Tobaccos Just For Him - Ruins of Isengard (Middle Earth Pipeweed)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2009-07-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is the last of the Just For Him tobacco samples that I recently received from a fellow TRC member who wanted me to try them and then post reviews.

Although the descriptive above indicates no Latakia in this blend I sure detected it... I do believe the Black Cavendish is flavored with something but I have not a clue as to what. The delicate sweetness of the Cavendish enhanced the Virginia presence and the hint of Latakia "manned up" the smoke to the point where I liked it.

A most unusual blend and it was probably my favorite in the series.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DaBadMan (5)	2015-06-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tons of thick, delicious smoke! I thoroughly enjoyed the smoky taste of latakia combined with the caramelized sweetness this blend offers. It reminds me of marshmallows left a bit too long over a fire in that way. Room note is pleasing, moisture is great. This blend burns beautifully in my meer. I typically like my aromatic blends to be heavier on taste but "Ruins" refuses to be held back by my preconceptions. I really like this blend as a departure from my usual aro routine. I will be buying more of this smoky blend to have some on hand regularly.

Pipe Used: my test meer and my relaxing briar poker

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Just for Him

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2014-12-01		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Caramel in a bowl.

Loads of big flavourful caramel taste in an ultra smooth, completely bite-free blend. This is a wonderful aro, I don't get all that much tobacco taste, the VA comes through here and there, but this is all about the aroma, and what a nice one it is. Its sweet without being cloying, monotone without being boring, and so hassle-free that you can really enjoy it without messing with it.

Wouldn't order a huge amount of it, nice to have on hand for a change of pace.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fiorano (13)	2011-06-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This being myfirst foray into latakia anything; I will say wow what a wonderful intro. This is a mildly sweet incredibly smooth full smoke. While the sweet hovers and lingers behind a rustic smooth campfire smokey flavor. But this is not a hard smoke to the uninitiated it is an inviting, and again smooth comforting smoke. More mature in flavor than say a black cordial for comparison. The gentle almost marshmallow charcter of the sweetness is supported by a vanilla or honey hint. I can't place what Ruins is. Other than fun satisfying and a good smoke. Highly recommend This, and I may venture into latakia because of this delicious welcome. You wont be disappointed. Room note is wonderful, array and business like just good.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corvus (36)	2016-03-17		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is really a singular blend. I guess I would classify it as an aromatic English. The Latakia dominates this smoke but in an unusual way. There is some smokiness to it, naturally, as well as that soapy backdrop from the wood/leaves used to cure it, probably laurels and bays or similar. However, I get intense incense, like frankincense and sandalwood. My imagination takes me to lamp lit bazaar after nightfall. If this isn't flavored I would be shocked, otherwise the preparation of the Latakia was really interesting. It's a sweet and perfumy fragrance, but utterly unlike the Lakelands, as it's dark and brooding. I would call it good and interesting. Maybe next time I'll try it in a hookah. It's strongly scented, but not overwhelming and the base tobaccos are present though muted.

Like other tobaccos in this series, it is heavily cased with propylene glycol, and thus makes one hell of a cloud of smoke with good burning characteristics.

Overall it's an enjoyable smoke. It's like nothing else that I've come across and on that basis alone is worth a try, but even on its own merits it is decent. Probably not something I'll buy again, but certainly memorable.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Just For Him

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Papillon6 (24)	2015-08-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The third blend I tried from middle earth sample pack. Lit and stayed lit after initial Light/tamp/relight like the other two I've tired so far, Treebeard and Shortcut to Mushrooms, then this one. Not sure how to label this one, could taste the quality blending ingredients but since it is to mirror the fall of isengard(flooded ruins) I detected like the first two an intended earthy flavour to it. This also burned slightly hot like Shortcut to Mushrooms but not untolerable, I sip/puff often. Unlike the two previous blends(Treebeard,Shortcut to Mushrooms) it did not build a sweetness to it but seemed very consistent throughout, maybe a slight nuttyness near the end. Burns very even, no gurgle at all.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie drinkless billiard style

Age When Smoked: Just opened from sample pack

Purchased From: Just for Him

Similar Blends: Has a distinctly earthy flavour to it like Treebeard and Shortcut to Mushrooms. Very nice smoke though like the other two I've tried so far..

