W.O. Larsen Signature Vintage Mixture

I really don't get how so many tobaccos can be reviewed favorably when I often get a completely opposite experience. Perhaps some of the manufacturers 'plant' good reviews in order to prompt sales.

I bought a 100g tin of this Larsen Signature based on good reviews. What a disappointment. The packaging is impressive, leading to the impression of a quality product. On opening the tin one is greeted by a flowery smell of dried oranges and rose petals - rather like an air freshener or a pot pourri. No tobacco smell. Not what I expected.

I filled a pipe and on first light was given a smell and taste just like a toilet air freshener, probably rose flavor. The tobacco was very difficult to keep alight and the entire smoke was a struggle. After half a bowl of air freshener some light tobacco tastes start to emerge - very mild and light, accompanied by bite and a very hot pipe. The bowl of my Big Ben became too hot to touch.

I don't know why this is called 'Signature Vintage Mixture'. Flowery Pot Pourri with Tongue Bite would be a more accurate name. I certainly won't be buying any more of this concoction.

Edit: a week or so has gone by. I'd left the tin open to see if this stuff would dry out. After a week it's a little drier but still has an overpowering smell of fruit candy and rose petals. Tried to smoke a pipeful but gave up halfway through then threw away the rest of the tin in disgust. No tobacco taste or smell, just a mouthful of sweet candy like boiled fruit sweets together with flower petals. This isn't pipe tobacco - it's just a tin of smelly pot pourri - sweet, flowery room freshener.

Secondo il mio naso all'apertura questa latta sprigiona un delizioso profumo di albicocche disidratate, ma ancora succose, con note di fico e una leggera, ma ben riconoscibile, fragranza di lime. Oltre a questa nota generale, dopo qualche "zaffata" il persistente odore di questa miscela si fa più omogeneo e, secondo la mia personale percezione, rilascia una fragranza di caramello e si sposta pi verso il fico secco ed il dattero.

Il caricamento è facile grazie al trinciato "ready rubbed" molto omogeneo e l'accensione è rapida: fumo questa miscela in un fornello di media grandezza, in una rhodesian curva di 1/4.

Il gusto tende al dolce. Posso percepire il virginia ed il black cavendish, anche se il loro gusto viene coperto parzialmente dagli aromi aggiunti che in bocca tendono molto più verso gli agrumi che non alle albicocche disidratate. Tendenzialmente dolce, con punti di acidità - che personalmente gradisco - noto immediatamente che il Signature "morde" e scalda il fornello già dalle prime tirate: eppure io fumo realmente piano...A 3/4 di carica noto umidità e gorgoglii (a questo punto nemmeno troppo) sospetti, così che decido di rallentare ulteriormente il tiraggio anche per tranquillizzare la mia lingua che ormai è irritata.

La fumata prosegue, e con un paio di riaccensioni arriva fino in fondo. La cenere è finissima e chiara, sembrerebbe quasi incenso se non ci fossero residui d'umidità nel fornello. Cenere d'incenso bagnato, via...Nella stanza resta e persiste un aroma meraviglioso.

Conclusione: Se tanti fumatori di aromatici cantano le odi di questo tabacco, qualche ragione c'è e non la voglio mettere in dubbio qui. Si tratta di un tabacco con un aroma ed un gusto molto piacevoli e siamo quasi tutti d'accordo. Quello che penso a riguardo è che se avete lingue di cuoio e vi piacciono gli aromatici alla scandinava, dovete provare questa miscela, altrimenti e nel caso abbiate la lingua sensibile come il sottoscritto, tenetevene alla larga.

According to my nose opening this tin gives off a delicious aroma of dried - but still juicy - apricots with hints of fig and a slight, but very recognizable scent of lime. In addition to this general note, after some whiffs the lingering smell of this mixture is more homogeneous and, in my personal perception, releases a scent of caramel and moves more towards the dried fig and date.

Loading is easy thanks to the fine ready rubbed ignition is very fast and effective: I smoke this mixture in a medium size bowl, in a 1/4 bent rhodesian i like specially.

The taste is sweet. I can feel the virginia and black cavendish, even if their taste is partially covered by added flavors and now in the mouth there's much more citrus than dried apricots. Through the sweetness, and its with points of acidity - which I personally like - I can immediately feel that the Signature "bites" and heats the bowl since the very first pouff, and I smoke really slowly ... At the 3/4 of the bowl, the smoke begins to gurgle like a turkey, but I was suspecting it, so I decide to slow down mi pouffing even more, also to reassure my tongue which is completely sore by now. The smoke continues, and with a couple of fire-up comes to its bottom. The ash is very fine and clear, it would seem almost incense if there were no residual moisture in the bowl. Wet ashes of incense as I can see ... In the room there is a wonderful and persistent aroma.

conclusion:

If so many smokers sing the odes of this aromatic tobacco, there has to be some reason and I don't want to question about it here. This tobacco's aroma and a very pleasant taste are great, and we all agree about it.

What I think about is if ??you like scandinavian/danish aromatics, and as far as you've got a leather tongue: you must try this blend, otherwise, if you have even the most little sensation that you will get bad tongue bite from this: yes you will, so stay away from this blend.

Cheers

Typical Danish Blend!! I admit I'm not the biggest fan of Danish Blends, but this one hard to keep in rotation. The fruitiness seemed artificial and overbearing at times. Not much flavor from the tobaccos. Too mild for my taste and a terrible tongue bite if not smoked SLOWLY. Not for me...

I’m not smoking pipe long time and can say I really like / prefer English blends, but still trying to find some aromatic blens(s) to satisfy me as well.

The tin and overall apperance is fantastic. Tobacco smells very fruity and promissing nice aromatic experince.

Unfortunatelly it’s not a case. When you light it you get some kind of toilette air conditioner taste, hot air. The taste is not changing through bowl at all, just artifical taste. Besides that, it bites hard.

In my point of view waste of money.