Peter Stokkebye Proper English (No.52)

Pouch note is heavy oriental stank and some woodsy/campfire notes, a little fermented fruit like raisins or plums in the backend. Tobacco in the pouch is pretty much perfect for a bowl, almost feeling too dry but with quite a bit of spring when pinched and no crackling or powder.

Initial char is oriental forward and musty, latakia provides a little nasal earthy spice and smoke. The flavor is very well rounded and balanced. While initial light gave a slight promise of a bright, almost virginia flavor, that either blended well with the other components or was just a figment of the imagination... once the bowl was burning well I lost much of that brightness... instead I got a good "benchmark" English, kinda funky, musty, spicy (like fennel or caraway seeds, not like pepper), deep and brooding. Think Grieg vs. Beethoven. Sumatra vs. Kona. Cello vs. Violin.

At the very end, I got a hint of flavor reminding me of cigar leaf. I was left with a coarse dottle and ash, fairly par for the course with most English I've smoked.

Nicotine content was just right for me personally, but I find nicotine content to be very subjective and tolerances vary. It was enough to know it was there and to relax me, but not too much for me to tempt my head to feel swimmy.

This blend stands well as scratching all the itches that an English should scratch. A good blend that I would recommend for anyone that would smoke an English as a daily smoker.

Never thought I'd puff on a "Danish English" blend with this much "English" flavor.... Full in the taste department but a "smooth full" if that makes any sense.

Easy to pack and burn due to the cut; this one has a flavor that Latakia lovers, in particular, will enjoy. I can't compare this one to Nightcap as this Stokkebye blend contains no Perique. Maybe EMP is comperable, but certainly revved up in the Latakia department.

If you are just venturing into the world of English blends this would be a great place to start. There is nothing to herald about this blend, it in no way caused me any sort of pipe smoking enlightenment, but at the same time there is a real appeal to its humble straightforwardness.

The Stokkebye blends are always quality and always a great bargain. I keep many on hand for this reason. This blend is just a good fullish English. No complaints. It is well balanced in the fact that the orientals come through nicely. I really like this blend, and as a bulk blend, any pipe smoker should have a couple ounces of this cellared. Very nice, and will buy again.

A decent English that I enjoy when I want something milder than my usual heavier blends.

Peter Stokkebye No. 52 labels itself as Proper English, using the popular if not very accurate label of "English" for a mixture with a notable latakia or oriental/latakia characteristic. I do not know if this offering is the proper, much less the perfect, English, but it is a fine tobacco available in bulk alone at a very competitive price.

Open the baggie or jar (according to how you store your bulk tobaccos) and you find a collection of quite thin ribbons which vary in color from light brown to medium brown to black. Sniff it, and you will discover a blend that smells very much like any other offering which has a significant latakia component.

I find the moisture level to be perfectly fine as is. Packing presents no problem. As thin as the ribbons are it is best not to pack too tightly. Lighting presents no challenge. Unless you have a very restrained puffing pattern you may need no relights. Unless you puff most vigorously there will be no danger of tongue bite.

The flavor while smoking will likely please any pipe smoker who enjoys latakia. Although PS notes this has more latakia than any blend they make that falls to a level just short of medium. The oriental taste is nearly equal to the latakia. The Virginia favor is on the light side of the spectrum, but it offers a nice contrast to the latakia and oriental.

The room aroma, like the actual taste, has a smoky campfire nature. In the presence of latakia pipe smokers there will be no objection to the room note. Non smokers will despise it.

Pipesters who often smoke latakia blends, or those who use them for change of pace, will likely enjoy Proper English. Those puffers who eschew latakia need not try this.

Smoke only in pipes reserved for latakia blends. Smoked in other pipes it will leave a latakia ghost for multiple pipe fulls. The quality of the smoke combined with the moderate bulk pricing earns this mixture a solid three stars.

Are you a fan of pirate kake? Enjoy that lat-forward sensation? Give this a try instead.

When smoking english mixtures, I'm always looking for the balance. I want to taste the virginia, the oriental, the latakia. Some mixtures bring one flavor or the other forward, and that's fine as long as there remains some balance and I can find the component flavors.

This is a lat-forward english. BUT, I can still find the virginia and orientals in the flavor, which makes it a reasonable winner for me.

CONTRAST, Pirate Kake. I see that stuff hyped everywhere, and although the latakia is nice enough I guess, it buries everything else entirely. There are plenty of other lat-bombs out there, but I'm just picking on that one given current reviews and hype.

Another comparison? Maltese Falcon. MF is definitely the better blend, fresher tasting, a little stronger sweetness. But also waaaaay more expensive.

If you want a latakia forward english, this is an amazing bang-for-buck option. Personally, based on the value, I'm giving it 2.5 stars, and I'll round up to 3. If it cost as much as GL Pease, it would fight for 2 stars. And Sure, I prefer other english blends more (Ashton Artison, Margate, 965, etc). But for the price? And if you want a heavier-than-average latakia dose? This'll work!

This must be the worst smelling tobacco i have ever smelt. It smells like an old ashtray. That aside, (and honestly, who cares what it smells like, it's the smoking that counts) it smokes very nicely. Once lit, the Lat soon gives way to a rush of Orientals and it all balances out nicely. Very enjoyable and the bulk price is close to a third of what you'd pay for a tinned English blend. I'll definitely get more. Just won't be sticking my nose in it and smelling it is all.

Peter stokkebye- Proper english

I bought this blend around 24may19 and have been smoking it on and off since that time, when I want an english with a slight hint of sweetness that smokes cool and needs little drying time if any it’s this.

This blend is a fantastic lite English, that I recommend for anyone beginning the hobby, it Latakia component won’t overpower you or smoke you out. It’s other components accompany the blend well, and never overpower.

I will also say though that this is not a heavy english, the Latakia is subdued more sweet than smoky and if you want a lat bomb look elsewhere. This won’t produce plumes I’d smoke, nor does it leave me with that overpowering Latakia aftertaste.

I do like this blend, and find myself smoking it on a regular occasion, but more and more it just makes me want to reach for plum pudding special reserve. This is a fantastic starter blend, and one I’m sure I will go back to in time, once this mason jar is gone I don’t see this as an absolutely essential must have blend however.

I have to give this three stars, it’s a great blend that delivers a great cool smoke each time, but other blenders just do it better

Peter Stokkebye - Proper English.

The ribbons are quite delicately cut, the bottom of the pouch lined with 'dust'. There's not much to say regarding the aroma: uncased tobacco.

Due to the slight build of the tobacco, lighting a bowl couldn't be any simpler. And then, I quite like what I get.

The Latakia's fairly strong, but not over-the-top with smokiness, it's grounded by the others: there's a wonderful honey-type sweetness from the Virginias, along with a slightly sour/colourful note from the Orientals. There's also the usual woody/hay-like standard Virginia traits. A negative with this is the bite: it's fine at the start but gets quite nippy after the halfway point. The temperature of the smoke's good, even if I put strain into my puffing it doesn't become particularly warm. The burn's very well behaved: once it's going just regular tamping sustains it.

This makes a large amount of smoke; that's nice for the palate, but not so nice for anyone else in the room, and the nicotine's mild to medium.

If it weren't for the bite and room-note I'd highly recommend this, but these reduce the result by one star:

Recommended.