Ashton Winding Road

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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!

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!

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.

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!