Ashton Artisan's Blend

Yes it is full of flavour and lacks strength concerning nicotine. It is a dilemma for me with heavy englisch/balkan blends. I love the taste of latakia but latakia has least nicotine of all tobaccos used in pipe tobacco produktion. Therefore all blends with 50 %
latakia or more are not really saturating. I do not give up finding a blend that give me both,flavour and nicotine.
Artisans is a really smoth , latakia heavy blend and recommended . To me it is way too mild

Esto si que es un tabaco de pipa rico rico rico
Verdaderamente lleno de sabor,mucho humo y dulzor especial.La Latakia que lleva y los tabacos son profundos de verdad y muy sabrosos.
He podido comprar varias latas para la bodega y supongo que en unos años mejorara.

This blend is worthy to be at the top of anyone's English list. I found it to be a flavorful, easy smoke. My first pipe went from light-tamp-light to ash, and all subsequent refills were pleasant to work with. The cut is thin enough for small pipes, but I settled on middle to large as easier and because I noticed I was going for immediate refills. Smoked slowly, the nic-hit was mild to my tolerance. Going in my permanent rotation.

Blend notes: “This full bodied English mixture is carefully crafted for the experienced pipe smoker. Virginia and Turkish tobaccos harmonize with Latakia and a touch of perique to create a taste that is resoundingly rich, spicy and satisfying.
Notes: The tin description and website pipesandcigars.com and smokingpipes.com show that Artisan's Blend has Virginia, Turkish tobaccos, Syrian Latakia and a touch of perique. But according to the Kohlhase & Kopp website, the main ingredient of this spicy mixture is Syrian Latakia, which was rounded off with small amounts of Virginia, fire-cured Kentucky, black cavendish, and perique. Currently, this blend only contains Cyprian Latakia, as the stock of Syrian Latakia ran out.”

Artisan Blend gets serious and positive reviews. It is a Latakia-forward, slightly sweet, mostly in-your-face traditional English. It’s a good English, needs some drying time, and of course (like most blends) has shifted away from the Syrian Latakia. Artisan Blend is a medium or moderate to full or strong blend.

One reviewer insists this is Brebbia tobacco, others want to compare it to a former Dunhill blend. I would not recommend Artisan Blend for someone new to English/Balkan blends, or for that matter, new to Latakia; there are far better mild English blends, like for instance, Hearth & Home’s excellent Magnum Opus, ESF’s Thomas’ Blend, or GLP’s Westminster.

All in all, Artisan Blend is a strong 3.5 stars out of 4.

I am a latikia lover and this is now one of my favorite smokes. Excellent English blends w/latikia are my absolute favorites. Artisan is a blend that came in under the radar because I didn't think it would be anything close to above average. The Virginians and Turkish give a stout smooth base and the Latakia is in the perfect medium to strong finishing touch. I could smoke this all day which is why I squirreled away a bunch of tins. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

After reading some reviews and the description of the blend I was very excited to taste this one, and I got what they mention and much more. The blend is very well-balanced, the mixture of tobaccos and their particular flavors are in every smoke. It burns very well and I got a complex and very pleasant smoke. Completely recommended.

This was nice, but to be honest, I don't get the hubbub. Objectively, it is enjoyable. It smells like smoked meat in the tin, but a lot less strong when smoked. On the other hand - me not getting the hubbub - I don't really find it worth the price. I've tried some much more flavourful blends, that we less expensive. This one was 15 euros, and what I usually smoke comes between 8 - 11 euros. To me, this was enjoyable, but not something I would be again, when I relate "how special" it is, compared to its price.

Initially reviewed about ten years ago under my other handle before rejoining TRs. This was the very first Latakia blend I sampled. This one contained the Syrian Latakia variety & I will edit at a later date after sampling the Cyprian Latakia version. After smoking mostly VAs, VA/Pers, VA/Burs, etc., I almost went into shock upon sniffing the tin. I remember that aroma from forty years ago when I sniffed some Latakia blends from the jars at a local Tinderbox in Houston at the Galleria Mall. I remember it being a dry smoky aroma. Little did I know at the time that they were of the Syrian variety. I just knew I wouldn't like it because the aroma didn't smell as good as the "Cherry Bomb" I purchased. But what did I know of tobacco back then? I had just purchased my first good pipe... a half bent Pete System.

I've come a long way since then & like Latakia in a blend if it is not overwhelmingly apportioned. Initially, after lighting up this Latakia blend for the first time I thought... not as bad as I was expecting & I loved the salt flavor I tasted occasionally from the Orientals. I started enjoying the flavor pretty good and thought this reached its peak when the salty flavor came through but it was very slight, subtle & the taste only came through at varying times when it hit that certain taste receptor on the tongue. There is much to like about this blend & I found it similar to other Latakia blends but much better than many others that I've tried since then.

AB is a good English with some Vitamin N punch that I will probably sample once again later on down the road. I've since tried many other Latakia blends including the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture & ever since have been on an odyssey in hopes of acquiring that Holy Grail flavor once again in a ten dollar tin. Good luck, right?

This was the very first Latakia blend I sampled about ten years ago & it used to be one the finest Latakia/English/Balkan blends available. This tin contained the Syrian Latakia variety. I have not as yet sampled the Cyprian variety. After smoking mostly VAs, VA/Pers, VA/Burs, etc., I almost went into shock upon sniffing the tin. I remember that aroma from forty years ago when I sniffed some Latakia blends from the jars at a local Tinderbox in Houston at the Galleria Mall. I remember it being a dry smoky aroma. Little did I know at the time that they were of the Syrian variety. I just knew I wouldn't like it because the aroma didn't smell as good as the "Cherry Bomb" I purchased. But what did I know of tobacco back then? I had just purchased my first good pipe... a half bent Pete System.

I've come a long way since then & like Latakia in a blend if it is not overwhelmingly apportioned. Initially, after lighting up this Latakia blend for the first time I thought... not as bad as I was expecting & I loved the salt flavor infused from the ocean breeze tasted occasionally from the Orientals. I started enjoying the flavor pretty good and thought this reached its peak when the salty flavor came through but it was very slight, subtle & the taste only came through at varying times when it hit that certain taste receptor on the tongue. There is much to like about this blend & I found it similar to other Latakia blends but much better than many others that I've tried since then.

AB is a good English with some Vitamin N punch that I will probably sample once again later on down the road. I've since tried many other Latakia blends including Gallaher's BSOM.