Ashton Rainy Day

I'm not normally an aficionado of aromatics, as I find almost all to be sickly-sweet, cloying confections blended around a base of tobaccos of pretty questionable quality. I do however very occasionally smoke them around Christmas, almost invariably to my disappointment, when I'm looking for something with an inoffensive room note I can smoke indoors. Rainy Day however is an exception. I bought the tin on a whim, and subsequently reading some of the reviews was preparing myself for another disappointment. Sure enough, there's a strong scent on opening the tin: which I think I've finally identified as predominantly tangerine; and there's definitely something of nut there too, (though quite what hickory nuts smell or taste like I've no idea). But the appearance of the stuff was the first surprise: a roughly-cut mixture of bright Virginias, brown burleys, and Cavendish which in appearance screams quality, and seems to have precisely the right moisture content. It packs well, lights well, and burns politely. But the best part is the flavour. Almost all other aromatics I've ever smoked - with the exception of an old Dunhill My Mixture long out of production - rapidly lose their intended flavour pretty shortly after lighting, leaving either a nasty mutated form of the essence, or simply a rank taste of burnt matter mixed with sub-standard tobacco. Rainy Day however is different. The flavour stays undiminished and accurate down to the bottom of the bowl. And around half way down the bowl there emerges alongside it a lovely flavour of Virginias of some quality. I feel the flavourings of most aromatics are hopelessly overdone. And on this front, Rainy Day is an odd beast. It's true that the tin note suggests to me the stuff has been overdone too. But once alight, the flavour comes across as surprisingly subtle. Some people clearly feel this blend bites like a rabid pit bull. Whilst I can feel it has some potential for bite however, it certainly isn't problematic in the way of, say, a pure Virginia smoked too fast, and should cause no problems to all but the most senitive of tongues. As for strength, most aromatics I've smoked seem to contain no nicotine at all, but Rainy Day is different on that count too. While it's certainly not going to knock your socks off, there's definitely enough strength to satisfy the average smoker. Would I add this to my list of regular smokes? I certainly don't class it as an all-day smoke, as I'd soon tire of it. But as a regular change from unflavoured tobaccos I'd certainly recommend it.

As I am somewhat new to the Pipe - I have purchased Several sample packs of tobacco between 5-10g to try out and this one gave me a pleasant surprise - a wonderful fruity aroma when I opened the packet – it was easy to light and keep alight – little to no tongue bite and a cool smoke – I was smoking this on a damp November day, whilst walking the dog, I found the experience to be very pleasurable indeed – I will invest in a 50g tin to help me through the cold winter walks with my dog....

after the 50g tin of 'consummate gentleman' has now been finished i moved on to a 50g tin of 'rainy day' now this is a very nice gentle smoke, very relaxing and quite sweet, and its a lovely aroma, i quite like to odd aromatic blend and this is no disapointment, not much tonuge bite but the get the best out of this tobacco it needs to be smoked slowly and its quite fast burning so take it slow and it will reward you, the room note is very nice and overall a nice tobacco you can relax with at anytime. im going to buy more of 'rainy day' soon.

Ashton - Rainy Day.

What an un-lit aroma! I cant particularly give the smell a definite identity, all I can say is it's a great aroma being lively, fruity, with a touch of liquor, and a good tobacco hit, one of the best aromas as of yet! There isn't an issue when it comes to the hydration amount, mine is fab'!

I get this lit, with ease and straight away I am impressed with the flavour. It's by no means a harsh aromatic, there is a very good selection of tastes, all reflecting the un-lit aroma, some whiskey but I find that the lightest addition with the fruit/citrus taking the lead with an almost pineapple note to it. The balance of the different tobaccos is an impeccable one, neither of them take the spotlight but they all have an equal share.

Vitamin N I find to be just right: not strong and not weak. The room-note resembles both the un-lit aroma and the taste: not too heavy, quite fruity with good tobacco notes.

Three stars.

PATIENCE WILL HAVE ITS REWARD I was offered this blend from a friend at my favorite tobaccanist. Opening the tin I smelled a delicious honey, nut and apricot. The smoke however was under whelming and a bit harsh. Took several re lights to finish. I immediately put it in a ball jar and left it. For five years! One day I picked that jar back up and decided to give it a try. WOW what a difference. The smoke was mellow, the flavor sweet and the smoking itself more cooperative. Starts a topical fruit burns into a caramel and finishes with a cigar note. Age this , sip through and. It will have its reward. For English lovers looking for a moderate aromatic fling.

