Affordable Pipes Guy's English Blend #25

Being a new piper I went by reviews on this site. Ordered up a sample of Guy's English #25. Nice smooth smoke all the way down. Wife likes the roomnote. I kind of like it best in my Corncob. Might need to break in my other pipes more. I will be obtaining more for ratation with my Edgworth Ready-rubbed. Thanks to all of the reviewers for the insights to aid a novice onto a path of pipe smoking narvana.

This is an excellent English Blend. The Latakia acts as a distinct (but not overwhelming) condiment to the Virignia. It smokes smooth and well all the way to the bottom of the bowl, with perhaps a bit too much drop-off in the Latakia flavor. Oh well, still a very pleasurable smoke. Passed the wife test, too.

This was pleasant enough, but failed to hit the high notes I was hoping for.

"50% Latakia with a touch of Perique and other fine high quality tobaccos. If you love Latakia...this blend is for you!"

Well I do love latakia, but I'll have to look elsewhere.

Packs lights and burns well, which is great, and earns stars, but taste is too weak for a strong latakia blend

JMO

This English blend successfully balances the taste components of spice, cream, and sweetness. After smoking about half a dozen bowls, my briar was sufficiently acclimated to this tobacco, which then allowed me to better savor its complexity. This is not overly heavy, nor is it a blend that is too sweet. A relaxing and wholly enjoyable smoke. If you like English tobaccos, give this serious consideration.

A fragrant smoke, sweet and "creamy" flavor. Cool, slow burning, with no bite! Highly recommended English blend! Congratulations Guy!

Kilted1, Howie, and Preppypipe did great jobs at reviewing this tobacco, so it is difficult to add to what they said. All in all, it is a wonderful middle English blend. Affordable Pipes says it's their stoutest English blend "with a full measure of 50% Latakia and a touch of Perique and other fine high quality tobaccos". I didn't get the strength that I would have expected from a 50% Latakia blend. I would expect that to be something like a toned down Samuel Gawith's Commonwealth Mixture due to #25's addition of what appears to be a little broken Burley, some black cavendish, and some bright Virginia added. The Latakia shows itself with it's smoke and taste, but it doesn't overpower anything else. From top to bottom it burns well. That seems to be because it is just about perfect where moisture level is concerned. I get a tart flavor on first light, but this soon gives way to a really pleasant slightly "sweet and sour" experience that lasts until the final puff. I have a hard time comparing this to other favorites of mine. #25 has a strenght level similar to Squadron Leader. The nicotine never grabs me much like Commonwealth does. I get the impression that there a very, very light topping to #25, but it might be just the great concordence between the tart of the Perique and the sweetness of the Virginias. Regardless of this I am aware of the Latakia, and find comfort in that. Anybody who wants a great alternative to the well known middle English blends might well consider Guy Wallace's English #25. Give it a try and your Wallace...er...I mean WALLET will appreciate the money saved! Great stuff!

This tobacco was a Christmas present from a friend (Christmas 2003). I was given a very small sample (about 3 medium bowls worth) and I have purposely set it aside to age before reviewing.

Appearance: Predominately dark tobaccos latakia dark Virginias and perique. There are a few lighter colored bits thrown in as well.

Tin aroma: Initially, just what one would expect from an English blend, nice smoky body with faint whisperings of the Virginias and an odd sharpness which I suspect is the perique. This blend seems very well balanced in ingredients though it lacks the overall complexity in smells that I usually crave in English/Balkan mixtures.

This tobacco is seems to be nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?Frank method? for packing each review smoke. In general, the samples I smoked lasted 45 minutes to an hour in a small Peterson Rocky Canadian reserved for smoking English mixtures exclusively.

Lighting usually is a single match affair, I find that the ?Frank method? usually eliminates the need for much of a ?lighting tamp?, though once in awhile if I pause or just let the pipe go out, I might have to re-light it. This is a very easy going easy burning tobacco that almost smokes itself if packed correctly. As expected, the initial flavor is very smoky with the familiar ?peppery? sensations one expects from perique. This blend has a very ?even? pallet and changes very little throughout the bowl. There is a very slight sweetness to it probably from the Virginias which stay very ?muted? and otherwise indiscernible throughout. The flavor is bold smoky and quite satisfying in body if not complexity and is very smooth and soothing. If one is looking for nice mild English without the complexity many smokers enjoy, perhaps this could become a favorite.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors mix and match very nicely. I find myself relaxing more deeply into my chair, and while I wouldn?t call this a strong tobacco in terms of nicotine, it is very full in flavor

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I?m still more or less where I started, the flavor having leveled off somewhere in the middle of the bowl. This tobacco is very nice, and something I might smoke all day not requiring the attention that a more complex mixture requires in order to properly enjoy. I might compare it with some of the better Dunhill offerings such as ?London Mixture? or ?965? though I think this blend is far more economical. A very good effort by a relatively unknown blender.

Supplemental Notes: This is one of very nice mild English with moderate complexity, a very good value for the money. Rating for those interested in numbers ***

This is a brief review that will be expanded in at a future date.

This is a very smooth blend with a reasonable amount of flavor. While listed as containing about 50% latakia, this is not an overwhelming latakia blend.

Smoking characteristics are exceptional. It burns well, does not bite, and is smooth. If you have found latakia blends to be to rough, you might give this a try.

The smoke is consistent through the course of the bowl from start to finish. This is true of the smoking characteristics and the flavor. This would require more complexity in order to rate 4 stars in my books.

Overall, I think that this is a very nice blend that would appeal to many smokers. This would appeal greatly to smokers looking for more flavor than a straight burley or burley and VA blend, but for whom complexity and overwhelming flavor are a distraction.

A very nice smoke.

March 2004

This is one great,reasonably priced tobacco!.It's as good an english as you'd wish to find from any maker at any cost.It's comparable to Durbar,965 and R.C.Hacker's Sporting Blend.The latakia sings out the loudest while the cavendish was barely noticeable.I smoked through my 1 oz stash in a couple of days,it was just THAT good!..You can order it through the affordable pipes site.Try the sampler pack Guy's got a few other noteworthy baccy's worth your consideration... Highly Recommended prep