Borkum Riff Original
(2.01)
A natural tobacco, strong but soft to smoke with a neutral light aroma, Borkum Riff Original is a specially selected and processed Virginia and burley tobacco flavoured with the lightest touch of vanilla. It is carefully prepared and offers unique smoking pleasure.
Pouch Description: The original recipe consists of 60% Black Cavendish from the Philippines and Africa mixed with 40% Virginia from Brazil, India and Africa.
Notes: Formerly called "Borkum Riff - Ultra Light", named changed due to tobacco regulations.
Details
| Brand | Borkum Riff |
| Blended By | Scandinavian Tobacco Group |
| Manufactured By | Skandinavian Tobacco Group |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Vanilla |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams pouch, 250 grams tin |
| Country | Denmark |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.01 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 31 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 16, 2009 | Very Mild | Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
I usually avoid to make negative comments on anything. If it is good, I praise it; if it is bad, I ignore it. But since this attitude defeats the purpose of writing here in this appraisal forum, I will act differently.
Borkum Riff is one of the most omnipresent pipe tobaccos in European drugstores. In spite of showing off an old sail ship in its packages, and although it is named after an dutch island and lighthouse, it is neither an old concoction nor is it made in the Netherlands; it's rather a modern, swedish product.
I bought it thinking that being manufactured in Scandinavia would assure a high quality level ? at the very least because these nordic people have a huge percentage of pipe smokers in their populations, much more so than the british, for instance. I was wrong. Provenance of the product is not everything.
Borkum Riff original smells flowery in the pouch, but has an intense mould-like aroma when smoked ? even if there is no sign of mould itself in the tobacco. The casing simply tastes so. I puffed some twenty bowls of it, just to make a fair assessment ? untill I gave up. Not only the taste was bad: the aftertaste was even worse, as if I had paved my tongue with tar. Truly unpleasant. I won't buy it or try it again.
Borkum Riff is one of the most omnipresent pipe tobaccos in European drugstores. In spite of showing off an old sail ship in its packages, and although it is named after an dutch island and lighthouse, it is neither an old concoction nor is it made in the Netherlands; it's rather a modern, swedish product.
I bought it thinking that being manufactured in Scandinavia would assure a high quality level ? at the very least because these nordic people have a huge percentage of pipe smokers in their populations, much more so than the british, for instance. I was wrong. Provenance of the product is not everything.
Borkum Riff original smells flowery in the pouch, but has an intense mould-like aroma when smoked ? even if there is no sign of mould itself in the tobacco. The casing simply tastes so. I puffed some twenty bowls of it, just to make a fair assessment ? untill I gave up. Not only the taste was bad: the aftertaste was even worse, as if I had paved my tongue with tar. Truly unpleasant. I won't buy it or try it again.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 10, 2008 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Tolerable |
I like many other reviewers on the forum tried this at the beginning of my pipe endeavors. that was well over 5 years ago and recently tried a bit from a friend. Still ghastly, tongue bite, bitter bottom half... I wont go on. If drug store brand is all you have the choosing of go Captain or Edward.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 09, 2024 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
In succinct: A light Black Cavendish mixture with some chocolate topping that is barely noticeable when smoking. Unfortunately there is some kind of additional flavouring that I cannot identify and tastes rather chemical.
Good stuffing and burning properties. This mixture might be just about ok for beginners and somewhat handy to break-in new pipes if you don’t mind a minor ghosting in the pipes.
Good stuffing and burning properties. This mixture might be just about ok for beginners and somewhat handy to break-in new pipes if you don’t mind a minor ghosting in the pipes.
PurchasedFrom:
Local discounter.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 03, 2021 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Very bland and very hot. No matter how gently I puffed this, it was hot. Fruity tasting, think Juicy Fruit Gum. Would not buy this one again...
Pipe Used:
Tom Howard, Rhodesian.
PurchasedFrom:
Local B&M store.
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2020 | Mild | Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
Honestly, if you want a description of the flavors in this mix, skip to the next review, as this writer does it solely to "turn the page." It was one of the first pipe tobaccos I tried, but I didn't go beyond smoking 3 or 4 pipes of this tobacco, before changing league.
It is not pleasant in taste and it is not kind to the tongue. However, it has a great advantage over other tobaccos: you won't have any difficulty finding it in your usual tobacconist. And it seems that the tobacco pipe industry is maintained largely by the sales of these brands. So, for this reason and selfishly, I should recommend it to you. But do not be in a hurry, as I said, you are not in danger of ending up in your usual tobacconist ...
It is not pleasant in taste and it is not kind to the tongue. However, it has a great advantage over other tobaccos: you won't have any difficulty finding it in your usual tobacconist. And it seems that the tobacco pipe industry is maintained largely by the sales of these brands. So, for this reason and selfishly, I should recommend it to you. But do not be in a hurry, as I said, you are not in danger of ending up in your usual tobacconist ...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 15, 2015 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
I picked this up in a liquor store after leaving my pipe bag at home by accident (I hate it when that happens). I needed some tobacco, and this was - sadly - my only choice. I smoked a lot of Borkum Riff blends several years ago and liked them, so I figured it would be good to reminisce. I was terribly wrong.
