Tobaccos Ashton - Winding Road

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-05-28		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This Aston Blend does not get a lot of respect nor high ratings but for the life of me i don't know why, other than the fact that most likely previous reviewers smoked it right out of the tin and not drying it out some. It does come too moist in the tin, but with a little dry time, it becomes a very tasty smoke, mostly a citrusy VA flavor with the caramel just making an appearance andthe apricots just adding to a very nice room aroma. I find it to be quite enjoyable to smoke, it burns very well and dry, and smokes down to a fine grey ash with no gunk or moisute at the bottom of my pipe. It is an all brown tobacco cut in a rought ribbon cut and was very easy to load and pack in the pipe. But it must be dry to enjoy. Dry it will not bite at all, and while you can stove it into a fireball if you puff too fast, smoked slow and proper, it is very tame and tasteful. It is a great blend for smaller pipes. I am smoking it in a small L Peretti cherrywood and I am totally enjoying it. This belnd should get more repect than it does, and I do recommend giving it a try.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-12-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I hadn't tried an Ashton blend before but liked the description of this one, being somewhere between an English and an Aromatic. Let's be clear though, this has very little in common with an English mixture, it's simply an aromatic with more tobacco taste then most aros.

Upon opening the tin i was met with a very distinct scent of apricot, much like the description on the tin says. I can't really say it was that inviting though, as it was a rather overpowering scent which blocked any other nuances and that I feared would perhaps also dominate the taste.

Not to worry, after drying the tobacco a little (it was very damp straight out if the tin, which probably contributed to the smell) it lightened up easily enough and I set to work on it. It turned out to be a very mellow and pleasent smoke, very much dominated by the sweetness of the Virginias, with just a hint of a citrus taste to it as well, but not in any way overpowering or artificial as I initially feared. The taste was also consistent throughout the bowl.

I had no problem keeping it lit all the way through and it in no way burnt hot or gave me any tongue-bite as some reviewers have experienced.

I've since smoked about half the tin and my initial thoughts and feelings have not changed: A solid choice for aromatic fans who like to taste the tobacco and not just the casing.

Edit: I'm now well into my second tin and I've decided to upgrade to 4 stars. This one is obviously not for everyone, but I enjoy it more and more with each bowl. The focus is more on the VA's then the BC which is perhaps slightly unusual for an aromatic and that might be what's throwing people off. For me that's turning out to be a good thing though, probably as I've been trying and very much enjoying some pure VA blends lately.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-10-14		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Ashton - Winding Road.

This has an excellent aroma, I get a solid Virginia with a delicate sweet/fruity topping. The content of this blend appears to be mostly Virginia, it's about 15% Cav' to 85% Virginia. I can't find anything to moan about with the hydration level, it's not dry, not damp but right on the money!

I get this one lit with no difficulty whatsoever, I'm using my jet flame lighter today but it would be more than reasonable to use just an old school match; a jet is maybe "to much power" for Winding Road! The taste is very reminiscent of the un-lit aroma, in the fact that this too is delicate! The aromatics seem to be quite light, a slight zingy note from the apricot along with a creamy sweetness from the caramel, but I do personally find the caramel to be the more discernible of the two. The burn's good quality and the smoke's free from bite.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: lovely.

No problem awarding this four:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Altinok Lee Van Cleef

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: G.Q Tobaccos

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gentleanachronism (10)	2014-08-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a great blend if you're transitioning from aromatics to Virginians. The Cavendish in it provides a sweet smell which dominates the tin and room notes, but doesn't overpower the naturally sweet taste of the Virginia leaf, making the whole affair taste very much like apricots (like it says on the tin). A great beginners smoke that can also be enjoyed by long time pipers.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: October Crimson.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2020-03-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

First off I'd like to say I don't like tons of aromatics as I prefer that taste of the tobacco itself. This, however is one of my favorites. Right as you open the tin it smells of fruit and to my inexperienced palate somehow smells like an oatmeal cookie. But that fruit note does not dominate the blend, I can definitely smell the Virginia's and all of the components.

The cut on this one is a ribbon which is perfect for packing, and I had no issue with the mechanics of lighting it and keeping it lit.

