Tobaccos Borkum Riff - Black Cavendish

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2006-11-18		Very Mild	Very Strong	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I went to the grocery store to pick up some flints for my Old Boy. I probably have six or seven flint packages lying around the house but I couldn't find a single stinkin' one of them.

I got to the store and asked one of the employees to please unlock the glass case where all the tobacco products are kept. I looked around to make sure no one was looking and grabbed a pouch of this Borkum Riff Black Cavendish as well as some flints.

I got home and decided to try this stuff. Half a bowl later I decided that I should have loaded my pipe with the flints.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2014-08-25		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The flavors of chocolate and caramel were mostly what was obvious to me. I did get a little burley taste, and because I was looking hard for it, a hint of Kentucky. I also got some vanilla from the black cavendish. But, I had the usual bite problem that I almost always encounter with Borkum Riff products. I smoke at a very moderate rate, so the problem lies not with my technique, but in the product itself. Sipped very slowly, you'll avoid much of the bite, but it's really not worth the work. There's much better and easier smoking blends in this genre. Burns moderately well. Has little nicotine.

-JimInks

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2014-02-10		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This stuff is good, really good, the kind of good that can be packaged in a fancy tin, sold at twice the price, and people would rave about it. Instead, it comes in a pouch and sold locally, so most people bash it while they smoke it in the middle of the woods so high society won't find out.

The pouch aroma is delicious; smells like chocolate, vanilla, and a hint of ripe fruit. Not chemical at all. The cut is another big plus for me, which is a very thin ribbon, not exactly a shag cut (in the proper term) but very close. While I indiscriminately smoke plugs, ropes, flakes, etc. I tend to favor a fine ribbon cut because it is easier to pack and light.

The cut of this blend, as well as the moisture content (being on the dry side) lights easily. The flavor is sweet, chocolatey and nutty, and yes, the tobacco comes thru. Some have said it tastes cigarish, I don't think so. While this stuff is not super full bodied, it isn't ultra mild either, and if you are used to smoking very mild tobacco then I can see how the actual tobacco flavor might surprise you, but it does not taste like a cigar.

The aroma is quite nice too, a dark kind of nougat and tobacco, and a sweetness hard to pin point, could be the hint of ripe fruit I get from the pouch smell. The blend burns a little fast due to the very fine cut, but not hot and does not bite.

Being locally available is a big plus for me, and the quality is there. I will definitely keep this stuff handy and only wish it came in tubs.

Definitely worth a try, you might be surprised.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-06-20		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After almost 2 years of pipe smoking i look the past and i wonder...how was i able to smoke this blend???maybe because i wasn't experienced enough and the smell of the tin when opened was something good between chocolate ,vanilla and nuts..the blend moisture is high.packs ok and needs effort to light..several relights are needed while smoking.while burning the only tobacco flavour is some nuts from the burley..i didn't get any Kentucky flavours..i got only a bad mix of the topping flavours wich bites a lot...the nicoltine level is low.the room note is somehow pleasant compared to other B.riff blends.the moisture while burning is high ,accompanied by lots of dumbness.another disappointment..not recommended for consumption.

Age When Smoked: When opened

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jjgerv (20)	2018-06-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I really wish I would like this tobacco, but it was not like that.

Some mention that this is the best of the brand, or at least the least worse. But it does not seem to be the case.

The problem is simple, tongue bite no matter how I smoke it, it always bites.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (86)	2016-03-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I don't want to offend this otherwise tolerable tobacco, the former long (though not always faithful) companion of my youth. But I think that the wording like "masculinity" and "seriousness" in the official description is an offence of both masculinity and seriousness. What masculine and serious did they find in a highly aromatic pack of sourish Cavendish?

Saying that, I don't wanna be unfair to this blend. It's the least offensive of the Riffs. And when you are invariably limited in your choice just to Borkums (as I have been far away and long ago) then definitely choose this one, not another.

Giving two stars I don't mean I "Somewhat Recommend" this. Not at all, I won't recommend Black Riff to anyone. But since it's more neutral and less aggressive than the rest of Borkum Riff concoctions, I put not one star but two.

Pipe Used: Molina Dublin, MM General & many other

Age When Smoked: 7

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RedBeard (1)	2021-01-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think this one takes a bit more stick than it deserves. Yea we all puff on some far superior baccys, but if you’re out on a pinch and need something readily available; grab a cob and pack it with a bit of this. It might surprise you.

I’m not sure if they’ve paid a bit more attention to it since STG took over, but I find the cut really nice and even. It packs, lights and burns really well. Easy all-day puff. I sometimes forget I have a pipe in my mouth with this stuff; especially during the daily hustle, when I use my corn cob as a vice while doing admin.

