Dan Tobacco Sweet Vanilla Honeydew

I normally smoke burley blends and virginia flake and perique blends. So needless to say I was looking for a wife pleaser and I believe to have found it. This weed is top quality and pretty delicious. My Peterson system pipes took to this blend very well. Very delightful makes me and the wife smile. Also keeps me indoors, it won't replace my virginia/perique blends but a couple of times a week sounds good. I highly recommend this to aromatic smokers looking to get away from the drugstore blends.

In my experience, one of the problems with aromatics is the difference between what they promise and what they deliver.If you are an aromatic smoker this one delivers. The taste stays throughout the bowl. I notice a slight sourness about 1/2 way through (might be the tobacco intensifying) but it smooths out and burns fairly clean to the bottom. You can definitely taste the virginia in this blend, so unlike some aromatics that contain burley, this one commands respect. All in all, a good quality tobacco and a pleasant experience.

Distributed in the USA by C.A.O. Hard to locate @ my local shops but an easy find on the net. Delightful aroma in both the tin and the room but not heavily cased as a true aromatic would be. No syrupy goo in the bowl although the taste lingers in the pipe used. I clean before changing tobaccos. One of the few that my wife compliments even indoors. It has been pressed as a flake but rubbed out quite evenly. I normally smoke straight VA flakes and must be carefull or this blend will get slightly hot. I prefer a smaller bowl pipe to avoid the wettness I experienced in my large Charatans. Even flavor from start to finish and uniform ash. However, I taste more of the VA tobacco than the hint of vanilla. This one is too expensive for me to be an everday smoke but I really enjoy it as a treat.

Dan Tobacco
S.V.H.

Blend notes: “A fine ready rubbed blend of selected bright and sweet Virginia leaf delicately scented with smooth vanilla. Due to EU regulations, this is renamed and sold in those countries as "S.V.H."

The initials of this blend stand for ‘Sweet Vanilla Honeydew.’ This is one of the few straight Virginia blends with intentional topping. The tin note smells of ‘perfumed vanilla’ whereas the taste leans toward a peach or, I suppose, a sweet melon.

European/Danish blenders tend to view Aromatics differently than American blenders. The key difference is in the amount of intentional flavoring used. In the case of S.V.H. the flavoring is mild or perhaps restrained.

The Virginias provide grass, hay, and some subtle citrus and a bit of tang. The tobacco out of the tin lights up easily and stays lit. The room note is inviting. There is a bit of honey that comes across now and then.

The blend has struggled in the TR review space — well over 100 reviews with averages below 3.0. My view is that there are so many amazing Aromatics available that a blend really has to be a stand out. Reviews for S.V.H started showing up circa 2001.

Generally, my understanding is that to be an Aromatic, a blend has intentional topping (top sauce) that is added later in the blending process with the mutual goals of a sweet smelling room note and a sweet taste in the smoking.

Most blends are ‘cased’ or ‘have a casing’ of some sweetening agents to achieve pH balancing or to amp up flavors in the leaf — the point is that, by and large, casing does not lead to a blend being categorized as an Aromatic.

My point here is to engage definitions a bit with you the reader. One TR reviewer said of this blend that it is “not heavily cased as a true aromatic would be.” In my opinion, this is not the ‘correct’ language to use. I mean no disrespect to that person. How we use language with respect to blends may well have changed or evolved over the years. Today, casing is almost universal in blends and is unrelated to whether the blend ends up as an Aromatic or a straight Virginia or an English/Balkan. What defines an Aromatic is the presence of intentional flavoring — known as topping.

S.V.H. is very mildly topped with vanilla and honey. On my palate it is insufficient. The room note is pleasant but the taste is sub-optimal.

I would rate S.V.H. as a 2 star out of 4 blend.

Smell: The smell is a bit grassy, typical of virginia, a bit sweetish, typical of vanilla, maybe honey. Overall I don't find it very pleasant and - strange to say - it reminds me of the smell of some chemical product, I don't remember exactly which one though.

Taste: Here comes the surprise. The taste is above my expectations. I find this SVH to be an excellent virginia, very full-bodied in flavor, with a touch of vanilla/honey notes that give this Danish a nice body throughout the entire smoke. I can't smoke straight virginia (it reminds me too much of the smoke of cigarettes smoked in the past), but this flavored virginia is lovely. For my standards, I would call it a light aromatic. It maybe deserves 3 stars, but I give it 4 for the "surprise effect".

Ratio Smell/Taste: The taste is much better than the smell. From the smell of the tin I would never have expected such a pleasant smoke.

Moisture: Ready to be smoked

Filter: With.

Ghosting: None.

Recently introduced to SVH prior to Robert McConnel Code Relax. This Dan Tobacco SVH is not as sweet and flavourfull as the Code Relax. SVH is stronger in nicotine. Both are delicious, but each has its own character. SVH room note is pleasant. When you lit it up, you taste the honey, then the almond vanilla crops up. When you sip it slowly you will avoid the tongue bites. Its quite dry out of the pouch makes it easy to lit and puffing it slowly to maintain the ember.

Sweet Vanilla Honeydew is exactly what I don't want from a vanilla aromatic, popping open a tin to be greeted by the odour of soap. It gets worse, smoking it tastes like licking your grandmother's perfumey vanilla candles. The vanilla in this blend just tastes artificial. And the cherry on top, it's got a little bite to it and smokes a tad hot. I suppose there is a market for soapy vanilla blends, because this isn't the first I've tried. If that's your cup of tea, then this is probably a 4 out of 4 for you, but for me it's a clear 1 out of 4, not recommended.

Great tobacco from the creation of Mr.M-A. The fresh and medium virginias combine perfectly with the aromas of honey and vanilla.

I like to enjoy it after a meal, a good coffee...it is an ideal dessert.

E.S

Tin note is sweet bread, vanilla and bubblegum, but it has a familiar chemical smell that I could not place, sort of like gasoline. It took me a while to pin point, then it hit me, that cheap pink industrial liquid handsoap they used to have in public buildings like restaurants, schools, factories etc. That bubblegum scented stuff, so strange. Don't get me wrong, I actually like the smell of that soap, and SVH, but it is an odd smell for a tobacco nonetheless. It tastes pretty good, surprisingly. Virginia forward and quality leaf, there is the bread, dough, hay, pepper and honey. The topping is mildly applied, the tobacco isn't wet, sticky or greasy and needs maybe 5 - 10 minutes to dry, if any. It brings vanilla confectionery and a nondescript fruitiness. Very smooth taste with a toasty, peppery finish. A terrific aromatic as it tastes strongly of virginia, with the topping being more noticeable to the room than the smoker. Very similar to Mac B's Vanilla Cream, except more vanilla/fruit and less floral/grass. Unfortunately, for me, SVH nips a little bit, not bad, but it's a sipper, a coaxer, and I think the flavour is worth it. Nice aftertaste too. I'd guess this will cellar alright as it's straight virginia and the topping is mild. 3.5 stars rounded down to 3, I could easily go the other way to 4, but I'm just not sold on it quite yet. Blame the tendency to nip my tongue if I stop paying attention. Not recommended for beginners, but definitely for the experienced who love good virginias with a little added sweetness. If you're a fan of MB Vanilla Cream, you will be a fan of Sweet Vanilla Honeydew. Final note, my gal says this one possesses her favourite room note... you've been informed.

Update July 19, 2024: a year later and this is easily my favourite vanilla aromatic. Upgrading to 4 stars.