Dan Tobacco Old Ironsides

This is a unique EM...nothing similar (yet). When i opened the tin first time i was amazed by its flavour, toasted, smoky, creamy. Moisture is almost perfect when the stuff comes out of the tin, but i preferer letting it dry out for half an hour, after rubbing the flake. Latakia is the main actor but after a few puffs you can taste the sinfony of VAs and orientals, perfectly blended with latakia and a with touch of kentuky, which brings a nice N surprise to the mixture. The more you go through the bowl the more you can taste creamy and toasty notes, always in a cool and dry smoke. My afternoon and after dinner EM (for the morning i use 50% Commolwealth Mixture + 50% Squadron Leader). Highly reccomended!

Update

For a full fantastic after dinner smoke try this:

50% CAO Old Ironsides 50% SG Brown Rope N. 4.

Simply amazing! Full round smoke, with a good N load. If you like strong stuff this is a must try. Absolutely legendary: you'll crave for it more and more....

The former incarnation of this was a true 4-star blend, but it's dead now. The current Old Ironsides, though less, is a balanced latakia, a salt and ketchupy leather creature, strong enough to please regularly.

I managed to get 8 ozs of this after much searching as it has been discontinued.

While it is not bad, I was disappointed in that I have heard Lancers Slicers compared to Old Ironsides.

To me Lancer's Slices if far superior in taste and fulfillment.

One thing I will give Old Ironsides, is that it is the easiest Flake Tobacco that I have ever smoked to keep alight.

But for me something is missing in the flavor. Maybe I need more nicotine kick and more Latakia

I love complex foods and complex tobaccos. But these are usually enjoyed in moderation; a special event, a nice weekend evening, a holiday, etc. I find I tire of these quickly and they become less exciting.

Most of the time I am all about "meat and potatoes". It's the simple stuff that makes the world go around. A good plate of Mexican food or a greasy burger. Old Ironsides is a GOOD greasy burger.

I love this stuff. Wonderful plumes of Latakia smoke. Full, rich, predictable - exactly what the doctor ordered. A true friend indeed. Smokes good in just about every pipe I own.

This new release of it (thank goodness, because my stash of the original stuff was dwendling) is just as good as the original. The look is a bit different - more lighter components - and maybe the tate is slightly more smooth. But overall it is still the same Latakia drip I was used to.

This is it! This is it!! Ah there's also Midnight Ride.. but again, this is it! I want a full cabinet filled with Old Ironsides. Anyone looking for latakia-heavy blends, look no further Old Ironsides is the one.

OIS is back. I just received a few tins after a long hiatus of unavailability. This was the first Latakia blend that I tried some years ago and was my favorite for a long time until it went dormant.

I'm not sure if my tastes have changed or if the blend has changed, but I find the new OIS fairly mild to the point of boredom. It may be the former as I've probably smoked a half pound of Penzance and another half-pound of Squadron Leader in its absence, but it seems to lack the underlying rich taste of these two. It is now what seems to be almost a pure Latakia taste which to my palate is almost a 'menthol' taste.

From the start, it appears different in the can. Instead of the finer grain that it used to be, it's now a nicely packed stack of slices like Penzance used to be. In fact, it looks like the old Penzance. Perhaps in the old packaging they crumbled the slices up, but it looks different. Given the cut I think it would be better packaged in a rectangular can rather than a round one. However, the aroma in the can is exactly how I remember it to be; that very smokey smell of Latakia. Cosmetically, the can now has an orange circle around the logo instead of the yellow one. Not sure why, but maybe to indicate that this is a slightly different blend. ??

Again, it may be my changed tastes, but this new OIS seems rather bland. A strong Latakia taste, but almost nothing underlying it to support and compliment the Latakia. A bowl full of OIS leaves me longing for the old Penzance.

....10/10....Your significant other Wld-probably"Divorce You"if you smoked this mix Indoors(Good Hunting Shack-Smoke)...BUT I LOVE THIS MIX !!! :+))

I'm giving it 5 stars for if you're a latakia lover.

