J. F. Germain & Son Royal Jersey Cavendish and Virginia

While smoking, this fine blend makes its true tobacco/no frills presence known in an unobtrusive fashion. Packs easily and burns clean. Unique in taste; "Virginia/unflavored Cavendish" is a somewhat rare combination to find these days, the duo works here in a delightfully simple manner.

If you want a cool burn and true tobacco taste that is...... well, different; here you go.

Germain tobaccos are sort of anachronistic in a sense, or at least thats the perception. In fact, they produce (and maybe one of the last) old school tobacco blends of the kind that were hugely popular around the second World War. If you buy an old estate patent era dunhill, then that pipe might well have been smoking some of these blends. The Royal Jersey Cavendish and Virginia is a terrific blend -- and while its not one of those home run type of four star plus signature blends, its a very fine and hugely underrated tobacco (IMHO). I happen to really like unsweetened cavendish (Virginia that has undergone the process that makes it cavendish -- which in the English tradition means high pressure steaming which allows fermentation...and a natural sweetness of sorts to occur). Today many, if not most, people think of cavendish as goopy overly sweet drugstore junk. In reality, old quality cavendish is just fermented virginia (sometimes burley ) and it once formed a category of pipe tobacco that was very popular, especially in the UK. Anyway....this is a very good if not overly complex blend. Its naturally sweet and has a nice medium level nic hit. Or a notch below medium. The taste is not terribly complex but its not meant to be. This is a great all day smoke....tasty, with body, and if you dont puff too fast it wont bite at all. Im giving it four stars because I smoke it regularly....and like a couple other Germain blends (Uncle Tom for one) it is well worth a try. Its a great alternative to many burley blends that are seen as all day smokes.

Enjoyable… managed to smoke it right down to white ash. So much so I got a shock when ash came through the bit. Not a problem, you live and you learn.

On opening: christmas pudding and spirits

Smoking I got… White pepper corns, white chocolate and spices. Nice little smoke.

Will get again.

Having not got some Germain's for a while, I decided to invest in a tin of this stuff as it was one of the few of their offerings I've yet to try.

The tin aroma is one of mild fruit. The tobacco, a lot like some other Germain's stuff, is a fine shag, not the broken flake described. This is no big issue though, despite taking a little pulling apart it does make for easy lighting and packing. The flavour is one of fruit with a slightly medicated touch to it, much like those sore throat sweets. There is a tendency to bite of you smoke it too quickly so savour it if possible.

While this is a pleasant smoke and evidently a quality tobacco, it fails to push any buttons for me, it doesn't thrill in the same way as, say, Plumcake does. So I won't be in any rush to get another tin but I wouldn't rule it out, maybe in two or three years when I've stuck for something to buy.

This is an example of a type of tobacco that used to be ubiquitous in the British Empire but is little talked about or even remembered perhaps, by contemporary tobacco aficionados. It is a bright Va with, I think, a whisper of oriental leaf, and Cavendish. Regarding the latter, I am not sure I believe this tobacco has been subject to heat and pressure of a sufficient order to qualify as a true Cav, but the term is so loose today it hardly matters to a prospective buyer. What the tobacco DOES have is ample sweetener. The tin note is a malty, vanilla character and I assume this is supposed to be whiskey.

As per its historical type, it is a shag or silk cut, and the old timers back in the day would use this sort of tobacco for pipe and RYO. Accordingly it is mild, the ph is pushed to the acidic side, (there is a clear, sour note to this tobacco) and it can be easily inhaled if that is your thing. From a purely pipe perspective it is a very light on experience. Fine for all day; not, imo, a tobacco for after dinner with something fortifying.

The room note for this tobacco is reminiscent of the formerly local Australian tobacco, Dr Pat's Irish Mixture. It's a little moist straight out of the tin. Burns quick, but is not particularly hot, down to white ash. Again. not for when one wants a long, contemplative pipe.

