Torben Dansk Black Velvet

Let me start by saying, I really dig the smaller tin size; regardless of how I like/dislike the blend, the tin makes for a great parting gift. Opening it reveals a sour Virginia barnyard smell with a tart, fruit, sugar tossed on. It didn't really remind me of Guinness, but could imagine the smell of a forgotten flute of New Year's champaign sitting out for a week. It was gross and inviting at the same time.

The ready rub had plenty of chunky pieces needing your attention to break apart (which I like), though it had this annoying dust coating that lingers on your fingers (which I didn't). Super easy to light with some work to maintain (the ash seemed more defiant than usual). The initial tin aroma gave way to a lighter Aromatic whose flavors I couldn't pin down. It wasn't terribly spicy, nor sweet, nor did the Latakia come to bear with any charcoal notes, yet there was something going on that was in fact a bit creamy - so Guinness like? Maybe.

The first few bowls didn't excite me, leaving me indifferent, but by mid tin I was starting to come around to the taste. It was a tad too strong for my all day smoking, but I could see others faring better. In the end, I would give it 3 stars for quality, but for the higher cost I can't justify buying this mystery again.

For the uninitiated, a Black Velvet is a cocktail made of 1/3 champagne and 2/3 Guinness. A fine beverage indeed! Sure, Guinness is a weird beer, completely different from the usual ales, lagers and pils: I happen to love its dark, subdued and refreshing taste, and its creamy foam. It is a stout, an almost black beer from Ireland, light in alcohol, subtly bitter and thirst-quenching. Given this premise, I thought I should love a tobacco topped with Black Velvet, right? Well, more or less... The blend is composed of virginia tobaccos with a light percentage of Latakia, flavored with Guinness and champagne during maturation under presses. It's difficult to think of it as "aromatic" anyway, as the topping is very light and Guinness in itself has not an overwhelming flavor. I'd rather think of it as a natural blend (an ultra-light English mixture) with an extra touch: a philosophy which is similar to the basic idea of GLPease Mephisto, I might say. The tin aroma is elegantly perfumed, in a very unobtrusive manner: hardly reminiscent of the real Black Velvet, but fine anyway, and with some attention you CAN get hints of wine and beer. After filling a bowl and lighting, you are welcomed by a VERY soft taste. You can't really detect either a strong sweetness/grassiness from the Virginias, or a distinct smokiness/nuttiness from the Latakia: both the distinctive notes of the two tobaccos are very subdued. Hey, even the topping is so subtle that you really can't pick it out precisely! You feel there's something there, but it's more of a delicate, subtle perfume (reminiscent more of the champagne than of Guinness) that perfectly integrates the subtle taste of the tobaccos. Where this blend really reminds a lot of Guinness, is in its very refreshing, subdued taste with echoes of slight bitterness on the palate. I am not saying that it TASTES 100% like Guinness, I am saying that it gives a very similar impression on my taste buds. Alas, while good, I can't say it's a completely satisfactory smoke, either: it lacks body and taste, and I guess that even as an all-day smoke it is too light and soft in flavor. Anyway, it is refreshingly different and unique, and I can't think of another blend with a similar flavoring. Every once in a while it may be a fine alternative, also because it burns very well and with a consistent flavor throughout the bowl (the same can't be said of most aromatics, which tend to get worse from half onwards): definitely worth a try, even if it doesn't seem to be available yet in the USA. But, again, it can't compete with a nice pint of Black Velvet (the drink!) with a pipe full of something very full and sweet to contrast its bitterness, like the wonderful Marlin Flake or another sweet pure Virginia. And just one more thing: my colleagues at work say that in spite of the subtle taste for the smoker, this blends stinks like all my other English mixtures! And, I should add, it leaves a rather perceivable Guinness taste in your pipe, so beware!

Please take this review from a non Aro smoker. That said, this tobacco came very dry and ready to smoke. One of my big complaints with cased Aros is that they are too wet, no so here. I also did not experience the typical bite that I get from most Aros, maybe because it was so dry. This reminded me of Sillems Black, but not as high quality and the Latakia was not as pronounced (sorry, but my tastes are diffrent than reviewer,"doc'spipe 02/17/2011" ) . I did get hints of chocolate that was very nice but didn't stay.For you Aro smokers I think this would be a 3-4 star , but for me it's a 2

I do love the little tin.

The smell in the pouch was of dark chocolate and stout coffee, very much like Guinness itself. I did not realize it had been sprayed with Guinness as I was smoking it but it certainly seems obvious now. It does taste, as other reviewers have said, about as close to the beer as tobacco is going to get. The room aroma was of burnt coffee, not exactly a wife pleaser.

Although I very much enjoy the beer I didn't really enjoy smoking it, I will keep my Guinness in the glass.

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. 🙂