Just For Him Ruins of Isengard

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.