Dan Tobacco Old Ironsides

I got this blend one evening at a rare tobacco store that stays open until 10pm, so I could swing by and get on while coming home from my second job. I had run out of latakia tobacco and only had the lighter stuff at home, and for my last smokes of the day, I want it strong. So, I got this, and sure enough, it is a latakia lovers dream. What surprised me was how full it tasted also, as blends with this much latakia seem heavy in aroma and taste, but often that taste seems a bit thin, but there's obviously just enough oriental to add fullness. Another surprise was seeing it in slice form, which I normally don't like, to me it can make a smoke bite (for me anyway), but it smokes very cool and dry. It's a smoke for one kind of smoker, but if you are that type, this is perfect. It's replaced Dunhill Nitecap as my favorite late night and after dinner smoke, and my only objection is it's higher price.

The tin says it correctly, "A Latakia Lovers Dream". And that it is! I love Latakia and have yet to find a blend that has to much. If you love Latakia this is a blend for you. I am a hard puffer. I like great billows of smoke and this blend allows me to puff until I am blue in the face with out any tounge bite. My bowl only got slightly warm no matter how hard and how often I puffed. I will be smoking this on a regular basis.

If you love latakia, as I do, this should ever be on your list. I smoke it straight in a small bowl, but will also add it in to other blends from time to time if I want to "kick it up a notch". Although the smell is strong, the smoke is surprisingly mild.

As with hot pepper sauces, proper manners when offering Old Ironsides to a novice would be to give full disclosure, but offer it nevertheless. If he loves it, you know he has the heart and soul of an Englishman. If he hates it, then there is nothing to do but hope for his eventual conversion.

I love latakia, but not just any latakia. This blend has done a superb job in blending this to a rich, smooth, and sweet smoke. The flakes rub out easy (yes, latakia in flake form), the moisture was perfect on my tin dated from 2002. It smokes very cool with no tongue bite whatsoever. The smoke is very thick, you can almost chew it . It will scare away your significant ones though with its room note, unless they love latakia. The flavor is consistent all the way down the bowl with just a slight increase of richness toward the end and leaves a medium grey ash with no dottle. The only draw back to this blend is that it is so rich, that you will need to rest your tastebuds for a few hours before your next smoke. The tin looks small for the price, but it smoked so slowly that half a bowl in my ashton xxx sovereign billiard lasted an hour. Regardless of the cost , this tobacco is an excellent example of masterfull blending. Highly recommended!!! Update: 9-25-03 I just opened a fresh tin and realized that the previous tins in my possesion were well aged. This fresh tin was definitely a little "raw" and smoked a little harsh. I definitely recommend that you age this blend as it is tastes much better when aged. Rating 5 out of 5 points (when aged) By the way, did I mention that you should age it? Enjoy...

Old Ironsides- love it or hate it, it is undisputably one of the heavy hitters in the Latakia world. I love it. As my teenage daughter would say, "its the BOMB!" (Actually she hates the room note, even when the room is outside.) This is NOT going to win friends, aroma-wise, but that is not why we smoke anyway, right? OI is to tobacco what Laphroig and Ardbeg are to single malt scotches: In-your-face smoky, skanky hardcore stuff with a sharp attack, huge body, and lingering aftertaste that really only appeals to those with an acquired taste for such things. That is me, I guess, but I can see how you could really hate this product...

OI officially comes in flake form, but my tins thus far have contained broken flake at best, really more like shredded flake. No problem though, I just stuff them in the pipe w/o further rubbing, except for a little finer consistency for the top light.

This stuff looks and feels like leather. It even smells like leather- like one might expect a smoke-tanned Indian tipi to smell. Its the real thing. Being that it is somewhat moist (and pliable) it is even harder than many latakia-heavy blends to light. In fact, I sometimes sprinkle a little Commonwealth Mixture on top to facilitate ignition. It will also go out if neglected, but it is such a cool, satisfying smoke that it encourages steady puffing.

