Iwan Ries Gourmet English
(3.65)
A fine, well-balanced blend of naturally aromatic Turkish, smoked latakia and mellow, aged Virginia tobaccos, rich in flavor, smooth, cool-burning.
Details
| Brand | Iwan Ries |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.65 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 17 of 17 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2009 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
(NOTE: The tin I smoked before this review was from 2008.) One of the earlier reviews said, "This is what all other English tobacco blends want to be." I have to agree. This is the most delicious English blend I have smoked to date (and having smoked a pipe for twenty years, I've tried many). This one is truly worthy of the name "Gourmet English." Having been disappointed with many of the now-outsourced "English" offerings of many blenders, I was VERY pleasantly surprised by this Iwan Ries blend. Packs well and burns cool and smooth, right down to a fluffy, powdery grey ash...no dottle at all. The thing that impresses me most about this one is the sublime BALANCE in the taste. So many English blends on the market today have to add "mild," "medium," or "heavy" to their names, and sadly, this is still no indicator of the balance of flavors. One can be overwhelmed by Latakia in one blend, and underwhelmed by too much Turkish spice or Oriental in another. Not so with Gourmet English. The Latakia is there, and provides the nice, deep, smoky bass note. Quality leaf. Just enough Oriental there to make everything interesting. And in this blend, the Virginia shines. I also smoke many blended/straight Virginias (being a good Virginia boy myself) from McClelland and the like, and the Virginia in Iwan Ries' Gourmet English is reminiscent of these. It reminds me of one of my favorite pressed Virginias, Pipeworks & Wilke's "Dummerston": rich and buttery, it holds the blend together superbly. The flavor of this tobacco blend is very rich and well-rounded. There are no sharp edges anywhere, and no bite, either, no matter what my smoking cadence may be at the moment--although this definitely is one to be savored, not rushed. I imagine this being very close to the famous "Arcadia" mixture, so favored by the great writers and statesmen of the 19th century. Delicious and complex, and conducive to those contemplative moments. I prefer to smoke this in a blasted meer, but the blasted meer is my preferred pipe, anyway. If I had been introduced to this in my younger days, I would have been an English devotee much earlier in my exploration of our hobby. Smoke this one and you'll see why Iwan Ries has been around for a century and a half. A sublimely genteel English, and a true "gourmet" one at that. A solid four-stars! Hats off to Iwan Ries for this one, with fervent hopes that they don't mess with a good thing.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2008 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is what one one expect from one of the premier Pipe shops in the USA - a simply superior blend!
This smells good when opened, packs easy, stays lit and just tastes great. This fits right in with some of my other favorites - Frog Morton, Royal Yacht, Odyssey. It's a bit 'earthier' and a touch stronger then Frog Morton - tastes as good in a corn cob as in a Savinelli or Sasieni.
After years of sticking with a couple of good old standby's I've been trying loads of different blends. Given that I tend toward English and Balkan blends, it isn't a shock to find that I like this one enough to add it to my favorites list.
This smells good when opened, packs easy, stays lit and just tastes great. This fits right in with some of my other favorites - Frog Morton, Royal Yacht, Odyssey. It's a bit 'earthier' and a touch stronger then Frog Morton - tastes as good in a corn cob as in a Savinelli or Sasieni.
After years of sticking with a couple of good old standby's I've been trying loads of different blends. Given that I tend toward English and Balkan blends, it isn't a shock to find that I like this one enough to add it to my favorites list.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
This is what all "English" tobacco blends wants to be. This is as near perfection as tobacco can be. This blend lights easily. It stays lit, and it burns cool and dry. The taste is dark and rich. The latakia does not over-power the other components, but it is there in full strength. This is an everyday, any time of the day, tobacco. If you like "English" blends, you will love this one.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 17, 2011 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Pleasant |
WOW! I wish I had tried this mixture years ago! I was unaware that anyone was still blending an English this good. This is the Iwan Ries English blend of the 1970's. I have not tasted anything this good since an old blend called Lamplighter disappered from the market around 1980. I had mentioned in a different review that Penzance was the only English I still smoked. Well move over Penzance! You have been replaced. I'm not going to try and describe the taste as other reviewers have done a far better job then I can. I will say that this is IMHO a perfectly balanced blend. English style does not equal Lat bomb!The English blends of yesteryear were a harmonious mix of several premium tobaccos working together to create a smoke that was as smooth as silk and as soft as an angles breath. I believe Ries has set the bar with Gourmet English. I urge the younger smokers to try GE as this is what an English was intended to be.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 04, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
If you're like me - a big fan of the McClelland English blends, you'll enjoy Iwan Ries's Gourmet English. It doesn't bite, smokes very cool and seems to taste best just a tad drier than my usual blends. For an interesting treat, try aging this tobacco upwards of a year to taste it at its best. The feeling comes across that the tobacco is very agreeable for the smoker and doesn't seem to offend others in the room that are used to being around pipe smokers. One big thing with this blend is that the tobacco burns well, stays lit and holds a steady taste that doesn't inch towards picking up strength until late in the bowl - and it isn't a big change at that. A definite tobacco to try if English blends are your steady fare. Highly recommended!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 22, 2009 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
This is what one would expect from a highly regarded company that has been in business for 150 years EXCELLENCE! Iwan Ries and Co., from which I recently purchased two pipes (excellent prices), accessories and a tin of Gourmet English-the latter of which is remarkable, is the epitome of tobacconists today. Gourmet English Blend is a standard to judge other English blends IMHO. Forget outsourced Dunhill, and upstart manufactures', this has it all. Cool, smooth, recognizable tastes of some of the finest tobaccos available are contained in this wonderful blend. I really don't know who the blender is, probably C&D or McClellands, but they are right on with the recipe. One outstanding blend to relax and read with, or enjoy a walk.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 11, 2009 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Full | Tolerable |
Having just recently returned to pipe smoking after a 15-year hiatus, I made a point to order my old favorites from Iwan Ries - Dr. Bradley and 3-Star Blue. Based on the reviews I read here, I also decided to purchase some Gourmet English. I am very glad that I did!
I fully concur with all the positive comments made here by the reviewers. This is a marvelous blend that I could smoke all day long. Between Dr. Bradley and Gourmet English (with an occasional bowl of the very aromatic 3-Star Blue), I'm in pipe heaven again.
Thank you to all the reviewers on this site that have recommended Gourmet English. I'm a believer. As a matter of fact, I'm going to order some more right away before the April 1st price increase.
I fully concur with all the positive comments made here by the reviewers. This is a marvelous blend that I could smoke all day long. Between Dr. Bradley and Gourmet English (with an occasional bowl of the very aromatic 3-Star Blue), I'm in pipe heaven again.
Thank you to all the reviewers on this site that have recommended Gourmet English. I'm a believer. As a matter of fact, I'm going to order some more right away before the April 1st price increase.
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