Jar it with a boveda pack and it smokes a little bit smoother, voiding the potential of an over-dry smoke. This won’t replace most of the stuff in our rotations, but I do like it from time to time. Happy smokes.

Pipe Used: MM pride cob, Peterson 305 Dublin

Age When Smoked: From the pouch; 1 week from the jar

Purchased From: Multiple

Similar Blends: Very mild, drier version of Peterson CC.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Amschel (1)	2020-12-14		Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Overwhelming

I tasted some bad tobacco in my life, but this is in the top two, or three, but with an added cheap perfume taste added just for good measure, to really kick it in your balls and let you learn a lesson:

"You get what you pay for, bud."

Besides that, it made me sick after a few puffers, was only 1/3rd into the bowl before i just threw it out.

Additionally, as if it wasnt bad enough, the gut started to feel sick an hour or two afterwards, and for kickers, the room note is a cheap machine-rolled cigarillo sprayed with Febreeze, so bad that you gotta try hard to find ones this bad, looking for em at cheap gas stations you wouldnt refuel your car at.

Oh, and did i mention the stench of the ash is horrendous, of which now I have to clear my pipe of.

Cheers.

Never pay less rhan 13$ per bag is definitely a good start.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2018-06-17		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Hellish; ghastly; bad beyond badness - it'll leave your tongue a palpitating blackened stump. Another truly revolting offering from Borkum Riff, How DO they do it? It tastes all right, in a sense, but it burns so hot and so quickly that it seems almost to have been devised as an instrument of torture. '[A] premium quality tobacco'? I don't think so. Avoid this, and live out the remainder of your days with functioning taste buds.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2016-09-11		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Borkum Riff - Black Cavendish (Mixture Recipe Black Cavendish).

I bought this whilst on holiday in Portugal and I'm not sure whether or not they've changed it from the original recipe or something as I can't for the life of me fathom out all the one/two star ratings; clicking the 'where to buy' link on here brings up a picture that's identical to my pouch. Granted, it's not in the league of some blends, but it's a decent enough smoke.

The pouch smells quite aromatic, but not too pungent. The burn generates a large quantity of thick smoke. To me, the added flavouring has a little more life for the first five minutes; it's a lot sweeter, and slightly fruity, while the burn's settling. After that period it mellows and I'm sure I can taste chocolate. Although this has a medium to strong casing it's not too heavy or sugary; it can be smoked without that yuckiness that strong aromatics can sometimes implore.

The room-note's very nice, albeit a bit full-on, and the nicotine's mild.

As I pointed out, it may be a different blend now, I'm not sure. But whether it's different or not, I like it.

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Dr Plumb Quintex

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Portugal

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sybariten (61)	2015-12-31		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Conclusion: Nothing spectacular but actually not bad. I have hated every Borkum Riff I've tried before, but not this one. A mild aromatic of medium strength. I would not buy it, but I can actually understand that some people will.

Taste: There is something synthetic about it, typical to aromatics, at first. Also a slight bitterness reminiscent of chewing on paper. Yet it is sweet without being overly so, muted, I taste basically no natural tobacco at first but after a while virginia comes through. Very homogeneous, perhaps that is the result of aging? The finish lingers, a bit perfumish but not all unpleasant (though not all good). Turns rough and bitter if rushed.

Mechanics: Burns fine, needs a few relights but leaves no goo in the pipe and burns to a dark grey ash. Does not bite, at least not me. Medium strength.

Pipe Used: MM Diplomat

Age When Smoked: 2 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2015-04-28		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When you see Black Cavendish you probably think of Smoker's Pride, BCA, Super Value, or something like that. This is NOT anything like those blends. A better name would have been Dark Cavendish. The pouch aroma is darak and has a wood type smell. There is also a small amount of vanilla and nuts. The tobacco is a bit dry for my taste, but it is ready to smoke and it packs nicely in a medium pipe. Smaller pipes seem to crowd it and you might have problems keeping it lit. There is lots of smoke and the taste is of true dark tobacco. I do not have a lot of experience with Dark Kentucky Leaf, but I can tell that the nicotine level is a lot higher with such a leaf in the blend. The room note is nice, but it won't win any friends who enjoy the smell of Smoker's Pride or BCA. By the way, the vanilla that was in the pouch aroma is in the smoke too, but not in the taste of the tobacco as far as I can tell. However, the nuts are in both taste and smell, albeit very light. Images when smoked are that of leather and sweetness in a wooden bowl. This goes well with coffee. There is no tongue bite. There is spiciness at the back of the throat. The smoke is dry and the flavor stays the same all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Again, if you are not used to higher nicotine levels, this one will surprise you, but not blow you away. The ash is fine, but a little dark. At the end the ash jumps out of the bowl with a good knock. After the first bowl, this shot up into my all-time top 5! If this ever comes out in a large tin, I am ready to stock up. At around $5.00 a pouch online, one might think this a little pricy for a "drugstore" blend, but one smoke and you will know that it is worth every penny.

