Ashton Consummate Gentleman

My first english mix, which i like a lot. Spunky stuff, with perfect burning properties. I need to try other english mixtures as well, then i'll come back to complete my review.

Disclaimer This is my first review and it comes after an extended (3+ year) break from the briar. I am a novice pipester and still developing my palate. /Disclaimer

Consummate Gentleman, as many other reviewers noted, is a middle-of-the-road English style blend. While I like it, no single part of it stands out. It smokes well, leaving a fine ash, though it is a little moist straight out of the tin. I tend to reach for it when I'm not sure what I want to smoke.

Three stars if you're looking for an undemanding smoke that is still somewhat satisfying, two stars because it lacks complexity and at times tastes...dry?

Reccomended for latakia lovers. It is a very dark blend, with dark aromas. The latakia is in front place. If you like it... Maybe not a complex mixture, but well done with quality leafs.

Consummate Gentleman is, IMHO, a medium mixture. This contains Burley, so I don't know if it could be called a true English, but it can be called a very tasty blend. This loaded and lit easily in any size bowl. A minimum of attention was needed to keep it burning. CG smoked cool, left a salt and pepper ash and a dry pipe. While it may be a bit too strong for the new pipester, the veteran pipester should try this, if only to say they have. CG earns a spot in my tobacco rotation.

Ashton's Consummate Gentleman is a good middle-of-the-road English mixture. There's a pleasant interplay of flavors among the component tobaccos; none is especially dominant in C.G. You won't get a big Latakia blast from C.G., but there's enough Latakia in this mixture so you won't forget it's there. The Burley adds a nice undertone of nuttiness to the flavor. I am usually wary of English mixtures that contain Burley-- low-quality Burley can spoil an otherwise tasty blend, and sometimes imparts an almost bitter, cigarette-like taste, but this is first-rate tobacco here, and it only enhances the overall flavor and aroma. I'm amused by the illustration on the label: the lady at the lower right almost seems to be frowning over the scent of the nearby pipe-smoker's C.G., and she appears to be waving away the smoke (which I doubt was the illustrator's intention). In truth, the room note of Consummate Gentleman isn't terribly strong, and has been well-tolerated by my non-smoking friends. C.G. is a little moist when the tin is freshly opened; a few hours' worth of drying time with the lid off helps quite a lot. C.G. lights readily and doesn't require frequent relights-- and I've never been tongue-bit by it. A good choice for a medium English-- definitely worth a try.

This is my first pure english blend and I like it. While this is as mild as I'd ever like to go, there is flavour here -subtle, creamy and interesting after months of VAs and VA/Pers. The word that keeps coming to mind is "vanilla", or maybe butterscotch- zero harshness with enough to keep the palate stimulated, this is good stuff. In comparison I found the Artisan's Blend a bit 'shouty'. Think of this as cool, slightly overdriven blues while the Artisan's more Steve Vai.

A good English blend!

Good quality leaf here that will not let you down! Although I am not a Latakia person I liked that one much..

Not for the aromatic fan though..

My brother actually had a tin of this lying around and I was surprised by how well it smokes. It is has a nice traditional flavor and surprisingly pleasant room note. It didn't blow me away and I didn't find to flavor to be all that complex or interesting, but maybe I just don't know what I am talking about. Seeing as I didn't pay for the tin, I can't complain about the price but looking at retailers online, it definitely seems a bit overpriced for what you are getting. If you don't mind that, I would pick up a tin.

This "ASHTON" is the european version,not the McClelland version.I really taste Kohlhasse&Kopf in this blend. The tin says "MADE IN EU" The best way to describe this shag/ribbon cut mixture is a "EUROPEAN CORNELL&DIEHL English blend. I say that because it has that distinct Virginia/Latakia flavor common to Euro blends,but the Burley in this gives it a very unique and quirky type of flavor.This has an almost toasty/nitty quality to it.I like Latakia,and although the tin says"a pinch of Latakia" trust me,there is more than a pinch.It is a medium English with a nice burley flavor to it.The blend never gets hot,although it was a little dry for my taste when I opened the tin.I "shpritzed" it with distilled water like I do with my C&D blends. A good all day English.This I would classify as a very high quality "BULK BLEND" in a tin.A great characteristic of this tobacco is the room note-it dissipates very quickly -within seconds. It will not offend anyone around you.This may not be earth shattering,but it really is very good.A nice adventure into THE ENGLISH BLEND FROM EUROPE THAT TASTES LIKE AN AMERICAN ENGLISH BLEND! A little expensive $9.75 per tin,but I did not feel I overpaid. Give it a try if you like Cornell&Diehl products.This one has a european twist to it. 3 of 4 English stars.