I went through half a tin in three days. No matter how hard I puff this stuff it is smooooth with no bitterness, bite, or whatever. It's full bodied and has some Balkan creaminess to it. It's tasty in a subtle way. Nothing complex about it.

Edit: This tobacco is best if a load is dried out for 30 minutes and well rubbed out. Stays lit better and smoother smoking.

Alas, another fantastic blend which has gone the way of the Dodo bird. At first opening this is a full-on, petal to the metal Latakia blast which I really enjoy. It's not as complex or creamy as Esoterica Penzance, nor as contemplative as J. F. Germain & Son's Special Latakia Flake; regardless, it's a great smoke.

I should add that after having the tin open for a few weeks, the Latakia has tempered considerably. Overall, the blend is much more complex and mellow. At first it was a very good smoke, now it's excellent.

I find slices to be one of my favourites, especially the taste and they gently smoulder away for such a long time; just great. It really satisfies on all levels. I find if I have one bowl for the day and I really desire that certain "satisfaction" this is a good one to reach for.

Since, it's no longer made and doubtful to make return, I would suggest Cornell & Diehl's Pirate Kake which is somewhat similar, yet not as complex nor mellow. Of course, I always say the room note is tolerable, others especially your beloved may be pleading with you to move . . . "Just as soon and I'm done this bowl."

If you like a good kick of Latakia in the mouth than this will do nicely. Oh, by the way when it comes to English blends I am a bit of a Latakia junkie. So this is right up my alley. This is not my all time favorite by any stretch but I think CAO makes great quality tobaccos and this is no exception.

My favorite English right now is Larry's blend from pipesandcigars to which I added a large dose of straight Latakia. Told ya' I am a bit of Latakia freak. I've never run into a blend that I thought had too much.

Fantastic! Perfect blend of VA/Oriental/Latakia. And the Latakia sings!

"A Latakia lover's dream." "Full and cool."

Fwiw I agree with the tin description. Upon opening the tin you will discover beautiful dark flakes with a few lighter strands contained within the flakes. The tin aroma, naturally, smells strongly of Latakia. Moisture content seems slightly high, as I prefer it that way its perfect for me.

Packing: I like to use the flake folding method with Old Ironsides and the tobacco complies well with this. A little sprinkle of fully rubbed out OI on the top helps with lighting.

Smoking: An easy charing light followed by a quick tamp/relight and I'm on my way. This one does, imo, seem 1 dimensional. Its Latakia followed by more Latakia. Mid-Bowl I taste more Latakia..and the finish is a nice smoky Latakia taste. 🙂 Burns to a fine grey ash with no wet goop. It does indeed smoke full & cool and doesn't bite at all. Quite nice overall.

Room note: I would think it unlikely that anyone other then our pipe smoking brethren would enjoy/tolerate it..don't expect the wife to be jumping with joy when you break this one out. Outside only for this pipester.

I do like this smoke when in the mood for a nice, heavier evening smoke after a hearty meal. Or pair this one up with some Jack Daniels on the rocks..

And yeah..if your not a fan of the dark leaf..skip this 3 of 4

01/14/2005: Even though I don't smoke these big-flavored blends all that often I rated it at the top anyway. The Latakia is not acrid or harsh like many tobaccos of this type. It is rich and tasty. It is too full flavored for an every day smoke. Best to save this for the last pipe of the day. If you smoke it first you won't taste anything else for a good long while!

11/27/2006 Update: Latakia overload.

Old Ironsides is just what the package says: a Latakia lover?s dream. It is all Latakia, all the time, with no messing around. Oh, I suppose they blend it with something or other just to keep it interesting. And sometimes, late at night, in a big bowl, this is just what you need. But it lacks the complexity to hold interest over the long haul. There?s a useful contrast with Penzance: the latter sacrifices just a bit of firepower in the interest of greater diversity of flavor, but the result is that Penzance is a great tobacco while Old Ironsides is simply very good. The cut is nice: like a flake that's been pre-rubbed -- very convenient! If you like Latakia, I?d recommend keeping some on hand for a broadside every now and then. Luckily, it ages particularly well.