The red and gold cavendish Virginias provide a fair amount of tart and tangy citrus, some tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, sugar, light grass, and touches of spice, floralness, and vinegar. They are the lead components. The other Virginia offers some tart and tangy citrus, grass/hay, light vegetation, bread, and sugar with a hint of floral as a supporting player. The smoky, woody, earthy, floral, spicy, herbal, vegetative, dry and lightly sweet Oriental is barely a condiment, and its effect varies a mite through the experience. The Maryland is essentially a flavor carrier. There’s no topping, but it seems like perhaps a few drops of something fruity is added in the casing. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the center of mild to medium. The taste is a slot short of the medium mark. There no chance of bite or harshness. Barely has a rough edge. Burns cool, clean and even at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent smooth, tart and tangy fruity, sugary sweet flavor that translates to the short lived after taste. The room note is a tad stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. A pleasant all day smoke that lacks punch and body. Two and a half stars rounded up to three.

-JimInks

I can see what folks like about this historic/nostalgic blend...but its not for me. As with all Germain tobacco's from Germain, the leaf is fist class as is the processing. There is a topping that I cannot place that provides a sweet tin note, almost like a congac. I cannot sense it at all in the flavor. The tin note is hay like and has that VA fresh cut grass scent. It also has a nice figgy sweet smell. The tobacco comes quite wet. I let it dry out for an hour and it was just right from there. I also smoked a few bowls on the damp side in my Savinelli's with the balsa filter in. I do like the flavor when the tobacco is moist (sometimes) and the balsa filters soak up the moisture and prevent tongue bite. Now the flavor to me is kind of bland. The Cavendish seems to be the culprit that detracts from this tobacco for me. I expected some toasty Virginias but everything seems muted. The main flavor I get is a slight malty, sour flavor. It is pleasant but is very subtle. There is an acidic like twang to it and a full mouth feel that is kind of sweet, but not very flavorful. Interestingly enough this is the smoothest, roundest smoke I have ever experienced. I prefer a fuller flavor from my tobacco, English, VA or Burley. This is very subtle and uni dimensional and I can see this what one would like about it, but it is just not memorable for me. It isn't bad in any way, just kind of blah. Sorry for the less than engaging review but that's all I got!

I found me an older tin at a shop that just changed owners. The paper surrounding the tobacco was darkened. This is, to me, a pretty mellow blend. The Virginia had a soft, fruity taste. The cavendish was not easy to detect. It burned cleanly. It was a cool smoke, too. I enjoy it, but wish it had a bit more presence. Still, I recommend it.

This blend grew on me. I went back and bought the last tin, plus the only remaining tin of Virginia and Perique by the same blender. After I smoke a goodly portion, I will review that blend, too.

Govern Yourself Accordingly.

My tin seems to have some age on it judging from the stains on the folding paper. The tobacco is shag cut and it smells sweet from the tin. I can sense figgy and plumy smells with something strange like see-weed. Some of the ribbons have become white, I guess it is age and not mould.

It lights easily, it burns quick but does not get hot and produces abundant smoke which can be inhaled because it does not taste chemical. It is a mild aromatic similar to Danish aromatics but it has an old-school feel and the base tastes like sweet Virginia. I’d say it is the English equivalent of a Danish aromatic. It is sweet, with aromas of figs and caramel and the like. Strength is mild to medium with a good nicotine content for a quick fix.

It is an agreeable smoke with a decent room note, but not something extraordinary, except for its scarcity. It is good for a quick smoke. I’m glad that I tasted it but I would not buy again. Recommended for collectors of Germain’s tobaccos and those who like Danishes.

Basically sand-brown ribbons that are close to shags with a slightly fruity tin aroma. The strands cling together and care needs to be employed for a proper load but if you're comfortable loading shags, there should be no issue here.

In the pipe, this is lightly Cavendish-sweet with a pleasant, mild flavor of light fruit and even lighter spices. The orientals are applied with an extremely deft hand and barely make an appearance (non-snorkers may miss them altogether). All in all, this was a completely genial and inoffensive blend. Unfortunately, the Virginia tobaccos and/or their processing were not presented advantageously, as they bordered on character-less. No real sweetness or depth, just something for the Cavendish to sit upon. Consequently, there was little punch to this one - just sort of a barely sugary smoke with no backbone. Pleasant enough, and it reminded me of Ogden's Gold Block, which is a great mixer. If you want to barely notice your tobacco, this is one to try. And it reminds me that as I slowly go thru the Germain/Esoterica lineup, there's really not much there for me aside from Stonehaven, Brown Flake and 1820. I'm just not getting the adoration for these two marques. Guess I'm missing something.