Dan Tobacco Midnight Ride

I chose this to be my first review on here due to some strange qualities I saw a couple other reviewers mention. I purchased this based off of many favorable reviews on this site as well as various forums. I thought I had a good idea of what this would taste like, but I was completely wrong. I saw many on here describing this as a Balkan, and some even describing it as a Lat bomb. It’s neither of those things. It’s a light English somewhat similar to EMP or Skiff Mixture. However, while I really enjoy those blends, something is off about this blend.

One of the first things I noticed was that the tin says “Oriental, Virginia & Perique” with no mention of Latakia. While Latakia is technically an Oriental, tin descriptions will usually just outright say it has Latakia. I found this curious, and I think it’s a clue to what this blend really is.

When I opened the tin for the first time, I was hit with an off-putting smell. As a disclaimer, let me say that I love Latakia. I love the smokiness, the leatheriness, the woodiness. I’ve never been put off by any Latakia blend, whether it be a Lat bomb, a Balkan, a light English, a heavy English, etc. The smell I got when I opened the tin was not Latakia. It was smoky, yes, but it wasn’t Latakia. I saw that another reviewer mentioned a “liquid smoke” smell, and I’d say that’s probably what this smell was. It smelled like a cheap smoky scotch dumped over Orientals and Virginia. The smokiness you smell in this blend appears to be almost entirely artificial, considering I see very little Latakia in the blend. But even despite this weird aroma, I wanted to see what it tasted like.

Upon lighting, the first thing I tasted was the Orientals and Virginias, with a spiciness from the Perique. Unfortunately, something was off with the Virginias for me as well. They tasted metallic and also slightly artificially sweet. The Orientals and Perique tasted great, but the Virginias threw me off. After those initial flavors subsided, I was hit with an aftertaste that tasted just like that artificial smokiness I smelled upon opening the tin. Every once in awhile I did pick up some actual Latakia, and when that came into the mix it tasted great. Unfortunately, those times were few and far between.

Having smoked this several times now, I think I’m gonna have to give up on it. That artificial smokiness is actually nauseating for me after awhile. I have yet to smoke a whole bowl of this because I have to put it down half way through. If you’re okay with the artificial smokiness, the Orientals and Perique in this blend are quite good and flavorful, which is why I’m confused as to why they’d mask it with flavoring. The Virginias are meh though. For me, I won’t be buying this again. I’ll cellar what I have left and see if the topping diminishes.

1 MONTH UPDATE: Now that this tin has been opened for over a month, the topping has almost disappeared. The strange Virginias have gotten less offensive as well. The orientals and perique stand out more, which in my original review I said were my favorite part of this blend. It is now a spicy, fragrant, woody, earthy mixture. I do sometimes still get a funny aftertaste of the lingering topping and strange Virginias, but only occasionally. The tobacco is pretty dry and almost crunchy as expected, but it tastes better. While I still prefer Skiff Mixture, Squadron Leader, EMP, etc., this is an alright light English blend if you let it sit for a month, at the expense of drying it out pretty harshly and letting it get crunchy. I still wouldn’t buy this again, even after the slight improvement.

10/02/2004:I gave this four stars even though G.L Pease Blackpoint is one star ahead of Midnight Ride. This one is on a par with Dunhill Medium English, Squadron Leader, Presbyterian Mix and many other fine tobaccos. Here's the problem, once you use a large enough portion of quality Latakia, these English and Balkans to some extent are hard to tell apart. The Latakia sort of overwhelms the tastebuds and all the other tobaccos and flavors become hard to find in the blend. I think it would be nearly impossible to judge this type of tobacco in a double-blind test for that reason.

11/17/2006 Update: Too much Latakia for me. Three stars if you love Latakia.

EDIT:

Removed review, as I mis-clicked...original review was intended for "Midnight Smoke" by Altadis.