I really like this tobacco it leaves a rich full flavor in the mouth. It has such a powerful Laktiva room note and there is no mistaking it for anything but good pipe tobacco. This stuff is a nice evening smoke. Now I like Midnight Ride better from CAO since it is a little more demensional. This is not as complex of a smoke. I find that this stuff burns very well once lit but the odd bark like cut takes some crumbling and relights to get going. It is a very cool smoke since it burns slow.

As a Latakia Lover, I just had to smoke this one, and smoke it I did. Upon opening I was pleased by the look of the dark flakes and by the big, leathery smell. Packing and lighting aren't a simple task, and neither leave the flakes on the air nor rub them out won't make that much easier. When you'll have finally managed to light your pipe, Old Ironsides becomes an easy-going tobacco, it burns extremely cool and stays lit without the least problem, making it a perfect outdoor tobacco. It can be smoked with great satisfaction especially during summer for its almost incredible refreshing qualities, leaving your mouth with a slight peppermint aftertaste. A must-have for all latakia heads. The only complaint is that it's really too light in body.

I enjoy a nice Latakia blend ,and had high hopes for Old Ironsides, after all, with the higher price tag that is common to CAO/Dan products, I figured " this cost alot, it must be greeeaat".

Unfortunately, to me it wasnt that great, the cut is to large to just pack , so I had to rub it out, now I dont mind doing that, but this is the first tobacco that actually made my hands dirty, like I just arranged the charcoal in my Weber grill.

The flavor wasnt all that outstanding either,it tastes kinda like hot asphalt smells...And it takes many relights, which I thought odd, being it feels dry when rubbing out.

It took a month to smoke thru the 50 grams and I dont think I will buy it again, instead I'll grab the Nightcap, or Stokkebyes Proper English, or one of the many other Latakia rich blends that I enjoy much more for my Latakia jones.

This was my first experience with an English Latakia blend. All things considered, it was pretty brave of me as my first choice since it is almost entirely Latakia. When I opened the tin I was greeted with a whiff that instantly reminded me of the dark brown cork tiles I had in my bedroom when I was young. (I hoped it wouldn't taste like cork.)

This is a flake tobacco?in long, thick strips (like beef jerky), so it needed to be rubbed between my fingers until I had enough to fill my pipe. It has a very heavy consistency, so I didn't pack it very tight. I then retired to my upstairs balcony where I lit it up. Before long the little enclosure was filled with its aroma. The flavour tasted of a cross between unsweetened chocolate and dry-roasted coffee (latté, anyone?) or a very stout brew. (In fact, I imagine sipping a Murphy's Stout or Scotch with it would be very nice indeed). I had only filled my bowl half-way, and it burned very, very slowly and stayed cool the entire time, despite my rather quick smoking pace.

The smoke and taste is so rich and heavy that after a while of smoking I felt like I could scrape dark brown powder from my tongue. This tobacco was quite a change of pace from my lighter varieties, and I enjoyed the fullness of it. Better yet, I felt no ill-effects from its low nicotine content. The room amoma is, of course, rather heavy, and I'm not sure I would inflict it upon a roomful of people.

OLD IRONSIDES. Do you really love latakia? If so,you'll really love this. I'm a lady pipe smoker who really appreciate's,a good strong dose of latakia. I've enjoyed every smoking moment with Old Ironsides,I have smoked so far.

The first bowl took 3 to 5 relight's so,from then on I aired the tobacco out for 10 min's before packing.Only one relight was required after that. In one word "DELICIOUS" all the way to bowl's end. Definitely no sourness detected at all,without goop leaving a nice dark grey ash.

Highly recommended.