Peter Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme (No.306)

One must concur with many reviews here: this is a good intro to Englishes, and a lighter "all day" type of English. The latakia is present, but not obtrusive. Unique to this blend is a cool, tea like quality to its flavor. It really must be sipped slowly to be enjoyed. This isn't a work in the shed blend, it's a sit and read or chat with the wife blend. I only give it three stars because I would like taste more latakia.

Peter Stokkebye - English Oriental Supreme.

Like the Bengal Slices I reviewed yesterday, this is a bit of a 'milder' English. But, to be fair, it has more of the usual English type flavour in comparison.

The pouch holds a mixture that looks to be quite a fair split between black and brown. The moisture's perfect, but I think that's because 1: it's bulk, and 2: it's had a long journey from SmokingPipes.com giving it time to dry if it was moist.

The smoke has a mild English quality, but nowhere near as much vanilla sweetness as the Bengal Slices I reviewed yesterday: the Black Cavendish seems much lighter. Although the Black Cav's light, it isn't as wimpy as the Virginia: this really is a Feather Weight in the smoke. The most flavour is given by the Burley and Latakia: the Burley tastes uncomplicated and simple, and the Latakia gives a gentle sharpness.

Apart from the flavour, there are a few other good aspects of E.O.S.: the burn's superb, it goes steadily to a pure ash, the temperature of the smoke gets no higher than medium at any point, there's no bite whatsoever, the nicotine's just below medium, and the smoke's so thick it's almost chewy!

Even though I find this a good blend I wouldn't give it four stars. It's nice, but if I want a mild English I'd just fill with Bengal Slices.

Still, it gets a steadfast recommendation:

Three stars.

I find this much more to my liking than PS English Luxury and PS Proper English. Mostly because the additive notes in those tobaccos are largely absent here. This is pretty much pure tobacco with only the occasional background false note.

As the name suggests this is an Oriental forward English blend with a light but always evident measure of Latakia. I noticed the Burleys in this tobacco more than the Virginias, and the bread-like, sometimes slightly bitter, Burley notes are present from start to finish. The Orientals are spicy and fragrant and complex. I thought the side stream and room note were first class.

Burns beautifully and produces great clouds of billowing white smoke.

A solid 3 stars, I was only troubled by the Burley bitterness, which I thought intrusive particularly as the bowl progresses. Otherwise, this is the best bulk English blend I have found to date.

This is one of the best buys in Bulk English blends. The Latakia isn't overpowering but it makes itself known.English Oriental Supreme has a very smooth flavor. This blend isn't unlike Dunhill 965. Like many English blends I find that this blend is more enjoyable when smoked slowly. However, if you are prone to smoking fast this blend will not bite you even though the burley is there making this a perfect everyday smoke. For the price you can afford to keep this in your rotation. A very good smoke at a very good price.

It’s just a bit moist out of the tin or bag and is needing a short drying time. It’s a full body tobacco, but at the same time, kind of one dimensional, definite, earthy/spicy tobacco, but did not detect a significant nicotine content. It burns fine. I have quite a bit of it since was purchased in bulk so I’ll try to update this one after I’ve smoked many more bowls. on my flavor wheel that I completed it really spiked on spicy and Woody with earthy and lingering being right behind it. Nothing else detected.

"Oriental Supreme" is a good name for this Oriental-forward blend. At lightup, a strong note of tart fruit was immediately apparent, and continued throughout the bowl. The grassy, tart Virginias worked very well with the sweeter Black Cavendish and the fruity Orientals to create a very tasty smoke, with a nice condiment of Latakia rounding out the flavor with a smoky, earthy aftertaste that lingered a long while. No tongue bite, and no harsh or jarring flavors. Pairs well with a good medium or dark roast coffee.

The Latakia is present but light. The orientals taste to me like mushroom and an earthiness with a very light but nice chalkiness. I also get notes of very dark chocolate. Mild spice. Rather than smokiness I get more of a blackened marshmallow taste.