Now, to the meat of the matter. In my experience whenever I smoke an aro I either have a hard time tasting the topping or I find it a little overpowering with a chemically taste. Every now and then I find a golden medium and this is one of those. You aren't run down by the citrus and apricot flavours, and the underlying tobaccos shine through. They add a very pleasant uplift to the experience, smoothing out the rough edges in the blend. In a churchwarden I find the fruit flavors to be more pronounced, but also more delicate and as a result this has become for me one of my Nightcap tobaccos. It's perfect after a meal or otherwise before bed. All in all, if you are looking for an aro that lets the tobacco shine through this is my recommendation, if you are looking for something with a bold fruit sort of note, this won't be for you.

Pipe Used: Mr Brog Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: 5 Months

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2009-12-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I almost like this one. It has a very pleasant citrusy casing that tries to assert itself, but it's too subtle and gets lost in the too-bright high tones of the virginias which screech more than they coo. As it is, it doesn't seem to know what it is: it feels like a promising rough draft that would have benefited from more editing.

Plus it burns hot as hades.

If it were balanced with some darker leaves and had just a tad more of the topping come through it would have been a nice aro. I can see what others may appreciate in this one, but like so many aro virginias this one is way too high-key for me, so I'll be discarding the rest of the tin.

UPDATE 10/19/10: Well, it's more than ten months later, and my opinion of this has changed a lot; or, more precisely, my initial impression has been positively confirmed and supplanted my negative impressions.

Whether my tastes changed, or the blend mellowed as it matured, it's now a very pleasant smoke. That pleasant citrusy casing I refer to is now more present, and if smoked very slowly the promise comes through. I can even detect that apricot/caramel composite Ashton suggests is there. strongirish is probably correct -- give this one time to breathe and dry out a bit.

I'm really glad I give blends a second chance. This is one time where that second chance paid off: I've gone from 1 star to 3. Indeed Winding Road just might enter my rotation -- I think it may be the best blend I've had when there's a chill in the air, maybe the lower temperatures bringing the citrusy/sweet flavors out more.

On another note, I experimented with blending this with a darker blend (McClelland's RCS) as I suggested above, and it really worked beautifully as a blending component.

And, like renwardhoop says, it's a great name for a blend. I believe that's what compelled me to buy it originally. I'm glad I stayed on the road: there's more to this blend than meets the tastebuds at first. I knew there was something good going on in this blend even when I didn't like it at first. In fact I'd suggest this could be a relative of Grousemoor -- maybe a distant second cousin or step-aunt. Worth sticking with.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LSU Tiger (14)	2008-01-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

The sweet, fruity scent in the tin carries over when smoked. I find nothing to complain about, save the fact that I can't buy it in bulk. An excellent "social tobacco."

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2021-04-29		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Fool me once (Ashton Smooth Sailing); shame on you, fool me twice (why did I buy another Ashton tin?); shame on me.

The initial aroma began well enough with a sour, rotting fruit smell (think brown apples below the tree), which sounds like I'm making a jab here, but is something I don't mind in fruit Aromatics. The advertised Caramel flavoring didn't seem present however, with not much in the way of a sweet topping, which is also OK since I don't always want to be smoking candy.

The slightly damp, bouncy, mostly thin tan ribbons (Virginia forward?), packed and sparked well enough, but the horrors began after the match. The smoke was acrid and wasn't savory in comparison to its Danish, rougher cut, Cavendish forward counterpart (looking at you Stanwell Melange), rather I was squatting in a chemical camp.

The experience just felt cheap, which was odd, since I normally approve of most Kohlhase & Kopp products.

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeDragon (44)	2019-04-08		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My series of Ashton reviews continues with Winding Road. I gotta say, after the pretty disappointing experience that was Smooth Sailing (which was the first aromatic I've sampled from Ashton), I approached this one with a bit of trepidation. But I'm always willing to give every single tobacco its chance to impress me, its chance to offer me something to enjoy. So how did this one fare?

It's interesting that they've described this as a "mixture designed to bridge the gap between aromatic and English style blends". This has nothing in common with English blends, but it's not your typical aromatic either. Opening the tin and taking a look at the tobacco inside, it's obvious that this one is not as heavy in Black Cavendish as many other aromatics. In fact, the amount of BC is so low that you can almost ignore it. The tin note has a very familiar smell of Virginia. It's sweet, though not overpowering, with a nice note of caramel and honey, completed by a mild, fruity bouquet. Sweet and not too artificial. Comes a little moist, but not as moist as many other aromatics.

