Dan Tobacco Old Ironsides

Dan Tobacco - Old Ironsides (American History Mixtures).

The flakes are starting to break apart, yet not enough to justify the name Broken Flake. The colouration resembles tiger stripes: the way the lighter and darker leaves run vertically forms a pretty appearance. The moisture was perfect when I first opened it.

Although the Lat' creates a heady smoke, it doesn't monopolize the smoke, entirely. It seems to me to be a flavour where the Kentucky's second in command, so it's not just woody-smokiness from the Lat': the Kentucky gives a sharper, fiery, note. It's this that raises my rating of the taste from full, to very full; and also removes a star from the final recommendation. I get the least enthusiasm from the Virginia, maybe a gentle sweetness, but the others are too formidable to allow something with the word Gentle in its camp to share much of the action! It burns evenly, giving, like it says in the description, a cool smoke.

Nicotine: strong. Room-note: full, but I don't find it totally abhorrent.

Don't get me wrong, Old Ironsides is a well made blend, but it's just a touch too heavy a taste for me to give it full marks:

Recommended.

The mildly sweet Cyprian Latakia provides a wealth of musty, leathery smoke, earth, wood, some herbs, floralness, and light spice as the lead component. The mildly sweet and fairly sour dark fired Kentucky offers plenty of earth, wood, herbal vegetation, floralness, some spice, and light nuttiness as an important supporting player. In the third slot is the earthy, woody, floral, spicy, vegetative, incense-like, herbal, mildly sweet and rather sour Orientals. The Virginias produce some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, and a pinch of spice in the background. The strength is at the center of medium to strong. The taste is a couple of steps past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, but there is a mild roughness present. The flakes are moderately moist and pliable, and as always, I did not dry them. Burns cool, clean and slow with a very consistent, deeply rich, sour, floral, spicy, mildly sweet, savory campfire flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The potent room note might isolate you from your family. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Not an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-Jiminks

This is the strongest Latakia tin note I have ever experienced...MMMM alotta Latakia. The broken flakes are easy to rub out, dry and pack (do let it dry or it has a tendency to bite). Once lit the smokey Latakia hits you between the eyes, but not overbearing. Sweet and smokey. I get a chocolate like flavor, not from a topping, but the sweet Latakia with the DFK and Orientals blend into what my palate describes as chocolate. Very consistent flavor down the bowl and leaves a grey ash. I got the sense from other reviews that there is a big nic-hit with this. I did not get that at all...and I am fairly sensitive to nicotine. Great after dinner smoke.

The U.S.S. Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) is the 'oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world'. The battleship has been celebrated with honours, including being the namesake of Dan Tobacco's blending inspiration (perhaps the ship's greatest achievement besides its age). Blended for C.A.O., Old Ironsides is a Latakia flake-based weed that I rather like. I have been critical of tobacco in the past for being uniform in taste. In this case, oddly, I like the fact that the flavour is basically unchanging from the beginning of the bowl to the bottom. There is a charm about its unvarying flavour. I am not a fan of flake form, but Old Ironsides would lose some of that charm if it were not a flake cut. The fact is that I noticeably like packing this flake in my larger pipes. The raw peat-like smell of the weed is welcoming but second only to the taste. In this case, it is a full and smoky experience without an abundance of nicotine. The latter, however, is just about right--enough for a kick but not too much to cause a headache. This stuff produces bellows of grey smoke and burns to a nice similarly-coloured ash. And I enjoy greatly the lingering aftertaste. What prevents Old Ironsides from getting another star (besides the War of 1812 against Great Britain--even if that was the ship and not the tobacco) is the fact that its flavour can become slightly harsh, but that harshness can be avoided. Significantly, it must be smoked gently and that is difficult to do due to the desire to enjoy abundantly and puff profusely (or at least faster than usual). That aside--and in mind--this is a satisfactory solid smoke that occasionally reminds me of a fine cigar (although I no longer smoke them). Latakia is my favourite component in tobacco, but if it is not yours than admittedly you will not like Old Ironsides. If Latakia is a requirement for your smoking pleasure, find your way to the Navy yard and cruise aboard the U.S.S. Constitution with this dreamy delight--you will certainly not be disappointed.

