Borkum Riff Mixture with Bourbon Whiskey (Bronze)

Is it just me, or I feel that this tobacco is really high in nicotine! I feel it after a bowl … like when I was kid and I used to smoke 3 cigarettes in my 15 min school break ….. . Anyway, it’s not that tasty and it’s a bit rough on the throat after… maybe my tobacco is old enough …. It’s my second Borkum and I did not really appreciate it .

This feels like a hard-core tobacco at least in the OTC category I definitely taste the whiskey Ness I don’t love whiskey I don’t love this tobacco I probably would give this away I don’t really like this

What is everyone else smoking? I've heard great things about this tobacco from reviews on many sites, and apparently many pipe smokers have been puffing on this thenceforth from 1970. Yet, my experience was absolutely dreadful, totally unlike the glowing praise.

Like most alcohol-cased blends, the pouch note barely resembled its touted flavor. Upon opening I was hit by the strong scent of apples, honey, and maybe figs, as well as an iodine-like note I couldn't quite place. Not a good start.

While packing, I noticed something quite concerning. Unlike any other blend I had tried, this one was completely desiccated. It was like trying to pack dead leaves into my pipe. I knew instantly that this would burn hotter than coal and faster than a locomotive.

On lighting and drawing I tasted nothing. Then, a little bit of burley. Occasionally, a vague medicinal note would creep in, but only just before the tobacco overheated. It reminded me somewhat of the liqueur Southern Comfort (which isn't even real whisky, but rather some sort of tonic designed to cover up bad whisky. It tastes like cherry cough syrup.) Thoroughly disappointing, there was no whisky flavor whatsoever, and barely any notes of tobacco. On the other hand, there was plenty of ash.

As I've already said, it burned extremely hot and fast, almost as if I'd packed RYO tobacco into a pipe. Indeed, it smelled like it too, and I had to slap myself to make sure I wasn't delusional and actually smoking OHM instead. Nope. Just Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey. After I was done with a bowl, I came away smelling like cigarettes and a campfire, which was most unpleasant. On top of that, it heavily ghosted my pipe with an acrid flavor. I had to burn it out with a match to restore it to normalcy.

Although the idea of whiskey-topped tobacco is attractive, it seems hard for manufacturers to pull off. Especially Borkum Riff. Give this tobacco a wide berth. If you're looking for whiskey in a pipe, try out Erin Go Bragh instead, which is actually pretty decent, tasting more or less just like Irish whiskey on top of burley.

Following up on a review I did for SuperValue Bourbon Whiskey, I realized I neglected to present my commentary of this alternative blend by Borkum Riff. Setting this up, I did a side-by-side comparison of these two comparable OTC blends. There is no question that the Borkum Riff is the weaker of the two.

The initial pouch note of this Cavendish-Virginia mixture really does present the nice bold bourbon fragrance one would expect given the added flavoring. Unfortunately, the flair of the whiskey note does not translate through to the actual taste when smoked. Short of a minimal flat spicy nuisance reminiscent of bourbon flavoring, the namesake of this blend is almost non-existence. What comes through is an unassuming hint of spice with some basic grassy presence from the base Virginia and that is pretty much it.

Borkum Riff burns exceptionally hot, and the tongue lashing is significant. The smoke that is produced is light on body and meager in room presence.

Given the much higher cost of this blend compared to its counterpart, my vote is a “no thank you”. However, this particular blend is readily available in most tobacco retail establishments so I can’t dismiss that there is a market out there for many who actually enjoy partaking the blend.

In the end, I only smoked a few bowls, and the pouch has now sat in abandonment in my cellar. Not wanting to promote a total waste, I have mixed Borkum Riff with a maple flavored aromatic with sprinkle of some budget black cavendish. With that modification, yeah, I can say I have improved the appeal of actually smoking it.

If you want a tasty budget OTC Bourbon flavored aromatic then go for the SuperValue. It is good and well worth the money you give for it IMO.

It is not pleasant to review a tobacco that I do not like, but I am "turning the page." All I can say is that I smoked it a long time ago and didn't like it. With so many good mixes out there, I don't want to waste time smoking a pipe of this one again to perfect my review, not even a "minute" pipe. Look for more information in other reviews.

Nice thing was, when I opened The pouch i bought, that tobacco was in cake like form, but that was only nice thing about of this tobacco blend. Smells like some alcohol but not bourbon or whisky and tastes bitterish and harsh. Moisture level is good and can be packed into bowl straight from the pouch.

Borkum Riff vanilla- used to be A favorite of mine... but the price is getting too high, ($9+ for 1.5 oz.)-and the last package I purchased was the Bourbon Whiskey.... it failed the smoke and taste test... too pungent, too strong, bad flavor.

I have heard so much about Borkum Riff over the years, and I even remember my father smoking it on occasion. So I tried a pouch and I thought the Bourbon Whiskey would be a good choice.

The pouch note was good, but the tobacco was dry as bone. It lit right away and burned hot and fast. Tongue bite was present through the entire bowl. No noticeable flavor or nicotine. It burned completely, leaving nothing but ash. I will not purchase this again.

Well, Borkum Riff certainly isn't what it used to be. I had forgotten that this used to be advertised as "laced with whiskey" but since EU regulations do not allow names of alcohol to be connected with pipe tobacco anymore and this is now called "Bronze", I had totally forgotten about it; and I only found out afterwards as honestly, I could not detect any whiff of whiskey anywhere in this. Not in the pouch note, not in the room note and definitely not in the taste. The Borkum Riff that I knew in the eighties when it came in a much more old-fashioned wrapping pretty much reeked of whiskey, and was often so moist one needed to leave it open for a few hours at least to be able to smoke it at all (and for that reason, was actually a fringe smoke for me).

Today's Borkum Riff, though; consistency of fairly fine shag, a pouch note that is totally nondescript, room note similar, lights and burns easy, with a taste that is almost totally bland. You might as well buy the cheapest rolling tobacco and stuff your pipe with it, at least that'd a bit more economical. Desperately trying to come up with a positive point, being so bland it is an extremely easy smoke.

What a shame.