Uhle's Blend 114

I just finished up a bag of this and am up in the air on how I feel on this one. Part of my hesitation lies in the fact that I have not really had an "English/Balkan/VLO blend with Perique thrown in" that I like. It is just the way the smokiness of the latakia seems to interact with the spicy fruitiness of the perique that just tastes off to me. This one has that same phenomenon, but the lemon sweetness of the Virginia combined with some nutty orientals makes this one more palatable for me.

I believe it is the nutty orientals that are doing it for me more than anything else as they fill a role typically reserved by burley that makes the Lat and Per get along better. This blend does smoke pretty smooth and does not bite as one would expect in these types of blends. It does lack some the creaminess that I typically look for in Balkan blends as it does have some rough edges. The nicotine is better than average with Balkan blends.

This one reminds a bit of Nightcap, but maybe not as strong in the Nic department. I also was not a fan of nightcap, but I would put this above nightcap. Overall, I found this to be a good representative, to my tastes, as to how a blend in this genre should be done. For that, and because it comes from a blender more known for burleys than Balkans, I will give it 3 stars.

As noted, no burley in this one anymore. This is a nicely robust, full-flavored basic English latakia blend. Mostly dark in the pouch with streaks of lighter leaf, and a typical latakia aroma.

Taste was juicy and meaty. Almost as much so as Bishop's Move, but it doesn't have quite the burst of flavor as its stablemate. That might make it preferable to many smokers. This is also not an all-day type of tobacco for me, but would make a great after dinner or festive smoke.

While I found this one a very good smoke, the issue for me is that it doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from the myriad latakia blends out there. It's not as complex as Bishops Move, or as spicy-sweet or balanced as some other blends, nor did I find it as tasty as some others. I find this one difficult to review, mostly because it has little that stands out that I can "adjective-ize". That's not to say this is a mediocre smoke - not at all. It's quite good. It just has too much competition in my cellar. I do, however, recommend this one for smokers that enjoy a flavorful, even-tempered latakia blend. If you're considering a Uhle English sampler, this one should be on your list. But I'll stick with Bishop's Move, thanks.

A solid 3 star English! Almost as good as a tinned blend. Much better than any bulk English I have had. Very straightforward and simple taste. No sweetness at all here. This is for the GL Pease "Westminster" crowd. If you love Latakia and Turkish -go for it! An extremely clean tasting blend. I went to Mader's German restaurant after visiting the shop and could still clearly taste my food. Good stuff!

Fantastic blend with all ends of the english spectrum taken care of.

A very nice latakia showing itself right away and well into the bowl melding into sweet nuttiness.

Blended by hand, I enjoy being able to purchase this locally or order it from the comfort of my home.

A must try!

This is the strongest English mixture in the Uhle's line-up. I much prefer it over the Bishops Move as there is a better balance of latakia to Turkish. Whereas in the Bishops Move the Turkish predominates, here it is detectable, but more in the background and the latakia presence is never in doubt. The burley also adds a nice body and being a fancier of that leaf, I have no problems with its inclusion (or the cavendish for that matter) in what is basically an English mixture. I am aware that some find the cavendish in Dunhill 965 to be blasphemy, so I imagine the same will recoil in horror at the idea of burley and cavendish. Nevertheless, I suggest you close your eyes, pack your pipe, put flame to tobacco and just enjoy it. The cavendish in #114 is not like the cavendished VA in the 965, and I daresay you won't know it's there as it does not have such an aromatic quality. I consider #114 as being comparable to 965 in strength, the #114 being perhaps a bit lighter in taste. Because it is rather full-bodied it is a cold-weather tobacco for me, and is in my regular winter rotation along with the other Uhle's non-aromatic latakia mixtures. As with the others this is a dry tobacco and smokes beautifully. I can highly recommend #114 to anyone who enjoys a full-bodied English tobacco.