Smokers' Haven Exotique Mixture

Brown complexion overall with some latakia ribbons. Shag cut and fluffy. Moisture seems quite right though the tin lid was not compressed and made no sound upon opening indicating that it was not vacuum sealed. As for tin odor, there does not seem to be any topping at all and it has the classic English mixture smoky woodiness with a nice Oriental tang. Easy to pack and light, needs only a few relights.

The smoke is mellow and smooth. Orientals and Latakia are nicely integrated and are the main players. Both are mellow rather than pungent or tangy. Orientals are both salty and creamy and only mildly sour and Latakia is more woodsy than smoky. Virginias are also soft and sweet and form the base upon which Latakia and Orientals perform. Now, while smooth and of medium strength it is a full bodied and fully flavored mixture with enough nicotine content to make me feel content for a while after finishing a bowl.

This is a quintessential English blend and has that old-timey, deeply aged tobacco feel of, say Skiff Mixture and Squadron Leader. If you like these you will also love Exotique.

Only want to add another "4", even though I opened a brand-new tin, having finally scored two little ones. I guess I must like orientals as much as latakia, because this O-forward Balkan puts me near to Pipe Nirvana, whether smoked in clay, meer, ANY briar, or cob. The rich sweet leathUpdate¤€○0£°=er/campfire aroma will surely satisfy any Balkan smoker. One of the very best. UPDATE. 8 2 2019 I TOO.Apprecite consistency and this just keeps on keeping on. Still almost a freestanding blend. I just cannot compare it to anything else right now....If I could I would give 5 stars. This has remained my top pick Oriental.

I received this along with six other sample packs from Smokers Haven. As with all the other samples this was extremely moist and required a lot of dry time. The ribbon cut IMO is simply the best for packing,lighting and staying lit. Exotique is an exceptionally rich blend. The bellows of smoke are intoxicating and the Latakia invades your nose at first light.The Virginia in this is well balanced and of good quality.The Turkish makes it's presence known but not obtrusively. This blend really borders on a Balkan but lacks the tartness. The price is steep at $5.50 an ounce and you only save a little when you buy the large can. Other then the issue of price,this is one of the best blends from Smokers Haven and is part of my daily rotation.

I have smoked a pipe little in the past 10 years, but the coronavirus thing has made me stay home and smoke a pipe rather than go out and smoke a cigar.

Fortunately I had four 8 oz cans of this that are still sealed. Most of my 15 to 20 year old McClellands lost their seal and are ruined.

Exotique was a large part of my rotation. I always found it to be a most satisfying Balkan. Strong, but balanced. All the elements of latakia and orientals come through. I am not a fan of one dimensional latakia overkill. Builds flavor as it goes down. Nice nicotine buzz. Comes too wet for my taste and for me the strands are too long. I dump out the contents and break up the strands and then let it sit open for a day before having at it. I always did that with Balkan Sobranie 759 also.

Please note that this is based on a can that is at least 15 years old. I believe this was out of production for a while. My experience is that when a pipe tobacco is re released, that it often aint the same. Hence Crown Achievement, most Dunhills etc.

My all time favorites include Penzance, Stonehaven, Escudo, JA Luxury Flake, and Margate... Just to tell where I'm coming from. Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of ribbon cut tobacco which this is. I'm also not a fan of this type of packaging. The tin note didn't particularly excite me, nor did the texture/color of the tobacco. After examining and opening the tin my expectations weren't high. The leaf packed well enough, although a bit too moist to burn well. I let it dry a bit. Yawn.

That said, this was pure, unadulterated love at first puff. There is something about this blends flavor that I can't quite put my finger on. I'm still too new here to give some long winded, yet highly descriptive list of adjectives to make your mind wander. Let me just say this, if you're a fan of the blends I've listed as my favorite, order yourself some of this. I began by trusting others reviews and ordered 25 tins. This was a couple weeks ago. After a couple of bowls, despite assurances from Smokers Haven to the contrary, I developed an irrational fear the supply would dry up. I ordered a dozen more and I'll likely order more still. I've smoked my way through two tins in less than a week. This tobacco is absolutely and without doubt one of the most perfect I've had. With this new association, I'm a ribbon cut fan, these tins rock, the note is perfect. All reservations flipped around... It's all so very perfect ☺️

Just blew through one of the newest tins and I have to say that it is really a fantastic smoke. The highlight of this blend is the Turkish which has been added liberally and is the defining component. Clearly the base Virginias are the glue that holds everything together, but the Turkish provides such a delicious aroma and flavor! Just enough Latakia to hold one's interest for the Lat lover. Well done SH and Germain!!

This is my favorite oriental-styled blend. It has very mild flavorings, so it is a very pure tobacco smoke, but the taste of the tobaccos in the blend is surprisingly full and well rounded. It is spicy and a bit oily tasting with a sensuous, almost herbal hint to it that also dominates the aroma of the blend.

This is my third review today of a Germain’s blend and from what little bit I had this one is excellent. I do not know how old the tin is but I believe this to be a re-release as the site says this was out of production for some time. Regardless, I am hoping to be able to try more of this blend to give it a proper review at the next pipe club meeting. With that being said, if you can find this one purchase it.

This is a really nice oriental mixture. I find it tangier than Sobrianie or the John Cotton Smyrna (both of which I really enjoy, by the way) and less sweet than the Balkan Saisani (which I do NOT enjoy). The orientals have a nice rich spiciness to them to offset the sweet-sour tanginess, and the latakia provides an appropriate smokiness when you get the mixture correct.

I'd probably give this four stars but-for one problem -- the granulated latakia separates easily from the ribbon-cut orientals. As a result, every time you take a pinch of the mixture the latakia falls off. When I jar it, I find all the latakia pooled at the bottom of the jar after just a few weeks. And, to load it, I have to pour most of the jar out and make sure I'm getting an appropriate mixture of latakia and ribbon in each bowl.

That construction flaw brings a four-star balkan to a three, just for the hassle factor. That said, once mixed correctly in the bowl, its a lovely smoke when I'm in the balkan mood.