Tobaccos Wellauer & Co - Wellauer's English Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2005-09-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I see where most of the esteemed reviewers here believe Wellauer's English Blend to be an outstanding tobacco and I heartily concur. I have never seen this tobacco presented in a pouch, it has always been in tinned form as far as I know. I received several well aged tins a couple of years ago and smoked them all over the course of a year.

Like the esteemed Jakob K., I found the visual presentation to be somewhat unusual for an English type tobacco. The cut is wide and even chunky. The Latakia presence is there in droves, and at the match I detected an unusual "spice" that bordered on an acidic taste - similar to a strong French coffee.

If you like semi-heavy English flavor and don't mind an unusually slow burning blend, then this tobacco will probably please. It is cool and dry with a fresh and clean taste.

It is also hard to find.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stuttgarter (7)	2017-06-29		Mild	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Tolerable

Don't buy it!!

To begin with, this is not an English tobacco. If there is latakia in it, you'll probably not feel it, because the casing is simply too strong. The casing is a wine-like aroma that covers completely the natural aspect of the tobaccos they say is in there. It could easily be called sungold something. I bet this is a byproduct, there is no coarse cut, this is cutted that way because it's made of the rest of other blends and cased in a way you can taste something. So do yourself a favor and just don't buy it, it has absolutelly nothing to do with english blends, yet, you'll feel like me: fooled! If you want a decent english tobacco buy Samuel Gawith-Commonwealth or anything from Dunhill.

Pipe Used: Vauen Classic 4415

Age When Smoked: new

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atman (7)	2014-03-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

My first latakia blend. Fully aromatic, marvelous sent and full of spicy aroma.

(Please correct the following problems: my review must be at least 25 words long)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Stumbled upon an aged tin of this at a reasonable price and jumped on it. This is a chunky ribbon of mostly light to dark brown, with a tin aroma that reminded me of some of the old Dunhills - a richly pungent sour aroma that was very enticing. This burned a little unevenly at first but after a few extra relights, it got into a groove.

The flavor started out with the Syrian latakia front and center, which offered its usual smokey, outdoorsy-type notes. The perique was noticeable but not potent and it took a backseat to the orientals about mid-bowl, when the blend's lightly pepper/sweet hints gave way to a slightly sour flavor. The Virginia was of the grassy variety which only a hint of added sweetness that offset the orientals in excellent fashion. Too sweet and the two may have fought, and I think the choice of Virginia was the right one. This was a subtly complex mixture that really only changed at mid-bowl. It was almost like smoking two different simpler blends. Kind of intriguing. I should point out that I did not have the opportunity to smoke this fresh, so I don't know what factor age played. I enjoyed it but I have no plans to cellar this one, even if I could find it easily. Recommended as a very fine representation of what Syrian latakia brings to a standard English blend, but not a reference for me.

Pipe Used: meerschaum and morta

Age When Smoked: 15 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2003-11-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is a northern european attempt at making an "english" blend and IMO they have done very well, indeed. Upon opening the tin, you are greeted by an aroma and appearance very similar to Dunhill's nightcap, but you will discern the Syrian latakia as opposed to the Dunhill's Cyprian offerring. Moisture seems a little high, but does not seem to affect burn which is about two relights to get going. The initial flavor is wonderful with a distinct pungency common to this type of blend. The perique is noticable but not in your face and settles down about mid-bowl to let the other leaves shine. The interplay between the virginia and syrian latakia is wonderful. The turkish is there, but only as support.Toward the end of the bowl, strength builds, but not in an overpowering way. The ash that is left is dry and you are ready for more. This blend is not as full as nightcap despite the likenesses previously stated, so that this can be an all-day smoke. Pricewise, this is very affordable. A 100g tin only cost $12.00 U.S. Give this one a whirl, I believe you will enjoy it thoroughly. Rating 4.5 out of 5 points

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Martinus (6)	2019-05-09		Mild to Medium	Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

For those in a hurry: I hardly managed to smoke one bowl. The rest of the tin went into the garbage bin. Tastes like card board with some undefined, unpleasant flavor added.

