Borkum Riff Mixture with Bourbon Whiskey (Bronze)

I am reviewing the BR Whiskey -- which is what was printed on the pouch, btw, NOT Bourbon Whiskey. Got it for a buck on a manufacturer's coupon, totally dried out and crunchy (the only pipe tobacco that filthy Winn Dixie had). Rehydrated with the old wet-paper-towel-over-a-bowl trick, which brought back the moisture. I'm not convinced that rehydration of really, really dry tobacco restores its pre-dried out character, but this stuff is rough.

Choose any of the negative reviews and it will be correct. Harsh, lacking in presence, character, taste -- and really cheap tobacco. The contempt this company has for its customers is appalling, worse than the tobacco. Didn't taste any whiskey, either. This will bite you like a rattler unless you puff easy. The room note is better than the taste.

But, I almost never throw tobacco away. It goes into the Everything Goes jar, so one day I will have my dollar's worth of pleasure many times over. On the other hand, the other leaf in the jar may not want to meld with this stuff. We will see.

One star, because that's the least I can give it.

Did not like this at all. Tobacco has a very unpleasant aftertaste that is hard to figure out what causes it. I will not smoke again.

I dont know why this blend has so much negative reviews. This is a nice tobacco, with a mild whiskey aroma. It doesn't bite, if smoked slowly. I like Borkum riff, so 3 stars from me.

Ah here we have what seems to be tobacco reviews most hated blend, I wonder why this is? I do understand that people don't like everything, but what I don't get is when people who very much dislike aromatics buy them and then slate them? Pointless much?

Anywho on to the blend and I am going to stick my head above the parapet and actually say I like borkum riff bourbon whiskey.

Opening the pouch you are greeted by quite a dark shaggy mixture there's a nice bourbon scent to it, it doesn't smell artificially so, it smells like real bourbon,also some nice tartness from the Virginia and some nice woody cocoa burley notes. Hydration wise it is ready to go immeadiately, packing needs to be done a touch tighter given its cut and it takes the flame with ease.

During the smoke the bourbon is mild, it doesn't overwhelm and it doesn't subdue the tobacco flavours, I can still taste the tobacco itself and it doesn't taste like cheap off cuts either, there's some nice qaulity stuff in there. Other flavours do come through undetected a drop of honey here and there and sometimes I get a taste very similar to carter hall.....strange...but in a good way. Room note isn't liable offend, and if you look up the old adverts on YouTube smoking borkum riff always leads to having a delightfully pretty Swedish lady in your company.

Now onto some other points. This is a fair warming, rush this tobacco and it will not hold you as a prisoner, this will bite you , lock its jaw and have your tongue in the death rolls. This is not a tobacco to be rushed, it is one too take your time with and relax , enjoy its flavours and taste and enjoy it with a cup of coffee.

All in all I find this a very enjoyable tobacco to be smoked at leisure with a cup of coffee, and I find it bridges the gap nicely when I want an aromatic with a nice added albeit mild flavour and actual tobacco taste and not have my head spinning with nicotine.

4 stars earned and 2 fingers shown to those who just like to blend bash to look good in front of the big boys.

(As post script and absent mindedly wondering, I wonder if this was put in a tin marked Sam gawith or gawith hoggarths and given to those who just like blend bash, I do wonder with much intrigue if their ratings and thoughts would be the same.....highly interesting thought indeed).

EDIT 27/12/17

well I found a couple of old cob pipes and ran this tobacco through them and it is a top class smoke. for some reason it just smokes absolutely beautifully in a cob, the sweet nuttiness of the cob works wonderfully with this tobacco.

try it in a cob and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Classic tobacco, very popular back in the day. Some people hate it but I found it's very good, pleasant aroma and no tongue bite. Room note is nothing special but ok. I recommend this tobacco to all people who want mild tobacco with whiskey flavor.

Every few years I go out and purchase a pouch of Borkum and every few years its the same result. Disappointment. I'm not at all prejudiced to the OTC's. I'll take a cruise with the Captain every once in a while when I feel like smoking dessert, and Prince Albert is my regular daytime smoke..in fact, I just picked up 2 tubs of it today. That said, for the following reasons I just cannot get along with this brand.

