W.O. Larsen Old Belt Ready Rubbed

I don't know if I got a bad tin perhaps, but the tin note (which has unfortunately been preserved in my jar) has a chemical quality which reminds me, I have finally determined, of wet paint. When I dry out a portion to smoke, this unpleasant scent goes away, and is not present in the actual smoking of the bowl. I am thankful at least for that. I don't really sense the alleged topping others have noted. I really wanted to like this one, and have given it several chances in different pipes, using varied smoking rates and techniques, and though I can't call it bad tobacco, it has failed to impress me. It smokes fast and somewhat harsh no matter what I do. Just now, an amount of tobacco that would have lasted me well over an hour had it been a nice McClelland or even a nice MacBaren was burned away in less than 40 minutes, and I wasn't puffing heavily or heating up my pipe. This particular bowl was pretty dry (taken out of the jar, it dries very rapidly) and finely rubbed out, and smoked in my favorite billiard (a no-name!), but still there were problems with the burn. Now, relights are fine; I will often rest a pipe, flatten the ash with my tamper, and start again, but in this case, the going out was neither intentional nor desired.

The blend would seem to be fully lit, burning away profusely despite my attempts to smoke with care, and then would suddenly "hit the wall" like a marathoner at mile 17 or so, and abruptly fail right between puffs. The taste is not all that bad, I guess, but obviously I won't be reaching for this one all that often. Maybe some time in the jar will help. It's also not bad enough to throw away, it just doesn't have the pleasant natural sweetness of my favorite Virginias. I get no bite from it, but I do get a harsh mouthfeel such as one would associate with an originally good quality, yet stale cigarette, and I must say it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've sort of got the feeling I might like to brush my teeth right now; I guess there are some healthy benefits to this weed.

Again, I might have been unfortunate enough to have simply picked up a bad tin or a bad batch. Remember how I said at the beginning that the tin note reminds me of wet paint? The tin is of the paint-tin genre of tobacco tins. Maybe they forgot to fully purge my tin of its original contents...

One can't love everything.

Another nice priced 100g tins from Larsen. Seems to be almost natural tobacco, in fact, when you try it in a pipe the first time, you will see the two components of this mixture: VAs and creamy sauce.

As you smoke more pipes of this, you begin to feel not the two tastes, but a mixture of them. If you puff too hardly, sauce will dominate, and that's disgusting. Also I'm very dissapointed of the flavor this tobacco leaves in a pipe (you have to smoke it out for a long unpleasant time).

The used sauce, in my opinion, is typical for Larsen and, maybe, other Orlik brands. I felt it in Larsen's Kentucky Gold and, probably, in Stanwell Full Aroma.

Sauce is creamy and sweet. I find it pleasant sometimes, it could be a good evening smoke of a tired man, if the sauce would be a bit less persuasive. On the other hand, I can't say much about the VAs in this mixure: they seem just nothing special to me.

These tobaccos tends to burn hot. I feel room note not to be pleasant: creamy smoke becomes heavy, sweet, aromatic smoke. Probably, for non-smokers it's a good deal, but I really think, aromatic smoke is heavy and evil.

I've bought a tin some months ago and soon I've given it away. Lately I decided to give this tobacco one more chance. Well, I somewhat like this mixture, but I can't smoke it every day. It needs a dedicated pipe anyway, I'm still not sure, would I afford it. The tobacco is rather pleasant, but I'm getting tired of it very quickly, so, probably, I'll have no Old Belt tins on my shelf anymore.

06/09/2005: Based on the previous reviews, I decided to give this blend a try. My tobacconist said this tin had been on the shelf for several years. The paint can style tin has an inner foil seal, and it was ballooning out due to gases inside, so I'm pretty sure I got an aged tin.

I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the Virginias used in this blend. The cut is mostly rubbed, with a few broken flakes present. The Virginias are probably orange with some yellow Virginias. There is a pretty sweet tin aroma, that suggests there is a mild topping, but it could be natural; it's hard to say.

The burn is excellent, due to the perfect humidity of the leaf. The flavor is naturally sweet and slightly tangy. Old Belt Ready Rubbed is a little on the mild side in the nicotine department, but has plenty of flavor. This is a fine blend that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys bright Virginia blends. It is similar to Rattray's Old Gowrie.

Update: In the 2 years since I opened the tin of OBRR I have only smoked it a few times due to the tongue bite I get after smoking it. It's funny, I only seem to get bitten by Danish tobaccos. So even though its taste is good, it's not one I will return to. I somewhat recommend Old Belt Ready Rubbed if you are immune to Danish tongue bite.

Long, even strands of light-colored Virginia tobacco.

Dry. Packs fairly easily, but the long strands would do better in a larger pipe. In a small bowl, it helps to rub ol' Ready Rubbed.

Lights easily. A faint toasty note at the beginning that soon disappears.

Very clean, bright taste. Very light body. A hint of apricot-like casing. One could wish for a bit more body.

Moderately short tangy finish.

Burns easily to the bottom of the bowl, at which point it goes out like a light switch.

Room note is exceptionally light and unobtrusive. My wife says it's "like sage."

Overall: A light, clean smoke. Natural and straightforward, but not without some subtlety and character. Would make a good morning smoke.

Rating: **/****

Old Belt Ready Rubbed. This tobacco light's very easily and smoke's with ease to the bottom of the bowl. There's a slight sweetness in the back ground and it's extremely mild.Infact,a little to mild for me.The tobacco is top quality and doe's not bite at all,no matter how fast I puffed. Unfortunately I found it to be a little boring as it did not hold my interest,infact,I found myself puffing faster to finish the bowl so I could go and smoke something,alot stronger. Great for a beginner or someone seeking a cool mild blend. 5 out of 10.