Wilke Pipe Tobacco Wilke No. 400

Being a huge fan of Syrian latakia I find myself reaching for this blend on daily basis. It starts off with a nightcap type of flavor profile until the mid point then the burley kicks in and it is like a whole new blend, solid with a good amount of nico and body. Carole at P&W is great to deal with and I highly recommend their blends.

Pipeworks & Wilke can do better tobaccos than this one, but it has some good qualities. Looking at the tobaccos involved here, you can expect something like Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend, with the difference that this P&W is much more classy and refined. Kentucky is the dominant note just after lighting, but soon the other elements emerge, especially latakia and orientals, while the perique stays in the background. Better than the Bill Bailey's, but loses the match with Dunhill Nightcap.

Wilke Pipe Tobacco
No. 400

Blend notes: “ A full English blend for those who prefer something with greater body as an after dinner smoke. A base of the finest Cyprian Latakia to which is added Turkish Yenidje, Kentucky Burley, Perique and Virginia.”

I tend to agree with jiminks that there is likely some mild topping to this otherwise excellent, moderate English blend by Wilke. The taste is comfortably sweet but not cloying. Relative to their Surbrug Jackson, No, 400 is integrated and ‘makes sense.’ It reminds me of Maltese Falcon or Father Dempsey — the various players are not being pushed out of the way by team Latakia.

The Yenidje adds a bit of spice, as does the slightly plummy not-very-sour Perique. The burley is the skeleton, aided by a slightly citrus element from the Virginia. No heavy hand was used to get this blend to market.

No. 400 is not ideal for someone new to Latakia-oriented English blends, but then I would argue this is not a ‘full’ blend as much as a moderate version. That of course depends on the individual palate.

If you were new to English/Balkan blends, I’d push you to Thomas’ Blend or Gemini, both from Emerson Southern Forged, or White Knight or Magnum Opus both from Hearth & Home, or maybe Abingdon from Greg Pease or H&H’s Black House.

Overall, this is a moderate strength (taste profile) blend that deserves 4 out of 4 stars.

Oh my gosh - Wilke 400 is a kick in the sorts! This blend starts off with a full taste profile and does not look back. There is lots of smokiness with a wonderfully tangy latakia and perique lead and nice nutty, earthiness that I feel comes from the burley. The Virginias are there, but seem to be working hard to keep up. As one who enjoys more full tasting, complex blends, I find 400 to be very rich and satisfying. I'd recommend this blend after a nice dinner, lounging with friends over a fine bourbon.

Since the first time I tried this it has had a place among my top ten favorites. It has many of the same ingredients seen in some other Wilke blends that I’ve given only three stars to, but here the proportions are (for me) just perfect. Unlike my days as a wine critic, where the reviewing process is very codified, I’m taking advantage of the more relaxed format on TR and rating blends on a subjective basis, based on how much I enjoy a blend. However, describing flavors accurately, in either case, does not change. Remember: taste is subjective (whether you like broccoli or not) but describing tastes (properly) is not subjective. That would be a good topic for a YouTube video if I ever get around to starting a channel.

No. 400 is a most satisfying full-bodied end of day smoke for me but it is smooth enough that I still enjoy it now and then on my mid-morning walk. I enjoy it by itself, or with a drink. The jar note is an enticing blend of savory with a slightly sweet nuance. This comes through on the palate as well. When it was young it was a little harsher the first few minutes, still a good three-star smoke, but not yet to its four star goodness. Now that I’m taking from a jar with nearly three years of age, it is smooth and tasty from the first light, even while taking flame. I have another jar that will remain undisturbed until it hits the five year mark. Thus far, I don’t see much change in character, just any last vestiges of rough edges that go away with some age. No. 400 doesn’t have the immediate wow effect of Sailor Jack, but it just grows and grows to the end of the bowl, and it always satisfies.

When young the jar note had some odd fruity overtones of both apple cider and ripe banana peel (volatile isoamyl). This affects the flavor of the tobacco in the first few minutes (reminding me a bit of the top dressing used in Germain’s King Charles), but soon flashes off. The aged jar does not have any of this. Once the flavors settle in I get a complex range of flavors: rye bread, honey-roasted cashew, pistachio, anise, pumpernickel, brown sugar, bourbon, and creamy tapioca. Other than the natural rye flavor, most of what characterizes this blend for me is the distinctive amalgam of casing flavors from the various tobaccos. But with this particular flavor profile it is hard for me to think of this as English blend. I think of it simply as my favorite evening send-off, often sitting on the deck gazing at the stars. Fulsome flavors, but smooth and creamy. I often think that if I knew a bowl would be my last smoke ever, I would hope it would be this.

Deep, rich ,and alluring describe this masterpiece.I do not see the Nightcap comparison though.Very different from High Hat. This is smokey and leathery and rich. Similar to Rich's Old Fashioned 759 in every way.This is a Latakia torte with a significant amount of Turkish. An excellent after dinner blend. 4 of 4 stars.

Much like other offerings from P&W this arrives as quite the moist tobacco. By habit, I now allow a measure to air dry for some time until smoking. This was loaded into a very large capacity Castello Rhodesian and set to as the morning smoke. At first it came across as a lighter English style blend but as the bowl progressed the depth intensified and began to produce only what I can describe as a thick creamy mouthfeel with rich flavors and aromas.

I agree with the others in comparing 400 with Nightcap. But it is also very different. To me it has more lingering aromas and flavors and really does encouraged one to finish one bowl and to immediately start another.

I have always favored #78 and #10 also by P&W, but this may trump them both. Never biting or even threatening to bite it deliver a symphony of flavors and does indeed wander about in its complexity and depth. Perhaps better to compare this with the maker's High Hat but with more depth, strength and flavors.

I have to offer a new review of this blend. For whatever reason, smoking several bowls of this blend when it arrived was unsatisfactory. I attribute this to high-moisture content. My stash has come to a proper humidity, and my opinion has changed for the better.

This is a medium-full blend with a lot of character. It is very deep with sudden highs and wandering complexity. Occassionally, some Turkish notes are detectible, but mostly this is Latakia and a bit of sweetness until marvelous perique does the "perique thing" and you start loading another pipe for when you finish the previous one.

If you like Dunhill's Night Cap, try this after eating and with a distilled beverage. It is cooler than Night Cap and burns to an amazing white, dry ash. Sophisticated and approachable, 400 is geared for quiet contemplation before turning in for evening slumber.