This is the most forward of the Ashton's aromatic blends I have so far attempted. In many ways it is massively flavoursome, but suffers from being a biter which The Walking Dead could employ. The open tin is akin to MacBaren's Cube, with the spicy Juicy Fruit immediately obvious. None of this is lost when packed and lit - it is a huge flavour bomb of burleys and virginias which have been doused in casings that infuse every puff. In the nose, it proves pretty sharp to the point of harshness, and my experience has been of a fast burning and almost volcanic temperature. Does it taste of tobacco? Yes, but it is a very potent mix of added ingredients which mask the base constituents.

I would only recommend this to those who love aromatics; there is no middle ground for uncertainty in the strength of what is added. Avoid if you want something gentle!

Smoke this right out of the tin and it can be cloying and can bite, but let it dry out and it becomes a really nice blend that I am enjoying very much. It claims to have a nutty, fruity flavor which I don't taste at all, but I do taste the whiskey in it and it gives it a smooth sweet taste with the VA sweetness coming though, the burley giving it body as does the black cavendish. In the tin, it gives off a sweet aroma and smells typical of an aromatic. It is composed of rough cut ribbon flakes and run the gamet as to color, from light brown to dark almost black brown. Dried out it packs very easy and lights right up and stays lit giving a very slow nice burn that burns right down to the bottom of the pipe into a powdery ash. NO dottle and no wet crud at the bottom of the pipe. This is a very tasty relaxing smoke for me and the room note is very pleasant and will make friends for you. The leaf used in the blend is quality, has a velvety hand feel and it is a top notch aromatic. I recommend trying this but like I said, let it dry out some and you will be rewarded.

Ashton's Rainy Day is an interesting aromatic; full flavored, but with a flavor which reminds me more of smoking a tangerine than anything else. I never did pick up a nutty flavor, but it was almost a tangerine-guava-passionfruit taste/smell. Easily lit, didn't require extra lights. First third of the bowl yielded a heavy volume of smoke which was somewhat moist and very fruity, almost sickeningly so; the Virginias and Burley's didn't come out in force, but the cavendish was much more noticible. The 2nd third of bowl became more dictated by the virginias and burleys, with much of the casing becomig burned off. Had to be careful not to scorch tongue here!! Smoking slowly yeilding a nice taste. Final third of the bowl cooled down considerably, with only the taste of the virginias coming through, with a hint of the casing, but noticibly less bite (either from burning off, or my taste buds are numbed, don't know which). Flavor became kind of scorched-tasting. Little to no dottle remaining; fluffy dark gray ash.

All in all, a fragrant smoke which can be enjoyed by those who aren't huge aromatic fans but occasionally find it enjoyable, and will certainly find love in the hearts of aromatic smokers. Pure english blend purists, however, will probably find this way too fruity for their liking. And yes, it does taint the pipe afterwards. I don't know how long that will last, but I could still detect it after smoking 2 bowls of a latakia base, if that tells you anything.

The jar had the 2015 excise tax, so the tobacco should, logically, have matured. But expectations were not fulfilled: the tin banged out smell loud, and not the "rainy". The strongest flavor of citrus with cane sugar and rum burst into the room like a tropical hurricane. The manufacturer claims that it is whiskey, but because of the basic bright tropical bouquet one can't speak about any whiskey - obviously, rum. There was also a little bit of coconut, and somewhere in the far reaches hid a cherry note of cavendish. I was overwhelmed by flavor, and set the open can aside for an hour or two to air out, not daring to smoke it straight away - let's have a look at it for a while.

The tobacco in the jar is sliced with a ribbon. The tobacco varieties are easily distinguishable - there are several varieties of Virginia, light brown burley, and dark blotches of cavendish. The cut is neat and the bag is loose.

After letting the tobacco rest for a couple of hours and making sure that the flavor has become less concentrated, I filled the pipe and smoked. The first few puffs were quite harsh, but didn't burn my tongue, rather, just a pungent taste that had sweetness, hay flavor, a distinct viscosity of nut skins and the feeling of having drunk a sip of alcohol. Smoked tobacco retains its pungent flavor for a long time, being nevertheless quite light in strength. The tobacco notes begin to overlap the flavoring somewhere in the middle of the pipe, but the rum remains almost to the end. The smoking is quite hot, I definitely don't recommend small pipes for this tobacco.

The smoke has all the same cane-nut note, doesn't make you uncomfortable in the room, but stays long enough. The tobacco is smoked dry, the ash is uneven, but it is not much.

Oddly enough, I ended up liking the blend more than the started. It's clearly for a Aroma fans, the flavor is dense and bright, the taste is a bit harsh. But at the same time, I can't help but notice the great harmony of the bouquet. I won't keep it in my collection, but if you don't have any other dessert tobaccos on hand, you can have it.