2 people found this review helpful.

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	gladi8tor96 (143)	2015-06-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco was a bit confusing....couldn't tell if it wanted to be an english or an aromatic. Latakia was present and then the cavendish, that has some type of casing on it, would take center stage. Hints of vanilla with some sweetness from the VAs and some smokiness from the Latakia. Not a bad smoke. By the end of the bowl it actually grows on you a bit. It's pleasant, but I don't think I'll be ordering more. There are other blends that utilize latakia along with aromatic components that are better, IMHO (Momoyama, Fusilers Ration)

Pipe Used: Churchwarden, Billard, Corn-Cob

Age When Smoked: New from store - 1-5 years

Purchased From: Just For Him

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (104)	2014-07-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I got this as part of the sampler. I'm not sure, but I think the favors all married together bc they packed all the blend packets in one bag. I got samples of three others bc they were out of exhausted rooster at the time. Unfortunately, they were all packed in with the sampler as well. Insofar as a bag note, no clues here. Aromatic. A big mish mash of fruit and vanilla. Maybe berries in there too.

The mixture is pleasant to the eye. Reminds me of any number of house blends. I've noticed people saying that the moisture level was good for them. I retort. Those of us adults who read the books, and those younglings who saw the movie series may agree. If you recall, Isengard was flooded when a river was diverted into it in the battle with the ents. haha. The second half of the bowl was poetically ironic. I was upset, and thought I may have funked my new butcher boy (185$ pipe) when that river hit home.

Enough whining then. Packed very easily. On the charring light two women in the room commented on it smelling nice. That's like the first time that's ever happened to me. I swear I could taste butterscotch. Settling in, it lit deceptively well. Working through the bowl it was delicious. Sweet tasting, good volume of smoke for practicing rings with. Decent Latakia content. Didn't really notice it most of time however. Cool burning. Every once in awhile you get a little lat hit off it. About two thirds down it started to gurgle and hiss on me. I had to unload the pipe before I finished. I will definitely dry this out some next time.

All in all, I like it enough to recommend it to a aromatic smoker. I haven't smoked aros since I was about 15 yrs old, so it was fun to try one again. I may just be out of practice with them. It was very tasty and had a very pleasant room note. Good tobacco for mixed company. Not very strong nicotine wise, so it could be smoked whenever. Interesting mixture. Not really English to me, not really an aromatic either.

Pipe Used: Rattrays butchers boy (church warden stem)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Just for him

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2017-04-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This one started off tasting as it smelled in the bag. A mixture of Cavendish. Heavy with vanilla, fruity, and maybe some fig. I smoked it aggressively and it didn't burn too hot. No bite. The best part of this blend is the hint of latakia. You may not notice it the first few puffs, but it will show up if you're looking for it. Clever how it brings the slight smokiness to the blend considering the name. I enjoyed this smoke for the most part. The last third of the bowl, the flavour kind of thickens just enough to cover up the pleasant pinch of latakia providing a boring fourth quarter- This doesn't bug me much as I am usually satisfied by this point and rarely finish the very last bit. This blend is definitely in the realm of an all-day smoke and is good for those who want just a taste of latakia, but prefer smooth sweet cavendish. No relights and left my pipe fairly dry. I'll certainly smoke the rest of this bag and recommend it to any who are interested in trying it. A little less aromatic-vanilla and a bit more latakia would push this blend to 3 stars for me.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh from Bulk

