Tinder Box Reserve 1928

I work in a tinderbox and usually am an english man but during the summer I try to enjoy a tobacco that is a little sweeter on the palate. When we got this in, I was overjoyed (a quality smoke I dont have to go to Iwan Reis for) and when I opened the tin and popped the metal guard I was welcomed by the smell of virginia and burley with an exteremely pleasent hint of caramel corn. Upon first light I could taste a very distinct sweat taste that seemed to be coming from the tobacco and could hardly distinguish any casings. The entire bowl went down smoothly with subtle variations in flavor and intensity, I couldnt be happier with this and would agree that no matter what you smoke you can greatly appreciate the light sweet flavor this blend gives forth and anyone around you will be able to share in the delight.

This is a really good blend. The sweet and tangy virginias are set off by the warm, buttery burley and the subtle topping in this blend. It makes for a pleasantly sweet tobacco flavor on the palate. I found this blend remained fairly consistent throughout the bowl. It is very smooth and has no bite if smoked at a reasonable pace. Very good stuff, especially as an all day smoke, but has enough flavor to be that relaxing smoke in the evening. I give this blend high recommendation. I will probably be putting a tin or two away to see how it ages. Give this a try.

I picked up a tin of 1928 Reserve while on a trip to Tinder Box to look over their newest stock of Ascorti pipes. I usualy dont smoke aromatics, but was told this Tinder Box exclusive blend was mostly quality McClelland virginias and that the casing was light and "unabtrusive". And so it is.

The taste upon lighting is of a smooth sweet virginia with a little bit of nuttiness from the burley. I struggled to find/figure out what the topping is, as it is so light and compliments the natural tobacco. Very well done.

It remains smooth and toasty and begins to pick up creaminess towards mid bowl. I tend to puff on the fast side and this tobacco stayed cool, fairly dry and didnt bite me even when I hit it hard. The room note is typical quality sweet virgina smell.

The suprise came in the bottom third,.. several quick succesion puffs a couple times a minute rewarded me with a sweet carmel pastry flavor! Not an artificial topping kind of flavor, but a sweet natural tobacco explosion. Truly delicious. A gem of a smoke. I'll be keeping this stuff around.

When I first popped the top and inhaled the tin aroma, I was shocked that I didn't smell any of the traditional McClelland "ketchup" Instead you get this wonderful sweet smelling tobacco. I mostly smoke blends with heavy Latakia these days so I was going into this with the opinion that I wouldn't like this. I was wrong! Lighting up I was hit with a massive blast of sweetness. This sweetness lasts the entire bowl. As your bowl progresses you get hints of buttery biscuits & other baked pastry goodness. Never once did it want to bite my tongue. It has an almost aromatic quality to it. In fact I thought it was way too sweet to just be Virginia & Burley. I asked Mike Spicer from the Tinder Box and he confirmed that there is added topping/sweetness to the Burley. I would recommend that everyone from the English smoker to the aromatic smoker give this a try.