Pipe Used: corn cob, Dr. Grabow Omega

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	albfneto (184)	2012-05-16		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Good quality Burley with Kentuck Tobacco and some Dark, Black Cavendish. Sweet and strong.

In the Pouch, small flavour, but when burn, very good flavour and taste. Therefore, the claimed Nut-Nougat flavour taste seems to me, more proximal to Cocoa-Chocolate.

Seems to me , too strong for the begginner. Only some defective issues: It is very hard to light, and when done, s other Borkum Riffs, this burns easy and so hot and can be smoked slownly, or may burn the tongue and destroy the pipe.

Observation: In the past, all the Borkum Riffs were made in Sweden, by Swedish Match, but nowdays, then are manufactured in Demmark

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UglyBeatNik (2)	2022-04-22		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Liquorish on the tounge with plenty of tounge bite. This is an extraordinarily "light" flavoured tobacco. Zero nicotine hit & it's hard to see past the liquorice flavour on the tip of my tounge. I mixed it 50/50 with a stronger blend that helped a little but not a lottle.

This may be the perfect smoke for some that enjoy liquorish and a light as a feather smoke. It smokes quick and came quite dry in the pouch. If it's your cuppa tea it may be a 3 star but personally I give it 2. I shan't give it one because it's not intolerable & I'll save my 1 star reviews for scathing reviews of the most hatfilled tobaccos.

I had previously blended vanilla cavendish with non aromatics 30/70 with great results and was keen to try black cavendish.

It may have it's place to lighten something like rope however it's not an "album" i will be purchasing again.

Edit ----- After multiple days of tounge bite post smoking this mild monstrosity I'm changing my review to 1 star.

Pipe Used: Peterson system & peterson standard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the pack

Purchased From: Devlin's

Similar Blends: Liquorish.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tonguebacco (7)	2022-02-12		Medium	Medium	Full	Strong

I see bad review from Pipestuds and Jimlink but I want be fair and no be prejudice this tobaccos. I want keep open my tongue to her. The good reviewer need does that.

She start surprise good. She give truffle, vanilla, cherry, bourbon, wood note. I like she start good.

But I push her a little and she become aggressivity. So I need removes star from her. Then she bite this tongues. I needs to take out other star from her for this. Then she give strong bitter note. Bad bitter no good bitter. So I needs take out star out from her. Bitter note stay in this tongue after I smoking her.

She give good nic hit job so I give her half star.

One and half star round to one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-20		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Moisture level is spot on. Cut is short ribbon, packs easily, burns great. Completely and utterly devoid of nicotine

Flavor? It's black cavendish with no perceptable added top flavoring. Not much to say about it. Slightly sweet, a hint of creaminess, quite mild. If you're a fan of plain black cav - hey, this might be worth a shot! I, for one, am not. Plain black cav just tastes bland to me. For what it is, I think it's just fine. For my tastes...I'm not impressed. I do get a bit of tongue bite, but it's not too bad, and it goes away quickly if I control my smoking pace. It's probably my fault - the lack of flavor and lack of nicotine probably has me puffing harder than usual.

Not too bad for what it is. Someone into plain black cav might dig this. Might be useful for diluting overly strong blends.

I won't be buying more

originally reviewed 12/1/2012

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipeclubsi (17)	2015-03-24		Very Mild	Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I'd say it does bring the taste of truffle, sweet nougat and woodland nuts, as it claims and it smokes well, it's a fine aromatic tobacco which you can fully enjoy.

Many have troubles with aromatics, forgetting they simply have to be smoked in a slightly different way than dry latakia or orientals. Simply dry well the tobacco, pack it lightly, draw easily... Aromatics take some skills, but bring the reward ;-)

Pipe Used: Lorenzo Spitfire

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Dreier, Graz, Austria

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bent Dublin (3)	2014-08-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Really wanted to like this as it was my brand back in the 70's but it just comes up short on flavor and has a bite that I don't remember it having back then. So many better smokes out there today. Tried rum as well as original and all left me unhappy.

