Wessex Premier

The above description of this tobacco is not correct. I also am not sure if the other reviewers had the same blend. This is the blue sticker, "International Mixture, Wessex Premier" that I am reviewing. The back of the tin has a lengthy description of its contents, consisting of, and I quote, "full bodied black cavendish" "sweetish broken" (whatever that is, but I believe they were refering to the burley), and "golden virginia". This blend touts itself as "medium strong" in the description, and topped with a "vanilla-nut-maple" topping.

Not a whisper of hazelnut to be found here. I bought this blend hoping for a frangelico or dekupyer hazelnut topping, like what is on Sir Walter Aromatic, but on a different tobacco perhaps, as I really enjoy hazelnut. I have smoked quite a few pounds of home grown tobacco doused in vodka in which hazelnuts have been soaked. Even stronger than the mentioned liquors, once the flavor develops from a long infusion.

On opening the tin, it took about a millionth of a second to identify the topping as walnut. I said to myself, "what do we have here?"

What I found was a very, very mysterious smelling blend, which at the same time smelled in the genre like your typical danish blend, which this both is and isn't. The quality of this leaf is much better than most other blends I have seen, and is easily on par with anything from Sillem's, Reiner, or Solani, which produce a lot of my favorite aromatics.

Upon lighting, I was even further mystified by how, after so many years of smoking a pipe, an aromatic could have both a strong tobacco flavor, and topping that worked in perfect blended conjunction with it. As I smoked down the bowl, I could taste tobacco, a rich one at that, but at the same time, walnut, maple, and vanilla in that order of intensity. All working in perfect harmony with the strong tobacco taste.

The room note was another mystery, in that it is incredibly good smelling to others, more so than most other aromatic blends I would recommend for room note alone. It smells like all the scents of autumn, and I daresay there is even a spice element in this blend.

Nicotine is a whisper over mild, but this is a full body tobacco taste. More tobacco flavor than I have tasted in an aromatic blend thus far. The maple is the maple sugar, not the maple syrup style, and the walnut takes the front.

While faint, the opened tin will steadily scent a room with a very rich, but not strong, sweet smell, which oddly enough, is just a hint at the robust tobacco.

I don't find aromatic blends to be complex by any measure generally. I most smoke English, Scottish, or Lakeland flakes/ropes/plugs. I do like an aromatic late at night, and so far this is easily the most complex one I have ever tried. When I think I have it figured out, a new flavor is already present, then another, then another. All working in harmony. All combined with strong tasting tobacco. This is as complex as a latakia mixture, but has no hint of smokiness, just earthiness in different degrees working in perfect harmony with the toppings.

Almost entirely bite free.

Not only is this a 4 star blend, it is a must have for my regular rotation. I plan on storing plenty of this high quality mixture. This is what the standard danish mix should taste like.