Rattray Bagpiper's Dream

After sniffing the tin of Bagpiper's Dream, I immediately started salivating. It instantly became a high ranking member in my aromatic rotation of which there are very few. I loved the combination of Vanilla & Cognac & how it interplayed with the tobaccos developing a delicious, sweet flavor that hangs on the palate. It's not too harsh & as with any tobacco that may tend to bite initially, employing the DGT method will negate that issue. It is fairly moist but can be smoked from the opening or dried to the smoker's preference.

The tasty flavoring is there at the beginning & remains throughout but after some has burned off it gets even better... the point where all the varietals & flavoring meld together & form a unique flavor with a pleasing aroma. Drying it out doesn't seem to diminish the flavor or aroma which is my preferred method for preparation. If your taste buds are not dead or suffering from any type of infirmity, Bagpiper's Dream will seem like its name implies & will tantalize your taste buds.

The strength is medium & doesn't bite or become harsh if not pushed. I'm enjoying a bowl of it right now & I'm not really a heavy hitter when it comes to aromatics. Bagpiper's Dream has an alluring flavor that's surprisingly, tantalizingly, delicious & a little "pinch" will go a long way. You could sprinkle a dab of quality Latakia & some Turkish to this and you'd have an exceptionally fine aromatic Balkan blend... "Balkanaro," as it were. I will have to try this idea and edit the results... & here we go: If you mix this to your tastes with a little Syrian or Cyprian & Turkish, you can anticipate amazing results. However, Bagpiper's Dream is fine just the way it is... just experimenting, as it were. This is an outstanding aromatic that rates off the chart. Four stars plus!

I have nothing against aromatic tobaccos. In fact, I love them. The right ones, that is. For whatever reason, Bagpiper's Dream -- which I have every reason to believe contains high-quality tobaccos -- just plain nauseates me. I can't taste the base Virginias; I can't taste much of anything, to be honest. What I do get, and get in spades, is an overpowering aroma of florals and acetone. Almost like bathroom air freshener. The cognac topping doesn't really come through for me.

I'm a big fan of Rattray's tobaccos in general, and I'm willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt and chalk up my distaste to a body-chemistry thing. This stuff just clashes with me for whatever reason. It also ghosts a pipe, which I learned the hard way.

This is one of the few tobaccos I've ever smoked where I just couldn't finish the bowl.

One star.

Not as sweet as the tin note/room note would have you believe, but actually a quite tasty, smooth blend. Smells fantastic both in the tin and in the pipe, but true to most aros, pack your snorkel as will get quite wet towards the end of the bowl. Very light on the Nic, but not a bad summer time smoke. A bit of a bar-setter for aromatics.

Look I'm convinced that I really don't care for Aromatics, and that is what this is. Good quality tobacco is used so If you're an Aro smoker give this a try and disregard my rating.

Update 10/28/11 I gave my tin to a bunch of "newbees" as we played cards. Since I was not smoking, I could really evaluate the aroma, cherry floral, and very cloying. I took the tin away from them !!! Down one more star

I tried this blend upon a suggestion of a friend. I am very impressed by this blend. It has a great room note and tastes just like it smells out of the can. I would think that even the biggest smoke haters will like the room note of this blend. If you like Aromatics then this is a must try!

THIS IS A VERY STRONG AROMATIC FOR ME, FLAVOR IS ACTUALLY VERY NICE. COULDNT TELL VERY STRONG ROOM NOTE. TASTE IS NICE, ALITTLE STRONG FOR ME, AND IT DOES LEAVE A SOMEWHAT SOUR AFTER TASTE. YET STILL I WOULD RECOMMEND AND MAY EVEN MIX W/ SOMETHING ELSE TO TRY A SEE IF I CAN GET THAT AFTER TASTE OUT.