Pipe Used: meer and briar

Purchased From: cant remember

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-08-26		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Too strong for my taste and it bites… Recommended if you are not fanatic for sweet aromatics.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	22yrsonthepipe (22)	2012-01-16		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

The first puff of the first bowl tasted ever so slightly of nougat with a slight nuttiness. I have now been through two pouches but ever since the first puff from the first bowl I have been unable to taste anything but extremely poor quality slightly bitter prison scrag.

(Prison scrag is the tobacco New Zealand prisoners used to get years ago which consisted of the dust swept off the cigarette factory floor).

Like most of the Borkum line, it probably would have been ok for drug store tobacco if Borkum actually put some flavor in it - putting an unopened bottle of flavoring in the same room as the tobacco does not count.

Also, like other Borkum blends, it has a lot of sticks in it.

If like me you have a limited choice of pipe tobacco other than Borkum, get the Vanilla cavendish or the Cherry cavendish.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-01-04		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

I decided I'll be the smart one. It cannot be that bad as all reviewers say, everyone must get this tobacco wrong. I tried the slow way, the fast way, 4 different pipes, with and without filter. Still always the same results: It's very hard to get lit. If you smoke it slow, even some taste is noticeable, but needs permanent relight. By permanent I mean you need to have a match or lighter burning at all times on top to make it stay alive. It acts angry on relights, giving a burning rubber sandal aroma. If you smoke it any faster the taste turns to bite and bad smoke, sandals creeping up your mouth too. It does not burn evenly even in case of extra care. I also tried to mix it 50-50% with some very nice other brand hoping to help it stay alive, but no luck, this little bastard still need relights, and kills the good one completely.

As you might guess I don't recommend this under any circumstances, maybe under war conditions only. It just doesn't worth money, spend it on a stick of gum and you'll do a better business.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-10-20		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I decided to give another risky try to a cheap pipe tobacco, and again I made myself to the common belief that the cheap tobaccos are a piece of crap! Even with briar pipes, it still continued to smoke like fire, furthermore the taste was awful. Highly not recommend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-10-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This stuff is fair-poor at best. I don't mind the dryness of the tobacco or the room note and the flavor is not bad at very first. But if you have to relight it becomes the most horrible tasting stuff ever. I can't describe how bad it is. Maybe you'll get lucky with no relights. But I never have. Would not buy this again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2011-01-19		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is the worst of the BR blends. The pouch fragrance smells like a compost heap fermenting. It tastes as though sweaty gym socks were used in lieu of tobacco. It's horrible stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-16		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is one of my favorite aeromatics to smoke on a regular basis. It is not too sweet and has a smooth full bodied characteristic. It can be one demensional at times and have you searching for the flavors it presents but it provides a nice a roma that I enjoy. Most aeromatics I have tried are very sweet and smoke wet, they also tend to bite often. I don't have that problem with this blend.

This blend is full bodied enough for me to smoke in a pipe that has been designated for English or Balkan blends. It has never ruined the taste of the English or Balkan blends I enjoy. I have actully smoked this and Mac Baren HH Vintage Syrian in the same pipe and have had no problems with the flavors mixing and ruining the experience of the other blend.

I highly recommend this blend for seasoned smokers who want to have an aeromatic around for a change of pace or if they need an aeromatic because of non smokers being around.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-13		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

If you like alot of tongue bite go with this blend, or if you like a nice tin aroma this is for you

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-24		Extremely Mild	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

Despite being one of the best casing aroma I have ever smelled, this mixture has no detetctable taste and is very hard to keep lit despite the fair proportion of light coloured leaf.

It is not powerfully masculine despite the Kentucky.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-05-13		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This was my first try at smoking a pipe. I relished the Cavendish blend that my friend had bought in the states, and decided I wanted my apartment to smell the same. While the aroma was similar, and not in whole unpleasant, I could find no way to smoke it without leaving my tongue in misery for four days, and the smoke was always bitter to me. I even had my friend pack it because I assumed that I was doing it wrong. I gave it 5 tries over two months, and ended up tossing the lot. There are better tobaccos out there, and I would rather not smoke than try this again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-02-09		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Very nice pouch aroma, mostly truffles and what seems to be walnuts. There was not a lot of Black CA, it was more of a half and half composition.

The taste was borderline bland, the nicotine almost inexistant and this mixture is very hard to keep lit despite the fact that the leaf is rather on the dry side.

