Nat Sherman 307 Mild Cavendish

This is a very fine tobacco, in that smokey sweet tradition of American Cavendish aromatics. It is velvety smooth, has a relatively slow burning rate, rather moist and fresh, producing a mellow and welcoming room aroma. The craftsmanship of this blend is notable and the components used are of such nature, that the after taste does not linger on the pipe.

Basically a Burley blend with toasted Black Cavendish, the quality of the leaf used and the saucing of the Cavendish (a kind of vanilla taste, without being particularly pungent) give this blend a peculiar depth. Not extremely sweet or enervating, it leads to a peaceful and friendly smoke, that most people seem to enjoy. More or less on the same lines of vanilla- aromatic tobaccos, the benevolence with which this tobacco has been blended, set it aside in terms of quality and sobriety.

Think of this as a high quality version of Captain Black white label, less than half as sweet and far more smooth. Relaxing.

Although I am an english smoker, my interest was arroused by the reviews of this blend. Unfortunately, this blend was no longer available retail. Then, as fate would have it, a single tin showed up on e-bay - I bid on it and won. Everything that other reviewers had said, I verified: beautiful tin art, well-sealed, very damp and the folded paper liner absolutely stained a dark umber brown color. I dried-out a portion overnight on a sheet of paper. It dried easily, verifying reviewer Pipestud's observation that the casing(s) were natural; i.e., water-based. The next morning I loaded-up and lit-up. The initial impression was of a rather moderately cased tobacco with a taste somewhat like raisins or even plums. I liked it. The first quarter of the bowl was pleasant - mildly fruity but solidly tobacco- flavored with that typical nutty flavor of burley.

Then things began to change. In the second fourth of the bowl I began to get tongue bite. I tried to slow my pace down, but to no avail. I set the pipe down and let it cool for a period of time before relighting. More tongue bite but still a pleasant nutty burley flavor. I finished this bowl and a couple more after that - same results. I then followed in the footsteps of brother Brizzi's advice: I grabbed a tin of latakia blending mixture that I had open and mixed it 2 parts 307 to 1 part lbm. This gave a mild english flavor to the blend; however, still tongue bite. I then mixed the next batch 1-to-1. This gave me a beautiful english blend that I really enjoyed. However; more tongue bite at about the mid-bowl point. I gave the tin away to somebody else for their use telling them that this was a nice tobacco that I simply could not smoke due to it's high burley content.

I'm not one to kick a blend around just because its not for me. This is a high quality blend made carefully with quality tobaccos that has a high degree of enjoyment potential - just not for me. Three stars for flavor but two stars for smokeability.

The thing that impresses me about the long-standing, tried and true Nat Sherman line is that they always deliver quality tobacco products. #307 is right up there with the rest. It is truly a very natural Burley/Black Cavendish combination that is sure to please those who enjoy lighter, delicately cased fare.

It is a very wet tobacco that I would not even try to smoke without drying considerably. It did dry out quickly (an indication of a natural casing I could not identify), and although broad cut in nature, packed quite well and burned evenly. The stronger Burley presence was delightful and reeked of quality and the enhanced cavendish added a sweetness that I think may have been vanilla. It did not burn hot but did leave a little moisture in the bottom of the bowl.

Although a bit off topic, I did pick up some Nat Sherman cigars along with the #307 and they were delicious too.

This is really good stuff. A quality Aromatic using quality tobacco. Not too sweet so you can taste the tobacco. A good all day smoke in my opinion. It does need some drying time as others have mentioned but you will be rewarded. I enjoyed it so much i went back and purchased the last 3 remaining tins (and i believe we wont see this down under again) All in all happy days for me

Alas, while rummaging through the wares of a tobacco shop, I ventured upon a rather rusty 2oz tin of Sherman's 307. The shopkeeper was only too glad to get rid of the old rusty tin from his shelf. A little horse trading, and it's a deal. Once home, I opened the tin and a distict hiss of an air seal broken, caught my ear,and my attention. The paper was juice stained heavily, and a nice aroma of cavendish, almost raisin-like. The tobacco was in absolute perfect condition and ready to be smoked, as is. The flavor is of Burley, and Black Cavendish, as stated on the label of the tin. Lit with almost no effort and remained lighted to the heel. Very nice. Did not taste any casings or toppings, but the blending, fermenting, and aging, did in fact cause a wonderful raisin-like flavor. Room note sweet and mellow. Strength, mild/really mild. Definitely recommended. Then.., things got a "little" crazy... I had a bit of Mixing Latakia sitting around and it was calling out to me.., so, the next bowl of 307 was spiced with Syrian Latakia. Oh, baby! Alone and quiet in the house, watching a misty fog roll in from the Atlantic Ocean, and this beautiful pipe mixture massaging my brain and tastebuds. Relaxation beyond anything. To everyone at Nat Sherman's, a quote from the late and great Jackie Gleason, says it best: "Whoa! That's good stuff!"

