Boswell Pipes & Tobacco Pennsylvania Dutch Treat

I was recently gifted with 9 different bags of Boswell tobaccos by a fellow musician and pipe smoker. Thank you, Eddie!

After attacking these 9 bags, it's apparent that J.M. has more talent than just carving great briars.

I don't normally smoke/like cherry tobacco but PDT could change my mind. Unlike the normal cough syrup, chemical goop added to low grade leaf that is typical of most cherry blends, PDT is more like smoking a cherry pie. The leaf is of good quality and the smoke is creamy with no bite.

Very tasty, indeed.

3 stars even if you don't like cherry tobacco.

4 stars if you do.

Wow, was I surprised. I received this blend as a gift and when I opened the bag, I smell a deep cherry like aromatic and thought, well, I will try it and if I don't like it I will just dump it and move on. So in the pouch, besides the really sweet aroma, the tobacco was dark with a mix of black and brown tobacco in a ribbon cut. It was a little moist but not enough to stick together like a lot of aromatics do. i loaded easily into my pipe, a big pot, and I proceeded to light up. My first impression was that is was not anything like the pouch aroma in that it was very mild and non impressive. I stayed with it awhile and suddenly there was a burst of flavor that kept developing as I smoked on. After about a 1/4 bowl smoked, this stuff was intoxicating. I could not put it down. It was deep, and rich and the room note even while I was smoking it was simply wonderful. It is a cherry type blend but not the cheap lifesaver type of cherry. I could also taste tobacco and it just satisfied a sweet tooth that I did not know i had at the time. It stayed lit quite well too, and burned down nice and slow. I only had to relight one time. It burned down to the bottom of my pipe and left only a touch of moisture and little dottle and lots of grey fine ash. I am not usually a cherry lover but I just simply enjoyed this blend very much. I recommend this highly and do state to stay with it at first and you will be rewarded. A great aromatic blend for when you want something sweet.

A pleasant tobacco, in its own way. After my first bowl, I wanted to say that if it is imperfect, it is not so because it ought to be less wrong, but only because it ought to be more right. However, after trying some more of it, I am increasingly bothered by the cherry flavor. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The smoke is very mild--very light in the mouth--almost whispy. It is pleasant on the tongue, not so much in being "creamy" (as some tobaccos are), but rather in being sort of "velvety" in a whispery sort of way.

Depending on how you smoke it, it may be a tad warmer than some other Boswell offerings, but it will not bite.

I normally step outside to smoke, but this is one blend I could get away with indoors.

It is somehow not as satisfying as I'd like. Some tobaccos are more like eating a steak, and some are more like catching a brief whiff that you can't quite catch again. This tobacco is the latter.

The cherry flavor comes through in the taste--mildly, but definitely. And it is true to scent; which is to say, what you smell in the bag is what you taste in the mouth (along with a very light, clean burly flavor).

The cherry flavor is rather metallic and artificial...I could see some folks liking it, but it bothers me. It reminds me of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat.

The cherry is on the outskirts of the taste cloud, dancing just beyond full view; teasingly, it dances now further away, now closer.

I recommend it to those who are satisfied without latakia or anything else to give much character, who might like a metallic/artificial cherry flavor.

Middleton's Cherry Blend right here, folks... even down to the coarse cut of the leaf. A very laid back blend with the cherry flavoring dealt with a restrained hand that kept the palate from being overwhelmed. No, not a lot of strength either. One thing this blend did do was leave a very strange sort of aftertaste in my mouth after consumption. Aromatic fans should like this one. And don't be put off by the cherry taste, it really wasn't anything like Luden's.

The Boswells' aromatics are fantastic. They do not mask inferior tobaccos with heavy casings. This blend has the aroma of a sweet cherry cordial. When I first opened the plastic back in which they sent it to me, I instinctively wanted to eat some of it as it reminded me of of those chocolate covered cherries with the liquid center. I love the beautiful coarse cut (very rustic), and it lights/burns beautifully. The sweet cherry flavor was most pronounced it the beginning, but was present throughout. The burley added some nice cocoa and nut flavors that complement the sweet black Cavendish and cherry flavors wonderfully. I sip it gently as it can get hot. It can also get a little gurgly which is the case with aromatics. It can also nip the tongue a bit, but with no real long-lasting discomfort. This is a favorite of mine in the aromatics category. It is the equivalent in culinary terms of a comfort food. Mmmmm...mmm.