Too bad because the taste was of rich but not very sweet truffles..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Tobacco is vey hard and dry. Aroma is ok. Burns hot, delivers litlle flavor IMO. Did not like it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-03-05		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco was extremely dry in the pouch and this is a good thing for me because this is how I prefer aromatics, the flavor is indeed masculine and elegant, not sweet or syrupy, the tobacco tastes mainly burley, also the tobacco leaf was not black similar to some American black Cavendish, but there is some golden and yellow Virginia in the mix, the burning is a little harsh in the beginning of the bowl but this can easily be adjusted with slow puffing, the fruity aroma is something like red fruits with dark caramel but it is not too sweet like other heavy aromatics, it is just well balanced, the nicotine delivery is fair and satisfying.

Overall, this tobacco did not disappointed me at all as I was expecting it to do, but I was rather pleased with the good quality of tobacco and the low sugar casing, I did not try all blends from this manufacturer but I found this one was good enough to make me finish my pouch and I would buy another pouch in the future without any reserve.

If you ever buy a pouch of this tobacco try to enjoy it for what it is before reading the negative reviews below, or at least try to forget what you have read and make your own judgment.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-03-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

For those out there that don't have an aversity to this brand (and it seems many do), this would be one of the best blends in the BR line up, that I have tried to date. I only have a couple of their blends left to try, and I don't imagine they will improve much on this one. I still have a preference for the Cherry Cavendish, but that is just pig headedness on my part. Give this one an honest try, if you like aromatics, you should like this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-11-17		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Rather plain and boring, not awful but it turned bitter halfway through the bowl, as some cheap aromatics sometimes do. There are so many good and decent aromatics out there do not limit yourself to this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-04-12		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Extra Strong

Well, the first time I saw this tobacco I wanted to try it, but at the time I saw it on store, I had a previous recomendation, so I didn't buy this blend for 4 months (totaly forgot) a few days ago however, to my surprize, I found this blend, and so, my expectations were high indeed. From reading the Title description I was expecting to feel a real tobacco and the aroma, it was self intitled as black, so a serious tobacco. The nougat, truffle and the nuts made me think of a Nordic tobacco, heavy and full of flavour, I was mistaken, this tobacco is packing away with nicotine, making it almost poison (3 bowls and you pass out), about the flavour, the doping on the tobacco produced a very unpleasent flavour, (some may enjoy it), and about the smoke it was a tongue torture, if you light it well , you'll have your tongue itching and soaring in no time. Still have the tobacco, smoked about 40 g of it, an experience I don't advise anyone to.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-11-05		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Several Months ago:

I bought this blend several months ago due to being without!! I normally grab Skandinavik Regular(Brown) when this occurs but the supermarket didn't have any!!

Pouch aroma was "that Borkum Riff smell". That's the best I can do. Not as soury smelling as their Whiskey blend though. Texture of tobacco: A little on the moist side, but not bad. I did have to relight a couple times.

Of the couple bowls that I smoked, I could definitly taste the burleys. Heavy nutty taste. It got me thru the evening.

This Week:

Found the pouch laying about and decided to give it another go. The package aroma was still the same but it had maybe gained the "that BR smell" a little. Texture now dry after a couple months.

Tasted strong burley when not being bombarded by the nuts, nougats and truffle. The N,N and T kept coming in and out regularly. In fact, at times, I sensed cloves!

Final:

The Borkum Riff Black Cav got me thru the night and out of a jam. It could be a tobacco for one who is working around the house and not wanting to give his smoke full attention.

The nuts, nougats and truffle "do" come out to play.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (557)	2022-12-14		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a review of "Mixture with Black Cavendish" made by STG. the package states: "The Black Cavendish recipe consist of 50% Black Cavendish from Argentina and India mixed with ripe Virginias from Africa, Brazil and India. Flavoring: A hint of Prune and Plum."

Package note of sugar, tart fruit, and mildly sour. Tobacco ribbons are black, brown, and tan. Tobacco is a little moist, drying out may be warranted. Burns fast with few relights. The strength is mild and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild, with notes of Plum. Taste is mild to medium and consistent, with notes of wood, brown sugar, earth, mildly spicy, toast, a mild sweet lemon grass background note, and a moderately peppery retro. Cavendish is leading with Virginias supporting. Flavoring is supporting from a little further back. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is good.

Pipe Used: 2015 XXX Ashton Brindle Author

Age When Smoked: 2 years

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Manuel86MI (2)	2019-09-22		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Not so bad as said by others. I don't like aro's and I seldom smoke them. Because they bite, make your pipe hot and taste everything but tobacco. Perhaps I have found a nice aro as a change of pace.

It has body, it is particular, it is sweet with bitter nuance. Nicotine is medium level. There is some kentucky that is very unusual for an aro tobacco. It satesfies and is pretty good. It bites slightly and gets a little hot but nothing to worry about. Not a daily smoke.