Wellauer is a Swiss company, but it's mixtures are produced in Germany by Planta. I bought a tin in the Wellauer shop, St. Gallen, Switzerland. Tin design differs from the one in Germany, but I assume it is the same mixture. Apart from the Wellauaer Dunhill copies, where I doubt that these are produced by Planta, my experience with Wellauer blends was very mixed, the Balkan Mixture has been the only blend turning out as a positive surprise. I wanted to try the English blend, since the ingredients sound promising. Well, after cracking the lid, the mixture came optically across very unattractive, very rough cut in a plastic bag. The odor emerging from the tin was even worse. Not at all what I expected - aroma of an English Mixture - but some heavy, dull aroma, reminding be of Wellauers First Choice (certainly not mine). After leaving the tin open for a couple of hours, the intensity decreased a bit, but I still failed to detect the typical smells of the claimed ingredients. Smoking the stuff was quite unpleasant for me, the flavoring was always present, true tobacco aromas did not evolve. My first and last try, and it is very rare for me to give a mixture not a second chance. My conclusion: if your idea of an English blend is nurtured by Dunhill, Samuel Gawith, GLP, ..., AVOID THIS BLEND BY ALL MEANS.

Pipe Used: Briar, no filter

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Wellauer Shop St. Gallen, Switzerland

Similar Blends: Wellauer First Choice.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2019-03-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

It was an old aluminium foil pouch, which I found alongwith one of First Choice.

The tobacco was dry but not excessively so. The cut was on the coarse side, I could not call it ribbon, nor ready rubbed. Something like pressed cube. The pouch note was very strange, somethingmusty and alcoholic, I would say anise.

Easy enough to light, it burned substantially cool. But regarding the flavour, oh... no ... it was empty, muddied, None tobacco flavour did shine, a simply undistinguished blend with some Latakia in the rear. And, the worst, irrespectively of the pace it scorched my palate. Something chemically wrong with my body.

Something to forget. Sorry.

It remembered me so much of the Brebbia no. 7

Pipe Used: Mastro de Paja, Castello, Ashton

Age When Smoked: 5yrs

Similar Blends: the old Brebbia 7.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-03-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I picked up an old tin of Wellauer’s English Blend about a year ago. I am guessing it is 15 to 20 years old, but that is just a guess. In the tin, there is the scent of a topping that I would best describe as “fruity.” The tobacco is a chopped ribbon. In the pipe it smokes of a typical medium to full English with the Orientals and Latakia leading the way. There’s some sweetness from the Virginias but I had a difficult time distinguishing it from what I perceive to be the topping. The Perique has adds a very light pepper quality to the blend. The reason why it has taken me months to get through this tin is that I find the first half of each bowl somewhat tasty, but as each bowl progresses, the later stages become muddled and somewhat flat and at times even bitter leaving me with an unpleasant aftertaste. I finally gave up about two thirds way though the tin. In fairness, this may have been better in its youth, but that’s just a hopeful guess.

Age When Smoked: 15-20yrs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnMZap (2)	2015-04-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Latakia is stronger than i prefer and doesn't seem to be of good quality (bitter and soulless). Perique is almost unnoticeable. Its a mild, overall cool smoke to the bottom of the bowl. Bite-less and forgiving for the puffer and the novice smoker.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigarcohiba (36)	2013-12-24		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Expected a more rich flavor. It becomes a bit harsh when not carefully smoked. A spicy character giving off a spicy, smoky note. A tobacco that needs some work and thinking in order to define accurately its contents, properties.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-05-22		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

