Wilke Pipe Tobacco Surbrug's Best Make

(3.31)
One of the oldest Wilke recipes. Virginia and burleys are mixed with a non-aromatic black cavendish tobacco and topped with a generous amount of superior latakia creating a traditional medium strength English blend. A rich mellow blend in the true British tradition.

Details

Brand Wilke Pipe Tobacco
Blended By John Brandt
Manufactured By Wilke Pipe Tobacco
Blend Type American
Contents Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 2 oz. bag, 4 oz. bag, 8 oz. bag 16 oz. bag
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.31 / 4
6

5

2

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 13 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 19, 2016 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The burleys are nutty, lightly toasty, woody and earthy with a drop or two of molasses, and though not the dominant tobaccos, they are obvious in every puff, especially when you first light up. The Virginia is mildly grassy with some citrus, though it mostly takes a back seat. The Cyprian Latakia is very smoky, earthy and woody sweet, and I’d argue with the description “a generous amount…” as it is a team player, and doesn’t overwhelm in any way. The unsweetened black cavendish sweetly smoothes out the other components in a support role. I detect a very slight topping, though I can’t figure out what it may be, unless it’s anise. If so, it’s very discreet. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium, while the taste is medium. The nic-hit is a step beyond the mild level. Well blended, you’ll notice every nuance in nearly every puff. Has no harsh or dull spots. Burns cool, clean and very smooth at a moderate pace with a very consistent, complex, mildly sweet and savory flavor from start to finish. Doesn’t require many relights. Leaves just a little dampness in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers just a little. The room note is tad stronger. An all day, rich American English that won’t tire out your taste buds.

-JimInks
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 16, 2011 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I don't review tobaccos I don't like. Why should I bore you with that? Also Latakias have lot their charm. You can only say so much about camp fires. But I am working my way through Wilkes Tobaccos, thoroughly enjoying myself, when I bump into the Bestmake blend. It is an absolutely charming tobacco. It seems to last forever. It doesn't bite. It is also rich and smooth. I think English blend smokers should look to some of the older blending houses such as Peretti, The Owls Shop, Park-Lane, Wilkes, and others annd check out their blends. All of them have this rich and smooth theme running through their tobaccos. I think their English and Orientals are on the whole superior.

But back to Bestmake. The burleys help keep the blend cool while the cavendish makes the Latakia behave itself and provide richness without carpet bombing your taste buds.

A real tribute to the blender and a joy to smoke. 4 stars.
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 09, 2005 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Another fine blend from a fine tobacconist. Bestmake is rich and smooth, without being heavy. Don't let the word cavendish fool you. It really is unsweetened, and takes any astringency out of the blend. The burley gives body, and lends a nutty quality to the smoke. There is just enough Virginia to keep the burley and Latakia from being harsh, but adds no detectable sweetness. The Latakia lends a mildly salty quality to the blend. There is a goodly portion of it, but it is far from overbearing. The aroma is very much like wood smoke. I love it, but others may not!

I don't think of this as a British style, more like a good American-English. The cut is mostly small cubes and ribbons. It loads beautifully, lights with one match, and burns down to a powder dry ash.

Fortunately, a good rain cooled things off a bit this evening, allowing me to sample this without suffering in the north Florida heat. This isn't a complex blend, rather, it is smooth, mellow, and satisfying. It would make a wonderful outdoor smoke on a brisk, autumn, day.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 12, 2020 Mild Mild Medium Unnoticeable
Disclaimer, I have only had two bowls of this and that was enough for me. Not saying it is bad quality but it just was too sweet for me. The jar note was exceptionally sweet and as stated smokes sweet as well. The description on this site says no flavoring added but several of the reviews says that it has a licorice note and no argument here. It is also classified as American due to the addition of Burley but for sake of argument if you like a really sweet smoking English give this one a try but not up my alley. Though it says no flavoring I am listing this as mild.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 08, 2006 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Sopwithcamel has this one pegged about right, though I'll add that I do find Bestmake somewhat complex, but not to the extent of High Hat, 72 or 193. This blend is grand even in the most unforgiving pipe and folks around you that cringe over other Latakia blends will simmer down and leave you be because it smells so good.

