Affordable Pipes Guy's Navy Blend

Over the past few months I have ordered and tried six different tobacco samples from Affordable Pipes...and this is the only one I found worthy of reviewing. I note that the other reviewers of this blend rate it higher...and although it was the better of the ones I tried, I do not feel it is as great as previously indicated. The taste is mild and the room note acceptable, but I found the tounge bite to be more than tolerable. Side note: For what it is worth - I found Affordable Pipes to be somewhat difficult to order from, complared with other vendors.

This is just a very good tobacco. The rum topping is very lightly applied. I can't even really detect anything that reminds me of rum but then again I don't drink the stuff. That being said it just enhances the taste and particularly the aroma. The description says mostly Virginia with some Burley and a touch of Perique. I mainly detect the burley and don't taste any of that virginia sweetness but do experience a bit of tanginess that I guess can be attributed to the virginia or maybe from the perique. That is not a bad thing. Whatever the case it just tastes and smells of good,natural tobacco with wonderful aroma. Nothing complex but that's the way I like it. It smokes mild but never boring and never bites. My pipe sometimes gets a little gurgle towards the end of the bowl but nothing that distracts from the enjoyment.

Puff on it mindlessly or sit back and savor it in a more contemplative moment , it's all good.

This actually rates 3 1/2 **** in by book.

This really isn't an aromatic in my opinion. Rum top dressings evaporate rather quickly by air drying, or during combustion. I also don't think this one has an aroma to please everyone either.

There is that slightly sulphurous quality to the room note, that only Perique can add.

This is not a criticism mind you, I am simply trying to provide potential buyers with some information.

For myself, this smells like a VaPer blend, with a bit of Burley and rum thrown in. I do think it smells good. But I like the aroma of burning tobacco, so bear that in mind.

This blend is nutty, toasty, spicey, with just a bit of sweetness. It is mild as May, and very gentle to my palate.

Mr. Wallace is a skilled blender, who caters mainly to lovers of Burley based American style blends. His blends are not complex, heavy, or contemplative. Rather they are gentle, friendly, companions, well suited for Old School puffers. I like them very much.

As another reviewer stated, Guy Wallace does deserve more ink devoted to him. If my reviews have piqued your interest, by all means try a sampler...

Is it possible to have a "full" taste with no casing while also pleasing everyone in the room? Yes. The answer is yes. This is a most pleasant, rich and sweet smoke. The perique packs a punch; this blend ends the night nicely. Seriously, pick up some Affordable Pipes blends. Guy is a master tobacconist and the prices are fantastic. All the local blends I've tried here in Austin are completely uninteresting. Completely. I can hardly taste the casing, and it's so refreshing to not taste vanilla, chocolate or coffee casing. This tobacco is like wine: even without any such casings, I taste vanilla, chocolate and spice. Smoke delicious from start to finish.

I ordered one of Affordable Pipes'5 oz sampler packs and Jackie through in an oz of this for good measure. Boy, am I glad she did. This stuff is fabulous! It has an exotic quality to it. Great flavor all around. Like the other blends from Affordable Pipes, the added casing or flavoring does not conceal the great tobacco taste. I tire easily of true aromatics, and don't usually consider reviewing a tobacco until I've smoked at least 4 oz., but I'll be reviewing all of the sample blends I've recieved so far and update if nedessary. I'll be ordering a pound of this stuff right away. In my opinion, for the price, buying this stuff by the pound is a no brainer. Great tobacco flavor with a hint of sweetness from the rum. Excellent room note that will surely please anyone in the room.

After finally growing tired of hearing my wife complain of the "stench" of my Full English tobaccos, I decided to try and find a "compromise". Not an easy undertaking! I am not a fan of most aromatics. Most are too sweet and artificially flavored. After some searching I decided to try Guy's Navy Melody. Needless to say, I was not disappointed! Guy has done a masterful job in blending just the right combination of Burleys, Virginias, and Perique. The Jamaican Rum is an added bonus. The room aroma is sweet and pleasant. The flavor is spicey due to the Perique. This is unquestionably my favorite smoke. Four stars all the way!

I received this as a free sample when I purchased a 5-pack sampler from Guy. Once I hit this one in the sample rotation, there was no turning back. I finished the small pouch very quickly indeed. Lights and burns easily without much in the way of relights. Room note is SO-approved and comes across as an aromatic. The flavor is sweet but nowhere near what is suggested by the room note and it comes across as more natural than most tobaccos topped with rum. Highly recommended. Well done Guy!