W.O. Larsen Scarlet Passion

This light aromatic was suggested to me by a Facebook contact, met in one of the various groups dedicated to pipe-smoking. Guys, I'm really glad I followed his advice!!! This is a very good aromatic, not overwhelming, classy, tasty, with a great pouch scent and room note, with hints of fruit and vanilla. This mixture is very easy to pack and to light, and once started it provides a very pleasant smoke. Just be careful not to draw too fast, it can burn!

Pouch aroma is very sweet and addictive. Lit easily producing cool nice smoke. Can go all day with this. No tongue bite, taste preserved till 3/4 bowl.

This is to me an old friend, that some years ago was for me an all-day everyday smoke. Having then passed through a lot of different blends of all types, I wanted to try it again, but I didn't find it, so I feared it was discontinued, only to discover it had simply changed its name from Sweet Aromatic to Scarlet Passion, thanks to the absurd EU regulation on tobacco's names. However since my first bowl I remembered why I loved it so much, it's the more balanced aromatic that I ever tried, the Squadron Leader of the aromatics. The toppings are chocolatey and fruity but discreet, never in your face, and harmonize very well with the excellent tobaccos, that you will appreciate with every puff. Very recommended!

This has become my everyday, carry-around tobacco. Although it is an aromatic, it has almost no bite at all and remains mild on the tongue throughout the smoke.

On opening the pouch the aroma of the tobacco itself is very pleasant without being too strong -very pleasant smell of tobacco itself with subdued fruity undertones. The quality is very high with no stems that need to be picked out ever being found and the moisture content being very good from the start, making for an easy to pack, easy to light and stay lit, cool smoke.

The most amazing thing for me about this tobacco, and the reason that I am sure I will keep coming back to it again and again, is the first few puffs on lighting a newly packed bowl. There is a burst of flavor that is slightly nutty with fruit undertones that exquisitely compliments a high quality good old tobacco taste that is almost sublime. Though it is short lived and settles down quickly to just a very pleasant smoke, those first few puffs are probably as close to ecstasy as pipe smoking will ever get for me. I wish it lasted throughout the bowl but I guess orgasms don't last very long either, hehe.

The other amazing thing for me is that this tobacco has the least bite of any aromatic I have found, even some more-expensive, higher-quality tobaccos. I can smoke several bowls over a day and not have my tongue be any the worse for wear.

The only drawback is that I have found I have to clean my pipe more frequently or a sour taste can develop towards the end of a bowl. This results in my sometimes stopping a bowl before it is finished but then again I have already had the best part, haven't I. 🙂

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Bottom Line: For an over the counter blend this tobacco has the best tasting first few puffs that I have experienced; mild, cool, amazingly biteless aromatic; pleasant smoke afterwards through most of the bowl but can develop a sour taste towards the end - starting with a freshly cleaned pipe can help prevent this.

For the first time an aromatic that I really like. I bought a second puch of it. In Holland is is not for sale in a tin.

The sweetness is not too sweet. It smokes cool and dry and no tonguebite at all. The stuff burns slowly and in the evening I can even enjoy it with a good glass of wine. The sweetness, however not overwhelming, combines very good with the wine!

I smoke it in a unikate Butz-Choqiun, specially reserverd for the aromatics. I can highly recommend it even when you are not a true aromatic lover!

For once a manufacturer's description is right on the money! This is a very aromatic tobacco, but suprisingly is remarkably dry. In fact, I can't recall an aromatic tobacco ever being this dry right out of the tin.

The mixture is composed of about 65% black vanilla cavendish, with the balance being light and dark virginias and a few flakes of what appears to be a rubbed out pressed burley. I'm pretty certain that the black cavendish component is made from virginias as opposed to burley. It is quite an attractive looking mixture. The tin aroma is quite strong, but not enough to bowl you over. Still, there's no mistaking that this a very sweet tobacco.

The tobacco packs well and lights easily thanks to the relatively low moisture content. It is extremely sweet when first lit, but settles down quickly into something more tolerable. It's very atypical black cavendish with its strong vanilla flavor and tendency to caramelize into a pancake breakfast as the bowl progresses. Interestingly enough, the supporting light and dark components never really get lost in the dominant flavor and tobacco taste is not so heavily masked that you can't find it. This is quite a complex blend for its type and very reminisent of Butera's Sweet Cavendish without the goop.

This tobacco is also stronger in nicotine than its american counterparts. It has a strong room note and is very pleasing to others. Definitely one of the better black cavendish mixtures on the market, but quite a bit sweeter than what I'm used to. The best use for this mixture is probably early morning or as a desert tobacco. I think it fits all skill levels and probably would make a first rate aromatic for those just starting out. Recommended.

I picked up this tobacco while visiting Japan. Prices there are very similar to retail prices in continental Europe, and about 1/2 of the duty free prices in Singapore or Dubai airports. I enjoy the W.O Larsen offerings due to high quality of tobacco and careful blending in their aromatics. This was no exception.

While others commented on "blandness" of this blend, I find it superior to MacBaren's "Vanilla" version which I found overwhelming (and I am a committed aromatic smoker). The pouch releases amazing aroma upon opening, with good quality tobacco smell combined with a gentle vanilla and possibly cherry undertone. No chemical scents detected. The leaf is a ribbon cut mix of light brown and medium tan with no loose sticks or dust. The moisture content was low enough to light up without drying first. I did not pack the bowl tight, relying on gravity and gently helping the contents to settle only with a minimum use of the tamper. The aroma is very pleasant and the taste is mild without bite. Contents burn gently to a fine ash, with no gurgling or aftertaste. Vanilla and cherry / currant tones are light, perhaps best described as a more refined and complex 1-Q or a less sweet version of Red Amphora. The first half of the bowl is very pleasant and attracts good comments from non-smokers. Second half is slightly flatter but remains pleasant. It has no complexity of "Signature" blend, but is a very decent, undemanding all-day smoke. Recommended.