Uhle's Blend 71

A well balanced smoke .. Enjoyable, no bite, and smoked fairly cool. The room note was Incense like.

This is really great if you like the Walnut type of thing. It definitely has more latakia than Walnut, but the tobacco is all of higher quality and the flavoring is less pronounced here, making a really great smoke. Uhle's is a revelation.

Lately I've been looking for a burley based smoke that would be a combination of old fashioned cube cut burley and a touch of VA and latakia. Kinda like what used to be more commonly available. I happened upon Blend 71 and I am done searching. This is it!! High quality burley, a smidge of latakia, I can barely taste VA and I know it says burned cav but it's nothing apparent. As others have said, don't mistake mild for anemic. This is a cool, slow and relaxing smoke for those who like excellent burley with a little latakia to keep it company but not take over the whole conversation. For a full english their Bishops Blend is, IMHO, one of the best of the genre. For everyday, knocking around quality smoking, blend 71 has my vote.

I am lucky enough to have once lived in Milwaukee where you could find Uhle's tobaccos in cardboard display stands near the grocery store checkout line. Now I find that a small local bookstore in my little town here in Minnesota has Uhles available as a sideline. I recommend, as others have, that your at least visit the website to check these great tobaccos out!

blend 71 is pretty good for a mild english smoke and I think it is not bad to blend with other of uhles blend also. The burley goes with latakia in harmony and keeps the smoke dancing on my tongue .I got no tongue bite, but on the bad side and my wife does not care for the smell at all.

The late John Bognar (whose artwork graced the pages of the Ephemeris) spoke highly of Uhle's blends, and the service he received from the shop. It was inevitable that a burley fancier, such as myself, should give Uhle's a try.

I am still experimenting with their blends; so far two things are true. They are quite honest in describing their tobacco as mild. And, Blend 71 is my favourite, so far.

Please don't mistake mild for weak or defecient, though. Blend 71 is, perhaps, not suited for the one or two bowl a day man who's looking for a mighty whallop of flavour. Rather, the burley is soft, friendly, and flavourful; just slightly nutty, hardly earthy at all. Even though 71 is described as non-aromatic, I would declare that there is a slight topping. But Uhle's applies this with the lightest of touches: the tobacco is not at all "goopy"! Along with the burley there is a touch of Virginia, and Cavendish, each providing their sweetness. And the latakia. A perfect amount of the smokey leaf for me; just a suggestion, I know it's there, but it's not at all overpowering.

Wonderful.

A few days ago, just to see how it would perform, I loaded up my pouch with 71 and smoked it exclusively. At home, at work. Indoors and out. the first pipe of the day, and the one that closed the night. I was never less than content with the easy, non-biting smoke, and those about me were quite complimentary about the aroma.

I'm quite impressed!

Feb., 2016: A fair bit of water has passed under the bridge since I wrote the above, and I've turned my fair share of tobacco into smoke and ash. My feelings about this blend haven't changed a bit; quite rare for me! I find it, still, to be a friendly, well-rounded, easy smoking mixture. I'm still impressed.

Uhle's was forced to reformulate Blend 71 due to the unavailability of one of the blending components. Uhle's brochures formerly described Blend 71 as "Our second oldest blend ... rough cut for slow burning ... AA Highland Burley, sweet golden Virginia, Syrian Latakia and burned Cavendish." Now, Blend 71 is described as "A classic medium blend, boasting the flavors of a medium-well done steak, this blend is the Uhle's patriarch of English blends. A solid blend to sink your pipe into. Ingredients: Latakia, Perique, Turkish and Burley."

The original incarnation of Blend 71 is a complex and dependable American-English and a perfect all-day, all-season tobacco. If you think you don't like burley, try Uhle's burley. They must have some special curing process because their burley never devolves into any harsh, ashy, and bitter edge--it remains smooth and nutty throughout the course of a bowl. The Virginia adds sweetness, the Turkish hint of floral spice and sourness. The Latakia hovers in the background, imparting a tangy smokiness around the edges like a light glaze of barbecue sauce. The "burned Cavendish," which I assume is Black Cavendish, adds a little sugar and makes the room note more palatable to passers by. The side-stream aroma is sublime--old-timey Burley but with the complexity of an English.

The new version tries to live up to the original but lacks the synergy and magic of its predecessor. It is in the spirit of the original--but now, the Burley dominates, and its nuttiness is diminished. whereas before it was round and deep, now it is sharp and thin. I can't taste the Turkish. The fleeting sweetness provided by the Black Cavendish is also missed. The English character has gone missing,

Three stars for the current version, four stars for the original, I'm leaving my rating at four stars as a tribute to Jack Uhle's genius.

Excellent. I just keep coming back to this one. I'd say this is very close to JB Hayes' K2. Also similar to Middleton Walnut, but sweeter, and less nuttier and less smoky. Very mild English. Burns very well, dry fine ash. I'm going to try mixing it with Walnut. Similar blend I have reviewed is Iwan Ries Private Blend. Also suspect both are close to Spillmans.

Lord help me if I should ever lose my taste for burley or become so hardened by English mixtures that I could not appreciate a tobacco like this! The predominate taste is a wonderful, nutty burley, with overtones of latakia and a bit of sharpness, perhaps from the Virginia. The room note is pleasant for a non-aromatic. It is rather finely cut so not a problem to keep lit. If I were an all-day smoker this could fit the bill. As it is I content myself with one or, at the most, two pipefuls per day, and this is a very satisfying smoke when employed in that manner as well. If you enjoy a non-aromatic burley blend with enough latakia to add interest, then you can't go wrong with this one.

Jar note of peaty vegetation, mild cocoa and molasses. Tobacco is a Coarse Cut of brown and dark brown with a little tan and black. Moisture content is good. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of herbal vegetation, sugar, molasses, tart dark fruit, dry cocoa, tangy zesty citrus, spicy, savory, wood, sweet grass, rich earth, slight musty hay, slightly bitter toast, a spiced smoky plum background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with Latakia, Oriental/Turkish and Perique supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.