As a Latakia lover, I wanted to try some blend with the emphasis on this dark and fascinating tobacco, something different from my usual Dunhill London Mixture and Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. Well, I went for advice to Mr. Bollito (a tobacconist in Turin, one of the best in Italy) and he suggested this. Well, his experience couldn't have been more valuable. Upon opening the small tin, I was rather shocked by the huge and thick black broken flakes: being used to the small cut of my other favorite latakia tobaccos, this was a surprise. The smell was very strong, very smoky and dark: like Balkan Sobranie, but stronger and deeper. I was uncertain on how to pack this stuff, but I decided to stuff the flakes in my Savinelli without crumbling them into little pieces. I just broke the hugest ones, pressed with my finger and then lit. Lighting proved itself a challenging task: this stuff doesn't want to get on fire! Not because of wetness, just because of the size of the flakes! This made me fear for the worst about relightings, but I was wrong. This tobacco is hard to light, but then if you puff regularly it never extinguishes. The large cut of the flakes is very helpful indeed in keeping the smoke very slow and cool: the pipe gets noticeably less hot than with Dunhills or Balkan Sobranie, and this is great. The smoke comes out at the perfect temperature, allowing you to taste the aroma without scorching your tongue or overwhelming you with excessively intense clouds. But what about the taste? In my opinion, it is very good. A bit monochromatic, perhaps, in comparison to the aforementioned Latakia monsters: straight, sincere, but enormously satisfying. The intense smokiness of Latakia is the dominant taste, for an in-your-face dark experience, with all the usual nuances one has to expect. Hints of licorice, of burning wood, of salt... Mmmmm, this tobacco makes my mouth water!!! It can get too salty at the bottom of the bowl, but never harsh. If only it were a bit fuller in body (maybe adding some orientals and red virginia... but then again it would be easier to smoke another blend!)... In spite of this rich taste, this tobacco doesn't seem too strong: the nicotine content is just right for me, and the overall strenght is OK, definitely lighter than London Mixture or Balkan Sobranie. For me it is a great choice when I want something less complex than my usual favorite Latakia blends, but be warned because I found that it can be very nasty and unplesant to non-smokers who should happen in your presence: they often complain that its pungent smell reminds them of burnt horse dung!!!!!! But so they say about Balkan Sobranie, which could be interpreted as a huge compliment to Old Ironsides...

2011 Update (after 6-7 years): Well, I hadn't tried this tobacco since a long time ago, so I got a new tin. Bad surprise... it has changed considerably, even from the looks of it. Much softer and larger flakes, not as dark and leathery as they used to be. And the taste disappoints too: no longer the strong Latakia blast of old, no longer as stout and licoricey. Should have stocked up the old version...

2021 Update: With the change of production from CAO to Dan, it has become a recommended blend again. Still not as dark and rubery/leathery as old times, still not as "thick", but at least once again very flavorful. Great juicy sweetness with added smokiness, like a nice barbecue sauce. Simple, but enjoyable.

Old Ironsides - Dan Tobacco

Thick flake fills the tin in oily tightness,

Strong and full, from the ashes of Erebus

Intense smokiness, lingering sweetness

Caveat fumator: latākia bomba est!

Before trying this, I remember a friend describing it as a "Latakia railroad track of a blend". Well ... the latakia is present in this one, and is quite a fore front, but not the sole player by a long shot. It is no doubt a strong blend that starts off with a latakia scent, full and smokey, but as being a complex blend it carries off into a spicy, earthy and quite fiery Kentucky direction. The first half of the bowl is smoky rich with a hint of sweetness, from the Virginia, while the latter part evolves into the fiery/spicy Kentucky, which at first is not that obvious. The orientals are a mystery, one can get a scent here and there, but the main balance is a battle between latakia and the kentucky. I guess the blend wouldn't taste the same without that oriental leaf, but it sure isn't a major component. Vitamin N is present in quite a dose. I smoke this in a no 4 Dunhill pot, which gives one a fix to the point I feel a little light headed if I stubbornly finish the bowl in one sitting. Not an everyday blend for me, a good blend, but not a day in and day out smoke ... perhaps a good digestive after a rich meal. Overall 3.5/4 because I am not that big of a fan of strong Kentucky, but a good blend non the less. Mine was not obviously moist out of the tin, although I did drain the pipe a couple of times.

You know itll have enough lat for ya when you rub it out and you have lat dust on your hands.

has a very nice tin note. fist the lat hits you then you smell the nice sour fermented virginias which to me smell very quality.

when smoked you get the lat first, thats pretty par for the course. the orientals come in shortly after that, and lay a nice kinda sunflower seed flavor to the mix. aftter a few minutes with it you can get some sweetness from the Va's. but in my opinion not enough, it could use some more imo. but all in all this is a solid balkin style flake. and im gonna get a few tins to age, figure ill let one go for 3-5 years and one for 10 years.

now its not what i would call a lat bomb but its not mild with the lat. i would suggest this and i would buy again but tht being said its not ever going to be a part of my daily rotation. so i would give it 2 1/2 stars but cant do 1/2 stars so ill give it a solid 3.

Listed as a Balkan there is some sweet and sour noticed during the smoke which offsets the smokiness of the Latakia and Kentucky to create another successful straightforward blend from Dan Tobacco. Rich in flavor from the quality tobacco, this blend does not need a topping or strong casing to carry it. I could still taste it on my breath the following day but it was a welcome obtrusion like finding some leftover Remoulade in your beard from the night before.