I have just one pipe for this type of tobacco. A 22mm hole pipe. A large pipe works better for this type of tobacco.

Pipe Used: Al Pascià Curvy 02

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	szucsa (1)	2017-04-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Strong

Well, this tobacco has quite a low rating from the past. By reading the reviews of this product, I would never give a chance to try. Don't know whatever has changed during the last few years, but it is not that bad at all. And i am not a fan of BR tobaccos, especially not fan of creamy stuff. I dried for 30 mins or so, lighted up, and smoked slowly without relighting. It seems it doesn't tolerate being fast; it gets saucy, and the taste turns to unidentifiable. My family wasn't happy with the smell, they say it really smells. I'm not sure if I'm gonna buy a new pack BC, but it always a great experience how different we are. If you get bored with your daily tobaccos, it is nice to have a different taste.

Pipe Used: Oldenkott Nicofrey MS

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: gift

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Raines (52)	2014-03-29		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

The taste is rather good. It's not too strong. The room note is good too. Of course, it's not the best aromatic tobacco but I've tried worst. I recommand it (Borkum Riff is a good brand for aromatic I think)

Pipe Used: Butz-Choquin Formula 1601

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-23		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This tobacco is not what I expected. I was hoping for a sweet Cavendish with "nougat, truffle, and woodland nuts" (as the package claims), however this product is far from that. I found this tobacco to be very cigar like. I would not call this an English blend, as there isn't any Perique or Latakia to it. I smoked about the entire pouch before I could put my finger on it, but the taste and aroma is like a cheap american cigar, like the kind you can buy at the gas station. I wouldn't completely write this tobacco off, as now I know what to expect. I can buy it if I am in a pinch or feel like having a swisher / phillies type product with the convenience of smoking it in a nice briar bowl. I found this tobacco very hard to light, but about a third of the way through the bowl it seems to stay lit nicely. The smoke is a bit rough, which I suppose this adds credibility to Borkum Riff's wording of "masculine". None the less I give this a tolerable rating, because the $5 pouch gives me more pleasure than some $10 to $15 tins provide.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-26		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

having nearly finished a pouch of this i am still somewhat undecided. the pouch aroma was good not too sweet. i like the dryness of the leaf and the colour looked good. upon lighting i found it okay better than some cavandish i have tried. i have found it needs to be smoked slowly. unlike others here i have never had a problem with relighting though the bite does come in if smoked to hard all in all its an okay smoke and would buy again.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

My introduction to pipe tobacco and a very pleasant one I must say. I really like the smell of it before smoking and the taste during is very pleasant a little sweet but nothing overwhelming. The room note is really what I love about it makes my mustache smell for quite a while afterward which is great. I think it made for a good starter tobacco, and I look forward to trying other Borkum Riff blends.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-15		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I like this stuff. Smokes nice, but has a little bit of a bite. Nonetheless, it's enjoyable.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-05-27		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Well, I have to say that, I'm not a big Borkum fan. they're usually really dry tobaccos and seem to be the same.

Black Cavendish is a good blend but it has nothing special. It burns quite hot, so you'd better smoke it at slow pace, this way I guess it's a better way to enjoy this blend.

There's tongue bite, dries your mouth after a few bowls but it's tolerable. I think it's a better smoke during cold weather.

I guess you should give it a try as long as tobaccos are something really personal in opinions.

However, I'd like to add that, the tobacco itself is a good quality tobacco but it misses something as a blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2010-02-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I last smoked this over 20 years ago, and I am assuming it was being blended by the original blender for the Borkum Riff line. What I remember was a dark brown to black, coarse cut tobacco that was very mild in taste but had a fantastic room note. After a while it became too boring to continue with as I went on to more tastier and satisfying blends. If I happen to come across the newer incarnation of this one, I'll try it again for sure, but I won't be going out of my way to find it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-02-05		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I bought this for a change of pace from my english and regular burley blends. I found it a bit dry in the pouch, but it did smell very good. Upon packing it in a pipe, it was extremly difficult to light and keep going. The only way I found to keep it burning was to add a bit of prince albert with it. All in all it is a good change of pace, but I don't think I will buy anymore.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FALCON (12)	2009-12-04		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

nutty,rich if you not find something else this can do,its not bad but not great can smoke sometimes.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2009-07-07		Mild	Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have made reference to this tobacco before. I have not yet tried the new Danish version. I did smoke it a number of times when blended and manufactured in Germany.