Made a special trip to Melbourne recently and came across a little tobacco shop where I bought this satisfying mixture. Upon opening the tin the sweet aroma of quality tobacco with a whiff of brandy fruit cake and a hint of cinnamon hit me in a way that good tobacco should. Other friends detected floral smell but I was not on board there! It is a very moist blend, in fact the big cupcake holder that holds the bakky in the tin was moisture stained. Maybe not a bad thing but I would recommend some airing prior to smoking to get the most from it (bit of a suck it and see method for how long). Having said that, no sooner had I opened the tin and I had my Savinelli loaded and on my way. Probably the sweetest aromatic mix I've had thus far but not sickly sweet. After the first couple of tokes I thought you could smoke this all day long as strength is suited to do so. The flavor is amazing and the comments on the room note were favorable too, very wife friendly. Although moist it smoked all the way the bottom of the bowl without a re-light or any moisture residue. Very impressive tobacco which will play a part in my regular aromatic rotation. Love the art deco tin. Update: Feb 7 2011 with further aging this tobacco seems to be taking on a lovely taste of hazelnut, reminds me of Frangelico liquor. nice!

This blend is a gem. The burly offers a nice earthy flavour and the Cavendish provides the sweetness. The aroma out of the tin is sublime. This blend is a mild aromatic so you can actually taste the tobacco. It burns even and to a nice grey ash and does not bite. Nicotine is minimal. Room note is very pleasant. Good all day smoke. Smoked in a Peterson Killarney 80S 4/5 stars

During a very recent visit to NYC, on the way back to the in-laws home from a trip to another tobacconist, I happened upon a Nat Sherman B&M (the one pictured on their website). If you get a chance, visit them. It's like a temple built for the Tobacco Gods. Being short on time and funds, I only had time for a quick look thru and a smell of their pipe house blends. What I ended up buying was 545 Broadway Nougat and (thanks to my wife) 307 Mild Cavendish.

This stuff is simply marvelous! I'm still a novice smoker, and primarily prefer aromatics, but it doesn't take an educated pallate to appreciate this wonderful tobacco. Fresh out of the tin it is soaked, so give it a few days to dry out. After that it packs well, but may require an extra charring light. Keeping it lit isn't too difficult, and you can smoked it at a moderate pace without overheating the bowl. The flavor of the tobacco is there, with the topping present like a garnish, a pleasant surprise compared with other aromatics I've smoked.

After a few bowls, 307 went straight to the short list of tobaccoes I keep stock of!

Edit 12/15/2009 According to the NYC B&M 307 is discontinued.

I enjoy the finish of each bowl. It's my favorite, but not most preferred only by the fact that eating Prime Rib everyday taints it's own value.

"A rich burley tempered with cashmere smooth toasted cavendish; mild, earthy and natural aroma and flavor." That's how this tobacco was first described to me and it has since become a favorite smoke. The first tobacco I ever bought was CAO's Da Vinci, and as I grow away from aromatics, the less I like Da Vinci and the more I appreciate Nat Sherman's #307 among others.

Dunhill Nightcap and MacBaren's Plumcake are "daily" smokes for me, but when I require something a bit more mild, #307 is a delight. All this inspite of the fact that I have no idea what a "cashmere smooth toasted cavandish" might be. I must say, especially to the new pipe smoker, I found it much more enlightening to avoid drug store tobacco and bulk aromatics in exchange for 50g tins of the good stuff-- even if I wasn't always sure why the stuff was good in the first place. With that, this tobacco gets a B+ 'wife rating' and even my neighbors have commented on how pleasant the aroma is. And that's why I smoke a pipe-- the taste, the aroma, and the R & R. Evidentally, we're all happy. I recommend.