Peter Stokkebye Proper English (No.52)

I love this blend. It reminds me of P.S. Luxury English blend but with a bit more Latakia and Orientals. I noticed hints of citrus from time to time. Good blend. I am still in search of a heavier Latakia blend though.

Tasty! Highly recommended.

Probably the best English blend I have smoked in decades. That along with the reasonable price make it for me a great blend. Highly Recommended

This is great stuff for the price. The moisture content was perfect. It lights easily, smokes cool and is low maintenance. This is what pipe dreams are made of.

I guess I am just prone to have a slightly different expectation of what I think a good "English" is for me. Of the three PS English blends I have tried thus far (this plus English Oriental Supreme and English Luxury), this one comes the closest to those expectations. In other words, I like this the best. Close but not on target, however. May the folks who truly appreciate this continue in their enjoyment. I am beginning to suspect that just as we often read the term "American-English", the PS offerings could be called "Euro-English". Neither being what (despite the name appropriation here by Stokkebye)"proper" English. All PS English taste of a sweetness different from what I grew up encountering in my Dunhill blends. (The American-English miss the mark for me in creaminess, mellowness.)Proper English gives this same odd sweet taste to me, albeit less so than the other two PS I have tried. Perhaps my age has something to do with this. I have never tried any Orlick tinned Dunhill and I quit the Dunhills after sampling MM#965 from Orlick in bulk. Hence, many who liken these blends to MM#965 may actually find them close to what their experience tastes like if they've become accustomed to Orlik's 965 and/or other Dunhills or PS blends. Frankly, for me several McClellands and Cornell and Diehls taste more authentic. I would rate Proper English less "proper" in comparison to C&D's Stratfordshire which does give me (albeit momentarily) wisps of the old flavors and textures I miss so much. My general impressions are: if left on a desert island with my pipe and this alone, I would smoke it while dreaming of my favorite blends. I do like the Latakia in Proper better than what comes through in the other two PS blends, but not enough to repurchase Proper if other blends are available.

Update - 03/08/2014 I purchased several ounces of this while out of town and what I got has definitely changed for the better. I am not sure if the corporate changes with the blender had anything to do with this but the cut on this blend is now a quality ribbon and the Latakia is still a bit edgy, it is far superior to what I reviewed before. That was pure coal smoke.

I also found this remarkably similar to Balkan Sasieni - current production. I had also bought a tin of BS at the same time and smoked these two in alternating sequence. Frankly the difference, if there is any, might just be an artifact of the tinned product catching some aging. Both are now STG, are they not? Hmm....

Bumping this to three stars.

I like this tobac. After searching for replacements for the Dunhill tobac I have smoked for 45 years I came upon Stokkebyes blends a few years ago. English Oriental Supreme is hands down my favorite in the P.S. line-up but P.E. comes in a close second. Here is a english that has a lot of taste!! the Latakia really shines with the virginias adding a a nice body of sweet that perfectly compliments this blend. This is an all day blend that packs and burns great. Brought to you in bulk and at a great savings compared to the cost of the boutique blends available. Master blenders like Stokkebye could teach apprentices like Pease a thing or two IMHO. This blend does not disappoint

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I find this a very satisifying smoke, I have a 3 tobacco rotation thru the day, and I always time for this, usually in the evening. It's a great last smoke of the day on the back deck in the summer and the price at Mars Cigars can't be beat. Highly recommended.

4 stars from me. MMmm! I love this tobacco. I find it has everything I like but not too much of it. It is stronger but not overwhelming. I think the room note is very tolerable but have seen a few people cringe a bit. My kids don't find it appealing either. I smoke this daily now. I searched for a tobacco that was just right for me, this is it. I like several others too, this is just me. It smokes to a fine ash without much effort. I like this in a mid to upper sized bowl, 3-5, for after a good meal. Several people mentioned the pouch aroma is a bit like Smoked Salmon, I like the smokey smell and the taste is even better.

I enjoy heavier English (and Balkan) blends and this fits right in my favorite zone. In my way of thinking [taste] Proper English is more of a medium to heavy English and it's brother, Balkan Supreme, has a flavor profile that is more a medium Balkan. These two blends provide plenty of variety for me.

The blend is a fine string cut of mostly dark leaf. The flavor is Latakia (Cyprian) forward along with the VA, the Orientals fill out the rest of the blend. Tasty and satisfying, the price can't be beat either. 9 out of 10 stars.

Stokkebye’s English blends are one of the best choices in value; great quality at a very comfortable price.

Proper English features a classic indulgence of plentiful Latakia, vibrant Turkish and striking Virginia. With a very personable pouched aroma, one is convinced of its merit as a gently sweet, lemony, earthy spice form its fragrant projection.

For the taste, in general, No. 52 is suggestively sweet, tarty, woody, and floral. The softly cased fruity-citrus Virginia grounds the over taste profile. A little forward, hearty tones of smoky musty woodiness emanate from the fine strain of Latakia provide a wonderful thrust of flavor, while the Oriental supports accenting tinges of floreated peaty spice in the backdrop.

And the charming room note speaks fittingly as a respectful benchmark towards the genre. No bite, cool burning and consistently satisfying, drop this one in your bowl and enjoy the Proper English distinction. Tally ho!