Ashton Guilty Pleasure

I bought this for the tin only. Then I smoked it and was pleasantly surprised. I stopped smoking fruity cased tobaccos a few years ago, so I wasn't looking for this type of this tobacco. I must say that it is the first time a tin (containing and aromatic blend) perfectly describes the contents inside. Sweet fruit overwhelms the senses followed by a creamy vanilla type flavor and aroma. Furthermore it did one other unexpected thing; it did not goop up like other aromatics. It burned a solid white ash all the way through. I was rather surprised by this blend. It's nice on a hot day with lemonade but it can be too much sometimes. Most definitely recommend for the candy tobacco lover.

this is the first time i have tried this tobacco and i quite like ashton blends and i quite like this one.nice tin aroma and smokes well with a very nice room note, the tobacco burns quite well...not much relighting,this tobacco is far better than many i have tried like 3nuns.and the dreadful clan..never again for those tobaccos. this tobacco does give a nice fruit taste in the mouth,but it needs to be smoked slow dont rush it and it will give you enjoyment.and thats what pipe smoking is all about...enjoyment.

I tend to stay away from tobacco that is flavored with fruit or any other additive that I suspect will take away from the tobacco itself. I usually smoke some sort of flake with a lot of nicotine and big ‘tobacco’ flavor so I didn’t give this one much chance, but for 20 bucks I said , “ what the heck “ , I need to broaden my perspective, so I bought it. I got very nervous when I opened the tin because the vanilla and fruit just seems really over the top, but that intensity didn’t carry over to the smoke. It seemed very moist out of the tin, but burned cool and clean and didn’t seem to bite. I’m familiar with cigars that carry the Ashton name and they are very good, and I’ve tried other pipe tobacco with the Ashton name on with mixed results. I won’t look for this in the near future, but I would buy it again and I gave it a 3 because it’s made with quality Virginia and Burley and would appeal to a smoker looking for those kind of flavors in a good smoke.

The tin is a little wild on this one, but it makes for a good draw. When you open your tin you will see a nice even cut ribbon with a few stems here and there. There is a nice mix of light browns and black in the ribbon. The tin note smells like creamy fruit and mangos, with a hint of Burley nuttiness. This blend does come rather wet, so some dry time won't hurt. It does stuff and light fine, but it will tend to burn hot, so I recommend smoking this in a longer stemmed pipe.

When I light this up I taste a pleasant melange of flavors. The Mango does peak through, and the citrus builds well off of it. The vanilla isn't as noticeable in taste to me, it kind of gives a milkshake flavor to the blend. Now the Cavendish adds a toasty note, and the Burley adds some nuttiness that pairs well with the toppings, but I feel like the Virginias are MIA. Smoking this fast, besides causing tongue burn, can make this blend taste really acrid.

The taste on this blend is a mild, as aromatics go it's just not as bold as say Sutliff's Rum or Molto Dolce. The strength is mild and I have a hard time detecting it. The room note is amazing and you will get a lot of questions from non smokers. I think this is a solid aro but it's not for me. I would not refuse it if it was offered, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy a tin of this either.

This is a provisional review. I am on my second consecutive bowl in a pipe that has not hosted an aromatic tobacco in forty years. So far, it is a pure delight. Yes, the sweetness is borderline overpowering but admirably holds back so that the whole blend dominates. It is one of the few smokes I've had that matches in enticement the aroma of the tobacco when the lid first comes off. It may not be a keeper -- it IS, after all, an aromatic -- but so far I am not disappointed that I invested blindly in two tins rather than just an experimental one. Thanks to Pipes And Cigars for suggesting it as a substitute for a similar blend that no longer is available but was reviewed well on this website.

Have you ever eaten a well-ripened mango? It's sweet, delicious, and velvety—a delicacy. It's a fruit that leaves your palate silky and smooth. Now, how does this tobacco compare? In every aspect mentioned. I prefer eating the fruit, of course. However, this tobacco might be the best aromatic representation of that fruit. The flavor isn't overwhelming; it's gentle, persistent, and doesn't feel like smoking sugar at all. Quite the opposite—it closely resembles a natural mango. Therefore, it doesn't get tiring. I don't notice the vanilla, although I do perceive a second aroma similar to piña colada. It burns slowly, doesn't sting, and produces little smoke; there's no need to insist on large puffs. The richness and aroma linger until the end.

My 1st one. First time was verry sweet. But make me to love to pipe! So it’s a good taste at the end, I’m happy for the

I think some people have a tendency to rate things, whether the things are tobacco, beer, wine, etc., according to personal taste only without considering how it stacks up against things in the same style category. For example, someone rating Nightcap might say, "I hate latakia, so I'm giving this blend one star." In my opinion, this is not fair to the item being reviewed.

I don't smoke aromatics very often, and I favor English blends. I'm rating Guilty Pleasure compared to other aros, not to pipe tobaccos in general.

First, the tin aroma is great, with mango dominating. The moisture content was perfect, not overly sticky like a lot of other aros. Caveat: my tin was 1.25 years old when purchased (apparently this stuff doesn't fly off the shelves), so the age might have helped. The ribbon cut is what you'd expect.

This blend lights easily and stays lit until the end, as long as you don't ignore it for too long. I end up relighting it once or twice.

Unlike the tin aroma, no single component dominates the flavor, which is well-balanced. While it is on the mild side, the VA and burley flavors are definitely present along with the mango and citrus, with the latter being a little stronger towards the bottom of the bowl. I only get a trace of vanilla, which I think blends in with the other sweet flavors. I wouldn't notice it if I wasn't looking for it.

This blend smoked fairly cool, but got a little hot at the end after a relight. I got a slight hint of tongue bite at the end, but the pipe I'm using as I review this is a little longer than a nose warmer which might exacerbate this.

The room note is mango and citrus, with mild tobacco aroma coming in last. It's very pleasant.

I got a slight nicotine buzz after smoking the bowl down to ash, but I hadn't eaten recently. There were a couple drops of moisture left behind.

Overall, I think this is an excellent, underrated aromatic. Kudos to the blender who came up with the mango/citrus/vanilla combo, which really hits the spot for me. Its tropical notes and fairly mild character will make this an enjoyable summer blend. I would recommend Guilty Pleasure to VA/bur fans who want something on the light/sweet side for a change, or new pipe smokers who smoke aromatics but would like to move up to something with more character.

If you've smoked Peterson's aromatics you'll recognize the style (and may experience Déjà vu).

This is very similar to Connoisseur's Choice (or Nutty Cut, or Gold Blend, or...). That's an observation not a criticism.

Sweet, lovely room note, tastes quite nice, but can get a little tedious towards the end of the tin.

In a tie break between this and Connoisseur's Choice; it'd be so close that I'd have to decide it by saying that Guilty Pleasure has slightly better tin art.