House of Windsor Hines Mixture T426

The burley is a little nutty and earthy, and the Virginias a little tangy sweet. The star flavor is the coconut and cocoa topping, which is pleasant, but wears off some as you near the end of the smoke. The finish is the problem as it gets a little harsh, though it leaves no moisture in the bowl. The amount of black cavendish adds a vanilla flavor, but can nip at your tongue if you puff too fast. Burns a little quick and needs few relights. This is a little moister than most of the other HoW blends, which is a plus. Has very little nicotine. A decent enough smoke for doing yard work or watching TV, though puff slowly as you go.

-JimInks

I’m convinced that I smoked ghosts of Hines Mixture long before I smoked the tobacco itself. I managed to exorcise the coconut ghosts from most of the estate pipes that arrived smelling like suntan lotion. But one, a sweet old prince, is so saturated with coconut that I’ve given up trying to make it go away. I kind of like the smell. The odd thing is that I like the smell of my coconut-ghosted prince more than I like the tobacco that may have given up that ghost.

About 5 years back, I picked up little tins of most of the House of Windsor blends in a cigar shop that seemed to have been rarely visited by pipe smokers. The blends had been discontinued (again) not too long before that. With the exception of Revelation, I hadn’t gotten around to trying any of the House of Windsor revivals of various historic blends like Country Doctor, Barking Dog, Model, and Hines Mixture.

Hines was one of the first of the batch I tried and I had the same experience that most people who’ve talked about it here had. It was a very wet tobacco, probably loaded with humectants, and it gave off an intense, synthetic smelling aroma of coconut and vanilla. I soldiered on and smoked a couple bowls of the stuff, but I didn’t find it appealing. The rest of it got tossed into a jar.

I’ve dipped into my little supply of Hines at the alarmingly low rate of about twice a year since the tobacco went into the jar almost 5 years ago. But I was rummaging through some boxes today and saw the half-full jar and figured I might as well try to finish it off this holiday season. It’s a suitably “festive” aromatic, I suppose.

Hines is a dark tobacco—mostly a black Cavendish liberally doused with the supposedly famous “Coconilla” flavoring. The hybrid coconut-vanilla sauce has calmed down some over the years and most of the humectants have disappeared. As other have said, a few years spent in a jar do wonders for Hines. That said, the flavoring here is odd. It tastes like some chemist’s interpretation of coconut. It’s not completely unpleasant, but neither is it pleasant.

I know at least one fellow who says his grandfather was a constant smoker of Hines Mix and that the smell reminds him of the man. So Hines has had its fans over the years. There is at least one “Hines Mixture match” available, so anyone wishing for the joys of “Coconilla” can still find it. I think I’ll leave it behind once I’ve finished up the few bowls I have left.

Like Backwoods Piper, I am going to update my review of this blend by first saying that it tastes tons better dry. I, too, let my tin sit for a couple of years and it did dry out considerably. Thus, a cooler burn, a more appealing taste and yes, even a yearning for another bowl soon after the first.

Hines Blend is mostly Virginia/Burley with a generous touch of black fire-cured cavendish. The taste was nutty and a bit sweet. It reminds me somewhat of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic in the taste department, but perhaps a shade sweeter.

It stays lit well and does not bite even a little bit.

So, get a tin, pop the top, put the plastic cover back on and wait two years (minimum) before firing it up.

I am sorry to say yet another disappointment from HW. Again I order this blend being reminiscent of a by gone era. It also reminded me that when I started smoking my pipe I went to a local Manhattan tobacconist to find a blend worth smoking. Now this is years before all the Connoisseur Blends of today. Aroma is Fair Flavor is weak. Lets let this one fade into obscurity there are much better aromatic drugstore blends. like Dutch Masters Cherry & Whiskey for staters. And 150 years later we have come a long way with some blends that surpass these HW Blends. If I was only able to smoke these blends I would have tossed my pipe away back in 1983

I really have to be honest I really don't care for chocolate flavored aromatics. Hines mixture is no acceptation to my dislike of these blends.

It certainly smells, tastes and burns like a drug store blend. I really don't care for the coco-nilla casing in this tobacco. The tobacco components are OK; Burly a little Virgina and perhaps a touch of cavendish. This only redeeming quality is over shadowed by the strong casing in this blend.

I can't see myself buying this aromatic again. I will pass the remainder of this tin off to my nephew he favors aromatics and may find this tobacco appealing.

11/25/06

I originally reviewed this blend in August of 05. I never gave this tin to my nephew. I happened to find it today when cleaning the cellar. I thought what the heck I'll giver another go! After a year of drying out it actually has improved into a blend that I can smoke. The coco-nilla flavor has mellowed out substantially. The smoke now has a nice nutty balance to it. I will probably finish the tin. It does have a nice pleasant room note. So the trick is: Open the tin, let it cellar a year and enjoy.

This and honey mixture both smell much better in the tin yet fail to deliver in the aroma/taste department when lit. The taste isn't sweet enough or natural enough to put up with the slight abrasiveness that these kind of aromatics can produce. If I'm going to smoke something aromatic and sweet this warm weather season I guess I'll have to stick to Edward's blends...

Wonderful tin aromas are all well and good - but if it tastes nasty when you smoke it, who cares how nice it smelled before?

Hines is different from other tobaccos in the same way that Cross Eyed Cricket is, and I liked it about as much.

Hines presents a funky taste that doesn't seem to be able to decide what it wants to be, but it has nothing to do with tobacco.

If you insist upon trying this one, may I suggest you accompany the bowl with a nice glass of Kool-Aid, or perhaps even Hawaiian Punch....

Yummy aroma! As soon as you open the tin you smell chocolate! A piece of advice though,let this breathe for about 2 hrs. before smoking and you will be rewarded with a wonderful chocolatey taste.It has a very pungent dark chocolate flavoring to it with a hint of vanilla fading in and out.It is sweet but not goopy. It is not as good as their Cappuccino,but still quite good in its own right.I love House of Windsor aromatics they are all sweet,flavorful and not artificial tasting. Definitely for the chocoholic! The ladies will love you for it! 3 of 4 aromatic stars!

If you want to try a chocolate blend, definitely try this one!

Upon opening the tin, you will be greeted with a strong black chocolate cake smell. The tobacco smells good enough to eat.

The room aroma while smoking is very pleasant. The room will smell like a chocolate cake baking in a pipe shop. When you're done smoking, a sweet tobacco smell will linger (as opposed to a lingering stale tobacco smell). Hines will generally smoke cool and dry. If you puff too fast, you will get a little moisture at the bottom of the bowl, but it's not goopy like other horrible aromatics. Needless to say, non- aromatic smokers will probably not like this blend. One word of warning: smoke this in a dedicated aromatic pipe; the coconilla will stay in your pipe.

This tobacco is perfect for the times when you have a sweet tooth and are craving a sweet dessert.

Wow, this stuff is nasty! This coconilla flavoring, whatever it is, is not for me. The ?flavor? dissipates as you progress down the bowl and evolves into a bitter and acrid smoke.

I rate this tobacco 0.0000000001 out of 10