W.O. Larsen Simply Unique

This is a very nicely done mild aromatic. Not goopy, burns rather cool, has a sweet taste but you know you're smoking tobacco instead of you grandma's peach cobbler.

For those who enjoy very mild aromatic blends, this is a quality compilation that tosses in a variety of true tobacco flavors as well as the extras.

Larsen's Simply Unique is a decent expression of the classical Danish approach to aromatics—a light hand with the top dressing supported by a mild yet recognizable tobacco flavor. The tobacco looks nice—mostly a thinnish ribbon cut of black and gold Cavendish with some brighter yellow Virginia leaf. The nose is quite forward with a milk chocolate or ‘chocolate box' quality. Moisture level is high enough that it needs a good 20-30 minutes drying time.

It's less intense on the palate than on the nose, and tends to a mild chocolate flavor with perhaps a slight nutty quality. There doesn't seem to be much nicotine. It's a pleasant enough smoke, I suppose, but it also strikes me as very forgettable. Smoking characteristics are ok and the flavor is ok if you concentrate, but to me, this just didn't offer enough to make it interesting.

Very pleasant room note. It's very diffrent from cheaper tobacco I used to smoke. It's nice even for people that don't smoke. Taste is nice, but the flavour wasn't strong evnough for me. Leaves no bad taste or "burned" tounge. Ignites nicely, even though I'm no master in this art.

When buying, I thought it was a non-aromatic. Only after opening the pouch it was obvious that I was dealing with some stout casing. The nose is wonderful, mostly dominated by chocolate and some bitterness, perhaps walnut. Smokes best after a 20 min dry-out. Simply Unique among aromatics is top notch when it comes to the taste, but what really pleases me is the room aroma. It doesn't bite and glows cool, even if you suck on it hard. Good for a sweet, desserty smoke. Quality aromatic!

This Larsen offering is a mild and yet satisfying Aromatic: it's unsurprisingly sweet but not cloying, nutty and creamy (even the pouch has now a cream colour instead of the former black), it smokes smooth and quite cool leaving a good mouth feel, definitely it has all good things one can ask to an Aro. Regarding room aroma, well, it seems that someone has lit up a Lampe Berger near you.

Probably the weakest of the excellent Larsen's range I've encountered so far.

That's assuming I have the right pouch. My pouch is blue and just says 'unique'. I am therefore asuming that either the pouch has been updated since the stock picture was uploaded or I have got the wrong tobacco.

Either way, as I said, this is a pretty mild almost flavourless mixture. The strands are dark black/brown with an occasional blonde fleck. It's also dry, even straight out of the pouch, and is a bugger to keep lit.

Having said that I have a strong liking for Larsen's tobacco range overall and this blend certainly has the Larsen's Danish characteristics if not taste. But certainly from the pouch I have there's very little to mark it out as anything special.

The most positive thing in it's favour is the price. When you compare it to one of BBB's expensive blends this is a third of the price. And I for one, couldn't tell the difference.

Simply Unique has proven to be one of my favorite any time any day smokes. It is not too strong, has a very pleasant room smell, and is more complex in taste than most aromatics due to the unique mixture of tobaccos. Never too hot and instantly satisfies.

One of my favourites. A sweet aromatic without beeing overwhelming, with a good balance between well mixed tobaccos and flavouring. The smell from the pouch is softly sweet and inviting.

Tongue taste (the taste you feel on your tongue when you first get the smoke into your mouth): intensive but still softly sweet with tones of honey and sugar, with a slightly spicy undertone. Tends to fade out at the end of the bowl (but only the absolutely last few minutes).

Snork taste (the taste when you roll the smoke around in your mouth and out of your nostrils): mild, with a slight spicy parchment tone, but illusive (especially compared to the very strong toungue sensation).

All together: Takes a few puffs to develop its taste, but is sweet with slight spicy undertones (probably from the orient leaves). Just a perfect everyday blend for us who like aromatics.

edit 7.1.2013: changed the form of the review.

This is a fine example of what a aromatic or danish mixture can be. The tobacco has almost the right moisture out of the pouch, burns down to clean ash without making your pipe gurgle of condensate moisture and as long as you don't push it, the smoke remains cool, creamy and without bite. The roomnote is really pleasant(just the typical vanilla/danish style pipe tobacco notes), the smoke itself tastes like a mixture of vanilla,cocoa,nut and here & there a trace of herbal flavors and cinnamon comes through. Along with these there still is a perceptable taste of tobacco and smokyness that plays together with the flavouring very well. W.O. Larsen must have used some quality leaf here, because even at the end of the bowl with the flavouring stepping into the background, it still remains a tasty smoke. All in all a class A aromatic that easily could become a smokers all day baccy.

Presently the pouch is black and the name is Unique, but the tobacco is the same. The description you can find at the top (in the profile) is correct: Black Cavendish, Virginia, Burley and Oriental. Black Cavendish is strongly flavored and it is leading, predominant. Virginia exists, Burley and Oriental are irrelevant. A poor quality commercial blend where chemical flavorings dominate the scene and the tobacco taste is hidden. Mild in strength. Nearly horrible, nearly cloying, nearly disgusting. Not entirely, but almost. In my opinion of course. Give it a chance, … even not. To try only for strongly flavored mixtures’ lovers. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 4 and only one star.