Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Jubilee Blend

Zero latakia, This blend is a Virginia burley, I bought it thinking it would be an English blend to celebrate old queenie and is only English by default.. it was made in England but otherwise that is the extent of it.. the tobacco is OK... pretty standard. It was not terrible and if you like straight up Virginia burley blends it is will do nicely. I found it to be lacking flavour but my disappointment with it from the outset may have clouded my experience... bottom line.. it is good quality as usuall but it is not what I thought I would be getting, so it is standard at best and a boring at worst..

Tin note is sweet smelling, chocolaty, hazelnut, vanilla... smells like it’s been flavored with something, but the taste of the blend is natural so I don’t think there’s anything added. However, what is for sure is that this is NOT an english blend. It has virginia and burley. That’s it.

The tobacco is a normal, well executed ribbon cut, all of bright brown color.

Smoking it, the first I can detect is the honey tasting, hay-like and just a bit of lemony virginia. And then there’s the white burley, chocolaty, peanut butter, a bit hazelnut. It’s not woody, earthy, but something milder and sweeter. And there’s some spice to it, I don’t know why. As you progress, the burley takes over the virginia and you get just nutty flavors and... well, that’s about it, and that’s how it’s going to the end of the bowl. The lemon notes of the virginia will pop now and then, but mostly it will be chocolaty and peanut butter, mild in taste and strength. EDIT: In another pipe, it was smoother and had a bit of vanilla taste.

And... it bites. It doesn’t need to be smoked too fast in order to bite, it just does. And it burns hot and fast. EDIT: After trying it in a different pipe, it doesn’t bite anymore. I mean it does, but less.

Not something special, not very good but not bad either. If it didn’t burn so hot and didn’t bite, it would’ve been even better. But it is what it is.

Something and nothing, I thought. Most people nowadays expect an 'English Mixture' to contain some Latakia; Jubilee Blend doesn't. This rather undistinguished offering is no different from dozens of other VaBur tobaccos, and not at all exceptional, as the 'jubilee' name seems to suggest. Also, it burns hot and quickly, and needs careful management if you value your tongue. All right, I suppose, if you want a run-of-the-mill all day smoke, but no more than somewhat recommended,

Re the blurb: it was Sir Walter Raleigh who is said to have introduced tobacco to England, not Sir Francis Drake. Who was Frances Drake, I wonder, and why is she called 'Sir'?