Nat Sherman 314 City Island Dawn

(2.71)
A light golden cavendish with a hint of vanilla; our mildest and most popular.

Details

Brand Nat Sherman
Blended By  
Manufactured By  
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Cavendish
Flavoring Vanilla
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50g Tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.71 / 4
6

6

6

3

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 21 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 08, 2006 Mild Mild to Medium Medium Very Pleasant
I'be been smoking pipes for about 3 years now. During that time I have tried quite a lot of different brands and blends. It seems to me that most of the reviews are slanted in favor of non-aromatics. It's almost as if many feel the the "goal" is to move up to non-aromatics because that's the best there is.

At my ripe old age of 55, I've decided that the only thing important is to smoke what YOU like. That all that matters.

That said, I have come to the conclusion that Nat Sherman's 314 is my favorite blend. It isn't too overwhelmingly aromatic and provides me with a clean, cool smoke that is very flavorful. As a bonus, the room note will win friends as well. It loads and lights easily and burns all the way down with little, if any, relighting.

It's truly a delight and a great all-day smoke for me. I highly recommed it.
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 06, 2017 Mild Mild to Medium Mild Very Pleasant
The gold Virginia cavendish offers some grass, citrus, and a little toast. The vanilla topping has a light artificial quality to it, and with a few drops of caramel, tones down the tobacco to a fair extent. Has virtually no nicotine. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool at a reasonable pace with a little inconsistency in flavor as the topping weakens a mite in the last third of the proceedings. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a decent after taste which is slightly spoiled by the aforementioned artificial notes. An all day smoke.

-JimInks
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 08, 2004 Extremely Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
Nat Sherman 314 is bland in every way.

The tin when opened gives a strong vanilla cased cavendish smell that is inviting to the aromatic smoker. If there is anything besides cavendish here I sure can't find it. The leaf is ribbon cut and monotone in color like the color of honey.

When first opened the tobacco is a bit on the moist side. Packing when it is this moist will surely provide a lot of gurgle. Now to the first problem with this tobacco, if you let it dry out for more than a 15 minutes (the least IMHO that is needed to control the gurgle) the flavor begins to get flatter than flat almost as if the vanilla evaporates in the drying process. If smoked in a group 4 or larger gurgle is unstoppable. Attempting to control the gurgle, I smoked it in Savenelli 6mm and Vauen 9mm balsa filter pipes which helped tremendously. Even so, I still used more than one pipe cleaner to keep the condensation down. And, before I forget, when tried in a Peterson system pipe, it filled the reservoir - don't go there.

Strength: This is the mildest tobacco I've ever smoked (7 years smoking now). I notice no nicotine increase throughout the bowl.

Flavoring: As I previously outlined, this tobacco has a strong vanilla casing that is overpowering to say the least. It's a nice mix with cavendish, but is so monotone that the tobacco simply won't keep your interest for more than a few bowls. I never made it through the entire tin quite honestly.

Room note: This tobacco will make friends for you! People seem to love the aroma. While not as strong as some of the "cherry" blends, the aroma is definately a sickly sweet cavendish.

Bowl Experience: If dried out for about 15 minutes, the bowl lights quite easily and will smoke to the bottom with only a few relights (only needed because you're constantly using a pipe cleaner to stop gurgle). It burns down to a nice grey ash but it is hard to get 100% of the tobacco smoked. I noticed towards the very end of the bowl that all hint of the vanilla casing is gone and the flavor gets somewhat bitter.

Nat sherman calls this their most popular blend ... I can't see how that is possible. If you like aromatics I would suggest you try Nat Sherman's #307 instead. The flavor is much better and the gurgle, though still present, is less than this blend.

Legacy: The vanilla casing will stay with whatever pipe you smoke it in for a few bowls. Smoke it first in a cob in case you don't like it.

Possibility: This might be a nice tobacco to use as an ingredient in blending - if you wanted to add a slight touch of vanilla cavendish to "your custom blend".

Bottom line: If you love cavendish and vanilla is heaven, this is for you. Try it in a smaller pipe first (only to control the moisture).
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 09, 2015 Mild Mild Medium Very Pleasant
This is my first review of the New Year. I am snowed in here in Boston, MA where we are experiencing approximately 70 inches of snow in 17 days. Still, our spirits and the tabacky are holding up. I should note that I usually smoke English blends but enjoy aromatics periodically. Usually in the evenings and definitely after snow shoveling.

NS 314 is a light, not heavily cased aromatic. (I bought he tin six months ago and from the back label it appears to have been blended by Lane Ltd.) It has a delicious, light cocoa smell in the tin but it is not a "chocolate" aromatic. Looks like three tobaccos in the mix: A light colored brown and darker brown ribbon cut Virginias with a smattering of black Cavendish. Burns consistently, with no tongue bite, to a gray/white ash. Geat room note. Smokes with a uniform flavor throughout the bowl, like most aromatics do. It's advertised as "slightly" aromatic and that sums it up. Smooth Virginias, slightly sweet, maybe a touch of vanilla and a touch of cocoa. I will definitely buy several tins to cellar. I only do that with a handful of my favorite tobaccos. Maybe not good for new smoker. A tobacco lovers aromatic. This rates 4-Stars for me!
Pipe Used: Perretti, Peterson, Kaywoodie, Dr. Grabow,
PurchasedFrom: Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked: 6 months
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 30, 2011 Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Very Mild Pleasant
This is something that I used to smoke in small quantities a decade or so ago alongside various other Nat Sherman products—cigars, cigarettes, cigarettellos. I remember it as a delicate and enjoyable vanilla aromatic. But you can't step in the same river twice, I suppose.

