J. F. Germain & Son Royal Jersey Original Latakia Mixture

I’m not a big fan of making notes on tin labels but I do feel that it’s appropriate to have an elegant label with an appropriately elegant name. Royal Jersey Original Latakia Mixture fits the bill just fine. JF Germain is a fine tobacco company. They produce the Esoterica line of tobacco blends which I consider some of the finest blends on the market today, using some of the finest leaf anywhere. Penzance, Margate, Pembroke, And So To Bed all excellent English blends that are always in my rotations. This blend, Royal Jersey Original Latakia Mixture falls into the soft and pleasant world of And So To Bed. It is the same fine ribbon cut. Moisture is a bit heavy but slight drying suits it fine. Out of the tin fresh was 2 starting lights with one relight 3/4 down the bowl. Not horrible. Burns evenly. The first half of the bowl was soft and very pleasing. No bite. A bit lighter on the Latakia than ASTB. The Virginia’s take more of a leading role and slightly more piquant. The orientals taking a supporting role as the Latakia adds the smoky spice. The Vanilla topping adds a pleasant roundness to the mixture and creates the slight sourness near the finish. Vanilla and Latakia don’t always work together but this is not bad. I don’t detect any spirits added to this blend. The blend also doesn’t evolve tremendously throughout the Smoke, yet doesn’t leave my palette trashed with the fireplace ash taste that some Latakia blends tend to leave. The room note is pleasant to me. All and all a good blend.

J.F. Germain - Royal Jersey Original Latakia.

Inside the tin resides a block of tobacco wrapped in greaseproof paper that's about a centimetre smaller than the tin itself. This set alarm bells off in my head at first as it's oily and moist; the paper's lost all of it's crispness. However, when I peeled it back to reveal the blend I was met by adequately hydrated ribbons that are fine enough to be labelled Shag and some crystals had even accumulated in places; perplexing!

If you like Lat-Bombs, this isn't for you. The Latakia adds a slight depth to the flavour, but in a different way to normal. I don't get any of the usual nuances I expect from Latakia; that's not a bad thing for me though, I like the way the Lat' comes over: calmly.

I also get a pleasing sweetness; like the dextrose variety that's produced by age. I don't really notice any other tastes that could be considered toppings; this sweetness accounts for a lot of the flavour.

I don't get much nicotine from RJO Mixture, I wouldn't even say it's any more than mild.

Personally, I enjoy this blend; I can see how some people would find it disappointing though; it just shows how our taste differs!

Three stars from me!

A nice light-to-medium latakia mixture. The latakia is the main actor, with the Virginia peaking through and the orientals hiding in the background. Those who desire super-latakia mixtures would likely dislike this, those who want a bit more latakia than is found in the likes of Squadron Leader, Presbyterian, etc. should give this a go. I prefer the similar but (to me) a bit richer stablemate King Charles Mixture

This is similar to the King Charles blend and the 1820, though more tart and appealing. Typical of all Germains, the dressing gives the manufacturer away. This is a nice stringy cut of VA/MD & Orientals that packs well. I?m not sure if I ever tried Maryland tobacco before, so perhaps that?s what gives this its unique texture and flavor. It?s similar in style to ?And So to Bed,? though a lot more interesting and not as licorice tasting. The base taste is reminiscent of sour apple or cider. I wouldn?t associate that sort of flavor with tobacco, but it seems to work well here. It?s also briny and chewy, like an Ardbeg or Bowmore malt from Islay. As McClelland is woodsy like BBQ, Dunhill is smokey and IRC Three Star is characteristically licorice, RJ has that unmistakable note that?s Germain?s alone. If one can imagine the rugged landscapes, lonely moors and windswept dales of the Channel Islands, Royal Jersey is all those things in both tin and pipe. An unusual blend worthy of attention and one that I will turn to from time to time.

