J. F. Germain & Son Eighteen Twenty
(3.18)
Named after the year in which the company was founded this mixture of top grade Cyprus Latakia Oriental and Flue cured tobacco will provide plenty of interest for the experienced pipe smoker.
Details
| Brand | J. F. Germain & Son |
| Blended By | J. F. Germain & Son |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin; 50 grams pouch |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.18 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Strong |
Presentation, well, not perfect. Sloppily stamped on cover - but that could also be deliberate to raise the cover somewhat to let you know what you're actually buying (the "death threat" sticker covers up the blend name otherwise). No big deal once it's peeled off and threwn in the trash where it belongs.
Inside the tin there's a tightly packed ribbon cut. The tin note is quite strange to my nose as well... some vinegar, peat and I also get the impression that it's been doused with sea water or something. I don't really know what to make of that, but I'm not exactly wild over the smell. Well, it should be noted that this strange smell dissipated somewhat after a few days and settled into something more in line of tobacco. But it's still quite unpleasant.
When smoked it strikes me as very sharp on the tongue, and also quite grating on the back of the throat. This harshness makes it quite difficult for me to distinguish the goings on with this blend. If there's anything jumping out a little it is the VA with turkish on the backend, latakia is not immediately evident to me. It doesn't last very long though and it quickly turns into something that makes me think of what burning rubber in a pipe might taste like, and the room note isn't much better either.
I'm only 3-4 bowls in as I write this, but honestly, I think that's enough to know that this is really not my cup of tea, and I really don't want to torture myself any longer with it either. Sorry, but this is just terrible - so much so that I'm starting to think that there must be something wrong with this tin, because it seems to be so far from what nearly all other reviews describe, but it's highly unlikely I'll ever get another tin to find out one way or the other.
I really can't find any redeeming qualities here. This is just awful from top to bottom.
Inside the tin there's a tightly packed ribbon cut. The tin note is quite strange to my nose as well... some vinegar, peat and I also get the impression that it's been doused with sea water or something. I don't really know what to make of that, but I'm not exactly wild over the smell. Well, it should be noted that this strange smell dissipated somewhat after a few days and settled into something more in line of tobacco. But it's still quite unpleasant.
When smoked it strikes me as very sharp on the tongue, and also quite grating on the back of the throat. This harshness makes it quite difficult for me to distinguish the goings on with this blend. If there's anything jumping out a little it is the VA with turkish on the backend, latakia is not immediately evident to me. It doesn't last very long though and it quickly turns into something that makes me think of what burning rubber in a pipe might taste like, and the room note isn't much better either.
I'm only 3-4 bowls in as I write this, but honestly, I think that's enough to know that this is really not my cup of tea, and I really don't want to torture myself any longer with it either. Sorry, but this is just terrible - so much so that I'm starting to think that there must be something wrong with this tin, because it seems to be so far from what nearly all other reviews describe, but it's highly unlikely I'll ever get another tin to find out one way or the other.
I really can't find any redeeming qualities here. This is just awful from top to bottom.
PurchasedFrom:
MySmokingShop
Age When Smoked:
About 2 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 25, 2010 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Very Mild | Tolerable |
I was in the mood for a mild English smoke and having enjoyed the other blend I sampled from this stable I decided to see if Germain's had something to suit my needs. If they do, it ain't this one!
I would dearly love to add my voice to the paeans of praise for this blend, but I simply don't get it. Having smoked nothing else for the past few days I am consistently dissappointed at the complete lack of flavour. Every so often I think that the orientals or virginas are going to reveal themselves, but 9 times out of 10 what actually pokes through the miasma of blandness is the utterly execrable topping that not only spoils the smoke but is still identifiable in the room the next morning. Another reviewer has mentioned Iodine. After racking my brains I have realised that it reminds me of the flavour I would encounter in my school days when we were flicking ink with our fountain pens and some of it got into my mouth (yes I was a rebellious child - probably why I grew up to be a pipe smoker).
To compound the misery created by this woeful weed I have contracted a nasty case of tongue bite in my vain attempts to extract a morsel of pleasing taste, but even when I concentrate on smoking gently I still find it to be lacking in smoothness.
I have rated the room note as 'tolerable' because there isn't an option for 'mild yet persistent and nasty'.
In my search for a mild English that I can enjoy this is definitely not the answer. I think that I might give SG Skiff Mixture another try. In the parlance of my trendier friends - 'epic fail'.
I would dearly love to add my voice to the paeans of praise for this blend, but I simply don't get it. Having smoked nothing else for the past few days I am consistently dissappointed at the complete lack of flavour. Every so often I think that the orientals or virginas are going to reveal themselves, but 9 times out of 10 what actually pokes through the miasma of blandness is the utterly execrable topping that not only spoils the smoke but is still identifiable in the room the next morning. Another reviewer has mentioned Iodine. After racking my brains I have realised that it reminds me of the flavour I would encounter in my school days when we were flicking ink with our fountain pens and some of it got into my mouth (yes I was a rebellious child - probably why I grew up to be a pipe smoker).
To compound the misery created by this woeful weed I have contracted a nasty case of tongue bite in my vain attempts to extract a morsel of pleasing taste, but even when I concentrate on smoking gently I still find it to be lacking in smoothness.
I have rated the room note as 'tolerable' because there isn't an option for 'mild yet persistent and nasty'.
In my search for a mild English that I can enjoy this is definitely not the answer. I think that I might give SG Skiff Mixture another try. In the parlance of my trendier friends - 'epic fail'.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 26, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Very Strong | Overwhelming | Strong |
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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 09, 2005 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
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
Leave it alone, unless of course, you enjoy biscuits with your tobacco.
One and a half of five stars
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