Purchased From: JustForHim.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sheboyganjohn (5)	2013-10-14		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I bought a few ounces of this along with Lane 1Q as my first tobaccos. Smoked a few bowls of this and then ordered a pound of it. I had one bowl that was just perfect. Burned properly, nice cool dry smoke. Great flavor, left a very faint sweet taste behind that I could taste, along with the tobaccos, on my lips for a few hours after smoking it. Still trying to get that great smoke out of it again. I like it enough that it will stay as one of my primary tobaccos. I have not had a bad smoke out of it yet.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-01-22		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This has become my favorite tobacco- it has everything from both sides of the fence: high quality Virginia, hearty burley, tasty latakia- but still smells and tastes great like an aro too. My go-to all time favorite. I can't find another tobacco that beats it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-09-06		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

My favorite tobacco out there! Just amazing how the flavors and smells come together in this cool, well behaved blend. The smoke seems thicker than normal comming from this blend, probabley from better lighting and burning than most blends. The Middle Earth series is a masterblended series and not some cheap knock off from a movie in order to make money.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CenTex (18)	2012-01-23		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Couldn't resist--smoked a bowl of this last night while reading about the destruction of Isengard by the Ents, in a Savinelli Gandalf churchwarden.

I like this blend. I smoke aromatics, with a few drugstore burley blends as well, but this is a good cross-over for me. The latakia was very noticeable but balanced, no bite, lit well and burned well, only one re-light. I would recommend to aromatic fans looking to broaden their horizons. I have no insight into the minds of the non-aromatic smoker.

updated my review, room note is better than tolerable.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-01-28		Extremely Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

I found that I really liked this blend at first, it reminded me of butterscotch and caramel with just a hint of latakia. The thing was that while I really enjoyed it at first it got to be just to sweet for me in the long run. I found that it smoked just a tad to wet and goopy for me and the sweetness hung in my throat and I started getting soar throats after every smoke. With that said, I loved exhaling this one through my nose and it has a wonderful room note! Sometimes I just opened the baggie to smell it and then put it away to smoke something else...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Delicious!!!!!!!!!!! I am normally a burley man but this mixture is supurb and will be in my pipe often, may become my regular blend even. I has a soft creamy taste with a sweetness from the virginias but I never detected a casing or infusion flavor at all. I belive the dark cavendish is of the natural toasted variety. There is some Latakia in this but not strong, just enough to give it a toastiness. I smells sweet in the bad and the room note is wonderful. Like sweet fruitwood burning in the fireplace. This is the best of the middle earth series and in my opinion the best JFH blend of all..It tastes good from lighting to the bottom of the bowl. I love it!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-08-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I am fairly certain that ROI is one of my favorites in this sampler, Old Toby being the first.

ROI is a very generous blend. I believe it to be the stronger of the group in terms of flavor and strength.

Very nice smoke for when you just want to be.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Right Reverend (36)	2013-04-25		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just moved over from STM in Just For Him's Middle Earth Sampler. It was like a lighter tasting STM for me. The room note a bit sweeter and not offensive. Burns hotter, can't puff on this stuff too fast (not that you should anyway!). Lots of creamy looking smoke though... Just the stuff to practice your smoke rings on. I find it a bit of a plain smoke... but I like Latikia and can only taste a hint of it here. Burns down to a nice white ash like others in the Middle Earth series. I found it overall just okay.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-10-25		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

STM was the first I tried in this series. I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd try the others. I was expecting ROI to be just okay, since it didn't get quite the rave reviews of STM. I was wrong; this is a subtle, well-balanced blend. Nutty and oakey right from the first light, cool burning, no hissing. All-around this is very pleasant. You can't beat the price. I'm impressed with the Middle-Earth Pipeweed series so far.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-09-20		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Terrific Smoke! Still have not decided which one is my favorite STM or this one. It arrived a little on the wet side, needs a little drying. When you open the bag it strikes: Latakia! My precious! Very thick smoke as other JFH blends, very enjoyable. Hard to catch the other tobaccos (burley, VA, and the two Cavendish) by themselves but the blend definitely works. Just great!

Update: The only thing is that this is not STM

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-05-12		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Okay--It seems like a lot of people head toward the Lord of the Rings tobaccos. But a name is just a name, and your tastes shouldn't be swayed by the idea of smoking a tobacco in a churchwarden pipe just because that's how Tolkien's literary characters smoked in the movies.