Now, for the mechanics. As it's pretty moist, requires a bit of drying (50 minutes in my case). But once you get it to the proper moisture content, then you won't have any problems with this one. Packs well, lights well, requires an average amount of relights, doesn't bite, smokes pretty cool and dry; didn't leave any type of moisture in the bowl.

What about the taste? Well, if I'm to describe this blend in a single word, that would be "innocent". It knows what it is and doesn't try to offer you more than it can. It's a mild and tasty blend, pretty delicate in casing. The VA comes in the front, accompanied by a subtle, tempered taste of mostly caramel, with a fruity hint in the background. The topping never takes away the enjoyment of the actual tobacco taste. Rather, it gives it a more pleasant character. And that's what impressed me most about this blend. It's not a pure aromatic, but more of a crossover mixture between aromatic and a straight Virginia, albeit more on the aromatic side, though not too unbalanced.

To wrap it up, I was actually pretty impressed with this one. I have to commend Ashton for using the BC sparingly, and also for not going wild on the casing. I will approach the next bowl much more comfortably and, while I may not include it in my rotation, I will keep it in my collection, with no restraints in smoking (and enjoying) it from time to time, maybe once a week.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Tandem 202 churchwarden

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: Tobacco store

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Col. Stuffinpuff (14)	2017-04-11		Very Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

It smells alright, but that's where the good parts end.

Bites something fierce.

It might be good in a Scentsy. One of the few I couldn't actually finish.

Not for me, not should it be for anyone else, I figure.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-03-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Winding road. The tin description says it all. Imagine you smoke a pure and solid VA blend while someone prepares a fruit salad next door. It is way too subtle to be called an aromatic and I got the impression of orange peel, more than apricot, since the flavors appeared not really above the natural sweetness of the tobaccos used.

Crossover well done, just don't ever smoke it fresh, let it breathe and sit for a couple of weeks.

Pipe Used: Various with and without filter

Age When Smoked: fresh to 3 months

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chuckt808 (8)	2009-09-17		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update 10/09/2009:

I gave this blend every chance but I eventually had to dump about half the tin in the trash. I'm pretty sure that whatever they use to case this tobacco is causing the problem. Even after severely drying this blend out, it still is harsh, burns super hot and bites the tongue severely. Sorry, I can not recommend this blend at all.

Original review:

This is the first tinned tobacco that I purchased because it was one of only two tins available at a local cigar shop -- the other also Ashton. I held off on reviewing until I had several other tobaccos under my belt and I have just finished smoking my fourth bowl of this blend.

I like the concept of this blend, a fruity aromatic English. The tin aroma is wonderful and you can definitely smell the lovely mild apricot casing. The problem, however, at least for me, is that this is one of those blends that bites the crap out of my tongue. It seems that without the tongue-zap, this would be a nice mild smoke but the bite starts almost immediately. The first time I smoked this it was fresh out of the just-opened tin, and by the end of the bowl my tongue felt like I had just downed a too-hot cup of cheap coffee.

To be fair, I attempted what many others suggest when dealing with a blend that bites. I packed the bowl and let it sit for a couple of hours to dry a little. This helped a little and the bite was not as pronounced which allowed for a little more of the very mild English flavor as well as the apricot sweetness to come through, but both still fell flat. I could find no obvious caramel flavorings. From midway through the bowl to the last quarter it was actually very good but hard to discern through my fried tongue and by the last quarter of the bowl I felt like I was smoking dried wood. I feel that aging and drying should be used to make a really good blend great but never to compensate for a problem of this magnitude. I may give it one more try after drying the whole tin out for a day or two, but the fact of the matter is that, even without the bite, this may just be a mediocre smoke anyway. I didn't notice any other complaints of tongue-bite in the reviews so maybe my tin may is an anomaly, a victim of inconsistency. As a point of reference, I also experience tonuge bit in MacBaren's Virginia No. 1 but not nearly as much.

I had no trouble keeping this lit and it burns very nicely but SUPER hot. Even smoking it slowly, at one point I could barley hold the pipe, even by the thick top edges of my bent Dublin. Not much in the way of nicotine.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Winding Road is a simply wonderful blend of VA tobaccos, topped with a nice caramel & apricot flavor. This blend packs & lights quite easily, and burns down to a fine white ash.

