Wilke Pipe Tobacco Wilke No. 400

The smoky, woody, earthy sweet Cyprian Latakia is the star with a stellar support system. The Yenidje is slightly dry, earthy and woody with a very mild floral unflavored “soda” note in a minor, but important role. A light touch of perique adds a little spice, plum and raisin. The nutty, earthy, woody sweet Kentucky burley is more prominent than the perique, and while its participation varies throughout the smoke, you will always notice it. It also adds a minute spice hit. The Virginia is grassy citrus sweet with a little earth as a condiment. I’ve gone back and forth as to whether there is a topping, and have decided something extremely mild and sweet is present. The strength is medium, while the taste level is a couple of steps past that mark. The nic-hit a slot below the strength level. Won't bite, but has a few light rough edges. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent, very rich smooth creamy, campfire flavor that never weakens, and has no dull or harsh spots. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and the room note is a tad more potent. Not an all day smoke, but it's a repeatable one. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

One of the stronger Latakia blends on the market today thanks to the Burley and Perique. The Syrian Latakia employed was of good quality and it is a headline in #400. There is a bit of spicy sweetness thanks to the Yenidje and darker Virginia. For me, the best part was the strength. Many Latakia laden blends on the market do provide a full taste but are lacking punch. Not a problem with this one.

I've been in experimentation mode for the last year + and have sampled over 100 new blends. This is one of the top 3 or 4 in the experiment.

Comparing this to Nightcap does this incredible blend a huge disservice in my opinion. Nowhere in #400 do I find the cloudiness, confusion and dullness of Nightcap. In this one, the component tobaccos nestle perfectly with one another, no one tobacco taking center seat and the whole being perfectly melded with no "tobacco infighting". The burley sits back and carries the weight while the perique and turkish duet together, alternating the lead. The latakia is always there conducting and the VA lends its sweetness to what is a perfect symphony. The flavor has great depth and richness, the moisture content was near-perfect and I had no problems with tongue bite or keeping this lit. I'm supremely impressed with this tobacco. Stick it in a fancy tin with a fancy name on it and you'd have a classic. This one makes most classic tobaccos take notice. This is the Beethoven's Ninth of tobaccos. A stroke of pure genius.

Try this only if you appreciate blending genius and are looking for a tobacco that utilizes all your favorite condiments in a way few can accomplish. Well done, Ms Burns!

I know I am going to get mail on this one so I will try to make myself clear. While reading reviews on Wilke's 400 I was struck by the frequent mention of Dunhill's Nightcap. Of course it was Orlik's Nightcap being discussed not Dunhill's. It is interesting to note fuss kicked up about Balkan Sobranie, a blend I smoked tons of, because it had a great taste, a cool room scent, and I could buy it at Kroger. Yet, Dunhill slips into the abyss and no one even waves goodbye.

I go through this marlarky, to make this point, The 'Dunhill' Dunhill blends for the most part had these five things in common. 1. Strength 2. Smoothness 3. Balance 4. Depth 5. Richness

You will find all these present in Wilke's 400. If I remember correctly, the Nightcap was a really strong smoke. Wilke's 400 is probably a little smoother than the original. Not say better just smoother. The original had another agenda. So for Wilke's 400 a four.

I had been looking for something to replace Nightcap. While I will always miss Nightcap, I think that I have found something even better. Number 400 is a full body blend similar to Nightcap in fullness and strength. However that's where the similarities end. I find this to be more complex and more flavorful. P&W is really making some of the finest bulk blends on the market IMHO. Like many of the P&W tobacco's this does arrive somewhat wet so expect some drying time. Although the description state's "not for the timid," I find 400 to be very smooth with no bite. Highly recommended for those looking for a full tasting English.

It's a shame such a great blend doesn't get the attention it deserves as this is simply phenomenal! Latakia leads, but each type melds together offering a little bit of everything. Very smoky, with hints of sweet, spice and sour. Smoke/wood dominates the nose as well. Doesn't burn hot, instead you get minimal relights and moisture for your efforts. Absolutely worth trying!

It's spicy, sweet, slightly sour, and full of barbecue aroma. It tastes and smells different from the No. 72 and 524 I've smoked in the past. If I were to compare No. 72 to breakfast, No. 524 to lunch, and No. 400 to dinner, I'd say it's like a steak that you can savor. Or you could describe it as a barbecue to enjoy with your family to the garden. Coarsely cut tobacco leaves are mixed in, So it wasn't as easy to pack as No. 72 or 524 for me. In some cases, there are many times to relight a pipe. If you pinch and break the tobacco leaf to make it finer, the pack works well. Anyway, I'm surprised that I've never tasted such a blend before. The aroma is reminiscent of M×Donald's barbecue sauce. It's like a meal... A tasty blend that can only really be described as such. The room note is definitely BBQ. Your family might go hungry!

Wilke's Nightcap, with the ritual addition of some Kentucky (fire-cured burley) that makes it heavier without making it richer.

This is a good, full-flavoured latakia blend, don't get me wrong. But it just doesn't have the chimerical, oriental-périque playfulness of Nightcap.

On the other hand, if the presence of bass-heavy burley interests you, with the Turkish a little more subsumed, this Anglo-American blend could seem classic.

A few corrections to the website’s description in the heading for this tobacco. This is no longer a Carole Burns blend. This is a John Brandt blend. And I doubt that good John, the savior of House Wilke (thank you, John, from the bottom of my heart) has an inside connection to Syrian Latakia. So we can nix that field as well. [ edit: Someone is obviously reading these reviews, because these updates were made within 48 hours 🙂 ]

Those updates aside, what a great blend, this old No.400. The nose hints at what’s to come: an extremely balanced American English with the harmony we’ve come to expect from the old times Wilke blends, where no one player struggles for dominance. The tobacco arrives on the dry side relative to most corporate offerings, suggestive of limited artificial humectants. Aromas of leather and earth, dried mushroom, parchment, a hint of cocoa, exotic spice, the slightest twist of lemon, and pinch of domestic pepper. That’s a nose of the only Latakia we can get (not unpleasant mind you), good old (quality) American burley, delicious oriental, a touch of kind Virginia, and of course Perique.

That nose is what you get on the tongue: a balance of flavor, cool clouds of creamy smoke. Those who have read my previous reviews know that I’m not a fan of Perique in Latakia blends. Feed me the vitamin in VaPer, VaBur, and VaPerBur hybrid type blends (is that enough “er” and “ur”?). But once in awhile there’s a notable exception worthy of attention. The modern John Brandt rendition of this venerable blend is such an exception: consistent flavors from the char through the final third, and cool, creamy, rich, and best of all DRY smoke. It’s not that this is a particularly deep or complex flavor profile, rather that it’s among the best of what could otherwise be an overly complex blend. Instead of disparate flavor profiles going awry as they vie for dominance, the blend presents these flavors as harmonious - a cooperative effort. Wrapped in a dry-smoking, clean and creamy package with no extra moisture and zero goop in the bowl, I’ll call this a win for Mr. Brandt and for the genre.

The latest iteration of the American icon that is Wilke pipe tobacco has taken what ever-changing tobaccos are available to them and maintained the excellence of this blend. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again here: without disparaging the excellent imported tinned blends, products of changed hands over the decades though they may be, pipe smokers are strongly encouraged to look into the magic of the old school American blending houses: Wilke, Peretti, Uhle’s, etc. You will not be disappointed.

This excellent mixture rather puts me in mind of Dunhill no. 10, although I haven’t smoked the latter for nearly 20 years. It’s rich and smooth; and slow, contemplative sipping yields notes of buttery nuttiness, savoury orientals, incense, and spice. Relax and enjoy!