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

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.

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!

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.

This is the least flavorful of the Germains. It is so unobtrusive as to be sort of like an overstuffed fat kid in a candy store. It's there. It's not bad but not good. Probably the best all day beginner smoke available. Rare yep. But so is a unicorn. Huh. Well well

This is unique tobacco. I had a feeling that I'm smoking something from 18 th century, hard to describe...Virginia in the front, orientals support role, and something else... Lit's easy, burns easy, a bit moisture at the end. Pleasant after taste and room note.

I find myself often in agreement with Rcuselder on many tobaccos. This is one of them. It has a very cigarette/cigar quality to it. In other words an acquired taste. I would not recommend it to most Virginia/English smokers.On the positive side however,it is fantastic as a blender for Stong Oriental and or Latakia mixtures. I imagine it would also work with pure Perique. 2 of 4 stars for a blend,3.5 of 4 stars for a blending agent.

09-20-04

Apearance and Tin Aroma: Medium to fine ribbon, smells like a light VA/ Uncased Cavendish mix. Could not smell the orientals in the tin.

Packing and Lighting: Easy, moisture perfect out of tin.

Initial Flavor: Light VA, slight clove undertones (the orientals?).

Mid-Bowl: The cavendish and orientals peek through, very mellow.

Bottom of Bowl: Not much build up of strength, finishes to a soft fluffy white to grey ash.

Overall: This blend did not do much for me, not enough strength or complexity for this piper. I absolutely love the Latakia mixture in this series, but this one was just flat. The pros of this blend are: No tongue bite, smooth from top to bottom of bowl, tolerable room note in spite of being uncased.

Rating: 3 out of 5 points.