I would say this is a must try blend. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me smoking pipes.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 07, 2005 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Not my P&W first choice, but surely a good one. At a glance, you see a rough, mostly cube cut with a little presence of ribbons; it has a nice spicy smell, with some liquorice notes. It lights easily and burn steadily and cool, mostly due to the burley presence. The burley is really the first note that comes out, and dominates for the first half of the bowl, though you can taste the notes smelled before surrounding and supporting the smoke. Halfway down all the tobacco notes mix together and you can finally taste the latakia. A great blend.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 02, 2014 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Presentation is a ribbon cut of light, medium, and dark brown, with a touch of deeper black.   Pouch note is well-balanced, with a hint of sweetness amidst the smokier Latakia aroma and more neutral burley notes. Bestmake arrives at just the right moisture level and may be smoked right out of the bag. 

The charring light brings just a touch of sweetness, followed by a hint of smokey Latakia surrounded primarily by a distinct burley nuttiness.  As the true light progresses to the first third of the bowl, this blend lives up to its description: rich and mellow.  I would add: consistent and balanced. The constituent tobaccos are perfectly proportioned here, with each distinct flavor profile noticeable yet blended into a harmonious whole. No one actor is the star of this show, with burley, unflavored Cavendish, Virginia, and Latakia each expressing their unique flavors in each sip. 

This is a consistent blend, unlike some others that offer distinct changes in flavors as the bowl progresses. The balance is maintained through mid-bowl and the final third with little change in flavor.  There is, however, a very slight cocoa note and some saltiness that emerges by mid-bowl - not a flavoring, but rather the natural taste of good burley. 

While the blender describes this as a medium English, I would characterize it as a full American-English.  The distinction is important in that long-time English and Balkan smokers may find this blend on the light side of their Latakia fetish.  As an American-English, however, this blend is in a league of its own and, as such, is awarded four stars.  Superb, and my favorite blend of this genre. Nobody does American/English blends like Pipeworks & Wilke. 

This blend is so good that I'm truly surprised there are only 7 reviews.

Edit 2016: I still can't believe there are so few reviews of this spectacular blend. This is one that I always add to the samplers of Pipeworks & Wilke tobaccos I send to my pipe smoking friends. And it's always adored. Gentlemen: pull the trigger on this one. You won't regret it.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 23, 2007 Mild to Medium Medium Medium Pleasant
Another Pipeworks & Wilke trial pack which I was unable to finish because of a non-tobacco additive. The thing smells wonderful but destroys my tongue and taste buds. I realize that some smokers love this kind of thing, so I?ll give it 2 stars.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 14, 2005 Mild Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Bestmake Delightful. opening the Pouch smells delightfully, and i smoke a bowl full a non biting mixture, Virginia and Burleys are mixed with a non-aromatic Black Cavendish tobacco and topped with a generous amount of superior Latakia creating a traditional taste and with some liquorice delightful. burn cool all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, if you like Virginia and Burleys this is the tobacco for you. i love it I'am puting This in my tobacco cellar,

I smokes it consistently in any pipe,I Love This Tobacco it is charming

It is hard to get bit by it unless you really puff it. traditional medium strength English charming tobacco.

A.) I like it's complexity.

B.) I like that it's not biting.

C.) It is easy to smoke, and enjoy a all day smoke.

D.) The Bestmake lasts and lasts. the aroma in the room is delightfully,

this is a wonderful tobacco, and i give it 4 star
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 01, 2021 Mild to Medium Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The sample of Wilke Best Make that I received was at a good moisture level. It was a little dry but still springy. The tin note was sweet, with an evident topping present that I couldn’t make out. I could smell the campfire smokiness from the Latakia. I picked up on woody notes and brown sugar as well.

Upon lighting the topping is quite noticeable. It’s sweet and creamy, and melds well with the flavors of the tobacco. It sublimates the tobaccos to a degree at the beginning of the smoke, however it slowly fades a little revealing more of the tobacco flavors. That being said it never disappears and is present in ever puff of the smoke. The Latakia is Smokey, woody, and sports an incense note. This isn’t a Lat-bomb however the Latakia is the lead player. The VAs are a little bright and grassy that can sport a sharp edge if aggressively puffed. The burley has bit of molasses and earthy notes and help round the blend and bring the flavors together. The cavendish offers brown sugar throughout the whole smoke and sweetens the blend as well as helps balance it.

Best Make smokes dry and cool, and didn’t bite. As previously mentioned, it could sport a light rough edge if puffed aggressively. It stayed lit well with just a couple relights. This isn’t a strong English, It was fairly light in nicotine and could be smoked all day. 3.25 out of 4 stars.
1 person found this review helpful.
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