Wellauer & Co Wellauer's English Blend

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....

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.

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: http://www.bollitopipe.it/bollito/custom/images/tabacchi/Wellauer/wellenglishblend.jpg

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

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

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.

This has been Wellauer’s signature blend for decades, although its taste (and ingredients) must have changed gradually over time. It is a more or less tasteful English mixture of medium strengh.

According to the description of Wellauer, this mixture consists of Virginia, Burley, Latakia, Louisiana Perique and a dash of Oriental. They do not mention Black Cavendish. However, according to my taste buds there is a lot of Black Cavendish around. If not, then there is a high amount of BC casing in this blend. For my personal liking it is far too much.

There is a pleasant amount of spicy Orientals and a rather reserved amount of Latakia.
Recommended, if you like the taste of Black Cavendish and English mixtures in general.

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!

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.