J. F. Germain & Son Eighteen Twenty

Refined with character, for those who enjoy English blends tilted toward Latakia and Oriental tobaccos, but still want a notable Virginia presence in that order. One of the world's great English blends in my estimation.

I recently added some lightly sweetened black Cavendish to 1820 and had the immediate impression of smoking Dunhill MM 965 in its better days, before Murray lost control of the quality.

I bought this on a whim because nothing on the label tells you anything about it other than that it is made in England. I had no idea if this was an aromatic, a virginia / perique or a latakia heavy english tobacco. I opened the tin and the contents were somewhat soggy which I found surprising for an English tobacco. I sniffed the contents and thought I detected some casings - but couldn't be sure. A strong waft of iodine suggested a lowland or isle scotch whiskey. The smell was complex and effulgent. I chose my Corn Cob for the smoke. I loaded up a bowl outside the tobacco store where I bought it and lit it up. LATAKIA!!!!! Screamed the first draw. I was able to hear little else in the chorus of flavors due to a slightly sour taste in this blend that so haunted my palette that I had bad dreams about smoking it again last night. Tasted so bad it gave me nightmares.

It took about five lights to get it going, and the result was sour and moist - like the steam from a campfire when somebody pees on it. As the bowl progressed, this sour effect fell into the background, but the wet stuff refused to smoke cool.

I felt very aware of my environmental footprint as I strolled along the waterfront carefully directing my puffs away from families with baby strollers and accusing faces. It did not appear to sweeten the air about me overmuch.

When this stuff did burn, it rendered into a fine gray ash and left little in my pipe. At some points it would cool a little and a few other flavors could creep in, but the Latakia in this is simply overwhelming and the moisture in the tin - seemingly preserved by the cellophane wrapping around the tobacco brick therein, created a singularly foul smoke I'll not repeat.

1820 was a pleasant surprise for me. The tin aroma suggested LATAKIA!!!! In reality, the Latakis was prominent but did not dominate the other components. This loaded easily, took the match readily, and burned cleanly with only the modicum of attention. The flavor seemed to catch Latakia here, then some Virginia, then some Oriental. Smoked smmoth and cool. Left a pale gray ash and a dry pipe. If variety during a days smoking is whet you are looking for, look no further. While possibly too intense for the beginner or the aromatic lover, the English/Balkan lover might fond this a great addition to the tobaco rotation. Very Highly Recommended.

1820 - Beautiful sticker on a similar tin that Samuel Gawith uses for SL and Commonwealth Mixture. Anyway...what we have here is a truly mild English blend that though comes rather moist stays lit. Though the Latakia is tasted its a balanced doesage of it. This might be an ok blend for those looking to break into English blends although I recommed Frog Morton On The Town for that. Nevertheless a really quality smoke. This tin will be reserved for smoking when I am doing yard work and the such. Nothing too special here.

I love the quality of the tobacs coming from Germain. Always high quality leaf with good aging.

1820 is a tasty mild English. The tin aroma is traditional English with a bit of that Germain (or Esoterica) fermentation. Not too heavy on the Orientals.

The cut is a fairly thin ribbon. Again similar to the Esoterica tobacs. While moist, it was easy to pack and light. Burned to a clean dry ash.

The flavor is very mild and I agree wholeheartedly that 1820 has a touch of natural sweetness, much like Wilke's Pipemakers Choice or to a lesser degree Dunhill's 965. I very much like this style of tobacco (English with hints of sweetness). Is it cased? Perhaps, but I think the sweetness mainly comes from the flue-cured leaf.

If you like mild English tobacs with a bit of sweetness you should try this. If you are a Balkan vampire - or want a big nicotine hit - then stay away. This tobacco might also appeal to aromatic smokers looking to try an English tobacco.

Notes: My review is based on an older tin, dating from 1985, so please take this into consideration when reading. Smoked in various pipes, I found this best in my Castello apple.

Appearance: A heterogeneous medium to thick cut ribbon of light golden to darker brown with a few black strands thrown in. All in all a very pleasing multi-tonal blend of tobacco leaves.

