House of Windsor Barking Dog

Not really all that bad, I like it alot more then some of the other selections from this company. It is a good simple smoke with a room note that I like. For what they charge for it at one tobacco store, there are I like so many things better. If I had a good source to purchase it cheaply it might fall into my low end rotation. It doesn't qualify as a good value for what I get out of it.

I will begin by saying that I do like this tobacco, although it is not my favorite tobacco of this type (see my reviews of Uhle's non-aromatics). I think when you factor in the price, this is definitely a good smoke for not a lot of money but I don't smoke a lot and am usually willing to spend more money for better quality leaf. I have not yet made up my mind on whether I will be keeping this on hand, but I suspect I will perhaps purchase it again as a occasional summertime smoke. There is a nice spicy taste that I like on occasion and although the burley in there isn't the best stuff I've ever had it makes a decent blend overall. Despite the claim, as others have mentioned it will irritate the tongue if you aren't careful and it can dry out the mouth and throat a bit. I found it to be a friendlier mixture if humidified just the tiniest amount. I had noticed that I had to pack it extremely tightly to control the burning rate, which was still too fast as I could hear it crackling with even a gentle puff. I had purchased it in bulk, and while it was not too dry as would be the case if it had been stored improperly, it is, I think, just a very dry tobacco to begin with. With a tiny amount of humidity it seems to slow the burning rate and it is less harsh. Worth a try.

I was suprised by this one. I am slowly working my way through the HOW blends and have been pleased with the others. I wasn't sure if I was going to like how they used the latakia, in the can it looks and smells noticable in that regard. I like good latakia, but in smaller quantities than some of the brethern. So this one sat for months in the backround until one day I loaded up a briar, put the ashtray nearby in case I had to abort the mission, and lit up.

I needn't have worried! I'm a burley lover and IMO the burley in this blend is superb. The very light topping and the latakia intermingle to produce what is a mellow-sweet smoke that does, indeed, awaken the olfactory memories of what pipe smokers of the past left in their wake. Smokes cool and dry. I too noticed the astringent quality that wasn't unpleasant but noticeable nonetheless. The room note is quite pleasant. When smoked slowly it has a sedative effect and time not only stops, but goes backwards to the 1950's.

I tried this one out thinking I wasn't going to like it. Now I enjoy it so much that its in my regular rotation, with Revelation and Country Doctor. I would recommend this to those who enjoy burley mixes.

This stuff comes from Yoe, Pennsylvania. I have no idea where that is, but if I?m ever in that part of the Keystone State, I plan on taking a little detour to Yoe to shake the hands of the eccentric people who still believe in tinning these old standard drug store blends. Barking Dog is so adorable, you?d buy it for the can alone. They also produce Model, Country Doctor, Field and Stream and a few other standbys in two ounce narrow tins. I have a feeling these little cans might become real collectors items one day on EBay. The beige tin with its droopy boxer on it and its motto ?Barking Dog Never Bites,? is enough of a seduction. Anyone who has fond memories of Sir Walter Raleigh, Half and Half or other American drug store burley cube cuts will find this an enjoyable whim. Yes, Boston, Jackie Gleason on Saturday nights is apropos. Tin aroma is sweetish with that five and dime light casing that might remind you of the first tobacco you ever smoked when you were 16. It takes about two or three lights to get this going, but once you do, it develops beautifully with a fragrant, unobtrusive aroma. I had a bowl of this the other day while driving through the industrial squalor of northwest Indiana with its fiery blast furnaces, vast marshalling yards and surreal refinery tanks. Like the landscape, Barking Dog was simple, matter-of-fact and largely one-dimensional. Yet, somehow, the drive, the smoke, the aroma all made sense, coalescing into a contented Saturday afternoon drive. Don?t expect too much from BD, at the same time, prepare to be pleasantly surprised; perhaps even more so if you?re in a comfy chair and not driving around Whiting, Indiana.

Three of five stars

I just couldn't resist the pup on the cup! It takes you back to a much happier and simpler time.The flavor is rather bland with just a hint of Latakia in the blend to give it some texture.It is an unpretencious and straightforward blend. A good blend while outside-it never burns hot. It is worth a try just to remember the past- a time when pipe smokers were looked upon with a certain admiration and not fanatical disgust by the politically correct.Let this take you down memory lane and remember"Barking Dog Never Bites!"