Really enjoyed this. Smoked in a new handmade pipe, and it was sweet and delicious. Mild - not too over powering, slightly chocolatey with hints of cherry. Lasted a while, it was a little moist by the end - I could see moisture in the pipe at the heel. But I enjoyed it so much. Bag smell was SO good and tasty, and of course the room note was terrific - kind of like mildly toasted marshmallows.

This would be a great starter blend. The Boswells are deservedly famous for their aromatics, and this blend is no exception.

Pouch aroma is great. Not as much cherry as in their Cherry Smash, but enough to tell it's there. Stayed lit just fine.

Upon lighting, the cherry flavor was present, but certainly not overwhelming. Later in the bowl, the cherry topping seemed to wear off, and the nuttiness of the burley began to shine through.

Excellent quality tobacco, a superb choice for aro smokers, but just too mild for me.

***UPDATE: Went back to the bag, aging has not helped this blend. Now it tastes mostly of chemicals. The rich, nutty burley flavor is long gone. Still recommended, but smoke it fresh!

The average rating on this blend is quite high. My take is different- this is rather pedestrian. Rather than read through and cloud my review I'll step right in and rate it and go back to see what I'm missing.

Among aromatics I would say cherry is probably my favorite, followed by straight vanillas. I picked this as my free ounce with my pipe order. There is a lot to recommend and admire with Boswell's; nice handcrafted pipes at a very affordable price point, great shop, focus on customer service, and a commitment to creating their own blends rather than renaming (or not for the uninspired) a big manufacturer's bulk. I suspect these incidentals are worth a star or two to many.

The appearance and pouch note are nice. I describe this as a kind of cube cut, and this is a clearly a blend with dark Cavendish with burleys and maybe Virginia from gold to dark brown. A sugary aroma predominates with a nice cherry note of moderate strength. It seems like it will be a real treat but my anticipation didn't match the experience. While it looks and smells better than most comparable blends it doesn't taste or act much different. The cherry flavor is mild, which is perfectly fine, but after 10% of the bowl it is a phantom. Counter to all my instincts, I wish it was more highly flavored or at least had some staying power. Basically most of the time it's a straight black Cavendish, and I am no great lover of these. That said its not bad as far as those go in that it isn't sickly sweet, but rather has a caramel taste that frequently blends to a vanilla component. What's disappointing in particular are those strong casings/humecants. Have a suspicion that a small shop crafting their own blends is going to take a lighter touch with those products? I did, and I was wrong. The old familiar synthetic burning aftertaste is there and can be quite strong and certainly no better than the largest mass market products in that respect. To its credit it wasn't sopping wet, the moisture was actually fine but it hasn't changed a lick in the 10 months I've had it in a zip lock.

The final verdict is as follows: it's an acceptable product, but I have reservations. For aromatic fans I think the rapid loss of the main aromatic component, cherry, is a problem. For those that are looking for a change of pace and occasional smoke of a subtler aromatic the use of humecants and that terrible burning plastic background are knocks.

-After several more bowls I haven't changed my mind on the following review.

Pennsylvania Dutch Treat is so far my favorite offering from JM Boswell.

In the bag, this course cut tobacco has the aroma of a chocolate cherry cordial. The blend appears to be dominantly Cavendish with maybe 1/3 Burley. This aesthetic blend reinforces to me the look of a chocolate covered cherry. Dark and rich with a hint of bright sweetness.

One of the best overall smoking experiences I have had. Never needed a relight. Yielded about a 45 minute smoke and didn't burn hot. Just a little bite but very little. No gurgle. The taste is quite sweet. Tastes just like I described in the bag. Though less intense than the cherry. The chocolate flavor I detected in the bag does come through in the taste if you get the smoke to the right places in your mouth.

Room note is just as good as the rest of the experience. Best aromatic room note I have experienced so far.

Very much enjoyed this blend. It will likely become one of my standards.

taste and more taste. i lit this and did not like it.one minute later,i was interested.the rest of the bowl I was in LOVE.taste like tobacco, has this nice flavor no bite, not wet or steamy bitter taste. smoked it down to bottom, taste just kept on developing. when finished turned the pipe over and a few ash angels floated to the ground. I got a little buzz too.this is the first of six boswell tobaccos i have ordered. after 50 years of pipe smoking I am delighted a talented blender like this appears.now if i can get the guy to make me a pipe.all new pipers should try this.any left overs can be sent to me.I will order this often.its a winner. thankyou, mr. boswell,sir.