Since this is a Black Cavendish mainly prepared from Burley leaf (including the fire-cured Kentucky), and perhaps some Virginia, I think it is fair enough to compare it to other similar blends.

This is a heavily cased aromatic, with a rounded and deep bitter-sweet flavor, the aroma of which, in my experience, engulfs the senses and will permeate any briar.

As such, it is of a better quality and smoking characteristics than Danske Club's Black Luxury (less sweet and chemical in nature), and similar to Sail's Noir. Both are heavy tasting (somewhere in between truffles, nuts, berries, vanilla and dark chocolate), goopy, moist, and, again, in my experience, need continuous re-lighting. But both are much better than Black Luxury.

Now, to my palate BF's Black Cavendish (or Sail Noir) are not half as a good as Mac Baren's Black Ambrosia (i.e., a black cavendish blend). The difference, of course, is that Mac Baren's is made form Virginias rather than Burley, and so the flavor in Mac Barne's is more "tobaccoey", the sweetness less pungent and artificial, and the aroma far more refined and tempered.

On the other hand, if you want to try a better dark fired Kentucky, without the chemical sauces and flavorings, I strongly suggest you go for Orlik's Dark Strong Kentucky. Dark it is, strong it isn't. Yet it delivers a better punch and tobacco flavor--without losing that smokey bitterness from the Kentucky--than Borkum Riff's Black Cavendish.

All in all, BR's Black Cavendish is not a bad heavy-tasting and sweet black cavendish. If you like strong aromatic smokes, even if the smoke strength in itsefl is rather mild, this may be a good choice. Better than some, yes, but not as good as Mac Baren's or Orlik.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-05		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

This tobacco is not a good one, but it is not terrible either.

I believe the one factor that removes most merit from it is the lack of nicotine and strength. I guess I have been fooled by the "Rich and powerfully masculine" in the tobacco description along with the inclusion of dark kentuckey in the mixture.

The pouch aroma is very nice, the tobacco cut is typical of the BF line. There is quite a lot of brown and golden leaf mixed with the Black Cavendish.

But it bareluy tastes anything....

For experienced smokers, this is not suitable. Unless you have been smoking extremely mild blends all along.

This might be suitable for the beginner.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Update 17/07/2009

For some unexplained reason, I hanged on to this blend without knowing it. I just left it in my Coleman cooler for several weeks, having - frankly - forgotten about it. And didn't get rid of the other two unopened pouches either, which is unusual.

I found the opened pouch tonight and went "Hum, well,well." I loaded up and, considering it is a drugstore blend, was rather pleasantly surprised this time around.

As this is a deeply cased tobacco, it needs to be opened up several weeks in advance before being smoked. Once the casing has reasonnably resorbed, this mixture actually becomes acceptable. It needs less religths and the truffle flavor comes up more without being sweet. The chocolate and walnut flavours are dominant but I still detect some tobacco taste in there. There is a bit of a chemical taste during the original lighting but it goes away after a couple minutes.

Actually, it's not bad. The mixture is more to the mid/medium side than mild as it was at my first trial. I might rebuy, I'm not sure yet. Because the truffle and walnut taste are nice, I will definitevily finish the 3 pouches I have. For a drugstore blend, it's not bad as long as you let it air out for a while.

If you like truffle and walnut taste in your pipe, I recommend it as long as you're aware it's a drugstore blend and that you open it 4-5 weeks in advance before smoking. Sail black and Amphora black (Sail black is still available in Europe) are alternatives to this one.

If you want better quality, then McBarens Honey & Chocolate will make you very happy.

Original review 07/04/2009

Somehow this blend is very mild and lacks taste for one containing dark Kentucky.

On the other hand, being a "drugstore" blend, someone cannot display unrealistic expectations. I think I was a bit disappointed because this mixture sort of appealed to me because of the look of the pouch.

Despite not being very dark for a Black Cavendish mixture, it requires multiple relights that almost makes the smoking experience frustrating. But I think that is because I should have waited for the tobacco to dry up a bit. Mea Culpa.

Drugstore blends wise, Black Sail and Amphora black provided better smoking satisfaction than this one.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-24		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I have some fond memories of this tobacco. When I was 18 I tried a pipe and my first tobacco ever was Borkum Riff Black Cavendish. Now at the time I must say I didn't know how to smoke a pipe at all. It obviously wasn't good enough to keep me smoking a pipe. I think half the pouch went out with the garbage.