So it smells decent in the tin, but a little bit on the light side, even for a OTC aromatic. It really wasn't at all what I remembered, but I went with it and packed a bowl. It packed fine, and I actually had to add a little moisture to it before lighting it, as it was a bit too dry for my tastes (and I like my tobacco a bit on the drier side of the spectrum). I lit it, puffed lightly, and waited for the taste. And I waited some more. I checked the pipe to make sure I had actually put tobacco in there. I puffed some more, and still nothing but hot, stingy, acrid air. Now, I must admit that I like to give credit where credit is due and I hate giving one star to ANY tobacco because I try to judge it based on what it is or what purpose it serves. This serves no other purpose than to become fire kindling. It burns fast, bites like hell, and has no flavor with the exception of an acrid aftertaste. I like some of the Borkum Riff line, but not this one. I can't recommend this to anyone.
So it smells decent in the tin, but a little bit on the light side, even for a OTC aromatic. It really wasn't at all what I remembered, but I went with it and packed a bowl. It packed fine, and I actually had to add a little moisture to it before lighting it, as it was a bit too dry for my tastes (and I like my tobacco a bit on the drier side of the spectrum). I lit it, puffed lightly, and waited for the taste. And I waited some more. I checked the pipe to make sure I had actually put tobacco in there. I puffed some more, and still nothing but hot, stingy, acrid air. Now, I must admit that I like to give credit where credit is due and I hate giving one star to ANY tobacco because I try to judge it based on what it is or what purpose it serves. This serves no other purpose than to become fire kindling. It burns fast, bites like hell, and has no flavor with the exception of an acrid aftertaste. I like some of the Borkum Riff line, but not this one. I can't recommend this to anyone.
Pipe Used:
Red Dog commissioned brandy
PurchasedFrom:
CJ's Tobacco and Liquor, Beckley, WV
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from pouch
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 06, 2014 | Mild | Medium | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
the only thing i can say about this tobacco is "the worst tobacco iv tried so far" very bad smell-very bad taste.very very bad tobacoo.terrible.dont buy this
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 30, 2009 | Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This blend was sold to me at a tobacco shop as something that everyone loves. What a bunch of bull. I was looking for an aromatic that still had a solid tobacco flavor and this is what they came up with?? This stuff is terrible. There is no flavor, no good tobacco taste, in fact, there is no taste at all. I do not recommend this tobacco to anyone. It basically is like smoking air; hot air that bites.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 24, 2009 | Extremely Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
I tried this mix because it is easy to find, it will never be in my pipe again. For one is overpriced for what I find at the grocery store at 7.99$ a 1.5oz pouch. I rather by Carter Hall or Velvet at 4.49$ a 1.5oz pouch.
I had to power puff just to feel like I was smoking something, which in turn burnt the heck out of my mouth. Give me sawdust it would taste more like tobacco then this. I seldom dislike a tobacco so much to say things negative about but yuck, I rather smoke a weasel for my health. My Personal notes give this a .01 my lowest rating of any tobacco I have ever tried.
I had to power puff just to feel like I was smoking something, which in turn burnt the heck out of my mouth. Give me sawdust it would taste more like tobacco then this. I seldom dislike a tobacco so much to say things negative about but yuck, I rather smoke a weasel for my health. My Personal notes give this a .01 my lowest rating of any tobacco I have ever tried.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 07, 2009 | Mild | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Upon revieving this tobacco and my first ever pipe from a friend for christmas i was eager to try this out. Smelt good out of the pouch, but thats where the good news stops.
First bowl was ok, but every other bowl and i mean EVERY other bowl has been of foul taste. Far too 'flowery' for my liking and bites hard. This was with both pouches i had obtained (6 months apart from each other). The tobacco quality was ok in the first puch, but six months on and I found stems and other parts of the tobacco plant in the pouch.
Not worth the time or money and almost made me give up. Definitely better (and easier) tobaccos to start off with and smoke.
UPDATE: Now that my skills have developed, I have revisited this one and found to be ok. Doesn't burn as I remembered and stays lit ok now. Still will never buy it again though.
First bowl was ok, but every other bowl and i mean EVERY other bowl has been of foul taste. Far too 'flowery' for my liking and bites hard. This was with both pouches i had obtained (6 months apart from each other). The tobacco quality was ok in the first puch, but six months on and I found stems and other parts of the tobacco plant in the pouch.
Not worth the time or money and almost made me give up. Definitely better (and easier) tobaccos to start off with and smoke.
UPDATE: Now that my skills have developed, I have revisited this one and found to be ok. Doesn't burn as I remembered and stays lit ok now. Still will never buy it again though.
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