Dan Tobacco Old Ironsides

This tin has been very weird for me, because it started off one way and ended up differently.

Tin note: When I opened the tin, I was blown away and said to myself “Wow, this sure smells good!” I could detect a good amount of leathery oriental and latakia. Leathery, woody, smoky, spicy. Quite strong actually. However, as time went by, they changed to a more floral scent with some market spices.

Cut & Moisture: The flakes are not in the best shape, and since the tobacco came quite moist in the tin, the flakes were stuck together and broke when I tried to separate them. However, once dried, you can actually pack the pipe with folded flakes, since they are easy to pack unlike other flakes, but it will need some relights.

The smoke: Same as it happened with the tin note, at first there were leathery notes and it was really smoky. Tangy at times, probably from the kentucky, yet still delivering a sweet taste and lots of smoky and leathery notes.

The first description I gave to this blend was: This is Nightcap’s balkan brother. First lines I wrote about it were “The smoke is both creamy and spicy. To make some comparisons, I’d say it has the creaminess of Margate, the straight-in-the-face leathery orientals of London Mixture and the latakia of Nightcap, however only with the kentucky added, to make it even more complex and straight in the face. This would be Nightcap’s balkan brother. And indeed, it’s perfectly defined as a balkan since the balance of orientals and latakia are perfect, unlike an english blend. For those who think that SG’s Commonwealth Mixture has a lot of latakia, they probably didn’t try this one. There is a complex taste and flavor to this tobacco that it really surprises you when you take the first smokes. There is a high quality oriental that delivers both floral and leathery notes, a kentucky that gives just a little spice, a virginia that gives a good amount of sweetness and the latakia which is smoky, woody but also sweet. It’s a dance of flavors! It is by no means a dull tobacco. It has its complexities given by the orientals and the kentucky which change and dance with the latakia, and the virginia is the one that keeps them burning and dancing.”

However, this has changed. The smoky character is almost gone, and so is the leathery taste. Now it’s floral and sweet with some cinnamon notes, thyme, oregano, rosemary, juniper, figs, anise and even a bit of vanilla. There’s spiciness which can be from the orientals and the kentucky. The latakia has laid back, unlike it was when I first had the first bowls.

It probably contains basma and izmir, however the izmir is probably in a higher amount.

It’s still very good, but I would’ve preferred if it remained the same as it was when I opened the tin. I prefer a leathery and smoky blend instead of a floral, herbal and bit fruity blend. I will most likely buy another tin, and when I do, I’ll be able to have a better impression of this blend.

This baby is definitely medium to full.

Delivers a thick, cold, and dry smoke. The room note is quite strong, so I don’t suggest smoking this in the presence of non smokers

Summary: a sweet English with depth of flavor.

This blend makes the venerable English into dense flakes, which brings out the sweetness of the Virginias and reduces the tang of the Orientals to a slight vinegar-bittersweet flavor which melds with the Kentucky Burley to give the blend a bit of spice. On top of that, the Latakia injects a warm smoky flavor, and when taken as a whole, the blend performs like a sweet English with some depth to it and strength behind it. These flakes, less dense than the UK variety, burn easily and smolder long, making this tobacco perfect for long drives when you want something to think about other than the mile markers ticking past.

Broken flakes with optimum moisture, dark brown. The smell is smoked by distinguishing two types, the resinous aroma of latakia and the dry woody of fired kentucky. It is a mixture dominated by latakia and kentucky, these appear at the beginning of the smoke, later the oriental are shown as spice, I do not encounter virginia, the smoke is not sweet, it is very dry. It is a potent mix for lovers of latakia, highly recommended.

The tobacconist sold this as a Penzance clone with a stronger kick. Since I've never tried Penzance, I can't compare the two, but to me, it's a one dimensional latakia smoke, which isn't to knock it down--I just prefer a blend that is a bit more varied, like Dunhill 965.

