House of Windsor Revelation

I've smoked this a few times, always hoping to change my mind and like it. It has all the elements of a good blend. The fruity toppings tasted a little artificial, and the rum was weak. The perique was very mild as was the smoky, woody Cyprian latakia. I hardly noticed the spice or raisins from the perique. The rest of the ingredients never seemed to be of high quality. The Virginia, lightly woody Kentucky, and burley were less sweeter than expected, with very little nuttiness and earth, though the Va. was a kind of grassy. Very dull and boring, though it burned well enough. It tended to smoke hot and harsh near the finish with a cardboard hit. Left little moisture in the bowl, and needed few relights. Had a mild nic-hit. Maybe the Philip Morris version that Albert Einstein smoked was better, but I never tried it, and can only go by what I smoked.

Edit 10-14-2015: Recently, I was fortunate enough to try the 1950s Philip Morris version, and another batch of the HoW version from the 1980s. The '50s version had most of the virtues and fewer of the drawbacks of my original review, though the topping and latakia had faded some with time. Even still, it was better than the HoW versions I cited, and I give that three stars. You can see that review here: http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/10578/philip-morris-revelation

However, the HoW version I was gifted is a big improvement from the earlier HoW versions I have smoked. The Cyprian latakia had some smoky woody strength in a supporting role, and was not dulled by time. The perique was a minor player, with spice and plum. The Virginia was grassy, citrus sweet. The burley was nutty, and a little earthy as it competed and complimented the Virginia. The Kentucky was lightly woody in the background. The fruity topping is pleasantly sweet, slightly tangy; the rum was just noticeable. There's some spice here that I have noticed in other HoW products that doesn't come from perique, so it must be the way one of the components was manufactured. Had a mild nic-hit. Burned well, reasonably cool, though it needed to be sipped a little, and left a dry bowl. Needed few relights. Had a decent after taste, and was an all day smoke.

It is common knowledge that HoW had severe quality control problems by the end of the 1990s, and into the 2000s before they ceased production in 2004. This version I have been smoking obviously came from one of the good batches, and I award it three stars. I'm leaving my overall rating at two stars because with HoW, you never know what you will get when you find a vintage tin.

-JimInks

Another winner from the House of Windsor. This is another Virginia/Burley/Latakia/Perique mixture that circled the bases for me. I never tasted the Perique and the Latakia raised its head just once in awhile. There is a substantial top coating in this stuff, and it smelled and tasted very nice indeed. Revelation is regarded as the blend of choice by Albert Einstein. I think his palate also had a high IQ. This stuff is light, tasty,nicotine laden and doesn't bite a bit. What's not to like?

Update 5/15/05*****

A fellow www.tobaccoreviews.com member recently was kind enough to send me a tin and several packs of Revelation. I have not opened the tin yet, so I don't know whether the tinned version is any different than the pouch version. (Although I'm not sure why, a blend sometimes tastes "different" when coming from a pouch rather than a tin and vice versa.) Anyway, it remains delicious. (IMO, of course)

I promise to not make any Einstein jokes, but feel that his name is forever tied to this blend. On the other hand this Virginia/Burley/Latakia/Perique blend is rather ordinary other than the fact that I can not quite figure what the casing is. It has the sweetness of fruit but I get some pine flavors at times too. I am not sure what it is, but I like it. This blend is at best an average blend, not spectacular. Maybe it is best put that it is just one step above a drug store blend. The latakia is relatively bland, and the Perique is almost not there at all. But it smokes cool and is great for a quick smoke in a small pipe. Besides the room note is quite nice as well.

This review is of the Philip Morris version of Revelation. I purchased a tin that I can only guess came from the 50's. The tin was sealed shut as it had a piano hinge on it and was taped with red tape around the top. Inside the tobacco was within a paper enclosure and was very dry when I first opened it.

I rehydrated to about where I like my tobaccos and had a go at it. I must say that there is no doubt in my mind that the lack of pleasure I derived from the blend is probably directly correlated to the detrimental effects of too much time in the tin.

The latakia had lost all its punch as very little smokiness remained. Ditto that on the topping and the burley was likewise flat. The smoke was very much of the cardboard variety.

Why do I mention all of this anyway? Well, my only point with this review is to say two things. 1. based on my experience with this sealed tin and the fact that this tobacco has not been produced in so long, I doubt any modern piper will ever know exactly what Einstein liked about this blend as it seems to me impossible to find it intact.

