Ashton Original Oldchurch

I have a true love affair with this tobacco. I had not learned it had been discontinued until I had burned through my supply. A sad day for sure. I have since learned these old beauties have been re released by McClelland and I hope they are close to the originals. The thought of being able to get my hands on Old Dog just about has me jumping for joy.

I came to the gentrified art of pipe smoking via the cigar world. I still enjoy cigars equally as much. As a new pipe smoker but a relatively learned cigar smoker when I looked for my first pipe tobacco the brand Ashton stuck out like a shining beacon. In the cigar world the brand Ashton means nothing but the highest quality, and I was soon to learn it meant the same to the pipe world.

First, this is hands down by far the greatest smelling tobacco in the tin I have ever experienced. The grandma's cookies draped in toffee like smell had me in love with this blend at first whiff. The tobacco itself is pretty moist and goopy like your average aromatic.

The beauty of this blend is there is no misleading name to send you looking for some obscure fruit flavor. I am not sure what this stuff tastes like but I like it. It is sweet and nutty and maybe a little bit like good baklava. It is lovely. It has a nice wholesome tobacco undertone too.

Even though this comes from the regal house of Ashton it is still an aromatic. That means it smells good in the air but will bite if rushed, and will most definitely leave an oil slick in the heel of your pipe.

Overall and excellent example of what an aromatic should be.

This is one of my favorite aromatic tobaccos. The matured Virginia is a mottled chestnut brown (with some broken flake) and makes up at least half of the mixture, with reddish brown Carolina and Black Cavendish making up the rest in approximately equal proportions. The leaf itself is shiny, which to my mind indicates the presence of some PG. That said, however, I didn’t notice an excess of moisture when smoking it. I like this a lot. The aroma in the can is of a rich toffee desert . When lit, the underlying natural sweetness of the Virginia base is apparent, and the aromatic casing is not egregious, but provides some richness to a light-bodied smoke. As with most aromatics, the casing wears off as the smoke progresses, but only to reveal a soft, mellow base that is quite nice by itself. It doesn’t get bitter or weird tasting toward the end, either. The room aroma after smoking is a mixture of musty natural tobacco smell and caramel. As with all McClelland VA-based tobacs, you need to be careful not to smoke it too fast, or else you’ll fry your tongue. But with temperate smoking, this is quite nice.

I have always found that the Ashton Tobaccos produced by McClelland are superior to their own marketed products. No exception here. This is a less sweet and far less astringent "DEEP HOLLOW" or a sweeter and tangier "GREY HAVENS". However you look at it, it is superior to both and in the same vein. The Matured McClelland Virginia provides the tobacco flavor backbone for this blend. They add in a vanilla-ish topping and VOILA! you have Original Old Church. A different aromatic than most. It will appeal to Sweet Virginia flake smokers more than anyone else. A solid 3 stars.

Smokers take note - pipe selection makes a big difference for this blend. In a nice, wide bulldog, this can be a very pleasant smoke if you are in the mood for a high-quality aromatic tobacco. It is light, and you are not going to get a huge flavor profile, but using a pipe with a large burning surface, smoked at a smoulder, this is one of the better aromatics I have tried. I find it very similar to Benjamin Hartwell's Evening Stroll.

Unfortunately, this can also smoke like a boring, bland, rather tasteless bulk aromatic. So experiment a bit. It is worth it, because it has one of the best room notes I have ever smelled - a huge crowd pleaser!

Good aromatic blend here. This tobacco is tasty and mild,and I slowed the puffing down and was not bit at all. I actually could taste the Virginia cavendish along with the nice casing. The backy does come a little moist, but packs well,and people who hate tobacco smoke will want you to smoke this around them.It's a simple aromatic with a rounded taste that stays the same down the bowl.

This review is my first, so I am going to keep it simple. I opened the tin about 3 months ago and had a bowl and wasnt impressed so I put the cover on and put it in the cabinet. After awhile I found myself looking for something without Perique, or Burley, that wouldnt give me a nicotine buzz. So I pulled out the Old Church to give it another try. The tobacco loaded easily into my pipe, the aroma was nice and mild and the tobacco lit like a charm. I puffed it all the way down with out any bite(I am a puffer)I didn't get any gurgles, or problems with burning.(that alone makes it 5 stars).I enjoyed a mild full smoke.(I love lotsa smoke) Although mild it left me satisfied that I had had a real nice SMOKE! No buzz either.If your looking to try an aromatic that is not sickly sweet or tastes of flowers give this one a try. I finished that tin in a week, record for me.

I don't typically smoke aromatics and in fact look down on those who do with scorn and contempt. How dare you put that sugary crap in a good pipe? At least most people who smoke this kind of thing do so in a cheap pipe. That being said, I have tried to find an aromatic that I could live with for those occasions when I smoke around others. This aromatic suits that purpose just fine. It has a pleasant aroma to most people and is not overwhelmingly juicy or sweet. While I would never smoke this at home in my easy chair, preferring Virginias or Latakias, this is OK to smoke around others. I have two of my least favorite pipes dedicated to this.