“Hetfield” persisted and prompt me to ask from a friend to bring me this blend. He wasn't wrong. Finally, a Planta mixture that is close enough to my own preferences. It is quite coarse cut and maybe that is the reason it is a bit difficult to light it up. On the other hand, its cutting assists it to smoke very slowly. Other than that, it has enough sweet and flavorful Syrian Latakia. It also contains Virginia which might cause a slight tongue bite, if smoked nervously. It is stated on the box, after all, «mild on the tongue». Perique didn't trouble me much, like in other blends. It so happens, that after a good meal…it really fits. So, it is not an all day smoke. It is quite moist, thus I had to dry it out for 2 whole days. It has that distinct aroma, almost all Planta blends contain.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-10		Medium	Strong	Overwhelming	Strong

Wow! This is far and away the worst tobacco I've ever stuck in a pipe! When you open the pouch you're greeted with a strong and offensive odor which reminds me of warm beer past it's experation date cooking in the sun!The presentation is horrible both in it's cheezy packaging and the tobacco's own clumpy little mounds of brights and darks.The flavor was putrid as well and it's casing stayed right with me right to the bitter end of the bowl!This stuff makes Erinmore and Royal Yacht look palatable! Pass this by and run the other way! SIMPLY AWFUL!!! prep 10-7-05

UPDATE I realized what the topping is on this vile tobacco! Cheap Champagne! It smells so strongly of it that I can't believe this was'nt apparet to me quicker.I have four full 50g pouches of this stuff that I'd love to trade someone who appreciates it more than I....

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

It is difficult to obtain Wellauer's English Blend. And, it is not worth the effort. I was able to procure the 50g pouch--a poor presentation in itself. The cut of the tobacco is like miniature corn flakes. There is a mild, foul casing in the smell that does not improve when smoked. This is harsh, disgusting stuff. Do not waste the effort or the funds on this rubbish.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-09-12		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Maybe I picked up the wrong pouch, but this tobacco seemed almost too young to be smoked. The smell in the pouch was of fresh grass, earthy, raw; and the same during the smoke. It's no smoky at all, nothing like any english blend smoked before, and I didn't like it.

Update September, 12, 2005:

this is the pouch:

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2005-09-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This one is a stouter version of Wellauer's "Best" My tin was from '87 with vacuum seal intact. Upon opening the tin I was greeted with a quite unusual flavouring - very German as in many Torben Dansk products, but also very discreet. The Syrian Latakia smells very different from the Cyprian used nowadays, and it tends to be somewhat more rounded and mild.

WEB is cross-cut, which is rather unusual for an English blend, but it works fine and relights will not be necessary. The orientals are very present thoughout the bowl, and they make WEB a very pungent, but at the same time also a very cool affair.

I like it as a change of pace to many of the traditional English blends since it tastes more "fresh"; recommended for a sunny day on the porch.

Only downside is that WEB sometimes leaves an alkaline taste on the back of your tongue if smoked to hard. Handle with care!

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-03-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a sleeper blend. While it does not have extensive distribution, it is a blend that contains quality components, good smoking experience, and is reasonably priced.

Appearance: The blend is a shorter ribbon cut that is primarily medium brownish red of various shades. There is no blond nor black leaf in this mix. I found it to be overly wet when it arrived, but it aired out nicely.

The tin aroma has the somewhat sour smell that I associate with Dunhill tinned blends.

Bowl preparation qualities are very good. It fills the bowl nicely without overpacking. It is easy to get a bowl set up with a light touch to the bottom potion, but firmly packed toward the top without plugging.

The blend develops nicely through the course of the bowl, a characteristic that I value highly; I don?t want to experience the same flavor from top to bottom. Sweetness is a bit on the low end of the scale, while the spice and astringency is at the higher end. There is an elusive floral sense early in the bowl that settles down into a deep, robust spiciness later.

This is a real winner. As far as I have seen, it is available in 100g tins only, which I find unfortunate. I would prefer 50g tins, but this is a minor point. I wish that it were more readily available, as I have rarely seen it.

Rated 85/100 for flavor, 80/100 for burning characteristics, and 85/100 overall. An excellent smoke.

