Peter Stokkebye Nougat (No.24)

I guess it really depends on what stable you are from as to how one would rate this tobacco. As an aromatic it was heavily cased, and left a residue that only 6 pipe cleaners could get rid of. The smoke was hot, and had major bite with it, which only made it less enjoyable. A dedicated aromatic pipe is a must with this one. Just not a tobacco for me, for all others who like it, enjoy.

This is a good baccy, it's just a bit boring compared to other offerings by the same house, their black truffle is much better than this one, which is mild, sweet and cool, but the flavor is way to mild, and if a tobacco is gonna be cased you might as well taste the casing, in this case I found it to be a bit bland. but the room note is amazing and is surely not an offensive tobacco or a bad quality one. on the contrary, any aromatic smoker will probably love this one!

At first I didn't think much of this blend; the pouch aroma was very very nice but i thought it was kind of bland. It wasn't so aversive so I kept on smoking it and after a while it grew on me.

This tobacco is really smooth, it is mild but it isn't bland anymore, I can taste a hint of chocolate and vanilla and the room note is just like the pouch smell.

I think this is a good blend that, no matter how fast you smoke it, it will not bite. Lighting the pipe is usually a one match job and it stays lit throughout the bowl. It does not get goopy and it isn't overwhelmingly sweet. A nice simple smoke to keep non-smoking visitors quiet.

About 18 months ago I purchased a sample amount of this blend to try. When I eventualy got around to smoking it,I though it was an ok blend with a nice aroma, but not a high priority for rotation. I purchased some more at a Tinderbox under the name of North Seas, and was reminded why I do not smoke aromatics, the casing coated my mouth and any thing above a snails pace would result in tongue bite.If you must have a vanilla/chocolate blend I would recomend that you buy it by the pound and let it sit for a year or two before you smoke it.I have recently found an aromatic blend I could smoke, so I know that it is possible to make an aromatic worth smoking but this one was not for me.

I received this tobacco in a sampler pack. I've been very happy with it, and I haven't had a bad bowl yet.

Pouch aroma is very pleasant: vanilla/chocolate/nougat/nutty.

The smoking flavor is a mild vanilla with a subtle nuttiness/ nougat flavor. There's nothing really outstanding about this tobacco; it's just an all around good smoke suitable for when I want something simple and sweet. This would probably make a good after dinner smoke.

There is a slight sweet taste with this Stokkebye offering, but it bites the tongue pretty hard. The guy at the Tinderbox in the mall said that it was "one of the most popular blends" they sell, and I made SEVERAL inquiries to tongue bite, and he assured me (HA!) that it wouldn't bite. Let's face it:

ALL AROMATICS BITE THE TONGUE! You have to be a seasoned pipe smoker to avoid this, and even some of the best can burn their tongue when they're not careful. It's the biggest single reason why I don't like these bulk in-a-jar aromatics. I've yet to find one that I'm completely enamored with.

I apologize for breaking a precedent of "only talking about this blend" but if you're looking for an excellent tasting aromatic that will only bite if you're reckless, try Freddy Vegas' Nevada '64.

This is NOT the worst aromatic I've ever had, but it's far from the best. I think the '64 will fit the bill best for any "nougat" taste someone would be looking for.

You know what? One thing I really haven't tried yet with these kinds of pipe tobaccos is letting them dry out a bit first. Might make a substantial difference, but there are so many other blends I like so much more, that I just have to ask myself:

"Why bother."

God bless you if you like it. If you do like it, that's great. I don't like it enough to smoke it.

Cheers!

Daniel

God help me, I can't stop smoking this aromatic concoction! It is embarassing. Thinking my tastes run mostly along the lines of crisp natural virginias (Dunhill "Light Flake") with the occasional latakia or burley indulgence, I never would have figured a "Mall" tobacco would strike my fancy. But here I am, hunkered in my study, feverishly puffing away, and loving every minute of it. And, I've been doing it for years!

Nougat is a tobacco of fine quality with a topping that, I swear has the potency of the goopiest Lane casing, but isn't goopy, that tastes great, and burns cleanly to a gray ash. It leaves the pipe dry and smelling nice. The mixture is a broad ribbon cut composed of medium brown burley and stoved black cavendish. There appears to be a touch of P.G. (it's longevity in the bag gives it away), but it can't be much, even though any - IMO - is generally too much. It doesn't leave the pipe a hopeless sump. It packs easily, though it is moist so a gentle touch is essential, it burns easily after a charring light.

The thick white smoke is cool and fragrant. The topping works really well with the nutty burley flavor, which isn't at all lost in the chocolatevanilla. There is no bitterness, or weediness had from cheap, poorly cured burley, but a faint bit of the usual ashiness towards the bottom. For the most part, the flavor holds throughout the bowl. I find it most enjoyable in a pipe with a short throw and a short, wide bowl, (I have loosely dedicated a delightfully stunted little GBD "New Century" 1353 for the purpose), so you get the full effect of the smoke. I have not found the blend to "poison the well" so other tobacco can be smoked in the pipe without ill effect.

If you like the burleys and aren't afraid of intensely sweet flavor, this is a top notch smoke - a highly recommended guilty pleasure.

Update: The last batch I got (Oct. '04) had a sour piquancy to the casing that is very offputting. Have not tried again since.

I was curious to try this tobacco because it was used on set of LOTR, but was extremely disappointed. Among the tobaccos I've tried so far, this is the only one that is completely, literally tasteless. Just plain nothing, no sweetness, no tobacco taste, no flavoring taste. It smells nice from the jar, but that's it. It's so weird because people seem to like the taste, but I can't find any. Tried various pipes (briar, meerschaum, cob) but no luck.

Why do those who hate aromatics feel the need to write a review to share that they hate aromatics? To those who do, would it be helpful were I to downgrade the rating of strong blends with a decent dose of Vit N simply because they don't suit my personal taste and requirements?

When I'm in the mood for an aromatic, PS Nougat is one blend that I often reach for. PS Nougat does not have any of the issues that turns me off many aromatics. PS Nougat comes at a good moisture level so is ready to smoke straight from the bag [I'm offended by blends that need to be dried before they take a light] Not at all goopy or sticky. Does not smoke wet and leaves no dottle. Probably why it does not bite me in the slightest.

Closer to mild-medium than mild with mild nicotine. My palate is not refined enough to detect particular flavours except to say that it's very enjoyable without being too sweet. Very pleasant room note [one of the blends that I smoke at social occasions] Highly recommended to those who like an aromatic that smokes straight from the bag without any fuss. 3.5 stars.