It has Orientals and Burley in the lead. Not harsh, burnt smooth. Interesting blend.. spicy, nutty, leathery, soapy (not in a bad way), and some grassy notes from VA and smokiness from Lat.

Profile didn't change much throughout the bowl but kept me engaged.

Not as oriental as I thought it could be given the name. 3.2 out of 4 Could be an all day smoke for some but not for me. I do however see it being in my rotation as a once or twice a week kinda baccy.

COMMENTARY – PETER STOKKEBYE ENGLISH ORIENTAL SUPREME: An Unimaginable Discovery

Being the serious creature of habit that I am, October’s introduction observed me actively pursuing the member forums on the PipesMagazine.com website. On this occasion, as I was scrolling through the topical listing of discussions, my eyes flashed upon one blog that struck a strong chord of curiosity. The subject heading was centered on a question regarding the members’ “most important discoveries in pipe smoking”. Hm, isn’t that an interesting tract for pondering I thought to myself.

As I have previously related, my pathway into the world of piping was as common as it was for most. The compulsory long and arduous trek down that aromatic highway of superfluity. With the progression of time and experience, however, eventually I arrived at a necessary and timely crossroad. At that very intersection, I recall feeling somewhat dislocated.

An indeterminate beckoning goaded me incessantly. The manifestation of this showed to be quite unsettling as one would have it. Specifically, it was a perfect evocation to advance my sophomoric pipe-smoking career to the next tier, whatever that truly meant, as I was most uncertain. This internal nudging persisted and persisted. Ultimately, when it combined with the simple state of boredom that I was experiencing at the time, the collective dissonance compelled me to deviate from the well-established lane that had long been followed. Rambling through an unfamiliar jaunt in my smoking course, I rolled forth, clueless as to where this curious bend in the pavement would ultimately take me.

So, as I reviewed other forum members responses to the question at hand, my own recollection fell upon this quaint little story of personal transition. Instinctively I recognized that it was along this alternative route, that I stumbled upon my most pivotal discovery in piping. One so significant, that as a smoker, my existence was materially changed forever.

Irrefutably the most noteworthy unearthing was in fact my first non-aromatic blend, Peter Stokkebye’s PS306 English Oriental Supreme. Being a considerable departure from the status quo, this finding proved to be a critical catalyst that jarred loose the arresting compliancy of aromatic ennui, while propelling me boldly into the expanded wonders of true piping experience.

Suffering as I did from the incapacity due to a chasm devoid of knowledge, just the label of an “English” blend met with some trepidation on my part. Although the B&M shopkeeper made this specific recommendation given my stated objective to experience “real” tobacco, in my mind, clearly this complex recipe of Cyprian Latakia, colorfully flushed Orientals, Mexican Burley, Bright Virginia and Black Cavendish was intentionally crafted for the enlightened and polished smoker, which was not me. Yet as I pensively ogled the jar housing a speckled compote of golden-brown-black luscious ribbon-cut tobaccos the brilliance of its showing was just too striking to dismiss. Stokkebye’s mixture was a classy matrixed configuration of choice varietals more involved than any I had yet encountered

Catching a solid registration of PS306’s bold and spicy fragrance, I was overwhelmed by its character. Its spirit stood as one of the most enchanting essences I had yet encountered. Having never experienced Latakia, the classically bold barbequed, vinegar, smoky incensed aroma threw me back in a glazed stupor frankly. With additional inhales, the blend tendered a passively sweet, yet tarty, pungent earthy floral spice pitching from the Oriental/Turkish. Underneath this extravagant forward perfume, I gathered a faint grassy woodiness as the cordial meld of Virginia and Burley appeased themselves on the bottom.

What a powerful and primal scent this blend carried. My thoughts began to race on how commanding its true character would be when smoked and whether I had the fortitude to withstand the effects. Convinced by opening my mind to the salesman’s suggestion, I decided to give it a try and with that the culturing of my present-day smoking passion found its official genus.

