke this stuff.

Delightful, full-blown aromatic! Sadly I don't get too much from the nutty, nor the whiskey-ish notes, but moreso a distinct fruit-aroma! There's some nuttiness building up throughout the smoke, which I find to be pleasant. The fruits may be something along the lines of "Tropical Fruits". No tobacco flavor to be found, as said this is full-grown aromatic - but a good one for my perception! The flavorings aren't overly sweet, balanced - yet not what the description promises.

I'm teased to take away 1 star for that, as this tobacco was absolutely not what I was expecting it to be. But to be fair, it's a tasteful blend for aromatic lovers I suppose! so... 3/4 stars

As many know who've read my reviews I'm not much of an aromatic smoker. But, on occasion, I run across a good aromatic, and this is one of them. First, I love the cut on this blend, which I'd describe as something akin to a confetti cut. This type of cut both packs and takes a light well. The taste is interesting, slightly nutty, fruity, and with a hint of alcohol (Port? Whiskey? Maybe). Like most aro's it burns rather quick and a bit hot especially towards the bottom of the bowl, but these characteristics are not as pronounced as other blends. It was somewhat smooth but there was also a sharpness to it. I'd recommend a slow, measured draw. The scent, so others have told me, is "perfumy." The price point on this blend is high, but if you're going to drop money on a quality aro, which this is, it will be worth your investment.

Keep on pipin'