This is another of the burley blends from HOW that I found lacking both in taste and flavoring. And Latakia? Where is it? It didn?t bite me but I did find it somewhat harsh as others have noted. I find this to be true with some other HOW blends. Maybe it?s the quality of the burley or quality control issues at HOW. To wit and as an aside, my first tin of Country Doctor was delightful, the second tin of CD proved to be quite the opposite. The tins were bought months apart. Why the disparity? The quality of the tobacco used in each or quality control? But Barking Dog was a disappointment. Nothing special or worth trying IMO. ?DOG?gone it, you may be ?BARKING? up the wrong tree with this blend. Also note how most of the earlier reviews for Barking Dog are mostly favorable while most of the latter reviews tend to be negative. Is this a coincidence or is it perhaps indicative that the HOW blends aren?t what they used to be when they were first introduced. First impressions are lasting? Not always. I rate this tobacco 5.5 out of 10

Update 1/10/2005

My ?sniffer? and tastebuds may have been under the weather when I first tried BD. I recently finished (6 months later) what remained of the tin contents I had stored away in a ball jar. This time I had a complete change of heart. This is just a great American blend from times past. If you are not old enough to remember those times, I can?t help you but do try BD for a whiff and taste of that era.

I update my rating of this tobacco to an 8.0 out of 10.

A great American classic! Sometimes we look for renowned tobaccos, for great complex flavors... and forget that simple is often good.

Yes, this tobacco is as simple and unpretentious as it comes: granular burley (with bigger pieces than in C&D blends), some latakia and probably a hint of Virginia for sweetness.

The result is stunning: it takes a bit more to light due to the burley "pellets", but then you are in heaven. This blend offers a smoke dominated by the nutty, earthy quality of the burley: it's high grade stuff because it never gets bitter! Latakia is not present in high quantities, but you can definitely feel its taste, which complements the burley just perfectly with its spicy smokiness. It's a blend which truly stays consistent from beginning to end, without off-notes or weird developments. Sure, it could offer more nuances and it doesn't have the dancing alternative paces of flavor of a GLPease, but you'll enjoy it a lot.

A word about the "never bites" ad: well, my tongue is certainly quite rested after a couple of bowls of it. No noticeable irritation, which is good. The smoke is, however, quite full and pleasantly rough: it has a slightly astringent, mouth-drying, heavy on the palate quality. Nothing particularly bad, or long-lasting like tonguebite could be, but the burley sure is a "rustic" taste that could not appeal to those who want smooth and delicate stuff. This doesn't mean that it's a harsh smoke, anyway! For such a tasty blend, this is incredibly easy-going and tolerable: it simply has a "presence" in your mouth which at times doesn't go unnoticed.

This is a good alternative to a classic EM, a blend you could smoke all day long without growing tired, as it's not too rich or cloying. If it weren't for the lack of "wonder factor", I might even upgrade its rating to the maximum. It's THAT good, and I might even do the update in the future...

Overall this is a pretty good tobacco at first glance. Taste, room note, and strength all seem good. Unless you like to inhale your smoke. "Never Bites" obviously doesn't apply to the harshness of the smoke. This stuff course on the throat. I love strong tobacco's like Nightcap and 1792 Flake but at least they are smooth. I would smoke this again in the future but there are too many better tobacco's around.

I really expected to like this tobacco. I first heard about it as the choice of a character in a novel I was reading. I like the taste of burley. I liked the character; I even like dogs. The picture on the can is nice, too. I was anxious to try the tobacco after I read the reviews here. Alas, I could not find it in a local store. I eventually mail-ordered a pouch of it. I found it to be quite a disappointment. It is a very coarse-cut cubed burley that looks a lot like the mulch that comes out of my garden-waste shredder. It is difficult to light and, once lit, burns as though the pipe is filled with charcoal briquets. The experience was hot and harsh. I gave it three tries and then stashed the rest of the pouch away. Maybe I'll try it again someday, but probably not as long as there is anything else around the house to smoke. If you are interested in a Burley-Latakia blend, you should try C & D Morley's Best - it is wonderful. I will avoid the Barking Dog from now on.

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Time has passed, I have re-tasted the pouch of this I abandoned a year ago, and I have changed my mind about this tobacco. The rating is upgraded accordingly. The old-fashioned lawn-mulch cut of this tobacco makes it possible to pour it into a pipe and light it; tamping is impossible and unnecessary. I smoked more carefully this time to control the heat and found that the smoke was very tasty, with the light touch of latakia that I enjoy. If I have a complaint about the smoke, it is that it seems a little thin. I have obtained a large tin of this, and expect to be smoking more of it.