Wellauer & Co Wellauer's English Blend

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)

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.

“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.

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

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.

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.

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.