House of Windsor Revelation

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!

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.

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?

I first smoked Revelation back in the late 70's, early 80's, and recall it being my first tobacco with Latakia that I could tolerate on a regular basis. I loved the packaging - a nice little box with the sealed foil packet. I distinctly remember the packaging saying, "a fruity, nutty blend." Well, I never really tasted anything that reminded me of fruit, and as for nutty, well, not really. Mind you, I was new to the game and couldn't taste much beyond the Latakia. I still have another box - well over 25 years old (the quoted description now saying, "it's mild and mellow"). From time to time, I smoke a half-bowl in a very small-bowled pipe just for old times sake and find it quite enjoyable. It is not the HOW version (I never had that version), as my package says it is made under authority of Philip Morris by United States Tobacco Co. What a shame it is no longer being produced as what little I have still delivers true tobacco taste and enjoyment.

Hey?!!! This stuff ain't bad! Another winner brought back from beyond the grave by HOW. They certainly had more winners than losers. This blend is very pleasant in that old school way that you never see anymore. It is very similiar to Country Doc but with more of a berry casing added in. This will be great in the summertime rotation!

My sample is quite old 22 years and quite dry the HOW version. All I can smell from the bag is the Latakia and a touch of sweetness. Whatever toppings might have been applied are long gone. Packs very easy it might have been a coarse cut at some point in its life but its just small flakes now. What's interesting is the tobacco still has quite a bit of flavor on its own and its very smooth. the burley and the Virginia are the most noticeable flavors adding just the right amount of sweetness that gets a bit sweeter as you progress through the bowl, with the perique adding just a wisp of fig, raisin flavor . I have no idea what a fresh batch of this would taste like but this is a really nice mild smoke with all tobacco flavors. Not sure I will ever get any of this vintage again but I will give the new match a try out of curiosity.

Pretty decent smoke, havent tried the "match", so cant say anything negative about it other that "match" usually means "no match whatsoever." Could smell some latakia along with a fruit-like undertone. It smoked dry, and didnt bite. All in all, a decent blend if you can find it.

Getting hard to find, isn't it? Maybe that's why we've seen the major tobacco suppliers blending knock-offs of these old-timey blends. I found a couple of 10 oz. cannisters of the "real" Revelation (like that pictured above) at a nearby tobacconist and bought them both.

Why? Because this tobacco, to me anyway, is a rather mild English-like concoction that produces a room note like a downtown men's club and a comfortable aroma that one can enjoy all day long. It's easy to pack in the pipe and there's virtually none of the tongue bite often associated with many Latakia/Perique blends. There are more expensive and fuller, more rounded English blends to be sure, but I keep on coming back to this old standby. It's not as suffocating as some of the really strong English blends can be.

Forget about the "drug store" variety of this tobacco; don't try to figure out what the flavoring is. Just sit back and enjoy a blend that grows on you with time. For some reason you'll find yourself coming back to it again and again...if you can find it.

The dominant tin notes of this mixture of fine cubes and very short ribbon are the fetid turkish and the fruity topping (grape or raspberry, perhaps) along with grassy burley.

Flavor seems initially dominated by the piquant gold VAs, however the burley, red VA, and perique soon make themselves known. Present throughout, the latakia is not dominant, though it gains fullness down the bowl. The combination of the VAs, perique, and topping give an impression of sweetness, though this is not a particularly sweet smoke. The acridity of the turkish combines with the other components to present a sour, bitter, and sweet concoction that enhances the nutty undertones of the burley. Throughout the bowl, the topping remains present, though it folds admirably into the whole.

Revelation is remarkably complex yet remains balanced and companionable. As such, it is an ideal all-day blend for the adventurous puffer. This seemed best in a narrow gauge chamber.