Nat Sherman 536 Empire English

I am about half way through my second tin of this fine tobacco. I smoked my first tin so quickly I could have sworn I had some more in a pouch somewhere. I am not completely partial to any one blend/type of tobacco. However, for many years into pipe smoking I prefer English-English style blend and different VA blends. That said, this is a blend perfect for those aromatic smokers looking to venture into the world of English blends. It will not murder you with latakia, which is certainly present at first but does balance out with the help of the black cavendish and the burleys that have been added. This is a rich, smooth blend, refined as it says and well worth a try for beginners and experienced smokers alike. It burns well and needs a few relights, which I believe is all relative to how you smoke your pipe. It is on the moist side, and will leave a bit of moisture in the bowl. Dry it out before smoking and it will burn wonderfully. IMO, it is similar to, Dunhill MM 965 as they are both English style blends with black cavendish in the mix. If you like the 965 this is worth a try. Nat Sherman is out of NYC, hence the name Empire English. Needless to say, people who live there have very discerning tastes and seek only the finest of things, and this will appeal to those of you reading this who do the same. Years ago I worked at 500 5th Avenue, which is the building next door. This is where my pipe smoking began. Go online and just view a couple of photos of the inside of the store, and that alone should show you the quality that they stand for. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

While visiting NYC, I popped into Nat Sherman to check the place out. Very nice shop with more than a touch of elegance. After deciding to buy a cool Castello Sea Rock Dublin with a silver band which unfolds to become a stand, I was provided a small quantity of the only non-aromatic bulk tobacco that they sold -- 536. I nearly turned it down, expecting the worst. To my surprise and delight, I really enjoyed it and bought some to take home.

I would call this a crossover blend. Too sweet to be a classic English, it is superbly balanced with neither the latakia, orientals, nor the Virginias dominating. Although mild, the flavor is consistent throughout the bowl and never gets bitter. Burns well to white-gray ash with few relights, despite seeming a bit too damp straight from the counter jar. Plenty of cool, soft smoke. If there's a topping, it's done sparingly and would be a spirit, like Cognac, perhaps.

Can be a all-day smoke for me and has moved into my top English blends, along with Esoterica Pembroke and Penzance, SG Perfection, Squadron Leader and Skiff Mixture, GL Pease Quiet Nights, and PS English Oriental Supreme.

I've had this tin collecting dust in my cabinet for awhile now. I bought it since I recalled enjoying the occasional Nat Shermans cigarette back in the day. Having no expectations I popped the tin to a wonderful English bouquet. It certainly had all that Latakia gunpowder, but also a twister of other juicy smells. My nose was drooling for what my tongue thought was a bloody steak.

When the torch grazed it, I was immediately impressed. It rivaled many of the Dunhill blends I associate with what an English blend ought to be, but it took it one step forward by being more sublime. Other flavors made it past the charcoal wall. Notably the Virginia and other sweet hay notes.

It certainly fired the nicotine in slugs, but I was able to smoke several successive bowls without much fatigue. It was a fantastic mixture to the end of the bowl and tin! Another curiosity was the tin housed 2 oz vs the usual 1.75.

I find it ironic that I discovered another blend I very much enjoy, to only find it out of stock everyplace. I did a little digging and it turns out the company was bought out last year. If my bad luck is any indicator, I can only assume it was/will be discontinued.

This was a long shot as I went for it at a cigar shop knowing nothing about it except that it was An English blend tobacco. I got a 2 ounce tin. I took a chance at the 8 oz tin of HH ten to midnight also (which I think is a hit for me so far!) . Anyway, Back to the nat Sherman.... I Lit it up on my way out of the store. Nothing to write home about. Was a little hot because of the high moisture in tin and no drying time. I'm only on the third bowl right now. I let it dry this time for 15 to 20 minutes and it's smoking very nice and cool this time around. Smoking in a small full bent briar, it's doing justice to the baccy. I get the same sort of essence smoking this as I do Presbyterian mixture. I usuallly use this particular pipe for Presbyterian mixture so that could be part of the reason. It's nice in my opinion. It's not complex. I could get used to this for those times you want a simple mild Latakia smoke. I'd say there is a decent nic hit to it also! I'm halfway through the bowl and it's smoking wonderfully with no delights yet. I think it grows on you just like Presbyterian mixture does.i would have to compare this side by side to Presbyterian mix to see how similar they actually are. I'll give this a good rating as I think it's a balanced blend that smokes good, has good lat flavor and I find it pretty relaxing.im getting lost in the pleasure of smoking this now. It's very calming. I normally smoke a bold robust blend at night such as nightcap, artisans blend, or my newly found ten to midnight, however I really think this could be a milder blend for a fulfilling night time smoke especially considering the nic hit is better than most mild blends of this caliber. When I run out of this tin I'll either just keep smoking my Presbyterian mixture or I'll long for this and the nice nicotine content and have to buy more. The only downfall is I see this online for 12 bucks a tin but I paid 24 bucks at the cigar shop. But I'm glad I picked up the forgotten dusty tins at the cigar shop. I'm really enjoying this more and more as I puff away! Because I chose my smallest bowl here I may just pack up another for a double header!! It's a good smoke in my book!!

Update, 7/27/ /17 still a great smoke I want to revisit a lot, however smoking Presbyterian mixture now I see a huge difference. Presbyterian has very mild body and a high nutty burley flavor. It's very good but not as full or strong as nat sherman.... I don't know why I compared the two together .... nat Sherman is stronger and harder by far. Presbyterian mixture is a mild pleasant well smoking and way more laid back than the empire English, but at the same time I yearn for a hearty fulfilling English/ Balkan type blend with a good lat content. just what you get with nat Sherman empire English 536.

Update 8/4/2017 This is one fine fine fine blend!!! I really feel like it is a rare gem. This is what I'm looking for in an English pipe tobacco. It's better and better every smoke. I've got about 20 bowls of it now and I must say the only reason I reach for anything else is because I like to switch things up a bit from time too time. But every time I do I just wanna pack some of this in my pipe after. It's that good and fulfilling to me like no other blend. This makes me want to take other blends and take a star away. I am absolutely in a perfect late night pipe right now. That sweet spot is here from start to about the half way mark now. It gets a bit spicy when you puff hard and when you progress through the bowl. the drying time helps this blend tremendously. If your smoking this now I hope you realize what you've got. I always wanted to try penzance but honestly I don't think it could be as good as this.

The first several times I smoked this I was not a big fan... I found it brawny and smoky; I had also just started my journey in the Pipe Smoking world.

Ergo, IMHO, this is not a newbie blend- instead it took a tour of a variety of brand-name and celebrated English mixtures (and a few months) for this tobacco to really speak to me.

In the tin the sweetness of the Cavendish/VA shines through the mesquite-cedarness of the Latakia... and theres more than a dram in this.

Complex, thick-smoke, 'classic' English with a gorgeous sweetness that is just below the surface. A contemplative smoke in the evening, call it "Your after-work 'unwinding' pipe..."

I've been a fan of Nat Sherman (via Cigars) for quite a bit and there mellow-but-true-to-form style of blending (i.e., in this case, a textbook English architecture with an everyman approachability and utter deliciousness) makes this a hit in my book.