The room note on this is excellent and there is absolutely no tongue bite.

For a change of pace smoke, I highly recommend this to any lover of VA tobaccos.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doudeijns (19)	2019-01-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a good quality tobacco. It's evenly cut, looks and smells great in the tin and burns evenly. There's no nicotine noticeable. The 2.5% beer I drink with it gives me a harder hit. There's a very subtle aroma that only develops if given a chance. It's not much more than smoked air when burned slightly too hot. When you do smoke it with attention you'll taste caramel, unmistakably, and something sweet (whether it's apricot as the tin says, I cannot tell, to me it's butterscotch). All in all, recommended for the calm smoker - not to be enjoyed in busy company.

Pipe Used: small pipes without filter

Age When Smoked: 10 years

Purchased From: local tobacco store

Similar Blends: Mild version of VA tobacco.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pencils (58)	2017-11-16		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Comparing this blend to other aromatic Ashton's, this has more traditional tobacco notes. The fruit and almost sherbet tin aroma of Rainy Days is more muted here, and the smooth coconut of Smooth Sailing is reproduced with gentle and non-chemical moreish citrus top notes.

The mouth feel is a desirable aromatic fruit with tangy aftertastes on the tongue and lips. A criticism would be the heat commuted to the bowl - although the flavours are consistent throughout each bowlful, this burns very hot to the point of being unmanageable in pipes with narrow walls. Dottle is dry and complete to the heel, and requires few relights to reach that point. Nothing goopy here.

For me, this is a mid - range aromatic with little concentration needed while reading or sitting quietly, but burns far too quickly when doing other things. A simple and unassuming smoke which delivers no less than the tin note promises. I personally enjoy the retro hale, as it shows none of the sharpness that characterises Rainy Days (which has a tendency to bite if not treated with kid gloves).

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Turmeau, Liverpool

Similar Blends: Smooth Sailing, Rainy Days, Bentley's Virginia Honey..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-04-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I actually really enjoyed this blend, it was a nice fruity smell without overpowering like most aromatics would

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2008-02-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I think this could be my recommended blend to a new pipe smoker!

A Virginia mixture with a light toping that packs and burns well and gives a smooth relaxing smoke able to win almost anyone!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-08-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a wonderful, subtle light English-aromatic blend. Upon first light, one notices a smooth, attentuated, lemon custard with a touch of ginger spice. Out of the tin it is moist but no drying is required. As the bowl progresses more Virginia sweetness builds as the citrus zest dims but is always present. It burns clean and evenly throughout the smoke down to a white ash. I really enjoyed this subtle, smooth, light blend!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MatB (5)	2022-07-20		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was one of my first tinned blends. Prior to this, my piping experience was OTC aromatic blends from the local cigarette chain.

In short, I did not enjoy Winding Road. At first, I decided it was my newbie inability to smoke a pipe, but months later I find that I cannot smoke this tobacco without intense tongue bite (in reality, it's more like mouth bite.) I still haven't encountered a blend that wants to burn as hot as this tobacco. Worse yet, the flavor quickly becomes caustic and ashy despite my best attempts at packing, drying, or gentle smoking.

The tin note is pretty good--grassy, sweet Virginia topped with some fruity/citrusy qualities. If I could get that flavor to come through when smoking this blend, I would keep trying to figure this one out. As it stands, however, the juice isn't worth the squeeze, especially when there are so many options readily available to us in the digital age.

Update, 10/4/2022

I believe in second chances, so here I am, smoking this…tobacco?…again, a few months wiser in the art of the pipe, the blend having the same amount of time to rest. After all, I thought, I recently re-approached my very first Smoker Friendly aromatic and found it very good! Maybe the Ashton, I thought to myself, is better than I gave it credit!

Nah, I still don’t like it. Tastes like I pumped grandma’s hand soap into a flat, half-empty bottle of Pepsi Mango, shook it up, and used it as a mouth wash. Zero tobacco flavor—maybe I can tease out a little cavendish sweetness under it all, or maybe it’s my imagination. Harsh, fast burning. Still goes from soapy fruit to ashtray with a single, too hasty puff. I considered bumping my review to two stars because it is, technically speaking, smokable, but I’m instead going to dump my pipe out, bin my jar of this nasty, sticky stuff, and brush my teeth. Yikes.