Some have commented here that OI is rather one-dimensional, and that is a fair evaluation of this weed that I notice each time I smoke it. Though the constituents listed include Kentuky, Virginia and oriental, they are overshadowed by the looming latakia. The thing is, I LOVE this particular dimension! It is among my all-time favorite tobaccos, though I could not smoke it every day. It would lose its specialness.

The downside of this tobacco is the price. Even at Internet prices, it is pricey, and not available in bulk (that I know of). I also seem to burn through 50 g faster than I do with almost any other tobacco. This is contrary to my experience with other flake tobaccos; my half-tin of Marlin Flake seems to have lasted for ever. Maybe it is because the experience is so enjoyable that I puff harder and the bowl is finished sooner. At any rate, compared to wine, scotch, cognac, and various illegal substances, even expensive pipe tobaccos remain one of life's most cost-effective pleasures. Thats why I always try to have several tins cellared. Who knows when natural disaster may strike?

I would HIGHLY recommend this tobacco to anyone who considers him or herself a latakia fan.

Ok, I admit, I love Latakia, I mean I realy like the stuff. Lets face it, most pipe smokers either love it, or hate it. I am reviewing based upon my love for the stuff. I have smoked many latakia blends. For a while I was searching for the perfect English. It must be cool, rich, easy to light, and flavorful. I found many that had the flavor, but burned hot. Had rich tobacco overtones, but where was the Latakia? Found some to be cool, but again, no taste of the smokey stuff, or very little. I was begining to think no one could blend the perfect English. I was wrong. Old Ironsides was found! It is cool, rich, and has flavor. I mentioned staying lit, well three out of four isn't bad. This is a hard tobacco to keep lit. Nevertheless, It is my all-time favorite tobacco. Leave it to the Germans, to blend an English, using tobacco from all over the world, with Cyprian Latakia at 70% and naming it after an American ship, of the Revolutionary War. Go Free Trade!

This is a SUPERB blend. Nice, dark flakes. FULL of latakia. Latakias are generally nice and SMOKEY tasting. Some don't like it, but THIS piper LOVES it. Very sweet tasting, very smoking, VERY RICH. A perfect winter smoke. This is truly a latakia lover's DREAM. It's one of my favorite latakia tobaccos.

This is an outstanding blend and only gets better the more you smoke it.

Upon opening the tin one encounters a pleasently musty aroma with a unique note I can only describe as meaty. In fact, the smell reminds me somewhat of my late grandfather's very smoky deer jerky, and I am occasionally possessed by an irrational desire to forego the elaborate ritual of packing and smoking a pipe to simply eat the stuff instead. ( I have not actually done this... yet)

The tobacco comes in an odd (for latakia mixtures) thin flake cut. I have settled on the strategy of folding the flakes over on themselves several times and packing the whole bloody mess into the bowl. As the flakes are thin and fragile, they crumble into small chunks when subjected to this treatment. Lighting can somewhat of an ordeal, as with most heavy latakia blends, but given three heavy lightings, it tends to hold flame fairly well.

Obviously, latakia flavors predominate throughout, but this is not to say that the blend lacks complexity. There is an intriguing rich nutty flavor just below the surface, which is exposed by faster puffing. You may puff this blend as quickly as you want, by the way, as the smoke is cool and creamy. One could probably smoke this out of a crackpipe using a welding torch without experiencing any adverse oral effects. The latakia starts out smoky-musty, becoming more musty-smoky towards the end of the bowl. Note that when I say "musty" I mean something good, more like chanterelle mushrooms and less like your basement. Smokes especially well in a meerschaum.

This blend has two potential drawbacks: price and room aroma. If you have a wife, and your wife has some olfactory capability, you should definitely smoke this either outside or in the comfort of your local tavern or tobacconist. Its priciness may put a hole in your pocketbook but only a small one, as tobacco remains the undisputed bargain among life's luxuries. If a penurious peasant like myself can afford this stuff, then you certainly can.

Latakia power .If you just have to have a latakia fix this is it . It burns great , packs great andsmokes great . One of my top shelf tobaccos .