Smokers' Haven Exotique Mixture

This is a fairly fine ribbon cut blend, with equal parts of light and dark leaf. The aroma is mostly Oriental, with some Latakia and Virginia background. It also comes rather moist, and feels slightly sticky. I suspect perhaps a touch too much PG, as the stuff is almost impossible to dry out.

It seems slower than average to light, but stays lit reasonable well. The flavor is decidedely Balkan, but not a heavy version. The Orientals are the Tenor star of the show, while latakia sings the Bass parts and Virginia sings Soprano and Mezzo.

This is truly a marvelous blend, marred only by the PG. I would probably rate it at the top of my rotation, if it were available in tins (without PG). Maybe that's why I regularly smoke very few bulk blends.

Smoker's Haven Exotique Mixture is a wonderful and delightful blend of Virginias, Orientals and a bit of Latakia. The fine cut ribbon leaf packs well and light easily, and burns well down to a fine grey ash. The taste is spicy and slight smoky with just a bit of natural sweetness. The leaf burns very evenly and the flavor builds and matures as you smoke down to the bottom of the bowl.

After reading the previous reviews for this blend, I think that most of the reviewers did not quite understand the genre this tobacco plays in. This is not a classic English tobacco in the Balkan style, but rather is more centered around the Turkish components. Compared to another favorite of mine, Dunhill's Durbar, the Exotique Mixture is sweeter and smokier, and the Oriental component is simpler and not as complex or layered.

I find that this is an ideal tobacco to accompany a good book. Great flavor, low maintenance, and the smoke stays interesting all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Pour yourself a dark ale (or better yet, a pint of bitter) and enjoy a good smoke.

I'll add that this is indeed an Oriental mixture because the Latakia is too far behind in presence to make this a Balkan to my tastes and it is not an English for the tertiary power of flue-cured leaf.

The Turkish leaf is unmistakably Germain's, reminding me much of Margate and Germain blends with a Turkish ingredients. The Oriental (including Latakia) leaf is delicious, refined and pleasant. It creates its own desire to smoke it.

My only complaint is that it comes exceedingly moist. The humidification must be reduced in order to light the blend within reason and so that the constituent tobaccos taste full and not muddled. This blend will only taste better when the overall moisture is put off.

I purchased the 8 oz. tin without regret.

04-21-2005

Appearance and Tin Aroma: medium cut ribbons with mostly dark brown and black. Smells deliciously pungent from the orientals.

Packing and Lighting: Fairly easy, some long ribbons give a fuss, but lights easily. Two matches max.

Initial Flavor: Delicious! Smooth from the get go. The orientals are in the forefront, latakia slightly behind. VA's are for support only.

Mid-Bowl: Delicious round sweet and sour flavors, no harshness at all, nor is it too bitter.

Bottom of Bowl: Builds some strength, but never overpowering. Nicotine is not overwhelming which is perfect for this wimp of a piper.

Overall: This is my favorite oriental blend, but alas, this is only a change of pace blend for me. I still prefer Balkan or Ennglish blends over this, but what a wonderful change of pace.

The tobacco packs easily and burns well. The latakia offers it's presence but is not overbearing. The turkish tobacco in this blend mixes well with the virginia to make it a very pleasant smoking experience. While not quite as strong as some of Smoker's Haven blends, it is quite enjoyable and would probably make a good all day smoke for the latakia/turkish blend lover.

I never tried the earlier blends people have compared this to, so my comments stand alone. I thoroughly enjoyed this blend, which provided a creamy, smooth, flavorful smoke. I enjoy the room note a lot, but non-smokers may find it a bit strong. For me, this could be an all day smoke, but for its limited availability (!).

Tin note offers distinct oriental aromas, a promise of what's to come. A bit on the moist side right out of the tin, 20-30 minutes of drying is about perfect for this blend. Long orange/brown stringy ribbons, and specks of black Latakia. Lights easy. The orientals are the star of the show in this blend, and they put on a grand performance. Tasty and flavorful the whole way through. The Virginias are every present in the background. A touch of Latakia ties it all together very nicely. Reminds me a bit of EMP, but heavier on the orientals. Also very similar to Match Presbyterian by P&C, which is a wonderful blend and costs less, but I'm just as happy to pay a bit more for this blend which, at $12/tin, is still a fair price for an excellent tobacco.

I've been meaning to praise the accolades of this blend, since I've been enjoying it so much since Mr. Chheda has been able to restock it.

Not much to be said other than this stuff is great, from one of my favourite blending houses.

Subtle complexity, with a creamy mouthfeel, there's a whole lot going on here and I really like it . . . highly recommended.

I've always been a central Ohio native and have been familiar with Smoker's Haven the entire time. However, it hasn't been until the last year or so that I've tried this blend. I never thought that I would use terms such as "rich" and "creamy" to describe tobacco but those are some of the terms that came to mind as I smoked this blend. I've just finished my recent purchase and have to agree with most of the comments written in the previous reviews which actually drove me to make another purchase of this fine tobacco.

It has a wonderful Balkan aroma upon opening which happens to be close to its cousin, Our Best Blend. Where I feel these two blends differ is that Exotique concentrates more on the Turkish/Oriental tobaccos and less on the Latakia. It has the same richness in the aroma with a slight undertone of tea and less pungency of the latakia. As such, it smokes "sweeter" from the bowl. I always look forward to packing a pipe with this on a weekend morning. It just seems to be perfect for that time of day. No heavy tastes or the fear of being light-headed because of a nicotine overdose.