Pipe Used: Various MM Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh, six months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Betulas (1)	2016-11-30		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

A Jack of All Trades, that can't quite deliver.

I was intrigued by this tobacco. It was the first that I sampled from Ashton’s. Like many others I started with aromatics and then made my way (along a pretty straight road) to english blends. I was intrigued to see what this blend could offer to help with the journey.

I certainly like the idea of this blend. I think that it does not quite deliver for either camp however. I have smoked this with those who predominantly smoke aromatics and they have said that it is too strong! I smoke mostly english and balkan blends and believe that it is so weak there isn’t much going on!

I’m certainly not against lighter blends. Indeed if that is what you’re after I have suggested two in the similar blends section of this review. I do believe however that both suggestions are better tobaccos than Winding Road. They both have playful nuances which flicker through the smoke while I find Winding Road to be a dreary trudge through uninspired woodland, petering out with no discernible conclusion.

What’s more is the promise of the tin note! Like all good aromatics it smells delectable. What’s more, is the solid bass-note of the latakia; how could it all go so wrong? It should be noted that as a rule I am no lover of the aromatic school. And true to form I believe that this blend begins to peter out almost the moment that it is lit and that the warm foundations of the latakia offer nothing by way of compensation.

In conclusion it is a blend that is sniping for two rabbits and ultimately finishes by missing them both. If you like aromatic, find a pleasing aromatic. If you like english (or like the idea of them) then find something with lots of lovely latakia and then find a match.

As a parting shot I think that this blend has taught me something; set your sights on your intended outcome and attempt to fulfil it, don’t be diverted by a seemingly easier half-way-house. Further I am beginning to dispute the idea of starting pipe smoking with aromatics and then ascending to the school of ‘proper’ tobaccos later on. If you want to smoke something then do some research and find the best approximation of your intended school.

Personally I would suggest something like ’Elizabethan Mixture’ from Dunhill as a good starting point, however that may be incidental to this review!

Pipe Used: Various Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: London UK

Similar Blends: Early Morning Pipe, Squadron Leader.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2016-06-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Loved the caramel taste that was discreet but noticeable with every puff. The Black Cavendish in this one absorbed the flavoring yet still provide some backbone to the smoke, which I appreciated. The "English" presence was there but subdued, and the Latakia hounds who take that leaf in an IV will be disappointed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KAJ (9)	2015-02-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A great Cavendish/Virgina blend giving beautiful light notes of maple syrup & fruity apricot but without being overpowering or sticky. One of my favourite aromatics well deserving of 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Comoys Grand Slam

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2014-01-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Hmmm, the description says it is a bridge between an aromatic blend and an English blend. Since this has no real characteristics of an English blend, I would have to say this is one of those bridges to nowhere, since it never even gets off the ground on the aromatic side. This is a nice aromatic, but nothing to really write home about. YMMV. I would recommend this one to at least give it a shot, you may just like it. Just not my cup of tea.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-05-10		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I bought this cos I'd seen it had 4 stars and the tobacco shop I was in seemed to have a vendettat against VaPer and tobacco-ey tobaccos. Damn! Anyway, I suppose I should've checked out how many reviews there were. First things first, there's nothing nasty about this blend. It's perfectly decent and the tin aroma,which had me worried, didn't keep its promise of gooey, sweetened nonsense. This is ok tobacco, but really very mild and there's not a lot happening. Maybe I've jaded my palate with the stronger blends, but this seems insipid. This is a lot like a better quality gold block and obviously a lot better than the supermarket brands which unsult us on a daily basis, but just not tasty enough. Addendum:- After trying Consumate Gentleman (a stupid name if you ask me) I decided I'd need to salvage my Winding Road, so I thoroughly mixed-in about the same amount of well-rubbed Peterson's Irish Flake as there is Latakia. This improved things quite a bit, without changing the character too much. It's been given backbone and a multi-layered taste, but is still not stronger than 4/10, whereas previously I'd've given it 1.5-2/10. This might be a way to save it from lying forgotten at the bottom of your tobacco cupboard, if you've had a similar reaction to myself.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darmech (2)	2020-09-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having not smoked for 27 years I found the taste very pleasant and found other comments about being bland astonishing, perhaps when my taste buds get used to smoking I will progress to stronger flakes. I can hang the pipe in my mouth and puff away in a cloud of smooth smoke. The tobacco burns well without the need to keep lighting it. You can stall for a few minutes and then get back to chuffing. Perhaps this would be a good Tobacco to start with but I feel I would still like the flavour in years to come, like a flat white coffee. Not a a burning taste on the tongue. It's a breakfast smoke but equally nice sitting outside watching the stars rush by with a Whiskey 👍👍👍👍 I'd give it four thumbs out five.

