Boswell Pipes & Tobacco Northwoods

I have been wanting to get my hands on Northwoods for quite some time now. At least a couple years and finally received a 2 oz portion some short days ago, I would say the 24th of May. Here is my review as of 4 bowls in so far:

From bag note, you can for sure detect smells of campfire and woodsy notes with hints of cocoa. From first feel to first light, the moisture content is quite goldilocks in nature. Boswell as I have heard always hits the button dead on with it's moisture content for their baccy. True light sends you on quite an adventure, with (to my palate) notes of chocolate/caramel run consistent as well as a sudsy taste (think lakeland essence without the harsh soapy taste). The latakia is tamed by the toasted virginias and honestly a perfect harmony. I would not say this lightly but as with all tobacco, you must respect it in order to be rewarded with such novelties. This blend is not only a must try but should find its way into your rotation somehow, some way. A solid 4-5/5 stars.

Loved it.

Smells like an english and tastes like an english, but the amount of sweet Black Cavendish almost controls the blend.

Sweetest English I have ever had, but it is a natural sweetness. No chemical taste, and smooth all the way through the end of the bowl.

An everyday smoke for me. Can be smoked all day, but my fav time to light up is evening. This would also be a wonderful Winter smoke as well.

A must try for anyone who enjoys naturally sweet english blends.

4 stars

Boswell’s Northwoods lives up to its reputation. It is smoky, earthy, and has a tiny bit of sweetness that blends in really well. It doesn’t require much drying time in my experience. This is really good everyday smoke if you like English blends. The black cavendish really adds a unique twist. Highly recommend!

This is a nice smoke. But, I recommend making sure it’s dry before getting the most out of it.

I haven’t smoked any English aros, but if some suggest this is one - then this is the only one I’ve had. But, when dry it has a nice smoky Latakia thing working...but, as the bowl burns the mouth gets a nice sweetness while the retro maintains the smoky and somewhat floral taste. When it’s more moist, it’s smoky and woody. It’s strange, but that’s how it works for me. The breathe method is best for this one. Puff too hard and it’s zero sweetness.

I’ve been through several ounces of this, some nights smoking consecutive bowls to figure this out. But, I think it’s fair to say I’m hooked. I still like some others better possibly because they have more strength in the nicotine department, but this one is maybe mild to medium in that arena. Overall, it just has a “smoke me again” smoothness to it that is going to have me coming back again and again.

I might change later, but after a few ounces this is a four star.

I think its Lane 1Q with a pinch of latakia, right? Really nothing special, heading straight to the trash for this smoker. Heavy 1Q flavor. If I want Lane 1Q, I'll just smoke that. Why was a remix necessary?

And flavoring "none"? Stawp. Its an aro.

I read someplace this was a good substitute for Frog Morton, and while it has been a hot minute since I puffed the tadpole, I retained enough to compare notes. The open bag certainly has a similar sharp English aroma, though the Latakia and Oriental were a bit tamer with an added musky/earthy note in its place.

The cut was even, with a few twig bits in a mostly black mix with the right moisture to get cooking right away. The lit product had a sippable strength that left some buzz in your month, though Frog Morton has more gunpowder spice and taste complexity all the way through. Still, the flavor was certainly in keeping with a good quality English and was happy to have it still on the market.

Ultimately Northwoods stands on its own while being a decent Frog Morton proxy.

Casing was unexpectedly overwhelming upon opening the bag. Clearly not a traditional English, nor Balkan blend (comparing to Artisan’s, GL Pease Westminster, Dunhill’s My Mixture 965). Taking away the "English" expectations, Northwoods is pleasurable, good room note, low on natural tobacco flavor other than Virginias that are noted. Seemingly very strong on casing flavor. No Orientals to speak of. An all day smoke if you like an aromatic style “English”. Unexpected casing has thrown me off. Aftertaste of Virginia's is good and welcome .

This tobacco is extremely over rated. Or I received a horrible batch. When I received this tobacco 2 years ago I couldn't wait to pack it into my favorite pipe. I was disappointed to say the least. This tobacco is almost like someone took frog Morton and put plastic flavor casing on it. It was disgusting. Not wanting to chuck it I jared it and just opened it after 2 years. The plastic taste is not ad bad but still there. Plastic is about the best I can describe it. And it's so noticeable the blend is awful. By plastic I mean the way new plastic smells. Just don't understand how ppl have all these great reviews. I must have gotten a junk batch.

This is one of the best Latakia blends I've had to date. I got this as a sample in a trade, so I've only had two of three bowls to make my conclusions. However, I think by this point my taste is developed enough to make pretty quick assessments.

Out of the bag this blend smells like most blends with even so much as a whisper of Latakia. Campfire. Dark, smoky campfire. The other tobaccos in this blend are detectable if almost indiscernibly so.

The flavor, again as is typical for many Latakia blends, tones down the Latakia considerably. The basic taste underlying the blend is similar to Boswell's Cherry Smash, only with the cherry being replaced by a savory smokiness. It's a pretty straightforward taste, consisting mainly of a sweetness from the Cavendish, some (but not much) Virginia, and a prevailing smokiness from the Latakia.

This blend can be excellent either for an experienced smoker, or somebody who is looking into Latakia blends but doesn't want a Latakia bomb.

On a personal note I probably wouldn't consider this an English, rather a Latakia blend. Still darned good baccy!