That said, this is a great blend. Not quite as good as Shortcut to Mushrooms (ironically from the same Middle Earth tobacco series from JFH), but different enough to stand on its own. It has a good, thick flavor and leaves a very pleasing aftertaste that almost commands you to relax. Give Shortcut to Mushrooms a try, but keep some Ruins around for it's more pleasing room note and social smoking situations.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-12-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I bought the LOTR sampler pack and this is my second favorite next to Shortcut to Mushrooms. The room note is pleasant and the Latakia is pleasant in this blend. The casing is mid but noticable and the taste is noticable but pleasant. All in all I just ordered another ounce of thsi to give it a more detailed study .

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kyrob (41)	2011-03-07		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I bought the sampler pack of the LOTR series from Just For Him about a week ago and randomly selected one to try. Opening the pouch of Ruins of Isengard, I could see rich black with light and dark brown ribbons that felt just right for smoking to the touch. An unlit sip revealed the taste of butterscotch and the charring and initial light were full of cedar, making me think that the Latakia was going to dominate. Surprisingly I was wrong in thinking that.

Overall the taste was of a rich, creamy butterscotch sweetness with the Latakia being very subtle in the smoke. Occasionally I would pick up traces of honey, and the dottle for some reason tasted to me like a cross between cotton candy and marshmallows. The room note was pleasant and the sweetness was satisfying, not overpowering.

I was totally in love with what little of this tobacco I had access to, but you can bet I will be buying more. If you are looking for a cross between a light English blend and an aromatic, then look no further.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uncle Burl (7)	2011-03-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I purchased the Middle Earth sampler and I've found for me personally that this and Treebeard are the only ones I enjoy. They are at opposite ends of the flavor and smell spectum. Ruins in the pouch smells exactly like a sweet southern BBQ sauce, and when smoked has the flavor and tone of fruit wood and meat in the smokehouse. I'm not very fond of Latakia, but in this it is in the background without taking over. The more I smoked the more I liked it. When I want something stronger this will be it.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-11		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

As the last reviewer said this isnt an english blend it isnt a aromatic its a nice inbetween blend i enjoyed it.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-25		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Like others, I've tried the Middle Earth sampler. They are all fun, and all worth investigating. I won't be by buying any of them again. . .except Ruins. Ruins of Isengard is something special.

The blend is difficult to explain. It involves Latakia, Cavendish, a neutral Virginia/Burly base, and possibly a casing. It's satisfying and full. It's not an English, and it's not an aromatic. I know that doesn't help someone trying to figure out if they should try this. But, like STM (Shortcut to Mushrooms), there's no real-world allegory for this. It's worth trying. And then some.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I purchased the Middle Earth Sampler and have tried Old Toby, Treebeard, Longbottom Leaf and now Ruins of Isengard. Reading the reviews below goes to show that everyone has different tastes. I guess if you really enjoy Latakia, you will probably like Ruins of Isengard. I found it a decent smoke, but not exactly to my taste like the others I've tried so far.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-06-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I ordered both Treebeard and Ruins of Isengard tobacco from the Justforhim website and I love them both. Ruins of Isengard tastes great. For me, the taste consists of natural tobacco flavor with a hint of honey. It packs easily, but came to me a little wet but you just need to stick a flame too it for a little longer than usual and it will stay burning just fine. Treebeard is the more sweet and vanilla flavored tobacco, while Ruins of Isengard is the more natural tasting tobacco with a hint of honey.

Highly recommended.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-03-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my second tobacco of this line I have tried. I also have Shortcut to Mushrooms, but that will be a different review. Ruins of Isengard is a nice tobacco. Very comforting and soothing. I can imagine smoking out of a Churchwarden Pipe very slowly. The smell out of the bag is awesome. It is just humid enough to to be pliable but not to wet. It packed easily and stayed lit. I smoked it out of my HUGE Colossal Poker. It produces a nice creamy smoke that doesn't over power you. The flavors blend together nicely. I know everyone's palate is a little different, but I picked up vanilla, honey, and a nice smooth tobacco flavor. Not too strong but not overly flavored. This is just a real nice tobacco.