March, 2005

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-06		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I tried this after it was recommended to me by the man behind the counter at my favorite pipe shop. I had never heard of Wellauer's before. I bought a 100-gram tin, which was very reasonably priced at $11.00, I think. It's a solid, quality English blend. At different times, you can taste the various tobaccos; the latakia does not overwhelm you. I can think of better English blends, but this one is pretty good. Tastes differ, so this could be someone else's favorite. By the way, the tin says it contains perique, which is not listed in the ingredients at the top of this page. There doesn't seem to be very much, though, probably just a pinch.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Torsten (4)	2022-01-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

As it is my custom, I first filled this tobacco into a glas with a tight fitting lid into which it loosely fits. I let it breathe in there for at least one week, shaking and opening it from time to time. Now, after roundabout 3 weeks, it´s a very pleasant smoke. Nothing harsh, average stength, a creamy and mildly spicy taste. Burns cool without tongue bite. I would call it a perfect medium-body English blend akin to Peterson MM965 or Rattray´s 7 Reserve. It hasn´t got as much depth and richness as Black Mallory or Charatan´s Eventide. Full recommendation, nevertheless!

Pipe Used: Various with 20mm diameter

Age When Smoked: New plus 3 weeks airing

Purchased From: Badener Tabakhaus, Baden Switzerland

Similar Blends: Rattray´s 7 Reserve, Peterson My Mixture 965.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HeavyTrees (70)	2019-09-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

First of all I have to say that with a different name than English Blend there wouldn't be that much misled smoker's complaints. Aromatic English would be a better name.

First thing that I smelled when opening the pouch version of Wellauer's EB was a hard hit of red wine on top of some indefinable tobacco scents. Left a bit open for about one hour after that the red wine was less present but mild and sweet with a bit of cinnamon that reminds me of hot wine punch. Kind of a cube cut but large pieces that I ripped a bit apart for medium size bowls. Takes flames well and burns cool and even.

After this had smelled like Christmas fair I've expected a flat one with hard topping but then was disabused by sweet VA body taste that's rounded by a hardly noticeable aroma of wine or liquor. It's more present in the aftertaste though. Spicy Orients give it a bit of character; latakia is rare in this one (another reason for misunderstandings). Not many ups and downs but all flavors stay well balanced.

Clearly not what's promised but also not as bad as it's reputation. Think that's the outcome when German tobacconists try to recreate a classic blend. Thanks to the Internet I knew what was coming so there wasnt much disappointment in the end.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Local shop

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wallenberg (11)	2016-04-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Fresh out of the tin, it immediately reminded me of Squadron Leader or 7 Reserve, except for Wellauer's being a coarse cut. It has this wonderful spicy scent of some delicacy that is aging and maturing away.

Packing and lighting is completely hassle-free, relights were never necessary. It leaves grey ashes and burns very well.

Now to the taste. For me, this bears awesome resemblance to my favourite blends, especially Squadron Leader! But, as wonderful, as the taste is, smoking this tobacco is nothing more than a mere game of tease and denial. Imagine listening to your favourite piece of music. Now imagine how listening to it would feel like in a big hallway, with your music player sitting on the opposite end with the volume turned down. Between the noise of the surroundings you just sometimes catch a tiny bit of the tune, but otherwise there's just the vague impression it's even being played at all. Now, this is Wellauer's English Blend to me. It could be a marvelous blend, hadn't they forgot packing it into the tin! Even adding Stanislaw Balkan Latakia to it just made the Latakia fade into the haze. Plus, stronger than the taste, there is this feeling of ultra-mild cigarettes, that scratchy feeling of smoke without taste.

EDIT: If you've got a tin of this blend and find yourself agreeing with my review you should try this in a medium to big gourd calabash. While not perfect, this seems to get the best out of it! The experience is really more focused on taste then and reveals more of its potential; spiciness and nuttiness ensues. I have to give it a second star just for this, as I've found a way to enjoy the purchase./EDIT

EDIT 2: A few months ago I had another tin of this tobacco, purchased in Austria. Taste-wise it has been exactly the same, but the aroma and spice were much fuller, much like I wanted it to be. This is a very good English blend after all. Because of this re-view, I uprated this review's Taste and Strength, as well as the Rating. /EDIT 2

The room note is in between Squadron Leader's or 7 Reserve's and Stanislaw's London Mixture. It is indeed more present than the taste.

