Torben Dansk Black Velvet

Just got around to opening this tin and it smelled wonderfull.Loaded up a Bjarne Giant Freehand, let it sit/air out for about 15- 20 minutes, not that it needed too.My tin had just the right amount of moisture.Upon lighting the Guinness aroma was present and lasted all the way to the end(which I loved).About 1/4 of the way through there was a tart/tangy champagne flavor that lasted about 5 minutes, then it was back to the great Guinness stout taste and aroma.Only had to relight it 1x when I stopped for a lunch break.The tobacco burned to a fine white ash, never got hot, no tongue bite at all, and no one complained about the aroma.I really dedicated the time to sit back and enjoy this tobacco, and it was worth it.So if you like Guinness sit back, relax ,and enjoy this tobacco.Glad I have a few tins stashed away.

I do not normally smoke English blends as most do not really smell too good, in other words, they stink! This is one that I am allowed to smoke in the house. Probably what led to to try it was the blend notes that said it is an Englisg/aromatic crossover. Not exactly the wife pleaser, but at least tolerable.

I do enjoy the taste of this tobac, maybe because of the Guiness topping which is one of my favorite brews. The latakia seems to be quite subdued too, which is to my preference.

I do recommend Black Velvet to those who normally smoke aromatis, but occasionally want to try an English blend without stinking up the house too much.

I couldn't finish the 50g tin, but I did smoke several bowls. The casing/flavoring disappeared about halfway through the bowl. What remained did not interest me.

Torben Dansk - Black Velvet.

The rubbing has resulted in the presentation being that of a mixture/broken flake. It's medium brown with sporadic lighter/darker flecks. The moisture's exactly as I like, being a little damp.

From first light the Guinness takes first place out of the added flavourings. This suits me as I love stout; went teetotal for a while but missed it too much ; ) There's a touch of sourness which I assume hails from the champagne. The English side of this crossover's more mild, woody, and smoky, rather than being a full-on bomb. It burns well, to a white ash. I get no tongue bite.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Black Velvet? A nice aromatic English worthy of a recommendation:

Three stars.

I've been an aromatic smoker off and on for years, and almost all of them have disappointed me in one way or another. It was these series of disappointments that led me to branch out to more traditional tobaccos. On my way there I happened upon Black Velvet. It's been called an English crossover due to it having latakia as well as some mild spraying of Guinness and champagne. From the perspective of aromatics, this blend stands head and shoulders above most all of them. It is a good blend to try on the way towards classic traditional English tobaccos.

The aroma from the tin is delightful. Sort of a licorice and fruit smell. It lights up well and smokes down to a nice, white ash. The strength of this blend is a bit more than I'm used to. It's not exceedingly heavy in Vit. N., but more than most aromatics I've tried. For me the room note was less tolerable than most aromatics I've tried. Still, it won't run everyone out of a room.

The taste of the tobacco is somewhat of a sticking point for me. It had a much more noticeable taste than many of the aromatics I've smoked, yet there was a certain lack of complexity to the flavor. It had more depth than most aromatics, yet it refused to go too deep or become a very "intricate" smoke. Overall I was left with a bit of a mixed feeling. It certainly had some taste, yet it was sort of monochromatic. It burned cool and gave absolutely no bite.

I am recommending this blend as it might appeal to some folks and it's certainly worthwhile to explore it. For me, I'm looking for a fuller, richer smoke than Black Velvet provides. I still believe it can be a great introduction to classic English blends for aromatic smokers. I could see smoking this blend in the morning as the first bowl of the day.

A very unique blend. It's basically an aromatic with latakia added to it.

Very easy to light. The tobacco that I was given may have been a bit too dry, as it burned rather hot, and I had to take my time with it.

The flavor isn't half bad, just not my cup of tea. The Virginia's really don't come through. What does come through is an aromatic, liquor bitterness. I absolutely love Guinness stout, but can't taste it here. The latakia is very mellow, and if you haven't smoked English blends before you'll probably just recognize the flavor as a general light spiciness.

Overall, a good "crossover" aromatic. I won't be getting it again in the future though because I'm not too crazy about aromatics in general or liquor casing in my tobacco.

In my own experience... This is a bit of a spicy blend. I dont smoke it as an aromatic because I have let it dry a little and it smokes better that way. The room note is nice. A smooth cool smoke is what I noticed the most. I cannot discribe the actual flavor though. I wanted to point at a star annis at first but after 3 pipes I changed my opinion. I think its great for an afternoon smoke but it is a bit on the nicotine side so I wont smoke it right before bedtime. I would definatly recomend this blend to someone that would like to slowly transition into virginia from aromatic. 🙂