J. F. Germain & Son Eighteen Twenty

I was lucky enough to get hold of some over a year ago and I have held off reviewing as there doesn't seem much point when something is virtually impossible to buy. In terms of hype very little will ever match what is hyped up though that being said 1820 is very, very good. The balance of the components is more subdued than you may expect and epitomise 'less is more' in regards to the Latakia especially. For a once in a while bowl to keep your palate in check I do recommend getting some if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity.

This is too damned sexy for words but I'll try! I'd just woken up and got a coffee and decided to give 1820 the breakfast treatment. Oh hello! Where have you been hiding my smoky fox?? Pouch note is orgasmic: smoky, deep, primeval forests, balsamic, seductive and so damned rich! The last time I smoked Latakia was from a stash of Syrian that I bought from a tobacconists in Bath quite a few years ago. So that was what was in my memory and this is probably Cyprian Latakia so I approached the bowl with an open mind. Flake is very crumbly, moisture perfect and damn the aromas emanating from the pouch were rapidly permeating the whole room. Applied the flame, lit with no hesitation and I was transported to another dimension! It's not as smoky as I remember the Syrian version, more coal tar but with a sweetness and although the lat is there its application is near on perfect, like a good peat complements a fine whiskey. The Virginia's and Turkish Orientals play a very merry dance and intertwine in a flavoursome, quality smoke. This tobacco is a superb example of a very classy Balkan and then some. Reminds me of that jar of candy that sits in the cupboard that you want to try and make last a couple of weeks but you keep thinking about and craving and before you know it its all gone and you just can't wait for your next trip to the shops to get more! I think I need to buy more of this, its too gorgeous! 10/10!

My favorite mid-morning smoke. I'm fortunate to be able to compare a tin from 2008 (now 13 years old) against a more recent production (~2018). In either case, this has got to be one of the smoothest English blends I've ever smoked. Perhaps not as creamy on the palate as Davidoff Royalty, but a smoothness from any lack of harsh notes on the palate, back of throat or retrohale.

From the newer tin I get a greater sense of the Latakia (though never coarse), flavors of raw (untoasted) sunflower seed, cashew, and even something akin to butter bean. There is also a faint dusting of baking spices that together with the nutty flavors reminds me of the layers of nutty paste used to make Baklava.

In the older tin the Latakia is way in the background and in its place there is a definite whiff of flora like one smells on old Sherry barrels. For me that is a positive and interesting nuance that gives this a unique character. The flavors have now become less individually vivid, and at first seem comparatively one-dimensional. But as I enjoy the deliciousness I'm reminded of an ice cream parlor where most people will opt for more decadent flavors like Wild Blueberry Swirl, or such, while vanilla is overlooked. But, in my opinion, vanilla done right, like good old-fashioned homestyle, can be a real treat as it melts slowly in the mouth. Just to be clear, there is no vanilla in this, I'm just saying you don't need a lot of bold flavors to make something delicious.

Pack this one fairly tight, maybe even in a tall and narrow bowl to get the most out of it. This is not a 'wow' blend, especially as it mellows with age, but it invites slow and thoughtful contemplation, and works wonders as the perfect de-stressor!

Another winner from Germain! Not quite up to the wonders of their King Charles Smoking Mixture (for a similar blend on paper) but great none the less – I can’t down grade a tobacco just because the same producer makes something else I like a little more.

Germain only do subtle – if that is not your bag then don’t stop here. If on the other hand you value quality and flavour over blatant, obvious, strong tastes then you will be hard-pressed to find any finer. Different enough from King Charles to warrant its existence, this is more about the gentle, fragrant Orientals within the cradle of rounded, sweet and bright Virginias. There is just a touch of a darker taste every now and then and a constant creamy smokiness very much in the background which rounds the mixture off perfectly.

Germain ribbon cut Virginia blends consistently smoke best, coolest and most flavourful when packed fairly firmly in a smallish bowl – give them too much room and the experience can be a mite hot and ordinary but treated right, they have little competition.

I picked this up on a trip to England recently. I was told by the chap behind the counter that this is Germains answer to Penzance, which I love. Turns out the flake version is the answer to Penzance but sadly they didn't have any. I've given this a few tries and it just doesn't sing for me the way Penzance or even Margate does.

The cut is similar to Margate in that it's ultra fine shag. The moisture is just right and it's very easy to pack and smoke. The quality of the leaf is excellent just as I find all Germains leaf to be. It's pleasant enough smoking, mild and mellow but it lacks the character and depth of it's Esoterica contemporaries. Rather than making the different leaves shines at different times throughout the bowl, it's just monochromatic. It would be an ok tobacco to smoke if you couldn't find anything better but luckily there are much better out there.

According to a trustworthy source, this tobacco is of the same composition as Penzance, but with less additives, so it is the closest match you will be able to get in the UK market. These flakes are easy to crumble, and filling your bowl is like a walk in the park due to their sandy appearance or composition. This is a medium blend with about the same body as Special Latakia Flake. It is quite easy to smoke despite its complexities with woodsy and creamy undertones. It is less spicy than the aforementioned and the virginia leaf backdrop it evolves against seems to show up here and there as you progress with your smoke. The moist content seems to be rather high, but I do not recommend drying them out as they seem to smoke perfectly fine. As for the smoking experience, I am not quite sure this would be the closest match to Penzance ever, but it is quite good in its own right. Highly recommended.

A very pleasant surprise. Smelt sublime in the tin on opening and tasted the same way. This blend is right up there with Skiff Mixture. Will certainly be ordering some more for the cellar.

Very nice English Blend, smooth and enough of smokey latakia to keep it interesting, like most of their tobaccos it is in a nice burning shag style cut, packs easy, lights well

I struggled with whether to give this one three or four stars. My rating might change once I buy a tin and smoke more of this stuff, but for now I give it three. Oh yes, and worth noting, especially if you're like me and you like English blends with fairly high nicotine, this one satisfies pretty well in that category. The cool, mild smoke is deceiving in that way, but I definitely noticed the presence of Lady N in this one.

So, I am in Asheville, NC, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the only place outside of Alaska that I've ever lived, and it's a very beautiful place full of great people, for the most part. One of the men who hangs out and works at the tobacconist here (B&B Tobacconists, blender of the famed Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard) smokes 1820 exclusively, and he always has several tins on hand. Well, he knows that I like English mixtures because I'm always saying so, and so he gives me some 1820 to try because he wanted me to try it, and because he's just a great guy. I packed a bowl out of his tin in my Neerup 1/2 bent sort-of-Dublin, my current favorite pipe.

Well, this stuff is pretty much a shag cut, very thin ribbons that pack very easily and light just as easily. It burns very evenly and produces a fine, white-grey ash. The taste is not dominated by any particular one of the tobaccos, but they are all there and noticeable. I particularly like the Orientals they use in this blend, very fine stuff that really balances it out.

One of my favorite things about this stuff, and one of the first things I noticed, is that it burns extremely cool. The smoke, even the stuff that you get upon lighting the bowl, is very cool and not the least bit harsh. You can just tell that this is quality stuff, as if the name "Germain" on the front didn't tell you that in the first place.

Again, this may well be a four-star tobacco, but I just want to smoke more of it before I can feel comfortable giving that rating. Right now, consider it 3.5 stars, and a possible upgrade to 4 once I get my hands on some and run a few more bowls through my pipe. Try it in something with a fairly deep bowl and straight walls, it burns well in that type of pipe. Or maybe it's just how fantastic my Neerup is. 😀 Enjoy, folks!