Ashton Artisan's Blend

This is a winner. I am now just about to open my 3rd tin. The longer you hold the smoke the flavor just seems to expand.

The Latakia comes thru strongly so it is a must that you enjoy it which I do. Burns steady with few if any relights into a white ash. If you wish to try an English you will pleasantly suprised.

This stuff is really growing on me. It's very dry in the tin, but the cut is on the chunky side, so it burns well and smokes cool. I don't think this tobacco hits a bunch of different notes, but it's full bodied and tasty. To me, the flavor is predominantly Latakia, with the Perique occasionally coming through. I think I can taste the Turkish a bit, but I don't taste the Virginia or Cavendish (if there is any) at all. Lovers of Nightcap will probably find this to be a pleasant smoke.

Ashton has a winner in their Artisan's Blend. This is a very well-balanced and flavorful full English mixture, with just enough nicotine so you know it's there-- but you don't end up falling on the floor in a nicotine-induced stupor. The Latakia is assertive enough so you'll always notice it, while the Perique is only a delicate counterpoint to the stronger flavors of the Virginias and the Latakia. A.B. isn't quite as "heavy" as Dunhill Nightcap, but is ultimately just as satisfying. I recommend Artisan's Blend to any fellow English Mixture fanatics-- give it a try and you'll probably like it as much as I do.

This is a full bodied English. Really can't add much to the other fine reviews. I let mine dry a little - really doesn't need it though. A wonderful full flavor from the first match. You don't have to search for the taste - up front and stays till the end. Hate for the bowl to finish. To me its a well balanced blend no leaf fighting too hard. Yet the latikia is not far away. If I had to compare it to another avaliable tobacco, I would say HH Vintage Syrian would be close. However, Artisan's Blend has a fuller feel and flavor. Also, this is the driest tobacco I've ever smoked. A pipe cleaner used at 1/2 bowl hardly felt damp! Unreal. I'm using it right now to break in a couple of Dunhill Amber Roots - a tough job - but someone has to do it!

The Tin Aroma made this a very promising blend due to the wonderful Syrian Latakia content and orientals. At first light it was somewhat like Sobrane only a bit stronger but thats where the comparison ends because as I made my way down the bowl the perique overwhelmed the smoky taste and became too spicy for my liking. I am really not a big fan of Perique tobacco in English blends and I think Perique should be reserved for Virginia and Burley blends and not Latakia blends, anyway I was a bit disappointed with the end result because of this. If they had left the Perique out It might have been one of my favorite blends. I will revisit the tin when it has some age on it and see if my opinion changes.

This blend has been well covered so I will just add that I think Artisan's is destined to become a classic. (IMHO)

I will start by saying that I am primarily a VA smoker. However I really like this blend. It just has something I was missing from my virginias. There is absoultly no bite, it burns well and smokes cool and dry. It has a wonderfull smokey aroma that reminds you of being outdoors over a campfire. While smoking you get a different flavor with every puff. I like to smoke it in my Peterson XL11, the large bowl seems to allow for full range of development that you might miss out on with a smaller bowl. The virginia and latakia are the front runners and the perique is just enough to let you know its there without overpowering everything else. I will always have a tin on hand. Very nicley done.

God, this stuff is delicious! I can't help but contrast this for myself with Peterson's Irish Oak which - and I stress that this is to my mind - just woefully overdoes the Perique. Here the Perique is certainly discernible but only so far as it is one - as it were - note in a gloriously rich and complex collection of aromatic chords. It's a bit like the difference between chewing a handful of cloves or in having just two or three subtly and delightfully permeating, elevating and exciting the flavour of a whole apple pie!

It has a belt to it as well, so you don't merely go 'hmm, tasty, but I still need a smoke!' - it's not a great stonking, steel-toecap-boot of a nicotine fix; it's subtly powerful: two pipes head-to-head is a robust double pleasure rather than a cause for a trip to the ER.

It's not easy to get hold of in the UK and it's pricey when you do: 50g cost me £9.50 in Selfridges this afternoon, and that's an 'ouch' to be sure - but it is a treat. So treat yourselves!

I found this very wet when I first opened the tin which made the first bowl dreadful, however after drying it by leaving the tin open for a while it greatly improved. This is a very pleasent tobacco with a nice spicy taste which won't be to everyone's liking, but I find myself reaching for this tin quite often.