Now advance 13 years later, I bought a pouch to see what I think now. Well It burned well albeit hot, even when smoked slow. It was chock full of pipe juice, and left an acrid taste in my mouth. However maybe in some sadistic way I like the blend. I just can't smoke more than half a bowl at a time. My Personal notes give a 4.2 in future years based on availability it may again be in my pipe, but for the memories not its quality.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2009-02-18		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I mixed this with a somewhat bland but strong tobacco, and the resultant half-and-half mixture was not too bad. On its own, few would like it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I picked this one up by mistake-I was after the BR Bourbon Whiskey which has gotten good reviews. Having tried a few bowls I find myself wishing for a five star system to stick this one in the middle of the range. I think that it is a bit better than some of the one and two star reviews indicate. There are sweet and nutty flavors and moments of seemingly toppingless burley....but I understand the negative comments. You nee dto find the right pace with this tobacco. Not surprisingly for a black cavendish based blend it can take a few relights to get going. Stop puffing and it goes out. Puff too fast and it will bite. Push it wrong and the flavor gets sort of sour and ashey....but when the cadence is right there are lots of pleasant flavors combined with a cool, pleasant smelling smoke. I'm giving it a weak 3 stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2008-12-19		Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

black cavendish and thats the end of the story,,would be a lie if i said more,,burn well with few dottles left overs, constant lighting is required,,cheep tobacco yet there are better black cavendish offerings for a lower price!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-10		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

A new tobacco shop opened up in my town recently and I stopped in there today to see if they had any decent pipe tobaccos. We have 2 smoke shops in the area now and they only carry drugstore brands so I usually buy my tobacco online. The new store had the basic drugstore brands. I'm a fan of Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey, they had that and this brand as well. None of the other stores here carry the Black Cavendish so I thought I'd give it a shot. The pouch I purchased was fresh and the stuff inside was still a little damp so I took some out to dry. The aroma in the pouch was pleasant not overwhelming. I had about an hour till I had to go to work so I only loaded half a pipe load. When I lit it up and took the first puff I made the mistake of inhaling a little bit and coughed a bit. I wasn't dizzy or feeling ill which is a good thing I guess. I didn't notice any hints of chocolate, nuts or nougat and but I noticed tongue bite and I drank a liter of water cause it dried my mouth out. I also noticed as I puffed away the smoke was a brownish color and it burned hot. I got to tell you I got a good nicotine rush from this stuff. I probably won't rush out and buy another pouch of this anytime soon. I'll stick to the Bourbon blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-01-16		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Kind of bland tasting! For a burley and Kentucky blend where's the kick? No nicotine punch whatsoever!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2007-04-21		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I can't define the flavor of this tobacco, it doesn't taste like anything I know, but I don't like it. Too much tongue bite, moist, and chemicals.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-10-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I have smoked this on a few occasions, but not recently. Next time I see it i will give a better or worse rating based on my next expierience, going by my last one This rating should come out to 2 or 3 stars. I once heard that colonial troops ran out of tobacco and smoked dried horse poo.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I snagged a pouch of this mostly out of curiosity and because it looked better than anything else there on the shelf at the store I was in.

Suprisingly, its not too bad. My pouch seemed pretty dry upon opening, which to me indicates that it wasn't soaked in PG. Visually, its nice looking, a nice mixture of light and dark ribbons. The pouch has a nice sweet natural tobacco aroma.

Upon firing it up, I noticed somewhat of a chocolate type flavor, but this dissipated rapidly. The smoke got a bit bitey initially, but this too subsided. The smoke settled down into a sort of neutral roasty type flavor which reminds me vaguely of Royal Yacht, which I like. So overall, its better than I expected it to be. The description at the top claims that its heavily cased, but if so I'm not tasting it much, maybe my pouch is really old or something. Whatever, I find the flavor pretty good and I won't have any problems finishing the pouch.

Its a good blend, and certainly better than most drugstore blends. I think it rates three stars, albeit a low three stars. Its fairly expensive for a drugstore blend, though, and you could do a lot better than this in a real tobacco store.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-05-16		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This was the first pipe tobacco that I tried, and it was OK... I guess that it did everything it was supposed to do, but was quite bitey. There are also a few erratics in the leaf that could cause bad burning, so its definately worth de-stalking (as I call it) the pouch first.

As far as drugstore aromatics go, this isnt too bad, it has a nice enough flavour, but I feel it benefits by mixing it with Borkum Ultra Light, as this makes it stop biting just long enough for you to actually taste it!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-10-10		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The taste of tobacco is rather mild and sweet, but it is a lot of nicotine in this tobacco. The flavor is weak but pleasant, does not require focusing. The tobacco burns evenly, does not overheat a pipe. Unless the huge amount of nicotine prevents to smoke this tobacco and to be engaged in habitual matters.

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