Oh, Mr. Revere, I didn't know your midnight ride could inspire such tobacco greatness! I made the mistake of smoking this at the end of the day after my mouth was seasoned from soul food and latakia; big mistake. This is the first smoke of the day or early afternoon blend. You need a clean palate to taste the myriad of subtle yet sublime flavors in this contemplative mixture. This is the perfect VA/Oriental/Perique with hints of latakia for spice. CAO blended these consummately without one overcrowding the other. I hope all the batches are consistent because if they are, this will be counted among my regulars. The aroma is very similar to Germain's Royal Jersey or 1820, with that sour apple tanginess. As Old Ironsides is CAO's signature latakia chorus, Midnight Ride is its VA/O/P counter melody. My pipe pal indicates to me that he much prefers European VA/Perique blends to American. Though I don't favor one over the other, I must admit, European VAs are different and less forward than their American counterpart. Should you choose to smoke this at night, make sure you haven't smoked heavy blends or eaten spicy foods, as you'll never taste all of MR's delightful subtleties. Hats off to CAO/Dan!

Five of five stars

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Update - 12/7/05

Something happened. As with a number of European tobaccos I've revisited, Dan, Dunhill & Rattray among them, these blends they are a changing. This stuff is strong & juicy. It lacks the depth of aroma & flavor it once had. It's not terrible, but compared to my glowing review above, it has changed. It's less smokey; less apple flavored; less Germainy. Or maybe I'm getting so much pleasure from American English blends by C & D, that this stuff doesn't do it for me any longer. Old Ironsides, also by Dan, was a big disappointment when I tried it the second time. Another tobacco which will live in infamy.

Two and a half of five stars

Suprisingly bitey for an English, Midnight Ride starts out with a big perique blast, and then settles down to a nice, full English in the second half of the bowl. I care for the first half of the bowl--nippy and pungent--less and less the more I smoke of this tobacco. The second half is uniformly good, although it can run to some bitterness in some pipes. I've smoked a full tin of this blend in a variety of pipes: clays, large and small briars, pyrolitics, cobs. Midnight Ride is pretty consistent across all types of pipes, although the full experience, such as it is, is muted somewhat in smaller-bored pipes. This is the badger of English tobaccos.

I was told by some friends about how great this blend was, but I have been a little disapponted. Not that I mean this is a foul mixture, but it lacks something in body. To me, such a good taste evolution along the bowl simply has to be supported by some "guts" that are missed here. However, this to me is more of a perique-oriental blend than an English Mixture: it's cool, dry, with sometimes a pleasant bitterish taste and a "winey" flavour throughout the bowl I could have sincerely done without. I suggest you a medium to large pipe, to enhance the flavour evolution that would be missed if you don't leave it some room.

Frankly I expected more from this tobacco, at least after reading the enthusiastic reviews here. Old Ironsides is a favorite of mine, but this other CAO offering suits my taste a bit less... It is a good tobacco, but it's not my favorite kind. The tin aroma is very pungent and spicy: lots of red/brownish leaves, and a good dose of black ones (latakia and perique). The cut is rather rough, not as even and fine as in Dunhill's blends. The smoke has a very distinct flavour, just as spicy and pungent as the tin aroma: the problem with me is that while it is pungent, in contrast it sometimes lacks in fullness. A big first moment impact, but then little "meat"... In a similar vein, I prefer Dunhill's Standard Mixture Medium: sweeter and much more balanced, probably due to a stronger Virginia presence in comparison to Midnight Ride. I don't mean that I don't like MR, but it doesn't end up as one of the tobaccos that I'd choose blindly any time for a completely satisfying smoke: I still prefer straight Virginias (especially in flake form) and high-Latakia English mixtures. Anyway, after almost finishing the tin, I must say that it is slowly growing on me (or maybe having left the tin open for a while improved its qualities), especially because of the very pleasant nutty taste, but just falls a bit short of the mark. To end the review, a note on the burning qualities: perfect. Midnight Ride leaves one of the cleanest, driest and whitest ashes I have ever witnessed! This as a consequence of a very cool and dry smoke: a quality that must not be quickly dismissed.

2021 UPDATE: After many years, I have tried the current version made by Dan Tobacco. Well, it doesn't seem to have changed that much, from memory. Still a fine Virginias + Orientals mixture with a good body and a healthy spiciness, overall well behaved and "low maintenance". Still that fermented/fruity/sour tin note (quite unique if I may say) probably due to the Perique, still a "medium" smoking experience, still not enough Latakia for me, still a bit "middle of the road". But it's a well made mixture that has its charm, and it might very well fit your bill.

Will try this again, once I burn up some other tobacco...

This is a nice blend. My initial impression was Dunhill's Elizabethan, but with flavor.

Virginia with a few other additions to add some depth. English/Virginia smokers should enjoy this one.