Wilke Pipe Tobacco Wilke No. 191

Wilke is one of the best pipe tobacco blenders out there. When I heard the company had been sold by Carol and moved away from my beloved home state of Vermont, I had a mild panic attack. To my relief, the quality of these tobaccos seems to have been maintained, and I have not seen a change in quality with the change of bending hands. This tobacco is somewhat legendary, and deservedly so.

When it comes to quality ingredients and a quality product, there is not a dud in the bunch, and Wilkes has a lot of blends. That said, while the quality of product can not be questioned, personal taste can come into play.

This is a beautiful aromatic blend. While I usually am not a fan of aromatics, this blend avoids all the hassles aromatic blends usually bring. There is no goopy mess, no chemical smell, not problems burning, and no three week wait period for this stuff to dry out.

This blend comes in a big huge chunky cut. While not as easy to pack as a ribbon/shag, I believe it does its job of slowing the burn rate of this blend down. The bag note is heavenly, and actually relatively subtle. This is probably one of the best, if not the best vanilla based aromatic I have ever smoked. You have to be careful here though, to get the full flavor you have to go low and slow. If you push this too fast, you lose the nice flavoring. Highly recommended, but pretty much anything from Wilke is.

Well made aromatic with a recipe that has had consistent aroma and flavour comparing my cellar from at least 15 years ago. Burns well, bystanders appreciate the scent and can be a satisfying smoke. Flavours range from honey, nutty, vanilla and other ingredients I can’t identify. The description above doesn’t do justice by saying it is just honey.

It has done well in aging in mason jars for over a decade. Highly recommended to those who appreciate aromatics, and it does present that classic pleasant pipe tobacco room note. It’s also cool to smoke a recipe that is decades old as passed along from early last century with Wilke’s history.

OK, this stuff is amazing. I am an aromatic guy, and I am still a relatively new smoker. Most of the learning curve is behind me, so I able to appreciate a smoke more now that I am not concentrating on my pace or being obsessed with the number of relights.

I tried this based stuff on the recommendations, and it is nothing short of wonderful. It is the first tobacco that I seriously considered repacking another bowl and smoking it too. The flavors are complex but not overpowering like some aromatics. During the entire bowl, the flavoring was present with slight variations, as I progressed through bowl. There was nothing boring about this tobacco. Despite being an aromatic, I encountered no tongue bite.

I highly, highly recommend it.

Wilke No. 191 definitely doesn’t match my definition of a ribbon cut blend. Sure, there are some thin ribbons of Virginia and burley in it, but they are mixed in with large rough-cut chunks of flavored Black Cavendish.

Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that this blend is certainly one of the better vanilla aromatics on the market. I have been working my way through a 4-oz sample and each bowl has gotten a little bit better than the one before. The taste of the tobacco is mild but there’s good structure to it and the vanilla, honey and clove flavors lend a mellow, yet certain sweet subtlety to the creamy finish.

As others have mentioned this is a blend that is best when smoked slow. It burns even and fairly cool and the flavor remains consistent throughout most of the bowl. Excess moisture will create a bit of a problem for the fast paced puffer. I smoke fairly slow and I had to give this tobacco ample dry time. Moist and a bit sticky, but surprisingly good.

Perfectly superb. I've smoked other Carole Burns blends before. They're all good, but this is matchless. It's flavorful and mild. No tongue explosions and no nasty wet heel. It burns evenly and sweetly--it's good in a room, even I must crack open a window on a New England winter day. Small price to pay for something so good as this. I can see why it's her best-selling tobacco. I think I've been converted away from Captain Black.

I've stayed away from aromatics for the better part of 20 years of piping because I couldn't (as SteelCowboy put it) find an aro that didn't make my mouth feel like a blast furnace. I'm (as many others are) working my way through P & W's entire line and decided on my most recent order to try some of Carole's aromatic offerings, based on how good everything else has been.

This is one of the best aro's I've ever smoked. It's the only one besides Lane 1Q and BC-A that doesn't tear up my mouth. It won't bite your tongue, no matter how hard you go at it. Quite tasty and not over-topped so as to mask the tobacco flavor. Incredibly good stuff. If you haven't tried it, call Carole and get some. Today.

I just now finished a bowl, standing outside my hotel, after a long day of business travel. A quite satisfying end to a 20+ hour day.

Highly-recommended.

Remember the candy, bit - o -honey? Well, this is it in a pipe. It's good for an all day smoke. I enjoy it with coffee.

Wilkes #191 is a delightful, subtly elegant aromatic blend. The very nice character of this blend is founded in the light, well balanced flavoring of the tobaccos and toppings. No cloyingly sweet vanilla or honey - just the right touch of both, letting the tobaccos come through. Very well done. Ms. Burns clearly knows what she is doing as a blender. I give it a solid 3 stars.

I got 2 oz of this in a sampler, and I can see why it is so popular. A gentle smoke with soft and sweet honey flavors drifting in and out nicely supported by the quality Burley / VA. This is the first aromatic I've tried that is listed as Burley / VA based (as opposed to Cavendish) and I really like it. It burns nicely and relatively cool and dry. I did not notice much nicotine in this one. The room note is superb - definitely classic vanilla but with a manly undertone. Perfect for evenings with the wife on the back patio.

Update 9/2012: I must be getting spoiled on my English blends, because the flavor in 191 just doesn't seem to hold up for me any more. Still a very nice aromatic - adjusting to a solid 3 stars.