House of Windsor Country Doctor

Just finished up a 2 oz tin. No previous experience with this one but I also recently smoked Revelation, and as hard as I tried to avoid it, I couldn't help thinking of this one as Revelation Light.

In this one, the condimental tobaccos were so faint that I really couldn't taste them. Perhaps they did something to cool or slightly spice the smoke but I tasted mostly burley, with some occasional VA sweetness and the topping. The flavoring was definitely on the same fruity side as Revelation and really didn't detract from the blend, as flavorings often do. This was predominately burley. It was a good smoke but this one threatened to bite me at the slightest provocation. I found that I had to slow my puffing cadence to the point that it was an effort to continue - I kept losing my relaxing, calm state of mind.

A pretty good tasting smoke whose demise I do not mourn terribly. Revelation was better, IMHO. This is, however, superior to the various "matches" of this blend that Sutliff has produced - no big surprise there.

I recently purchased a 2 oz. tin of Country Doctor. I haven't smoked this stuff since I started to smoke a pipe 40 years ago. Anyhow, having no past memory of this tobacco, today I find it a pleasant full flavor smoke. Although I have many pipes, I prefer a corncob over most of my collection. CD smokes excellently in a cob. I could taste no topping, and I didn't feel any nicotine punch, also no bite.

A nice, nostalgic trip into the past. Recommended as a nice change of pace.

I've been smoking some of HoW's blends for the last year, Revelation, Barking Dog and Country Doctor; Country Doctor is my favorite of the bunch. I'm mostly an English / Balkan smoker and this is only an occasional blend for me.

The mixture is mostly cube cut burley with some VA and Latakia mixed in along with a teeny bit of Perique for spice. There is a pleasant aroma from the fruity topping but it is not overpowering nor does it add much to the flavor of the smoke. Packing is a matter of dipping your bowl in and then gently tamping for the first light. This burns slow and is quite easy on the tongue; alas there is not enough flavor to keep me very interested. When my tin runs out I won't be buying any more. 3 out of 10 Stars.

One of House Of Windsors best. Every one want's Revelation- and everywhere it's sold out. I think Country Doctor is a better blend. How has its issues... the paper tins, the tobacco dust- But their tobacco is a fair price. this reminds me of one of my favorite Dunhills Early Morning Pipe (As Others Have Said) But it is ALL AMERICAN and cheaper. It also doesnt stain my mouth as bad with leftover odors. Give it a whirl folks.

Essentially a weaker version of Revelation. Same topping, same tobaccos in a weaker blend. If you are nicotine sensitive and Revelation sits you on your ass, this may be something you could become more accustomed to. Personally, I think Revelation has a richer flavor and is better.

Companionable, second in my preferences to Revelation. Having worked through Barking Dog, Briggs, Model, Union Leader, Country Doctor and Revelation, Revelation and CC are numbers one and two overall, but neither will be regulars in my rotation. Not bad, actually pleasant, and just an occasional interest.

Country doctor is quite an unusual blend. It is very flavoured, in that Union Leader fruity/honey-like way. Unfortunately I think the blender tripped the bottle into the blending machine.

The appearance in the tin is not good either. Half of it looks like something someone swept from the floor with a broom; half cross-cut leaf and half tobacco powder.

I could not find almost no Latakia and Périque. VA was only present in small doses: that leaves alot of Burley, soaked in flavour and PG. You should puff this one slowly and with caution, because it burns like MacBaren.

On the upside, it does have a decent dose of nicotine and it does make an ok outdoor smoke. Two stars, max..

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

A similar tobacco to Barking Dog, but much more burley-oriented. Don't be fooled by the various tobaccos in the recipe, because the dominating taste (compared to Revelation or Barking Dog) is nutty, earthy and grassy: yes, the familiar cube-cut burley at its best.

It is a tasty blend, but not as rich or interesting as the two other House of Windsor blends I have mentioned above, or as smooth as other burley-heavy tobaccos like Barbary Coast or Edgeworth Slices. Towards the middle of the bowl and onwards, you can actually get some of the dreaded burley bitterness.

Overall a good, stout (I smoke it in little bowls) blend: quite simple and uncomplicated, and enjoyable. But there are better products by the same maker, which offer me a more balanced experience. Worth a try, though.

There are some tobaccos you like from the first puff and there are some tobaccos that grow on you. CD fell in the latter category for me. I wasn?t particularly impressed with the first bowl I smoked but I didn?t give up on this tobacco. Ensuing bowls grew more tasteful and pleasurable. This tobacco can be smoked without any concern for how fast you puff as it has no bite whatsoever. I call such tobaccos like this as well as MacBarren London Blend ?drinkable.? This is a ?drinkable? smoke. I am not a fan of Latakia or Perique in heavy doses but these stay well in the background and only modestly come to the forefront from time-to-time. They say nicotine is addictive. I found Country Doctor the most addictive tobacco I have smoked so far out of about 25 blends. A great all day long smoke, especially for burley lovers!

10/12/2004 - Update. My second tin, purchased from a different etailer and months after the tin my review was based on, was a big disappointment. The second tin was not nealy as good as my first tin of CD. See my review for Barking Dog that may explain this disparity. Something is amiss at HOW.