Appearance in the pouch is a mix of various colored ribbons and to my sniffer smells quite good. I smell more vanilla then whiskey, but good none the less. Moisture content is just right. Not bone dry nor soaking wet. OK..this looks promising.

Packing goes well using a simple 3 step and I put flame to leaf..and here's where it all falls apart.

This is VERY bitey and bland. None of the promised whiskey flavor appears nor can I detect the vanilla the pouch smelled of. I stick with it and get no improvement. Extreme bite and bland all the way to perhaps a slightly ashy, but otherwise dry finish, lacking the usual soggy clump of dottle such as the one the Captain leaves behind. No appreciable vitamin N to me and the room note seemed ok.

I tried this in numerous pipes and even a few cobs. I put a medico filter in the cob to attempt to tone down that bite to no avail. I just cant seem to make this taste any good..UNLESS..

You MUST and I mean MUST smoke this blend very slowly, as in so slow the pipe barely stays lit. Slow shallow draws can manage to coax some of that promised flavor out and produce a passable at best smoke. If you do not, the hellfire that will reign down on your tongue will make you rue the day you decided to pick up a pipe. This stiff will broil every last tastebud off that everlovin tongue of yours.. For me this blend takes way too much work for the paltry reward given. There are so many better tobaccos out there its just not worth the time/effort.

So I reluctantly give it 2 stars. Why 2? Well, a few reasons. This is probably one of the finest practice tobaccos you could load your pipe with. It will teach you proper packing, puffing cadence and tamping technique. It requires flawless technique. If you fail at any of the above this tobacco will punish your missteps swift and hard..a lesson you wont soon forget..

Good luck..

Bought this and Captain Black regular as my very first pipe tobaccos. The Black is inoffensive, this on the other hand is.

First off, it smells wonderful, thats why I bought it, I figured if it smells this wonderful, it has to taste wonderful too! Well I've learned quickly that's not always going to be the case when it comes to pipe tobacco (Hell even cigars for that matter!)

Its flavor, is sour, like whiskey, but that's all I get when I smoke it. Its not pleasant. I know I bought cheap tobacco and I am still learning the ropes of pipe smoking. However I'll take another pack of the Captain Black over this stuff again. I'd recommend that brand over this one to one learning pipe smoking.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (ST Group) has made an outstanding effort to stick, as much as possible, to the original recipes of the tobaccos it has been acquiring over the last 3-4 years or so. it is curently manufacturing tobaccos such as Captain Black, Borkum Riff, Erinmore, Amphora and Sail, among many others. Their version of Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey, I must admit, worried me seriously at first, for it seemed it was a return at the original formula that I did not like. The pouch aroma was overwhelming with the bourbon smell and the composition was different than the one advertised on this page: 35% of Black CA and 65% of VAs. No trace of the BUs mentionned in the composition of the blend on this page. Ah, I get it; swedish match is not the manufacturer anymore...;-) Anyway. Surprisingly, STG managed to come up with a blend that is fairly balanced, smooth and does taste big time of bourbon whiskey. Despite the low level of nicotine, it is still an enjoyable mixture that burns smoothly and does not bite. I think I enjoy it most in a Corn Cob.

Well, here we go again with what has been a long standing over-the-counter classic tobacco. Yep: this is a remake of the old German blended Borkum Riff, now produced in Denmark. I don't know if this is now being made by Orlik or MacBaren, or some other Danish firm, but I agree with my fellow reviewers in that there has been a noticeable improvement in many of the BR offerings.

I believe the new blenders are more cautious in their flavoring technique (the tobacco now has more of a topping rather than a casing ambiance), and the choice and quality of leaf seem to be better than previously. Most BRs are composed of Burley and Virginia, and this one has a strong Burley under taste that makes it quite palatable.

So, though we are still talking of a highly commercial blend, designed to be smoked without further ado, it has now a stronger or clearer tobacco flavor and its closer to a quality blend than to an artificial-chemical concoction.