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

Outstanding stuff! This is a wonderful tobacco in the vein of Esoterica's "And So To Bed".I have a request for future reviewers.If you don't like Germain Products - Please don't slam them. All Germain has that anise type flavoring added to it.Their treatment of the Orientals really brings out a unique flavor. You either like it or you don't.Enough said.This is a very unique tobacco. It is a full English with a wonderful Oriental component in it.Upon opening the tin you will be greeted by the wonderful smell of Orientals!I think it might have a very natural apple casing added to it.It has a very herbal smell to it.Upon 1st light you are met with a lovely, sweet,and intoxicating flavor. This is a very complex blend with Latakia in the forefront.The virginias provide some sweetness, but it is the orientals and latlakia that drive the blend. It burns easily after 2 lights and produces billows of sweet English smoke.It is a great all day companion that never gets hot. A must try for all Germain afficianados! 4of 4 stars!

This is a fine, fine Latakia blend. It comes in the typical rect. tin, with the strange mylar bag holding the precious leaf inside. Inside you are greeted by mostly dark, broad ribbon cut leaf. Tin aroma is delicious, very similar to "Margate" which they make for Esoterica, but a little less complex. Moisture is perfect, packing is easy, with three lights max to get going. Flavor is smooth with the latakia in the forefront but nothing in this blend overpowering your taste buds. It seems to taste a little darker than "Margate" but just as delicious. I am surprised this has not gotten more reviews since it is sooo delicious. It builds strength nicely down the bowl with a nice, rich finish that is not off-putting and has you thinking of another bowl. Rating: 5 out of 5 points. Don't just sit there! Go out and get a few tins and enjoy!!! Update: 11-14-2003 After smoking a few more tins of this tobac, I must say that it is definitely underated. This tobac is very delicious. The tin aroma reminds me of the complexity of a high quality cheese that my grandparents made in their farm. It is smooth enough to smoke all day and the cavendish never is cloying. Try it, you'll like it.

I see that some prior reviewers are not quite as fond of this fine mixture as I am. Opinions are only subjective. I'll claim no expertise, however I know what I enjoy or not and that's what I'll express here. I find this Original Jersey Mixture to be almost magical. The cover of the tin is purple the color of wisdom and and in legend wizardry and from the moment I opened the tin and viewed, touched the somewhat roughly cut and moist mixture of light and dark tobacco and sniffed the nostril stimulating tin aroma I was draw under it's spell. Soon I was enveloped in the smoke of my pipe, (most recently an old Comay's Pebblegrain in a Liverpool configuration) It's quite a pleasurable purple piping experience. Yes,the Latakia element of it is nothing close to being a riot control quality smoke bomb and yes,the signature perfume of Lakeland we all hear so much about in these reviews subtly but noticeably raises her elegant head. I for one enjoy this blend immensely. The smoke is deliciously unctuous possessing a smooth and wonderful balance of flavors within it's lightly textured medium bodied smoke, complex flavors somewhat herbal, flowery, sweet/sour, a bit tangy. These flavors are carried along in a smokiness that is a bit piney not at all the hickory or heavy campfire smokey essence. There certainly seems to be a seasoning of some sort of light casing or topping. But so what, it tastes wonderful. For my most recent bowl, I paired it with a tea composed of a mixture of black tea, herbal tea and few drops of rose water (a secret recipe) and enjoyed both while listening to a compilation of "West Coast Jazz". Most highly recommended.

Let me preface this review by stating that I enjoy smoking primarily Latakia-based blends. I am a big fan of Dunhill's Durbar and Nightcap blends so I have some experience with smoking and handling heavy nicotine blends.

Our shop got some of the Royal Jersey Original Latakia Mixture in recently and having never seen it before I gave the tin a sniff. Even through the seal it smelled delightful. Intrigued, I went ahead and purchased a tin to smoke. Upon cracking open the tin I was greeted with the full gorgeous aroma of this tobacco. It has that wet grass smell that one associates with a good fresh English blend as well as an undertone of cider or sour apple. Unique to say the least.

Packing this fine-cut tobacco was easy but lighting required about three or four tries before I could get a good burn going. Once lit however, this tobacco smoked right down to the bottom of the bowl with nary a relight required. After this tobacco has dried out a bit the lighting problems vanish and one can usually get it going with just one false light and tamping.

