Wilke Pipe Tobacco Churchill

The smoky, woody, lightly floral, vegetative, herbal, earthy, semi-sweet rich Connecticut cigar leaf is the base of the blend, and most obvious component. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is an important secondary player. Competing with it is the nutty, earthy, woody, molasses sweet burley. Sometimes, the two swap positions. The lightly floral, dry, herbal, earthy, woody, slightly buttery sweet and sour Oriental is a condiment. The grassy, citrusy Virginia is essentially in the background. A few dabs of sugary black cavendish smoothes out potential rough edges. The strength is medium, while the taste just passes that mark. Both start out at little lesser levels, and each gain a couple steps as you go along. The nic-hit is closer to medium than it is to mild. Won’t bite, and has no harsh notes. Well blended with a little nuance, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a fairly consistent flavor that translates to the lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke depending on your proclivity for cigar blends. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

This is a wonderful smoke. I find the operative word is smooth. From lighting to the bottom of the bowl, this tobacco produces a smooth, consistent, full smoke that has a nice leathery flavor. I taste little of the Latakia, and only an occasional hint of sweetness from the black Cavendish. I don't taste any other tobaccos. A medium flavor with a slightly heavier nic-hit, this is a surprisingly good, and different, smoke for someone who doesn't smoke cigars. I would definitely recommend this for someone looking to break out of traditional English styles. This would not be an all day smoke for me, but very enjoyable.

Just had my 1st bowl tonight & love this blend, I also do enjoy the occasional cigar.

Carole was a pleasure to deal with especially this being my 1st order from a tobacconist.

This is my 1st tobacco review & just started pipe smoking early last year so I'm not nearly as experienced as many of the other reviewers on TR.

Update 20 March 09 - I still love this blend, I did get some Key Largo & do a comparison, KL is good I just prefer Churchill.

Update 29 May 09 - I'm smoking mostly VaPers & Navy Flakes these days so this is no longer in my daily rotation. I do keep some in the cellar for when the craving comes calling.

I really enjoy this blend which is a bit similar the Fox Bankers blend. I love cigar blends and this is good one. It is MUCH smoother that GLP Robusto, but it needs to be dried quite a bit. If you like this style it is worth a try.

I haven't smoked much Pipe Tobacco, which is a cigar leaf blend, so I'm writing this in comparison to "Billy Budd," which I used to smoke and remember well. Churchill can definitely be classified as a strong blend in Wilke's blends. But the taste itself hasn't quit being medium. Both Billy Budd and Churchill are nicotine-rich, full-bodied, spicy, and slightly sweet. But Billy Budd has an earthy, grassy, fermented, slightly muddy, definitely strong blend. For me, it's a good after-dinner blend, but not one I could smoke every day. In comparison, I think Churchill is a blend that leaves room for repeat smoking if you are an experienced pipe smoker. Rich and deep, the cigar leaf burns and reveals a fragrant cigar hint from the full-bodied ≈ medium taste found in many of Wilke's English blends. If I were to compare it to a cigar, a medium-bodied stick would fit the bill.

Very spicy, fine pipe tobacco. As every Pipeworks & Wilke it packs and burns extremely well, although I find this a little hotter than the other products of the blend. I also thought about Dunhill Durbar when I smoked it, but the English one is fuller and more complex. Very good.