Peter Stokkebye Proper English (No.52)

Going to have to disagree with my fellow pipers on this one, I find this blend to be a great change of pace from most english blends I have tried, although it IS heavily laden with Latakia (which I love) It is in no way a Night Cap/EMP/965 wannabe, and has a flavor all its own, yet unmistakably English. To try and describe its flavor..salted leather and anise, that is realized best (by me) when exhaled through the nose. When I rated the room note as pleasant, I wasnt using the wife scale, I personally like the room note (it dont stink if you like that smell), however the wife hates the heavy Latakia and turns the kitchen exhaust fan up to super noisey smoke suck mode. I can smoke it fast, slow, cool or hot and it never gets harsh tasting and never burns the tongue. Though I enjoy the previous mentioned Dunhill blends. Proper English is a great all day smoke for the heavy Latakia lover,even if its not a crowd pleaser, but who do you smoke for?

I will never let myself run out,3 stars yummy.

Really not latakia ladden, still within the realm of tasty english mixtures. Orientals lead the way and virginias come right behind, sometimes changing places. Sweet and interesting, simple at first puffing and increasingly complex afterwards, just as in Stokkebye's English Oriental Supreme but with an extra dimension borrowed from some discretely applied cyprian latakia. I love to smoke this one the whole day, but it comes to a price: it bites after the 5th bowl. I cannot think of anything bad to say about this mixture. It carries first class tobacco, burns and packs fine, even the light topping is unconsecuencial. It contains no bad note in any sense. The only thing I woud ask is a small addition of syrian latakia, for this is the strongest mix latakiawise PS offers. There are many "elder" english blends which are better in some way, richer or cooler or smokier at least, but would not appeal for a continuous smoking like this one does.

A very nice finding. A powerfull everyday smoke.

The description says "The most Latakia of any blend we make..."

If you love Latakia, don't let this statement mislead you. This is in no way a 'full' English blend. Pretty mild, really. Is that bad? No. Sometimes I feel like something lighter. Proper English can fill that bill nicely. The Oriental is pretty mild too.

My "Proper English" was a bit damp for my taste, but a short time exposed to the air took care of that. It packed well, lit well, and burned well. Room note reminds me of a campfire - just what I expect from a light to medium English.

This is available in bulk, but don't classify it a a 'bulk blend' in a derogatory fashion. This is actually pretty good tobacco.

New to English blends? Want a break from the heavy stuff? Give Proper English a shot. I'm betting you won't be sorry.

This has been my daily smoke for last two weeks, great out door smoke. like in my bigger bowls, all the way to the bottom.

Update - I'm going to upgrade Proper English to its rightful place. 4 of 4 I'm reaching for this more and more and find myself craving it. It's never boring or flat and behaves very well when treated nicely. I'm wondering if they forgot to mention in their description that there is a pinch of perique in this blend? My taste buds tell me yes.

It leaves a wonderful room note and handles very well. Sometimes I open the jar just to get a whiff. This is a delightful Medium strength blend that is very consistent and I truly enjoy some daily. Even the consistency of the fine cut with some mixed ribbon is very easy to pack and nice to handle. (I know that is not the criteria for the rating but it is a definite endorsement.) -VC

*******

18 Oct 05 This was my first visit back to PB blends in quite a while. I'm not impressed with the line in general ... however ... this is good stuff. It is tasty Englishy blend. There's some Latikia but not so much as you may gather from the company's description - noted by other reviewers. Nonetheless, this is a very nice smoke. While I love strong tobaccos, this is one of those that I will reach for when I want a mild English. I find the room note to be very pleasant. I detect a dash of the old vanilla and fig that rounds off the pleasant note. It smokes cool, packs easily and the moisture of the bulk was perfect. The moisture consistency may be a natural result of a little PG. Of this I am not sure, but, I find this to be good, reasonably priced, cool, dry smoking and tasty enough. I think it's a fine blend. It could very well be an all day smoke.

Cheers, VC

For the aromatic lover that I am, this is not a bad addition to my rotation. It is an inoffensive, modest English blend, and an acceptable change of pace for me. If you're new to Latakia, or are afraid of them, this is a good place to start. I smoke this blend on occasion. It's not terribly heavy like many English blends, but it's what you would expect from a Danish manufacturer. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, but isn't bad when you want a slight change of pace from PS's usual offerings.

I find this tobacco a little too bland for my taste, though it is for sure a good quality one. The flavour is pungent but it really lacks some kick, and I could taste a light casing but couldn't identify it. It can be one of the tobaccos good to be smoked during summer for its freshness and dry-smoking quality, but after that I always want to go back to some serious latakia blend.

I was quite satisfied with the first 2oz sample I received of this blend. I have come back for more on a few occasions and find that it improves upon aging in my bulk jar. The longer I keep on hand, the more tanginess I can taste from the Orientals & Latakia. A local tobacco shop offers this PS blend by the name of Euphoria. It took a while for me to warm up to this blend, which was recommended to me; but after about 5 - 7 bowls, I must say I did indeed feel quite euphoric. I can't put my finger on it, but it's got a little extra taste in it resembling that of French bread in the midst of the typical Balkan flavor. It's just a hint, but it's enough to make it stand out. Balkan fans: give this one a try. It's no Dunhill London Mixture, but worth your time nonetheless.

I was introduced to this special tobacco at Uhle?s, Milwaukee, by the helpful and enthusiastic people behind the counter. They keep it cellared in a golden foil perma moist pouch behind the counter. It's labelled PS 52. I was told that this is the same recipe of the Balkan Sobranie. Since I never tried that mixture but only have read about it, I thought ?why not?? This is a fine blend, and if Sobranie was really this good, then I?m glad I?ve had an opportunity to try a manifestation of it. The cut is dark and stringy. Packing qualities are good. The aroma is full and the taste rich in orientals and sweet spice. It?s not as balanced, round and complete as Balkan Sasieni, and it lacks its perfect finish, but it is an excellent choice for the oriental tobacco lover. Caution: be careful how you puff because this does have a cumulative tongue burning effect. If you can find some at your local tobacconist, give this one a try. A quality blend such as PS 52 certainly does not deserve all the thrashing it gets in these reviews.

Four of five stars