House of Windsor Argosy Black

This is the first black Cavendish tobacco I ever smoked, and I have returned to it now and again through the years. I usually have some of this on hand for the times when I get a craving for straight black Cavendish. This is a very dark brown tobacco, not quite black, with the aroma of raisins, vanilla, and something else I can?t quite identify, perhaps a bit of licorice. In the pouch (I have not yet tried the tinned version), it is rather dry and doesn?t stick together like your average black Cavendish blend. Upon lighting there are flavors of vanilla, and some of aforementioned raisin flavor, with a hint of tobacco beneath. This is definitely an aromatic tobacco, and the aromatic flavoring is there throughout the entirety of the smoke. For me, this tobacco ends pretty much the same way it began, with the vanilla and the raisins, with a bit of pepper as you work towards the end of the bowl. The tobacco isn?t demanding whether you are reading a book, talking on the phone, or having a discussion with friends. It isn?t a complex blend and it doesn?t try to be, it is probably the best black Cavendish I have had, and that is the reason I continue to smoke it on occasion. That having been said, this tobacco has always been kind to me. It doesn?t get too hot or goop up your pipe with funk and I have never been bitten by it. Also, I always get compliments on the room note of this blend. I would certainly recommend this to a newer pipe smoker who is interested in aromatics as it is easy to smoke and doesn?t make a lot of demands on the smoker.