Up date: I am on my fourth tin now and not tired of the taste. I should try other tobaccos but apart from Peterson's Killarney I haven't found anything I enjoy.

Pipe Used: Falcon Bent with Standard Rustic Bowl

Age When Smoked: Fresh from Tin

Purchased From: J J Fox

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Madox07 (43)	2020-06-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Now in my opinion, this is the best Asthon aromatic by a long shot. I have first smoked this blend in 2016, and picked it up again recently, not being able to find good enough words to praise it. Who read my other reviews already know I am not an aromatic smoker, but this is something else. It is a simple but balanced blend, with a taste midway in between a sweet apricot and a caramel, as in burnt sugar not toffee. The apricot is truly fruity, without the flaw of most soapy/candy like aromatic, while the caramel tones it down adding a bit of smokiness and reducing the over sweetness of a too ripe of a fruit, but without putting a raisin note to it. Not much to be said beyond that, simple, toned down, balanced. It smokes a tad wet, and if you rush it, it will punish you back.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Randy Tuggle (46)	2019-06-17		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Nice tin note but the flavors didn't match that so well. I tasted the Virginias but the aromatic casing and the perique were so far back into the mix that it just didn't work for me.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Roma Lucite 622 KS

Age When Smoked: Aged one year but it was likely older than that

Purchased From: Tobacco Den Hagerstown MD

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kevmo (4)	2011-04-04		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

I took a chance on a tin of this a month ago. Based on the description of the blend, and some expectation in regard to the brand, I hoped for a better smoking experience than what occured. The aroma upon opening was almost non-existant. The first bowl burned hot and almost bitter. Thinking that maybe it was too moist, I waited to let some dry out a little bit before smoking a second bowl. The result was no better, and it burned even hotter. There is almost no flavor or aroma to this blend. I'll finish the tin and chalk it up to the fool me once category. Too bad, it does have a nice name...but my opinion is " Road to Nowhere"...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-18		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think the information on this is wrong - I don't believe it's blended by McClelland - it's definetely a European blender. Sadly, Bill Ashton Taylor (RIP) is no with us, but it's good to see that those left behind are continuing with his pipemaking business and I wish them success.

Anyway, if bill was still around, I would have no compunction in telling him that this stuff is absolute crap!

I'm not sure I fully understand what the the goal was here? there is a gap between aromatics and what we consider to be traditional English blends: so what we have here is a quasi-English ribbon cut, English-looking - aromatic!! that simply doesn't work.

The citrus additive (purported to be an apricot aroma) transforms the smoke into a very bitter, tongue tingling after-taste that burns quickly and very hot. My very large, thick bowled bent Dunhill felt like the end of a 'Thermic-lance' within a minute or so of lighting-up - and I do not regard my 35 years of pipe-smoking to be entirely inexperienced.

Sadly, this one neither qualifies as a good traditional English blend or a good aromatic - avoid like the plague!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-04		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is supposed to be a "bridge" from aromatic to English. As a lover of full English blends with a little something "extra" added, I was intrigued. Unfortunatley, this dissapointed. It is neither an English or an aromatic. It's flavor is flat and it burned hot and quick. The preservative (I don't know exactly what it is called) seemed to be the dominant flavor. Keep in mind that Aston's Artisan's Blend is one of my favorite smokes so I'm not sure what went wrong with this one. I've only smoked one bowl and I'm sure I'll try another one eventually (I'm invested in the tin you see), but I wouldn't recommend this. Perhaps my tastes will change, but I doubt it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-08-23		Medium to Strong	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

S- Pretty strong. I was taken aback by the buzz I experienced

FL- Supposedly caramel and apricot, quite a pungent tin aroma.

RN- Smells like stale cigarettes, not to be smoked indoors.

