Iwan Ries Gourmet English

IRC Gourmet English may have just a wee bit of some sort of flavoring added because it sure tasted sweet to me. Sweet and Latakia don't normally go together, but in this instance the rare combination was delightful.

Gourmet English packs easily as the cut is not too stringy. And, while the above descriptive does not include Oriental leaf, I'll take a gamble and tell you there is some because I sure tasted it. The Latakia is not overpowering and the Virginia leaf was well aged and refined.

My pipes took a real liking to this one.

This is truly an English blend for the gourmet and not the gourmand. There are so many fine English blends out there, and the differences among them are often subtle. There are the giant latakia blasters (Nightcap, Abington, Old Ironsides, Westminster), the more oriental and virginia forward variety (My Mixture 965, Old Dublin, Frog Morton) and the crossovers (Bald Headed Teacher, Dr. Bradley's Mixture, Britt's Balkan). This blend is best described as balanced: solid, satisfying, plenty of taste,just a little spicy, and a unique overall smoothness rarely found in a full English. Every English devotee will enjoy it. It deserves all four stars in my galaxy!

This fine English offering from Iwan Ries is truely gourmet. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a deep, rich and lush looking blend of weed. Another reviewer described this as a buttery smoke and I must agree. The smoke is smooth and full and burns cooly with no bite. The Orientals and Virginia's play a large role here, yet they don't totally dominate. There's more than a hint of Latakia that serves to round out the blend very nicely. This blend does arrive on the damp side and I would suggest letting it dry out for at least a half hour or more. Highly recommended!

This classic english blend is true to its' name "Gourmet English". The taste is rich and full with the sweetness of the virginia's/ oriental well mingled into the mild latakia presence. The cut packs easily and burns a cool white ash throughout the briar. A real pleasure to smoke whether I'm kicked back or on the go.

Iwan Ries is the oldest operating tobacconists in the U.S.A. I well remember visits in the 50's-70's with my father and the variety of blends they produce. What still impresses me is the quality of the tobaccos they use and their affordability. With the high cost of boutique blends today, IRC delivers GE for 1/2 their cost. I stongly support my local tobacconist but this blend has no competition in my briar,so order I must.

Old time Iwan Ries taste, great flavor, and room note, a real delight, gave a few puffs to a cigar smoker in the front room at Iwan Ries who doesn't smoke pipes and the next time he saw me he was still talking about how great it was. As of now my daily favorite when I'm out of the home. Rich, complex, spicy, smells as good as it smokes. Truly a gift for tobacco lovers everywhere. The more I smoke this blend the more interesting and seductive it becomes. Non-aromatic Latakia, Oriental/Turkish and Virginia blend (all the right types of each). I cannot keep enough of this around.

Got some today. Was expecting a very good tobacco. This stuff is fantastic. Very English maybe the best including Dunhill. A cool long lasting smoke. A bit damp out of the pouch. You must try this.

First, a disclaimer. I've been smoking for a month. Not just a pipe, but at all. Started at age 56. Glad I waited, but wish I had started sooner, if that makes any sense at all. Pipes are cool.

In the short time I've been smoking a pipe, I've acquired quite a variety of tobaccos, wanting to find what it is I like. I probably have 15 different varieties. I figured that I'd like the aromatics to start. Most importantly, I figured they'd placate my wife, even though I will never smoke in the house. Well, they're just OK. Taste OK, smell better. VaPers are OK, too, but I think I like burleys better.

Hands down, this Iwan Ries Gourmet English is by far my favorite. It's the only tobacco I've smoked that hours later, I can still remember the complex, delicate flavors and smells. Most other tobaccos I enjoy only before and during smoking. Honestly, this has been quite a surprise for me. I LOVE bourbon, but don't like peated Scotch very much. This blend smelled like a bottle of Islay Scotch to me. Not good for me. But in the bowl? Heaven! Man, I have a lot of tobacco to burn before I can load up on 8 oz of Gourmet English! Gotta find takers for the Borkum Riff.

I received a tin of this for as a belated birthday present from a friend who I got started in smoking pipes. He lives in Chicago, a few blocks from IR.

We cracked this tin and I immediately salivated over the sour fermentation aroma in this tin. I love the cut of this tobacco, thin short strips that are perfectly moist without the use of any humectant. Three defined tobacco colors are noted in the tin, and are well balanced from initial light to the middle of the bowl. I cannot comment on further smoking, as I usually only smoke half bowls. Latakia seems pushed aside as the McClelland-y Virginia stays out front. This is a great English blend from IR I will not hesitate to recommend!

This is a top-notch English blend, no doubt about it. Somewhat sweet in taste; the latakia weaves in well, not overpowering, yet present. The Virginia's give it a slight edginess. I will tame this one to reduce that feature by decanting it in a mason jar for awhile (I believe this blend will age well).

Some reviewers have compared this to Boswell's Northwoods; but, other than the English aspects of Gourmet, I don't agree with that comparison—the last time I smoked Northwoods it gave me a "pine" jolt I didn't like. Gourmet does not have that going on for it so, really not much of a comparison. English blends are among my favorite pipe tobaccos, and Gourmet ranks right up there with the best of them.

I really enjoyed this one!

Keep on Piping!

I am a pipe newbie, however I've been smoking cigars for over 20 years. I dig flavorful tobacco. This stuff is the bomb. I'm not good at describing the flavors but it seems buttery, nutty and sweet at times. Burns long. I dig it.