Brebbia Preludio (Mixture No. 60)

The flavor profile of Brebbia Preludio Mixture No. 60 is that of a mild English blend. I could not detect any toppings in the tobacco aroma, or in the bowls I enjoyed, although there was a hint of sweetness, perhaps from the Virginias. The latakia was easy to discern, and added a lot to this blend. It was not overpower, and yet added a facet to the flavor profile that would have otherwise been quite single dimensional.

I did not find the tobacco overly wet upon opening. It burned cool and dry. The tobacco is packaged in a plastic bag inside the tin, and kept relatively moist over the two months that it took me to finish the tin (I have a number of other tins open).

In conclusion, I rate this tobacco 3 of 4 stars. A fine mellow English blend, English fans will probably find this a little bland. It would probably work well as an introduction to English blends.

RD

An Oriental/Virginia sweet taste came through the Syrian Latakia just fine, but it was nothing special. The Syrian was a major player and I enjoyed the flavor. Still, not an overly impressive smoke. A very laid back English.

I had high expectations based on what I had read by others here and elsewhere. Therefor I was somewhat disappointed. This "English" blend made in Germany while not bad is not entirely to my liking. I tried it out in my Peterson Donegal Rocky. Firstly, it burns somewhat juicy. Early on I had to place a pipe cleaner in the stem to soak up some liquid. It has a bit of tongue bite, but not much, it is tolerable. As for flavor it has a smokey sourness to it and really not much else. The nicotine content seems to be somewhat high, not to my liking. Once you get past the juiciness it burns well but no other flavor develops. Meh.

1/14/2013 update: I have tried this a number of times and the only difference that I've noticed is that the nicotine content doesn't seem that profound. However I still find it to be at best an insipid blend. The two star rating is generous.

5/27/2013 update: My taste in pipe tobacco seems to occasionally change or evolve. Surprisingly I now rather like this mixture. Perhaps I was expecting something different at the time of my previous tries but these days I'm enjoying Preludio Mixture No.60. It is to my current tastes a nice mild English style mixture. Recently I've come to find enjoyment from Virginia tobacco, which seems to take the lead here in a nice mild smooth manner accompanied by a nice bit of oriental tartness and a smidgen of Syrian Latakia smokiness. There is nothing truly attention getting here but it is pleasant and satisfying to smoke on occasion. I've enjoyed this mixture a couple of times a week these days in a number of pipes. As for the "juiciness", perhaps aging a few months corrected that issue as I've not noticed it. And the "Vitamin N" is rather tame, which is nice. I'm puffing away on Preludio right now in an old Tinder Box Israeli made Exotica and it's very nice. I'm raising my review to 3 stars. Recommended.

Basic English mottled color, black to tan. This had a very different and kind of offputting tin aroma that I couldn't describe in a million years. Sort of "winey" and musty. It came on the dry side in the tin, which may have impacted my rating somewhat, as latakia blends usually work better for me with a bit more moisture.

Pipestud summed this up nicely in just a few words - ok, but hardly inspiring. The Syrian latakia was toasty and spicy and lead the proceedings by a small margin. The virginia lacked the kind of character I look for - no real sweetness to speak of and leaning toward the bland side. I did, however, enjoy the Oriental flavor that came through from time to time. It was at turns bitter and sweet, spicy and fruity. The previous Brebbia blend I smoked with Syrian had burley in it and I couldn't seem to get past the thought that the addition of some sweet and nutty burley would have elevated this one. I don't typically think of latakia blends as bland (although I just smoked a bowl of Rattrays Professional and that description fits that blend nicely!) and I found this entire concoction disappointing. I suppose it's no longer available, as it contains Syrian, and that doesn't hurt much. But if you find a tin and you like an extremely composed and airy presentation, this one might work for you.

This is a high quality blend from Germany (Planta). It has all the right components to make this a great blend and as a matter of fact, it is. But, yes, there is a but. The tin states that this has Syrian Latakia, Macedonian, and American Virginia, but it does not tell you that there is Perique in it(More on that later). Upon opening the tin you are greeted by mostly dark leaf with an occassional mohagany and gold leaf peaking out. Moisture was too high to pack immediately. You have to let this sit open for a few days before putting in the pipe. Packing is easy (fine ribbon cuts usually are). Lighting is easy once dried out as mentioned. Initial flavor is deliciously sweet and smoky. The virginia is noticable in that you can taste the good maturity of it. About mid-bowl is where I like this blend most due to the nice interplay of all the leaves. Bottom third of the bowl is where this blend lost me. Perique builds up to a peppery slap that I do not like, with every bowl a chore to finish. I am aware that for many of you this is good, but as for me and my pipes, I prefer almost no Perique in my tobac. Other than that, this blend is better than most and I will recommend it highly to those who don't mind a Perique finish. Rating 4.5 points out of 5 Update: 06-23-04 This is an excellent blend, delicious in the first and second third of the bowl, but I still have difficulty with the spicy Perique ending. So I commend it to those of you who like the St. James Parish weed. My last tin is now gone, alas I must now say my last farewell to this blend. Maybe one of you will give this excellent English style blend an opened arms welcome.

