Chieftain Blacksmiths Blend

Chieftain - Blacksmiths Blend.

After a few weeks of smoking mostly VaPers and Virginias I really fancied a fuller English. Because there wasn't any reviews on this I had to open it 'blind' but I'm glad I did; it's a stalwart and tasty smoke!

Removal of the lid gives a good inclination of the forthcoming smoke. Latakia and Turkish take lead of the aroma, making for a smoky yet sour tin-note. The other tobaccos struggle to gain attention as they don't have enough piquancy! The ribbons are fairly uniform in size, not too fine, and there's more dark browns than lighter browns. Moisture? Slightly damp but that suits me!

The very first puff was enough to attest that it's one for my favourites list! Synonymous to the aroma, the Latakia and Turkish take prominence over the other leaves. The flavour's smoky and slightly fragrant. But, this doesn't mean the others are nonexistent, no, no! I suspect there's more than a pinch of Perique as I get a very conspicuous spiciness which could only emanate from this! The Virginia acts like a platform for the blend; although not a pungent flavour it fills out the smoke. The burn from it's as good as it gets! Steady, even, reliable, and cool. There isn't a bite to be had; to my palate.

Nicotine: above medium. Room-note: heavy but nice.

Blacksmiths Blend? An unequivocal four stars:

Highly recommended.

I've been waiting for something new at our market for a long time, and the time has finally come. I managed to get my hands on a tin of Chieftain Blacksmiths Blend before the official sales began. Until now this tobacco was only available in the UK, but life makes its adjustments.

The appearance: The 50 gram tin, released at the beginning of this year, a mixture of tobaccos in different colors and shades - from yellowish to almost black, the different varieties of tobacco is easily distinguishable. Dark tones dominate the blend. Slicing is thin and neat with a ribbon. The tobacco is ideal in terms of moisture and consistency.

Flavor: The foreground is a soft mixture of tar, leather and sandalwood, mixed with a light woody-walnut flavor, a faint note of figs, subtle acidity and aromas of spicy herbs linger in the background. As for the tones of light Virginia, there is so little of it in the blend that I could not detect its scent in separate notes. The handling of the latakia, which sets the main scent theme, is very reminiscent of the latakia in the Ashton Artisan Blend.

Taste: dry mild smokiness and some meat juice characterize this tobacco as a typical English blend. A bouquet of orientals, giving off flavors of spices and herbs, with a bit of oregano and fenugreek, clearly enhances the spiciness of the perique. The tobacco has almost no sweet notes on the palate - this is a very dense masculine blend, closer to Dunhill evening blends than Early Morning Pipe or Ashton Artisan Blend. Gradually the flavor evens out, the spicy herbs take the back burner, perique become softer, although they remain in the flavor, the woody note pulls up to the main bouquet. However, bent pipe smokers are in for a surprise - the spices and especially the notes of fenugreek and oregano prevail somewhat in the flavor. Towards the end of the smoke, in any case, woody notes come to the fore a bit. I would define the strength of the blend as medium - when smoking in very large pipes a nicotine hit is possible. The tobacco smokes slowly and dry enough, but medium-hot, a beginner should be careful not to overheat the pipe. At normal smoking rate the tobacco burns into a light gray ash, if smoked faster, the ash is a darker shade, and the fraction of ash is a little coarse. The aftertaste of the tobacco is quite persistent, woody.

The smoke from tobacco has a very bright woody note with a slight hint of smoldering peat. It is persistent and stays in the room for a long time.

What's the bottom line? Fans of straight pipes and male flavor and taste will clearly not be disappointed.