House of Windsor Briggs

I finished off a sample of this, which I assume to be a pretty old sample. It had a similar stale, almost cardboard like, taste to it. It lacked much flavor and was quite bitey. Funny though that I tried the Sutliff Match, I did pick up on some of the flavors that were in the original. So while muted, I was able to taste some of the intended flavoring. So I had to use the match to really get the original.

The match was pretty good. The key difference between the two was the burley. I found the burley taste to be dead in the original and I really think that time gets the bulk of the blame for this. Briggs is a typical American OTC blend and, like so many of these blend, it relies on the burley to carry the blend. Without it, the blend is bland and boring and this is exactly how this tastes to me.

It leaves me at a quandary of how to proceed with a star rating. I have decided to give it two stars when my sample really demands one. The extra star is in hopes that this was much better fresh than what I tasted. I could, in no way go three though. In deference to some of the other reviewers whose tastes I respect and who, I know, have tried it fresh. It just doesn't seem like it was ever a good blend. Some disappear and are not missed and it appears this is one of those blends.

New Review on an old, out of 'print' Tobac. Back in 2006 I ordered up a sampler of HOW classic Blends, Field and Stream, Revelation, etc. The Sampler also included Briggs and for whatever reason I never opened the can and sampled this. Well fast forward to now, and was cleaning out and old box, imagine my surprise to find this..."When a feller needs a friend" . Opened the tin, nice smell, and believe it or not, it was not the desiccated corpse I expected, perfect moisture, and smokeable.

Un-burned this smells pretty good, VA, and some light topping (Bourbon?) Packed well, lit well, Taste is interesting, kinda pure tobacco flavors, with a hint of woods smoke. To me this tasted like HOW Revelation without the Latika. Kind of underwhelming but not bad. As the bowl progressed there were some definite Cigarette smells and flavors, didn't enjoy that. Overall, not a bad 'old school' find in a desk drawer.

Rather drab. I mixed it with other non-favs to make a tolerable blend.

I like Balkan, Burley, and Boswell's. "When a Fella Needs a Friend," come on, who could pass that up? Found a tin in a local pipe shop two years ago and put it into the cellar. After this summer of no rain and 112 degrees for 3 months straight the first cool front blew through and I fired up a bowl. I neeeded a good friend. My angel of a wife said it smelled pleasant but that's about all the good I can say for me personally. I gave it two stars because it is a good beginner smoke but PA and Boswell's Best Burley leaves this in the dust. I do love the tin and the art on the label. I think I'll load the tin with Spillman's and pretend. (It does pack well, burn great and leave a good clean ash.)

I used to smoke Briggs, but recall that rarely did I ever finish a full bowl. I would put the pipe down and smoke it at a later time. Revisiting this long gone mixture, I conclude, what did I ever see in it? If possible, I would rate Briggs at Half-of-One Star. The Burley base goes sour, and the Virginia leaves blisters in my mouth. I need to touch the bowl with the flame, and as soon as the pipe goes "Smoke On", remove the lighting source and sip the tobacco smoke via its whisp. Multiple lightings required. The room note is okay, exactly what one would expect from a Burley and Virginia product. The flavor is immediately ashpot and goes sour, then bitter. I've smoked cheap cigars that had more class. But in the pipe smoking world, with reluctance, I would barely opt for Briggs if only nothing else were available and not really recommend it. The bizarre thing, is that years ago I had a yellow Lab who was more like a son than a dog; no leash required. In the surf he swam like Johnny Weissmuller. Every time I smoked Briggs, he would fall asleep, at my foot. I think I smoked this tobacco, more because I loved that dog, and he seemed to like the aroma, or something. He lived to be 14 years old, and when he passed, that was when I stopped smoking this pipe tobacco.

Ah....old Briggs. I remember the days when the old guys would head down to the local Soda Fountain and pick up a fresh tin of Briggs, The Prince, or Tuxedo. These blends reflect a grand time in Americana, when pipe smoking was the norm amongst men, and "when a feller needed a friend" he got his hands on some Briggs! Well, I recently had to pay my respects,in a Norman Rockwell kind of way, to this old tried and true. It had been years since I packed a bowl of this. Intitially, the blend is decent, lights easily, has an alright room note, and a slightly sweet taste. However, the older I get, the more I realize why so few a gents smoke these classic drugstore blends these days. There are just too many other better options out there. I don't regret my trip down memory lane, heck I even did some pre-smoke prep. and broke out the old straight razor, got a clean shave, splashed some Clubman aftershave on, and put on a sweater vest and my old Gentleman's hat - just to fit the part. But in the future, "when this feller needs a friend", I think I will dip my fingers back into my fresh tin of Mac Baron's "Chocolate Honey". Nothing like a tickle to the old sweet tooth. If you happen to be reading this and are into drug store blends, well more power to you. To each their own.....I'm just glad I'm not too short on friends these days. Happy Smoking.

Another House of Windsor revival that I really wanted to like. Came in the tin in fairly large woodchip-like chunks. Mostly uniform nutty brown. Very difficult to get lit, unfortunately, and the rather strong applejuice flavoring got in the way of any real enjoyment. No idea what the old blend was like, but at the prices they're charging, the current blend is not worth the dough.

09/30/2004:This one has a Burley character with the Virginia along for the ride. The flavor I detect here is one of an apple. I like the big chunks of tobacco in this blend. If you put the big pieces on the bottom when loading your pipe, the smoke will last a good long time. Did not notice any soapy or floral notes on this one. This tobac is made for a cob or a Dr. Grabow pipe while you're working in the shop or weeding the flower bed. Very good for these pursuits. This blend is nice and dry and ready to smoke. I bought the 2 oz. tin.

11/16/2006 Update: No longer smoke as there are any number of classier Burley blends available. If you are curious as to what Grandpa's drugstore blend of the 1950's tasted like give it a try.

A very overlooked burley blend. Its such a good price for what you get. It is mild to me.