Three and a half of five stars

A very good friend of mine from the pipe club brought in some Germain’s that he had purchased from someone. For me and probably likewise others, Germain’s is a rare find if you can purchase it. This tin was circa 2017. This comes in a nice shag cut which had still maintained some of its hydration or so it seemed. Fired up smooth, with a slight sweetness to the smoke. Forgive the review as I only had two bowls of this fine blend. I would purchase this if I could. Side bar: "Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, an island group in the English Channel near France." Wikipedia. New Jersey was named after the Isle of Jersey.

After reading the reviews I think this is an under-rated blend. The Latakia and Oriental are forward in this blend that is light in Virginia by taste. At times it tastes like the Gourmet English. Similar smoking experience at times with slightly more Oriental forward taste. I recommend this blend to anyone looking for a full English.

Nice light latakia that burns to a clean ash. Smokes great in any size bowl and has a subtle sweetness. Let it air out a few days and it will lose some moisture smokes very well right from the 1st match.

Bought this in error when searching for a pouch of Special Latakia Flake, and although I was initially disappointed at my carelessness, opening the tin and filling a bowl quickly changed my mind.

This has the characteristic Germain 'house topping' taste, in the same way that a certain other blending house has a ketchup note to everything that it sells. It doesn't intrude hugely, but it would be a mistake to discount its existence, and I suspect that the smoker that is unitiated to Germain's will either enjoy or be slightly put off. It is a matter of taste, and for this reviewer is not unwelcome.

I would put it in the higher bracket of flavour profiles for Germain. More latakia than SLF, less orientals than 1820, and more enjoyable in its entirety than King Charles. This is a middle of the road but satisfying latakia mixture that carries greater consistency from bowl to bowl than other JFG products - you know what is coming as you fill each pipe. Good tin smell, with sweet and sour layers, and a fair translation of that to the bowl as it burns. Easy to light, easy to smoke, easy to finish - not monochromatic, but not complex. Dry in the bowl and doesn't translate excessive heat to the briar.

Would I class it as an all day smoke? Probably not, but mainly because it does have that slight undertaste that is a novelty for the first couple of bowls, but can be wearying beyond that. I crave something else between bowls just to shift up the palate. I would go with it every other day, however, and at times have made it through an entire tin very quickly without realising just how much I have enjoyed the experience. Latakia content is good; great if you love it, probably not if you don't, but then you are unlikely to have bought a pouch if the dark weed disturbs. Not a lat bomb, mind. If you are after a latakia detonation, you need to go elsewhere toward the heavier Pease or Gawith blends, but at the same time this is bigger than a Stratford, Kensington or SLF.

I recommend this to all lat lovers who don't mind an easy going bowl that you don't have to think about. Good quality tobaccos, no tongue torture, no wet dottle, no nic overload.

Another home run from Germain & Son The tin note on this is something I'd like my office to smell like. Germain uses some topping on this blend (apple brandy is my guess), it is strong in the nose and gives the tin note a very pleasant smell that goes well with the underlying tobacco's add to the note but it is all topping out of the tin.

This is a great Latakia (English mixture), I prefer this as an evening or post dinner smoke. The topping noted in the tin note are present in the first third of the smoke, but not so much that it masks the tobacco's, there are some great tobacco's in here! I am guessing that the topping is applied to the Maryland as it is a minor player in the blend but readily absorbs casings and flavors. The Virginias are sweet and are ever present but in the background. The smokey sweet Latakia slightly edges out the orientals in this blend (at least to my palate). The orientals add a sour and spicy note throughout the smoke that is really interesting in the first third when the apple brandy is more prominent. I am not a fan of aromatic's (as a rule) but a nicely topped liquor in an "English" blend I find pleasant. If I were a betting man I would say this is the original version of Pembroke under the Esoterica brand, also made by Germain. As the topping fades this becomes a very nice mild "English" blend. Smoothe and cool to the end and sweet and smoky. I am very glad I was able to get my hands on this and would recommend it to all but those that do not like a noticeable topping on their 'baccy.