Ashton Artisan's Blend

I'll add my notes to the info here on Artisan's blend. in a phrase, this is a great tobacco. Just a great experience with all kinds of smoky and spicy nuances at play right to the bottom of the bowl. This is probably in my top three favorite tobaccos. AB is quite heavy on Latakia smokiness without being overpowering and still plays nice with the orientals, etc. Nic effect is near perfect for me, very relaxing without leaving me drooling and stumbling. Pack a big bowl an hour before bed and let the experience play out while enjoying the complexity of this blend.

I had wanted to try this for some time, so when a sealed tin was offered for exchange, I jumped at the chance. I have to say I was disappointed with the result.

The appearance of this mixture is quite dark & doesn't have the contrast of other English mixtures, without the interesting sights of light Virginias mixed with dark Latakia with other Orientals thrown in. It seems to be fairly uniform dark brown.

This tobacco has a fairly typical English mixture scent from the tin, but is somewhat milder than others, with less punch & 'oomph'. It just smells a little flat and uninteresting.

Loading up the bowl, the mixture pack easily, and burns fairly well. I would add that this is after a little drying time as mine came fairly damp from the tin, and when I tired to smoke a bowl straight from the off, it was a nightmare which kept going out, and packed clumpy.

The taste is milder than most Englishes, it seems to be an English struggling to escape from behind a moribund covering of substandard blending. There is no kick to the blend either. The fact that the English mixture is in there somewhere is its saving grace, but there is no real character to speak of. The typical strong hit of an English taste, with blended tobaccos working in harmony seems to be smothered - almost - to the point of redundancy behind a tobacco combination which just doesn't work for me. The Latakia & Perique could be sensed, along with the Virginia, but not enough to be meaningful within this smoke.

The room note, again is just somewhat bland.

The nicotine strength seemed to me to be quite mild, although my everyday smokes are somewhat stronger than the average tobacco.

All in all, it burned & packed well, but smelled, looked & tasted bland and uninteresting to me. For that reason I will give it 2 stars, many here seem to like it, so maybe I got a dud tin. I will also state that I cannot give it 1 star, because like every other tobacco I have tried, it's not nearly as bad as Clan, which is the benchmark by which I judge all other substandard tobaccos by when deciding on my start rating. I will not, however be keeping this around. For the sake of fairness, I will but some more in future to see if my tin was actually an exception to the rule.

Top shelf English. The harmony of the Cavendish, Virginia, Orientals, Latakia and Perique is beautifully balanced, incredibly rich but never overwhelming. Spot-on with the nicotine level too.

Artisan's Blend has been a long standing favourite of mine. It carries all the complexity of a well-blended, high quality mixture with plenty of latakia and a lovely presence of peppery perique that doesn't excessively magnify the nicotine content. I appear to have a fairly low nic tolerance, so this is a real bonus in a blend that can happily be smoked back to back. Superior to both Dunhill and Peterson blends, IMO, it has no ashy taste nor over-reliance on a well-known name to mask declining quality.

This is consistently satisfying with few quality assurance issues - few stalks and nicely mixed. I often have to relight this blend, but the higher lat content probably explains that, along with my desire to spin out each bowl for as long as possible. Smoky in volume as well as taste, it is never harsh and benefits from retrohale. My wife likes the room note, if such considerations are important.

A tobacco worthy of its name. A true artisan work. When you first open the tin, you are cordially welcomed by an aroma of Syrian Latakia and orientals.. Followed by a very dark well cut chunks of tobacco. The moisture content is acceptable, though a bit of drying may be your thing. I never needed to, though. It packs easily but preferably in a wide and stout bowl as the chunks of baccy are not quite ribbons but rather square chunks. Once packed it lights with a bit of effort but it stays lit. The first draw is absolutely astounding, with an open bouquet of flavours from the Latakia and Orientals followed by the lovely rich virginia and later a tad of spiciness from the perique. It burns quite cool and is reduced to ash with little dottle, even in briar. No moisture noticed either in briar or Meerschaum. It has a strong room note and those who do not smoke will glare at you for it. But for the pipe smoker, it only provided a beautiful, smooth and quite creamy smoke with a strong, woody, smoky room note. Definitely one of the finest tobaccos out there

What can I say - this blend is everything people say it is.

Tin note is an intoxicating melange of spirits, smoke and natural tobacco.

Just a wonderful, smoky flavor bomb of a blend. I would guess that there is some fire-cured Kentucky in it because it seems smokier than what I have experienced with Syrian latakia, and there are flavors there that remind me of it. Which is great, I love that taste. But that Syrian taste is definitely there, no doubt about it. I think the reviewers that mention cognac are on to something... has something subtle that reminds me of it for sure.

In any case, one of my all-time favorites, especially with some age. Fantastic!

Ashton Artisan's blend is a delicious and complex smoke.

Initially on opening the tin I was greeted with a rich earthy, whisky aroma, full of peat and promises. On first light the flavours really bonded into a rich, complicated profile which shifted through the bowl between sweet and smokey.

By the finish i was completely satisfied on both flavour and strength, and would heartily recommend to the lover of an English blend.

Well Ashton went and did it, provided a blend that is actually a elevation of another Hall of Fame blend (if its not it is a travesty) and that is Dunhill's NightCap. Upon tin opening, the familiar English note had a sweetness to it that you won't find in Nightcap... although at a slightly lower payoff in nicotine (which some may consider a bonus I guess).

The tobaccos are deftly put together, the moisture is spot on, and in either tall Meers or fat briars Artisan's blend comes across as smooth, slightly sweet, non-acrid in a way that is to me superior to NightCap (the horror :o)

Its going on my favorite list immediately and I do intend to get more tins stocked in place soon. Great stuff!!

Ashton Artisan’s Blend is my instant hall of fame nominee. Buttery smooth, never aggressive, but at the same time full of flavor and pure satisfaction. Intensely smoky at first, then nutty-sweet with more Orientals in the middle and some earthy, leathery notes at the end. Taste and smell complement each other in perfect balance. I dedicated my Ashton Pebble Grain XXX to it. A filter doesn’t kill it, but is not recommended and in my opinion also not nescessary.

Highly Recommended blend also to less experienced Latakia lovers for its smoothness. In my opinion this is a milestone within this entire Ashton line. Too bad the supply of Syrian is limited.