House of Windsor Briggs

There's nothing special about or wrong with Briggs and if complete mildness is what you seek you will definately find it here. While it burns cool, it simply has no flavor, body or taste.

This blend came to me as part of an 8-tin sampler of HOW re-creations. This was described on their web site as a "full-bodied,full strength cube-cut burley with Virginia white flake". I take exception, it isn't full bodied at all. The physical appearance has already been aptly described, the burn is cool and steady, but with so little taste that I would have to say "why bother?" (Or, maybe it's just my burnt out taste buds failing to respond after all those years of balkan-type blends) Overall, there's nothing wrong with Briggs, if mildness of everything is your measure. But ask yourself, if you already like one of the old drugstore burley brands, would you be willing to pay twice the price for Briggs?

I'm getting to like the "Drug Store" blends more and more. I bought the eight tin sampler of HOW re-issue blends and found smoking them to be a pleasing experience. Okay, Briggs does look like broken up cardboard a little bit but I like the larger bits of tobacco. I further agree that it is a great first pipe due to it's characteristics. I might buy the sampler again (with the nifty three pipe tote) from Thompson's but will probably pick up a large tin o' Briggs next time I am at Iwan Ries.

Bought a can of this stuff just for the slogan. It definately has some rum taste to it. I found it to be nothing special.

I guess the most striking thing about this blend is my lack of reaction to it one way or the other. It isn't bad really. It's just too mild for me. It smells nice. I could see this as a working smoke, but I don't smoke while I work. Try it if like me, you are fascinated with the old- timey blends. Sometimes the nostalgia is greater than the reality.

If you have read the preceding reviews, you need little more information from me. Briggs smokes quite cooly for a blend that burns so fast, has a light natural taste, and leaves me with that burn in the back of my throat I get from some Burleys. In the same line, I much prefer Union Leader and Barking Dog. Union Leader is terrific, by the way.

Try to imagine a vacumn a big ol space of nothing. Ok now make a tobacco blend out this concept of nothing... yep that sums up Briggs for me. I smoked three quaters of the tub and finally put it in my compost pile. Well even House of Windsor can't hit every one of em out of the park.

It is quite true: this looks like granulated cardboard. That didn't bother me. What bothered me the first time I tried this was that it seemed too mild, almost tastless. However, we all know that reviewing pipe tobacco is extremely subjective. Not only do tastes differ from reviewer to reviewer, but I know that my taste changes over time. In fact my taste changes with the time of day and it depends on what I've eaten, what I've drank, what I've smoked earlier, how I'm feeling, etc. Anyway, I happened to smoke Briggs in the morning one day and it was a revelation (ahh... House of Windsor's Revelation---a great tobacco---but that will be another review). Suddenly, Briggs tasted great and smelled great. As a result, I've been smoking it as my first pipe of the day with enthusiasm. Briggs works well in any pipe but, for me, only in the morning. As with many of House of Windsor's tobaccos, Briggs seems to need humidification. However, I've come to appreciate the lack of moisture because I've been acquiring many fine old estate Kaywoodies but which have the constricting metal "Drinkless" filter and I've found that a dry tobacco does much better in them than a moister one. Due to lack of humidification this tobacco lights easily and burns well, yet it does not seem to bite. I give this a grade of "B".

Has a nice tin aroma. Hard to keep mosit in a day pouch.