T- Tastes like shithouse tobacco

R- No don't buy this; Save the 10$ or 12$ you would burn on this and buy something else!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2010-05-31		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

My first try of an Ashston blend. It's not horrible.

It doesn't bite.

It doesn't taste of anything very much.

Apricot ? no.

Caramel ? no.

Pretty little tin aroma. Nice gentle smoke.

Almost as tasteless as a Peterson's aromatic.

When this tin is finished I won't be buying another one.

If other Ashton's blends have similar attributes I won't be wasting a tenner on them, either.

Great name by the way.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-12-09		Extremely Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Winding Road--you can say that again. Absolutely no consistency in this blend from start to finish--it'll take you all over the place. If you're the kind of smoker who wants a surprise with each draw, this is your tobacco. For those of us (more discriminating smokers) who seek a little comforting stability in this hectic world, it would behoove us to steer clear and beware of the bend in the road.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ryan419 (5)	3 days ago		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was a bit disappointed with this blend. I usually like Ashton's offerings but this was a bit of a let down. It's not bad, but I was expecting more. It's might. Does not produce a heavy smoke. A hint of mild apricot but fairly bland. I had to relight it periodically. It's fair, but kind of bland and not that interesting. I think maybe if it's cellared a year or more, it would improve.

Pipe Used: Curved Savanelli

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: Country Squire

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaPiper (35)	2023-02-02		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A refreshing aromatic blend with just the right sweetness and stone fruit flavors that compliment the natural flavors of Virginias. A pleasant suprise after reading some reviews. Tin note is a touch of apricot with a wonderful Virginia note. Moisture level is perfect, no need to dry before packing. I would not call it a blend between Aromatic to English, however, it is not so heavily topped like some aromtics it is lightly topped allowing tobacco flavors through. No bite notice. The ribbon cut is spot on and perfect. Highly recommend to beginners as it is a friendly tobacco to use and pack.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from Tin

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (559)	2023-02-02		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tin note of mild apricots, Carmel and sugar. Tobacco is light brown ribbon cut with a little dark brown and a tiny amount of black mixed in. Moisture content is ok. Drying may be needed for some. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is mild and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild, with notes of Apricot and Caramel. Both flavors don't last long, Carmel a little longer in the background. Taste is mild to medium and consistent, with notes of floral, wood, bread, spices, citrus, hay, mild tart, sweet grassy, mildly spicy, slightly acidic, mild brown sugar, a zesty tangy fruity background note, and a moderate peppery retro. Virginia is leading with minimal support from the Cavendish and Flavoring. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is good.

Pipe Used: English Captain Black Sandblasted X188

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

As a fan of most of Astons aromatic I felt obligated to try this one as well. I must say that it is a really nice tobacco. A hint of sweet caramel is present in the begining but wears of after awhile, to fast if you ask me.

The negative is that at the end of the smoke it starts to taste a little bitter.

Otherwise a really pleasant tobacco with a lovely room note. It burns even but a bit to fast I think... but that might just be me.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-29		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I had a mixed experience with this one. Allow me to elaborate. I like Perique A LOT as well as HUGE pipes... the relevance here is that I smoked this blend in one of my HUGE pipes normally used with much stronger blends; clearly it made it's influence known. This blend was really nice with the left over Perique from my pipe... I say this because I was amazed initially at its flavor... and wallop... So much so that I became suspicious and decided to try it in another lesser smoked pipe. Ah Ha! It was actually pretty nice on it's own as well, but it could really use a dash or Perique to make it what I had the first time. So add some McClelland blending Perique and this one is a real winner, on it's own, not too bad either. I really like it's fruity smell.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-05-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hmm..."So so" is the phrase that comes to mind here. I don't think the whole is more than the sum of its parts with this blend. There are no negative points, but neither are there any outstanding ones. It may well "bridge the gap" as described but perhaps the view from the bridge isn't so very interesting. I found myself wanting far more complexity and taste to come through, its fine as a standby blend, perhaps great for mixing with another, bolder blend, but if the mood strikes you for a good pipe hit I'm sorry to report that Winding Road will probably fail to deliver.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-05-06		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A very good European aromatic. Think of it as the European version of "Evening Stroll". Chocolatey in an odd way. Heavenly aroma and a no brainer to smoke. Great for the neophyte smoker.

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