Ashton Winding Road

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.

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.

Ashton Winding Road is a very good tobacco. Too bad you have to dry it a little before smoking it. its taste is very pleasant. For me it's a natural flavored tobacco. Because unlike many aromatic tobaccos, this one has the taste of very good quality tobacco which is not hidden by the aromatization. On the contrary, it enhances the tobacco by providing it with something special.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.