On a side not I bought it online from Justforhim.com. I bought it Wednesday and had it by Friday. Seems like a great shop with good service and fast shipping. I highly recommend checking them out.(I have no association with them other then as a customer.)

Enjoy, Z

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2010-03-14		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Ths fine weed from Just For Him has quite a nice almost butterscotch aroma to me from the pouch. It comes across as a very nicely behaved blend. The moisture level for me was just right. There is no tongue bite nor any gurgle. The taste and room note are very pleasant. It produces a decent amount of smoke and does not need much attention once you put a match to it. I have tried this blend in several pipes now with the same result. I can see me getting more of each of the Middle-Earth Series that I have tried thus far in the future. I must agree with the positive reviews below mine here. Very highly recommended.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-01-10		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ruins of Isengard is yet another blend in the Middle Earth Pipe Weed Series by Just For Him, justforhim.com I would place ROI second to Shortcut to Mushroom if you are going to explore the Middle Earth series, especially if you normally smoke pure English blends and rarely dabble with weed that is cased.

Packing: Frank Method and Three Stage packing all work here even though this stuff is rather moist and can be a little sticky. I never had to dry out, however, and needed no relights after two scorches and initial light.

Smoke: What we have here is a consistent smoke that is mildly sweet, which comes off as either a mild vanilla or a cream. The sweetness does not force itself nor taste artificial probably because of the Cavendish and Black Cavendish tag team. The sweetness comes through on initial puff and trails off into a mild smokiness. It is kind of like having desert before the meal, sweet and salty.

Final: However, the description may sound inviting but ROI is just ok when you consider how many other blends are on the market. Nothing special to see here. Just a change of pace without overdoing casing or artificial sweeteners.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-03-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I had high hopes for this when I ordered it because I was excited about the whole LOTR theme etc.

This is in my opinion a very mild Latika blend. If you are wanting to sample a Latika and get away from aromatics etc then I think this may be the blend for you. Personally I prefer something much "smokier"

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-01-08		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Quite a good smoke. The flavor is a little different to me. The package smelled a bit of cinnamon. The room note smells a little like fresh evergreen boughs on a campfire. Definitely worth a try. I'll have to save some for when I'm camping next.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-12-07		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

Ruins of Isengard is without a doubt, a very fulfilling tobacco. It is mild on the tongue, with a wonderful flavor, and a room note that is simply amazing. If anything can truly take you out of your easy chair and put you into a world of its own, Ruins of Isengard does just that. Just like the most of the Just for Him pipeweed collection, I believe that this blend would do tolkien proud. It has an old-world taste and a fantastical aroma. Not quite like anything else, but comforting, zesty, and the very reason that we pick up a pipe. This is an experience wanting to be tried.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kylepoet (18)	2006-05-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I didn't think I'd be the first to review this... A good, solid smoke, I think that sums it up. I broke in a Savinelli Churchwarden with this blend from Just For Him, and it smoked well from start to finish. It arrived a little moist, but after a couple days letting it dry, I felt it was ready enough to fire up. the ribbon cut packed nicely, and holds a light well. Yes, sweet Virginia, but there's also Cavendish and Black Cavendish here, too. Hints of a campfire, so maybe a touch of Latakia pokes its nose in, but I'm not too sure. If so, it's very mild. There's a little vanilla to my taste, and a touch of toasted nuts. Past that, I'd be stretching. It's mildly aromatic, with a reassuring presence, nowhere near overwhelming. Ruins is a smoke you can imagine streaming from Strider's pipe while waiting for him to decide his next course of action.

This is another good offering by the tobacconists at JFH. If you like your Virginias with some character, this is a fine choice. I'll still give Shortcut to Mushrooms the nod when it comes to their Middle Earth series, but Ruins of Isengard is a strong addition to this line.

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