Of interest, as I loaded my first bowl of this English mixture, I observed the level of optimum moisture. Characteristically this blend chartered drier with a lovely textural feel as compared to goopy mess that I was so accustomed to. English Oriental Supreme had a refined and supple nature. Packing the pipe, I discovered how nicely the cut ribbons elegantly dropped and thoroughly hugged the entire concavity of the bowl.

Looking back, I recognize that with the striking of that initial charring flame, the future development and expansion of my palate thus began. Initially the flavor uncovered was so strong and brazen that I was rather bewildered. I must laugh at myself as I know now that English Oriental Supreme is categorically a medium-bodied, mild smoking experience. The humor of the Latakia and Oriental was utterly provocative to my then sheltered self. However, I felt hopelessly captivated by its dazzling magnitude, a constant virtue that has continued to blossom since.

Immediately I surmised that this English substance was radically different. The cloud of thick smoke that was produced was exceptionally mellow and creamy in its attributes. Surprisingly, the taste was energized with its vividly layered and shifting in composition. At the time, a remedial level of sophistication barred me from the ability to properly articulate what that meant. With progressive conditioning, I suitably adapted to a more discerning smoking acumen and am now able to clarify that which I initially discovered. Specifically, the overall taste profile was framed by a smooth passively sweet sharpness while projecting vibrant flourishes of exotic spices and smoky woodiness.

Namely, PS306 offered a celebrated Oriental forward smoking experience. The Oriental/Turkish strains presented a leading spice that was floral, very vegetal/piney, woody, pungent, seeming to trail off with harmonious mock that was of soured mushroom-lichen nature. Being a Cyprian virgin, at first the Latakia seemed outrageously potent, musty, and indelicate to me. Yet within the blend, the strain was actually quite approachable with a well-bred rendering of smoked incense that was bounded by a rich toasty woodiness circulating as a secondary influence.

Consistently at the base of the flavor, I noted a lemony citrus grass-like nuance that I would learn naturally emanates from the native Bright Virginia. As the accents of the blend moved around exquisitely, of note was an undulating and bracing woodiness trickling through apparently from the Mexican Burley. The character of which reminded me of the unique distinction Mexican grown cigar leaves tend to possess, that being a deep earthiness and darkness in tone. Additionally, I was able to sense the gentle taste of a submissive sweetness that was reminiscent of diluted corn syrup, like an applied casing to what must have been the Cavendish leaves.

I found that the tobacco burns exceptionally cool and offered no evidence of any harshness or tongue discomfort, a decisive shift from all my temperamental aromatics. As I gazed at the impressive plume of expended smoke, a bold and venerable aroma tantalized my senses. Never had I experience such an honorable odor. The room was quickly masked by a perfume modeling a sour tartness pillowed in pungently spiced deep timber. What was more the eccentric scent of smoky incense and charred fire was a new incredible development. Savoring this newfound pleasure, I basked in the essence of PS306 as it hung tightly to the perimeter.

So, as I am sitting here about to take in my first cup of coffee, today being like every other day, I must smile. With esteemed satisfaction, the ritualistic morning greeting by this most faithful companion blend has been duly queued. A daily encounter that has been as consistent as clockwork for some eighteen-plus years following the moment of chance discovery. And though my narrative is passive in tense, I can honestly say the assessment of this wonderful blend back then mirrors the English Oriental Supreme of the present day.

By and large, this blend was my proverbial gateway into expanded piping. Thankfully the roadway now seems to be endless many years later. PS306 served as a pinnacle discovery in maturing my current knowledge base while honing my overall tasting sensitivity of native tobaccos, bottom-line. Although richer, stronger, and more complex mixtures do exist, with all first loves, my respect for Stokkebye’s PS306 English Oriental Supreme blend will only continue to deepen as time rolls onward. The lessons that it bestowed upon me were meaningful and game changing. Therefore, I regard this blend not only as the most impactful personal discovery but ultimately as my most cherished mentor.

Hanna Subjective Rating: 3.2 Objective Scoring (Mechanicals, Standard Genre Attributes, Cost) : 148 out of 163 @ 90 % ranking