House of Windsor Barking Dog

I enjoy the Sutliff Match (Man's Best Friend in tins) and so sought this out. As it was over ten years old, it needed a little rehydration, but not much. It burns fast, bites a bit in brairs, and works nicely in cobs. The room note is about as pleasant as you'll get from a blend with Latakia. The topping isn't overly-sweet or overwhelming, a shame this old blend is out of production, but the Match is very similar.

Being new to pipes it is hard to compare to other tobaccos I'm not familiar with, so my review will be very subjective.

I first received a sample of Barking Dog as part of a pipe and tobacco order. I liked it immediately, with its strong pleasant odor when opening the pouch. My sample was a little dry and therefore smoked milder than I've found it to be since. It was good enough to make me buy more.

Other reviews have a strangely differing opinion on the amount of latakia - I would say there is almost half and half mixture and in keeping with the 60/40 that others mention. It packs nicely and I have not had problems with keeping it lit, even in different pipes.

The Dog has a very rich and full taste on first light, but soon settles into a very smooth and satisfying smoke. This is the first tobacco I've tried that is noticeably cool on the draw, and a pleasure to the palate. I find definite sweet overtones for the first 3/4 of the bowl, so much so that I often smack my lips between puffs to savor the flavor. I like the fact that it has good taste without seeming like its been truly "flavored" or made to be something its not (like a berry or vanilla might be).

I enjoy the smoke smell on the nose while smoking. I don't smoke indoors so the true room smell is a guess, but I do enjoy the linger when in the garage or other enclosed spaces.

In the tin, the scent of this melange of cubed burley and short-cut ribbon is dominated by a burley grassiness along with a sweetish, spiced honey topping and a pronounced smokiness.

The flavor is well-balanced between the smooth richness of burley and the pointed spice of unaffected bright virginia along with a hefty proportion of latakia providing a pleasingly bitter contrast. The dry austerity is mitigated by the simplifying and ingratiating effect of the sweetish topping.

With typical House of Windsor aplomb, Barking Dog is an easy-smoking american blend that manages to add an admirable latakia complexity without sacrificing companionability.

Chamber Gauge: Medium

A HOW blend I truly enjoy, there is not much latikia in it, and it can bite on occasion.Leaves a mild "woodsey" scent in the room and my wife enjoys this. Overall I place it somwhere between an "everyday" blend and those times when I want something fuller.

I have read of some very wet smokes, or no latakia in this blend. The batch I bought does not exhibit this characteristic.

It packs well, takes a little effort to light it. Has a decent smooth taste. The topping is minimal. Over all a very pleasing smoke. Personally it did leave a little linger after taste, not horrible. Though I still did find myself washing the taste out with some homebrew. Not that I really need a reason for that anyways 😉

If your an aromatic fan, that wanted to try something between English and Aromatic, this may be the blend for you.

I may buy this again. It was alright, though I may stay with some heavier English blends.

I too fell victim to the cute dog on the tin. What I found was a nice, solid cubed burley/latakia blend that is a great after dinner smoke. A true classic!

It is a bit dry out of the tin, and when gravity fed into the bowl packs nicely. Lighting for me was no issue with just one match. It does bite a little if smoked hard. Otherwise, no issues here.

The strength is mild with regards to nicotine, but the flavor is very well balanced with just the right amount of latakia to round things out. I am not a huge fan of cube burleys, but this blend has changed my mind.

I am only sorry to have come across it too late in its lifecycle. I do plan to buy several tins to have in the future, in the event that I wish to take a walk down memory lane with this nostalgic blend from a better managed time.

The room note is pleasing, and is best described by a fellow reviewer as a campfire scent. The taste is straight forward "codger burley" with a latakia influence.

I will recommend this blend if you can find it. Its definately worth a try! Take this dog for a walk.

Mind you I've only been smoking a pipe maybe 6 months. I ordered a can of this on reading the reviews, I find it packs the punch I'm looking for, and besides I'm a dog lover.

BTW this is my first review of pipe tobacco anywhere.

To be honest with you, I bought this at first because of the reviews and because I liked the tin...LOL! I have a boxer which is the dog on the can.

I have since finished the can and plan on obtaining more of this hearty smoke. I really enjoy the "saltyness" of the smoke. It is one of my favorite tobaccos to smoke when I am on the road. The coarseness of the cut does not bother me.

It is a cheap smoke and if you like Latakia you should be able to taste it in this blend. A friend recently gave me a bunch of Lat blends since he does not prefer them and he knows I do. I have tried several of them but like the Dog the best so far.

This will be one of my regulars for now until I find something else. One curious thing about it is the room note. I have friends that love the smell of it when I am smoking it around them and friends that absolutly hate it saying that it smells horrible. So, I won't smoke it around them...

Love the packaging. Think the flavor is better than just okay. Tastes to me like Revelation with a little latakia. If I had to pick one or the other, I?d probably go with the Revelation, and look for something with a little more oomph in my latakia choice.

Barking Dog likes to be loosely packed. Begin with gravity feed. The texture and cubed burley lend themselves to this approach. Actually, the dog can bite if pushed, so put a little care in the packing.

Barking Dog can be stubborn about taking a light, but once started is easy to keep lit with gentle puffing. This is also how it delivers its best flavor.

I?ve found Barking Dog will leave a signature in a briar. I?m now smoking a bowl of Plumcake in a briar that last hosted Barking Dog maybe three weeks ago. I still get tastes of the Dog, though the effect isn?t at all unpleasant. If you plan to add Barking Dog to your regular supply of pipeweed, you might want to dedicate a pipe to it.

This seems to be a tobacco that gives its best in corn cobs. It seemed most at home in my bent Country Gentleman, loosely packed and slowly smoked. Because it keeps a light, it?s a good driving companion.

The family gives the aroma a thumbs up, one member saying, ?That smells good, like a campfire,? which is the feedback I like in a latakia blend.

Barking Dog is a friendly smoke that shouldn?t be discouraged from following you home