Tinder Box Special

As one who remembers well the "Special" of three decades ago, I simply have to ask, "Why?" "Why mess with a classic?

When I fisrt discovered Tinder Box tobaccos in 1976, I was drawn by personal preference to three of their bleneds....Philosopher, Conniseuer, and Special. But I was young then, and those blends were what they were intended to be. My favorite was Conniseur...because it combined my two favorite tobaccos, Latakia and Burley. but Special had the added attraction of Deertongue. A friend of mine bought Special and added a bit of Latakia. 'Twas very heaven!

Anyone who is condemned to judge Deertongue by C&D's "Crooner" is to be pittied. Judicially applied, that rare herb is magnificient; added carelessly, it will burn your mouth out!

I do not know if any old "Special"exists...but if not...it was magnificent. As for the current iteration...it is torerable.

A great smoke that lets you know you have a Latakia presence without being submerged in the stuff. Very pleasant Tinder Box offering....one of their oldest blends. A person could have their cake (Latakia), and eat it too (no Lat-Bomb). Nice after smoke aroma travels through the room. Burns well all the way to the bottom of the bowl. A winner!

After reviewing Tinderbox's Philosopher and Sherlock's Choice with some rather tepid remarks, I must state Special is a different animal to me. This really does seem an American "English". In fact, shortly after lighting this up I was struck with how similar this is to my former favorite everyday blend from another source -a private label for them as well, until they changed blenders. At this point, after replacing this 'everyday' blend with a couple McClelland's (notably Bombay Extra and Frogmorton) and especially with Cornell & Diehl's blends Engine 99, Byzantium, and Yale Mixture, I can't see this becoming my super favorite again. However, I did enjoy it at one time. The Latakia, though understated, is present. I've moved on, but this gets 3 Stars for old time's sake and I would probably buy more if ever again in that Tinderbox's neighborhood.

I took a trip out to the Tinderbox in Rockford ,Illinois and was greeted by the knowledgeable Tim. We discussed my preferences in pipe tobacco and settled on Special. The best way to describe this is the following: Very similar to Nat Sherman's #536 just not quite as heavy.I taste a Burley/Turkish combo with a proportional amount of Latakia added.The result is a truly unique achievement amongst English blends.It has a bready/nutty quality to it. It is a satisfying and comforting blend in which the Latakia is a spice and not the main course. It might also remind you of Lane's HGL without the addition of the sweetened cavendish. A very restrained yet satisfying tobacco. Well worth a try fot the English smoker and perhaps a good vehicle for entry into the Non Aromatic world for the rest. A very solid 3 stars.

I found this to be a very pleasant tobacco. Having read the previous reviews, I went to our local Tinderbox and purchased a couploe of ounces. I wasn't disappointed and I could see this being a regular.

Any bulk tobacco sold by Tinderbox that isn't flavored is indeed special, ergo the name? I accepted a couple ounces of this a year ago when I bought a pipe. Into a jar it went and packed away. This review is based on aged stuff.

I've never purchased Lane A100, so I can't say for sure, but this may be it or a variant of it.

It's predominantly a medium brown flake with a sprinkling of light and dark. The cut is mixed, not what I'd call ready rubbed. It is moist with $25/lb water, so drying may be advised. It smells wonderful: like Octobers of my youth, like leaves burning a block or two away, damp leaves at the curb, brown sugar on oatmeal, all in one.

At the match, turkish tobacco predominates and I swear I taste Syrian latakia. If it is Cyprian, it is mild indeed. C&Ds Santa's Mistake has that same latakian flavor. Sweetness is muted by peppery spiciness (oriental, not perique) until 1/3 bowl. Then the VAs come out to play and hang back again. It is one of those tobaccos that change characters throughout the bowl and burning rate; it makes for difficult characterization. The last third tends to strengthen in pepperiness.

Comparisons: if you liked Dunhill's EMP years ago, you'd like this. Others: Squadron Leader, Campanile, London Mixture.

Certainly a surprise from Tinder Box/Lane. I admit to an unfair negative bias, but this really is a nice medium English tobacco and find nothing to advise against it.