It's worth the little bit of extra work to get it going however as this blend provides a very interesting and unique smoke. It starts off pretty mellow with a wonderful Latakia flavor which is enhanced by a sour apple/cider undertone. I don't believe that this tobacco is cased but rather that the sour apple flavor is created naturally by some step in the curing process. Towards the latter half of the bowl the Latakia flavor becomes much stronger and smokier and the sour apple taste drops away almost entirely to be replaced by the soft, mellow flavors of the Orientals in the blend. This part of the smoke reminded me of how a bowl of London Mixture tastes but with an overall sweeter undertone throughout. Overall, this is a wonderful, complicated blend which requires some attention to apprectiate fully. On the subject of strength, while this blend is nowhere near the velvet hammer that is Nightcap, it can still be heady at times. I would advise excercising some caution while smoking this on an empty stomach.

In my opinion a great blend. Currently I smoke this blend, the Germain's Special Latakia Flake, and Dunhill's Durbar in my English pipes. This stuff is definately worth a try if you enjoy smoking English/Latakia blends.

You guys are crazy.... two star average for this??! Wow. I just can't.

This tobacco is lovely. If you've ever smoked "And So To Bed" you'll know Germain's anise flavor profile. Personally, I love it, but if you hate ASTB, you'll hate this too. It's slightly sweeter and more incense-noted than ASTB, probably because of the cavendish. The latakia is not powerful, despite having Latakia in the name. And whatever Germain does to his virginias is absolutely unrivaled.

It's really a semi-aromatic, but there's nothing sticky-sweet-chemical-etc about this at all. To me, its like a happy mixture between ASTB and Stokkeby's English Luxury. If I could find more tins of this, I'd absolutely load by cellar with it, and happily call it my guilty pleasure smoke.

The tobacco is mostly brown, with some light-brown and black parts. It smells sweet, with aromas of bread, old wood and campfire. It burns well and makes a sweet and sour, consistant and pleasant smoke. Like Dunhill Standard Mixture, I think it smells a bit like cigarette occasionally, but not in a bad way. The Latakia is definitely there and there's no doubt that this is a true english blend. It's strong enough to keep you satisfy, but mild enough to smoke all day.

If one acquires Original Latakia Mixture hoping for something like Special Latakia Flake from the same blender, one may be a little disappointed. Why? I couldn't say if it's because of the Maryland or the Oriental, but there is some sourness or tartness in the taste of this tobacco that I can only compare (for now) to Dunhill Standard Mixture. It is not bad at all and I find it gives another perspective to appreciate the flavors of the Latakia.

Some compare it to Esoterica And so to Bed, which makes sense because of its sweet smell and taste and the presence of a tad of sourness, but I think Original Latakia Mixture is a little less mellow than ASTB. There may also be a very mild topping (maybe anise as often suggested), that some reviewers find annoying. It is quite subtle though and it doesn't ruin the overall flavor. I even find it adds some roundness to the smoke.

I wasn't sure how much I liked it at first, but after trying it on different occasions I find it very good, enough to recommend the try for a change of pace. It is a good mixture from Germain.

This tobacco has taught me to give the product time before reviewing. Initially this tobacco was confusing, but after six months of smoking it in different moods, weather and times of day, I find that I enjoy Royal Jersey.

Opening the tin one is greeted with a sweet aroma and a moist shag cut tobacco full of brown Virginia with frequent flecks of black tobacco. The paper was slick with red oil. Nothing unpleasant, but different.

The predominant flavor in Royal Jersey is sweet and hay like. This is contrasted with the occasional earthiness of the Latakia. Small amounts go along way with Latakia, so while this flavor does not predominate, it does make its presence know, but in a surprisingly subtle way. The Orientals join in as an overtone and they are balanced by the casing on the "Red Virginia", which to me is just sweet. If the casing has any flavor, I taste honey, not vanilla.

In any case, a sweet and sour, light Latakia, held together by the gentle Virginia is what I experience. Because none of the flavors predominate except for the mild Virginia, it is subtle and interesting. Definitely worth a try for either an aromatic lover looking to explore English blends, or an English fan who want to go the other way. In summary, an light English blend and a worthy and enjoyable smoke.

Well, well, well, this is a wonderful surprise!

J. F. Germain & Son make some of my favourite tobacco's, however nothing I've had of late has really impressed me. That was until I had this Royal Jersey Original Latakia mixture.

I wasn't expecting anything of exceptional note, and was actually a little perturbed as I'd been sent two pouches of this as appose to one and one other blend that was out of stock.

Germains state that this tobacco is "Specially processed to produce a mellow smoke with rich flavour", and I have to agree that it is indeed mellow with rich flavour. It is comforting and reminds me of blends my farther used to smoke. The Latakia shines, but is subtle and blends in with the rest of the blend. People have noted a sweet element which I get as almost liquorish root.

I'm really surprised this isn't rated higher as for me it really is one of the best tobaccos Germains produce. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.