As far as knocking me on the floor with its punch, I was somewhat disappointed. I found this to be a cool..and, yes, creamy smoke, but not overwhelming in strength--though it is full. I didn't have a problem packing this like some suggested. It rubbed out very nicely and lit with ease despite its flake form, burning consistently throughout.

Honestly, I need something more in this, so I've been blending in a little perique to diversify the taste, with nice results. I will say that I was a chump to buy this for $13, as I have seen it advertised online for less than $9..and I would buy it again, at the latter price.

UPDATE:

I'm upping this from three to four stars. I've got around ten blends on hand and I keep turning back to this..to the point that I don't bother adding anymore blending Perique but instead throw some of this into my Elizabethan Mixture. It's nice and rich, so it makes its presence known right away. Good stuff. Still wouldn't pay $13 though.

I'm smoking this for the first time in maybe twenty years. It was one of my first encounters with Latakia as I was transitioning from bulk aromatics back then, and I recall at the time that I found it almost overwhelming but intriguing enough to finish the tin. I've since run the gamut of Balkan / English mixtures (and all other manner of blends) and found myself feeling nostalgic enough to give it another go.

The presentation is one of a solid flake of mostly black leaf with streaks of lighter brown tobacco in rather sparse measure. The tin note is pure campfire and well-done meat.

Needless to say, Latakia takes center stage here, but to dismiss this flake as a simple Lat bomb does it a disservice because whatever amount of the other ingredients are in here do a fantastic job in support of the lead. The relative pinches of Virginia and Orientals lend the Latakia a well rounded flavor that prevents it from devolving into a tire fire as you make your way through the bowl, and the Kentucky gives it a nice jab that puts the FU in full. As such, the flavor has a remarkably consistent and somewhat addictive steak-y quality to it that makes you not even miss the salad and baked potato. There is little to no dottle left and no moisture in the bowl at the end of this feast. You may well find that it fatigues your taste buds a bit to the point of feeling like your tongue is wearing a overcoat, but it will not bite or heat up your pipe no matter how hard you push it. I'd recommend it be your last smoke of the day if you're not used to it, and I can't count it as an all-day smoke no matter how much I like it. And if your significant other finds the room note pleasant, you've got a keeper. I know I do.

I'm glad I came back to this blend. It's easy to dismiss tobaccos like this as unsophisticated Lat bombs with little thought given to balance or complexity, but Old Ironsides is not an indiscriminate instrument of war, but rather like the ship itself, an example of how old-fashioned craftsmanship can merge elegance and power seamlessly. A must for the Latakia aficionado.

English Flake Nirvana! Well worth the wait and hunt to get ahold of. If you like English blends and Latakia this ones an absolute must to try.

With a 4am wake up and coffee in hand I pulled a tin of this out for my wakeup smoke. I love a strong blend and this delivers. Packs in a bowl very well. Lit with one match. Tamp and smoked for an hour plus. Very earthy and nutty taste from start to finish. Heavy smoke as well. Goes in and out of my rotation.

How much can a man love a tobacco? I'd sleep with Dan on a bed of this crumbly flake and have no regrets in the morning.

It is just great. I do not think there is much more that I can say that other reviewers have not mentioned. Except maybe that I do get a touch of anise, and slightly burnt cob nuts. I also found my tin labelling funny. It came with a German health warning, which I peeled off only to find a printed health warning in English underneath. I guess this particular tin was destined for export!

In my rotation? If I did not know of Peterson's Perfect Plug and S. Gawith's FVF there would be no rotation!

where do i start! i got a tin and was just happy every time i went to smoke it. light it up and you are just puffin fat clouds of latakia. first the tin is just cool its got a ship and then you open it up and the paper has a compass on it. then you get to the tobacco and there is just flakes of black gold. i don't like crumble flakes though i would rather have a dense packed flake u could through at a wall and it would not fall apart. but you cant be to picky. crumble it up and enjoy. i gave it to a a buddy that does not like latakia and he loved it. buy it and love it its that simple