This mixture is a collection of different aroma and flavors: earthy, grassy, fruity, spicy, nutty, musty, smoky ..... The taste is slightly bitter-sweet with a hint of salty-yeasty, this particular taste can slightly remember the sauce Marmite! IMHO better in a narrow pipe (18-19 mm).

After reading the various reviews at TR, I was very curious to test the results of the "Burley and Latakia" marriage (the so-called American English Mixture, right ?), even if the late spring is supposedly not the right period. I first bought Classic English no. 7 and - days later - also Classic English no. 8 and Preludio no. 6.

Let's review the third one:

at the opening I experience a musty-almondy like aroma, the Macedonian leaf is unmistakably present, not the same I can say of the Syrian Latakia.

The cut is small ribbon.

The colour is a wonderful contrast of bright and medium brown to black.

The weed is very (and I mean VERY) wet in the pouch. I have let the tobacco airing out one hour or more, then lighting was easy. No gurgle, no goop.

The smoke is refreshing medium english, musty-fruity, faintly bitter-sweet. There's some Latakia, but the main quality of the smoke stays in the interplay between the Virginia and the Macedonian. A metallic-piquant quality of the smoke makes me suspecting there is some Perique.

All-in-all a good smoke, of the like of CAO/Dan's Midnight Ride, Just milder.

This tobacco strikes me as having one of the most unique tin aromas I have ever experienced. It has a smell that is somehow reminiscent of a wine fermented from dried fruit. Maybe such a concoction would not actually smell like preludio, but nonetheless that's where my imagination leads me. I'm not sure if this is a topping. On the one hand it's difficult to imagine a mixture smelling like this naturally but on the other hand it's equally difficult to imagine a blender intentionally topping a mixture like this, as neither the aroma nor the blend would appeal to the typical aromatic smoker, and the typical english/balkan smoker would be opposed to such topping. Whatever the case, this is by no means a goopy tobacco - although the tin was *very* wet upon opening, it dried out nicely to a consistency that lends itself quite well to the frank method.

When dried properly, this is as cool-burning a blend as they come. The first few bowls of preludio I have seemed to be missing some element - I felt like there was a sensation just beyond my reach. On my third or fourth bowl, I came upon a revelation by exhaling through my sinus/nose (i.e. snorking or retrohaling). I was at that point washed over with a sensory experience that was, well, almost akin to something usually experienced intimately with another person.

After opening this tin, I have smoked it more than any other available tobacco in my collection. Perhaps the best testament I can give to it is that now that it is almost gone, I am only debating how many tins of this I should acquire.

It's interesting that many say this tobacco was overly moist on opening the tin, because mine was bone dry! That factor alone has undoubtedly effected my experience, but you are now fully informed.

I rehydrated the tobacco a little using the damp cloth over a bowl method. To smoke, the tobacco burned well, and had a good deep latakia flavour. However, it was a little too one dimensional for this smoke-blower. Indeed, it lacked complexity of any kind and failed to beguile the mind or seduce the senses.

I sense that at some point this was a great tobacco, but being allowed to dry out caused it to loose most of it's allure. A great shame. A finer experience can be had from tobaccos of this type with Esoterica's 'Margate' or G. L. Pease's 'Charing Cross'

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Have you ever toured a winery? Not one of these modern things, but a real old-world winery, where the barrels are stacked sky-high in rank and musty caverns?

Open a pouch of this tobacco and take a deep breath.

I live in southern Italy (where this tobacco comes in a pouch, not a tin) and where old world vineyards still flourish. I'm on my (at least) tenth pouch of this stuff and I still can't get over that intoxicating, and ever so slightly off-putting aroma. It is heavenly.

Now, that being said, there is probably a reason for that musty aroma! The tobacco is saturated with moisture, which can be unpleasant to the impatient smoker. My secret: Empty the pouch and place the tobacco in a Spanish cedar cigar box (Not the paper lined one!!! - Raw cedar is a must!!) Fluff the tobacco up, and let it sit for a few weeks until it is almost crispy. Then, my friends, you have something akin to nirvana in the pipe, that's all I can say. If you are a fan of Syrian Latakia, this is a must-try blend. And like a fine wine, a bit of aging in the proper wood makes all the difference.