The second point is to advise someone against spending a lot of money to try this should you see an open tin appear on ebay or anywhere else. You will be disappointed.

As for the HOW version, I will take the word of all the experienced pipers I know who have tried it and just trust that I will continue to prefer C&D epiphany over that. 🙂

Thankfully the topping scent doesn't translate exactly to the taste! I can taste extremely mild fruit but it blends in with the tobacco itself and actually makes this one better than I think it would be without the topping.

This has everything but the kitchen sink in it but it seems to work well. The latakia is noticeable but not overpowering. The taste is dominated by the virginias and the perique taste seems to "wander", showing up occasionally. After smoking and loving Cornell & Diehl's Epiphany and being told it was modeled after Revelation, I came into this with some bias. However, this doesn't smoke much like Epiphany at all, and I was told E was blended to taste like the old Philip Morris Revelation. At any rate, this is a worthy replacement, even though it is not as perfectly harmonious and flavorful as Epiphany.

If you can find this, give it a spin. It's a very congenial blend with a lot of flavor and no bite. It's just fun to smoke!

I recently received a sample of Revelation from a pipe-forum friend and I am very happy that I took him up on his offer for a taste of this.

My sample was cube cut and easy to pack, light and smoke. When lit there’s a subtle fruity plum like flavor that lingers on the tip of the tongue. The latakia plays nicely in the background while a slight sweetness comes through with the pleasant toasty burley flavor. In short time the flavor becomes more complex with a heavy emphasis on musty, tangy & smoky. The mustiness mainly comes through on exhale and reminds me of the note I taste smoking Greg Pease's Barbary Coast.

Revelation produces plumes of cool rich tasting, spicy smoke. The flavors are perfectly balanced and well defined. Frankly, I enjoyed smoking this more than any of the modern day reproduction blends I have tried. There are a couple match blends that I really adore, so that's saying a lot.

If only all remaining samples of this discontinued blend could be this good..

Having finally had the chance to try this, I can see how R Blend and Painter Hills (and Epiphany to a large degree) are matches. The dark fruit is mild and helps meld the flavors, the Latakia, Kentucky, and VA play deep background supporting roles ('ll take their word on the Perique). I found it a bit bitey in the middle of the bowl, but otherwise a very nice, interesting smoke.

As an OTC blend (although that's really not what it is anymore) this is reasonably good tobacco. It lights and burns easily with little tongue bite. If I have any criticism it's that somewhere in the middle of a bowl the flavors all become muddled. At first light I can distinguish various elements, but as the bowl progresses the various flavors seem to pool together into a relatively non-descript taste. I'm not a connoisseur and I don't always need to analyze each taste in a blend, but somehow this one ends up tasting like wet cardboard. Although burley is a fine tobacco, care must be taken when mixing it with a variety of others as it can flatline the taste. Still I can see where this blend could be a favorite for many.

I love this stuff. It isn't choosy about its pipe, almost packs by itself,it's easy to keep a smolder going w/out huffing, price is very good and, oh, yes, the taste is terrific.

I bought 10 oz about 18 mos ago, misted it lightly with distilled water and put it away in a Ball jar. The treatment definitely didn't hurt and may have helped.

Couple caveats: my missus, who is usally reasonable about my pipeweed, complained that this one is beyond her tolerance level. Einstein may have liked it, but she doesn't. So I confine Revelation to my No Girls Allowed room.

Personally, I like the aroma a lot when I leave and then return to the room I've been smoking Revelation in. But smell seems to be an especially subjective sense ...

My supply of Revelation seems to have quite a bit of dust -- or small particles -- mixed in it. My packing routine usually deselects them.

Based on smoking Revelation in pipes that have been (mostly) dedicated to pipes used for either Latakia or Virginia blends, I'd say it has some tendency to leave a signature in a briar, although not a permanent one.

If you haven't yet tried Revelation, you certainly owe yourself a sample. Sometimes, in mid-bowl, I ask myself, "Why wouldn't someone like this?" And I haven't come up with an answer, yet.

Another winner from the House of Windsor. This is another Virginia/Burley/Latakia/Perique mixture that circled the bases for me. I never tasted the Perique and the Latakia raised its head just once in awhile. There is a substantial top coating in this stuff, and it smelled and tasted very nice indeed.

Revelation is regarded as the blend of choice by Albert Einstein. I think his palate also had a high IQ. This stuff is light, tasty,nicotine laden and doesn't bite a bit. What's not to like?