Ashton Winding Road

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.

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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.