I found a tin of this at my old residence last year and finally got around to dipping into it. It's entirely possible that the 8 or so years between my purchase of this 314 and smoking it over the past few days have been hard on the tobacco, but I'm not sure. What I once perceived as a quiet vanilla aromatic is now practically mute. It's still a mild tobacco, but far too mild to bring any pleasure. The big challenge with this stuff, however, is the serious bitterness that has developed in this weed. It's genuinely unpleasant to smoke and may well be a candidate for the big blue bin.

But back when I was much younger…and perhaps when the tin was fresh…this was a mild, pleasant smoke.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 21, 2011 Very Mild Mild to Medium Mild Very Pleasant
I am usually not a big fan of aromatic blends; I own them to be diplomatic with non-smokers.

This blend, however, has changed my perspective on the murky world of aromatics. It has no bite, has a mellow and mild flavor, and has one of the best aromas I have ever smelled. It is a light vanilla aroma with a subtle hint of almonds or walnuts. It burns very well. Truly a masterpiece of the aromatic variety. Definitely going to stock up on this one.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 14, 2005 Mild Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
I like Aromatic blends for a change of pace or to recover from some of the stronger tobacs. This one smells delicious. It reminds me of Christmas cookie dough. The taste is quite mild and it smokes very smoothly. The only downside is that it is a smoke of short duration. If you are looking for a very high quality American-style Aromatic, this is about as good as they get. Recommended.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 15, 2004 Extremely Mild Very Mild Extremely Mild (Flat) Very Pleasant
It would appear as if Rick Piatt took a peek into my tasting notes when he wrote his review. I have to agree with him 150%

You have to give credit for truth in advertising ? the description says this is their mildest blend. It has to be.

I didn?t chance a treasured briar on this one, I smoked it in a cob first. Then as an experiment, I smoked it in a Kirsten ? just to see how wet it really smoked. After I smoked it down as far as I could, I checked out the amount of water in the pipe. I was amazed. I wouldn?t have thought a bowl of tobacco could hold that much moisture!
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 09, 2021 Mild Medium to Strong Medium to Full Very Pleasant
A long time ago, when I smoked Nat Sherman cigarettes, I liked them. But I only recently heard about pipe tobaccos from the same manufacturer. Therefore, it is not surprising that I wanted to try his mixtures and, perhaps, purchase them for my collection. Imagine my chagrin when I learned that Nat Sherman pipe tobaccos did not interest the new owner of the company, which was sold recently, and he closed their production. But I was lucky to find some.

The tin I opened had a 2008 excise stamp. Accordingly, the tobacco it contained was most likely older than this date. The nose clearly smelled of vanilla, milk chocolate and a little citrus, in which tangerine notes were guessed. When the fragrance dissipated a little, I caught a very light herbal hue, which was drowned out by the original scent. There is practically no moisture in the mixture, but the tobacco has not dried out.

The color of the tobacco is exactly like milk chocolate. The leaf is very soft, the cutting is extremely even. However, I got acquainted with the quality of the manufacturer (Lane Limited) since the time of the Punch test, so it did not surprise me. It is stuffed very easily, there is no need to knead.

Strength? What strength? At first I didn’t feel anything other than a sweet taste with a vanilla aroma. It seemed, instead, I could put a piece of chocolate with candied tangerine into my mouth. The tobacco is extremely mild itself. It is necessary to smoke carefully - the tobacco does not bite, but it is hot enough. So, puff smoothly and gently. There is minimal moisture in the cup, and there is no moisture in the pipe either.

Tobacco is deceptive - one can say that there is no strength, but in fact, there is, of course, nicotine in tobacco. Filling a large pipe, you can feed yourself slowly and with pleasure - of course, if you like the mix. I don't recommend small pipes for this mixture. Smoke itself is sweet vanilla, the aroma is quite persistent. It doesn't annoy me, but for someone it could be.

In fact: this is a pleasant, light and fairly simple flavored mixture without any special frills. Of course, I will keep the closed tin for myself in the collection, cause, most likely, it will never be produced again. But it is not the star from the sky, many aromatics - for example, Holiday or Reserve mixtures from Peterson look much more interesting.
Pipe Used: Peterson 106, Peterson Irish Rivers Collection
PurchasedFrom: Somewhere in Siberia
Age When Smoked: 2008 or older
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 04, 2018 Mild Mild Mild Tolerable
this mild aromatic, is incredibly mild. You will get tongue bite before you get normal levels of flavor out of this, do yourself a favor and get Captain Black 'White' if you have a need for vanilla flavored tobacco
Pipe Used: yes
PurchasedFrom: local b&M
Age When Smoked: ?????
2 people found this review helpful.
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