I am very sorry for the huge potential Wellauer wasted here. It's just not there. I can't even recommend it to the beginner, because even the mildness of this smoke is spoiled by the itch it leaves on the palate like ultra light cigarettes do.

Pipe Used: briars, meerschaums, gourd calabash

Age When Smoked: can't tell, fresh out of the tin

Similar Blends: This blend is similar to watching someone smoking Squadron Leader through a telescope but being denied to smoke it oneself..

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Plihopliheri (13)	2015-06-22		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Asking for an alternative for Artisan's Blend which was out of stock, I was pointed to the Wellauer's selection. Had I read the comments here, I would have bought the Latakia Blend most likely. However, I left the shop with a tin of English Blend. Well, I made worse decisions in my day, but I also did a lot better. Opening the tin, there were spicy aromas; a bit too spicy for my nose. In a wide-bowl pipe (by that time, I had read the reviews), the smoke was much milder than the smell, and actually not unpleasant. The room note, too, was "pleasant" according to my wife. However, I did not really sense this was an English blend, let alone one of the caliber of Artisan's. Latakia is scarce (if any), Perique not overwhelming either, no bite on the tongue - that adds up to too many "not"s. Overall, I felt this pleasant smoked lacked in character. Giving it a "somewhat recommended" rating reflects that it is an enjoyable, mild and easy smoke if you don't look for any kick or overdose of orientals. But it is definitely no match for other milder English blends I like, such as EMP or Squadron Leader.

Pipe Used: Chacom

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Consummate Gentleman..

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	milabros1981 (15)	2014-02-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A decent english blend, though posed me a series of problems. I wasn't able to light it properly, I never found the Perique it claims to contain, which was the actual reason that I bought this tobacco. My last bowl was a nightmare-if ever existed a last bowl, for I never managed to light it up and smoke it. Am I too amateur for that kind of cut? Did I forgot how to fill my pipe? No matter what, I will try it again after a (very long) while....

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This mixture is not bad, a very good Virginia, which is what predominates in all directions. But call it the mixture, it would be incorrect, missing a piece in my opinion, that the Latakia!

I wanted to try with an addition of 40% CIPRIAN LATAKIA............. and great great surprise! A wonderful smoky taste, sweet and smoky, easy to smoke, with a pleasant aftertaste so I never tried! What a wonderful discovery!

Therefore, all evaluations will be for my composition, not to blend the original!

If someone wants to try .........not regret it!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-01-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like this blend a lot and have only tried the tinned version; a medium fine ribbon cut. A great all day English type along the lines of sqaudron leader. This tobacco burns well to a fine ash at the bottom, is easy on the tongue and does not dry out my mouth. It has enough complexity in the flavor and aroma to maintain interest and does so bowl after bowl. The Syrian Latakia is smooth and creamy. It's a little amusing reading these reviews where tobaccos are put to the test of satisfying a very narrow set of criteria. Having been in the wine and restaurant business for many years, such a parallel exists where good, bad and so on become absolutes. As I enjoy blends like GLP Odyssey, Charing Cross and Abingdon, and Penzance, Margate and Pelikan from others, it's nice to smoke an English or Balkan that goes well with your morning Latte. I have tried several tins of this Swiss mixture and keep it in my rotation mixed with some very big reds and some Grignolinos, Barbarescos and Beaujolais. Give Wellauer's a try to expand the range of your English/Balkans.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-06-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a real sleeper blend. Quality leaf here with nice complexity in flavor. Very well balanced as an English should be! Along with their Syrian blend, Wellauer & Co. have some keepers. I just wish this stuff was easier to find.

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