Aroma: In the tin it is mildly sweet, smelling strikingly of freshly made oatmeal and brown sugar. Gentle and honeyed with just a hint of allspice, it promises to give a gentle contemplative and relaxing smoke.

Taste: 1820 lit quite easily with a single match; I was immediately struck by how hotly this burned, despite an appropriate moisture content. The flavor is surprisingly different from what the aroma might lead you to expect. There is a very subtle and pleasing flavor of oatmeal which lurks in the background of this blend, loosely unifying its flavor pastiche. It may be that fresher tins present a more seamless picture, as older tins like this sometimes begin to lose cohesion after a few decades.

Nevertheless, I found the oatmeal flavor more prominent in the aftertaste rather than in the smoking itself. After I had finished a bowl, I was surprised to find the flavor of oatmeal upon my palate lingering. This leads me to believe it has to do with the Oriental leaf, as these have a tendency to pervade the gums and lips with their flavors, affecting the flavors of everything else you taste during the remainder of the day. For this reason, I would not recommend 1820 as a bowl to start off your day.

The Virginia flavor is largely diminished and subdued in this blend and it is not at all sweet to my perception. It burns hot however and rather harshly. I did not detect any inordinate amount of tongue or throat irritation with this blend ? rather the flavor is harsh and crude, as one might expect from a rougher cut tobacco, for example. Instead, the predominant flavor is that of the latakia, although this is not overbearing in any sense of the word. More plainly said, this blend seems to have little if any flavor, and what little flavor it does have is that of smoke and charcoal with a hint of cloves and allspice.

If this were a smoother smoking mixture, it would be a very mild and relaxing smoke; but as it stands after several bowlfuls, I find it has remained steadfastly harsh to the point of getting in the way of the flavor. As a result, 1820 tends to paint a relatively simplistic, uncomplicated picture, uniform from the start to the finish of the bowl. There is little dottle and slightly less that the average amount of pipe gurgle, easily remedied by a few passes with the pipe cleaner. A gentler mixture which has similar flavors but is a bit more reflective owing to the lack of harshness is indeed Carol Burns? ?Pipemaker?s Choice? from Pipeworks and Wilke.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a plain, old-fashioned extremely mild-flavored blend with a whisper of Latakia and Oriental in it, and don?t mind a harsh burning smoke in the mouth and throat, this may be the blend for you.

Esoterica light! Same stringy ribbon cut. Same tightly packed density. Same underlying top dressing. This is 'And So to Bed' without as much licorice/anise topping. You can also call it 'Pembroke Super Light'. The tin reminds me a little of Old Overholt Rye Whiskey, which I enjoy a lot more. This is an English with Stella Doro biscotti thrown in.

Leave it alone, unless of course, you enjoy biscuits with your tobacco.

One and a half of five stars

OATMEAL!!! This is one of the finest English mixtures on the market. It tastes like oatmeal.The latakia is present as a supporting element in this blend. It is really the orientals that take center stage here. A very nutty and naturally sweet blend.I smoke mostly very interesting English blends that tend to be heavy on the Latakia.This one joins the ranks but on the milder side.A very smooth,cool,and naturally sweet smoke with no tongue bite. A very similar blend is Wilke's Pipemaker's Choice.If the appeal of sweet vitginias and orientals appeal to you try this.

This blend smells like peat moss when you first open the tin, but don't be put off. It is an excellent midrange Balkan/English blend. It has an earthy flavor that keeps me wanting more from time to time. It is not a complex blend but has an earthy monochromatic flavor all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I keep a tin of this on hand always and go back to it from time to time for something different. It is a good blend to recommend to first timers to non aromatics. Update: 06-15-2004 I just opened a tin from 1996 and let me tell you, this is a keeper. Quality tobacco ages well and this blend definitely has it. It has mellowed somewhat and the VA component has given it a sweet note that pleasantly pops in while you are smoking it.The Latakia is there, but not overbearing. A true classic English/Balkan blend.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 points Enjoy!