Boswell Pipes & Tobacco Apple Strudel

Hello friends! This tobacco blend seems to get some bad press on Tobacco Reviews. I want to say that after a few bowls this blend grew on me to the point where it has become my all time favorite smoke.

This is a wonderfully mature and subtle aromatic blend. What I love is how the virginia's delicate complexity washes with the light vanilla, apple and cinnamon taste/aroma.

To fully enjoy this blend it needs to be sipped slowly and preferably indoors or outdoors with very little breeze. This helps not only the flavor shine but also allows the room note to enhance the full experience of what this blend has to offer.

I have been smoking a pipe for 18 or so years and have literally smoked 100's of blends from all over the world in all styles. I heard about Boswell's blends and decided to sample their catalogue.

This blend came to me as part of a sample pack. Admittingly the first bowl did nothing to sway me either way. If I had left a review at that point it would have sounded much like the disappointed reviews you read in this thread. However, I had a long road trip to make and decided to pack my pipe with this blend. As I drove, I sipped my pipe slowly and reflected. This is where the blend came alive for me.

To me this aromatic is very different from the majority of the aromatics I've had. Many aromatics tend to go all out on room note but leave the smoker with a thin tasting experience.

The taste with this blend is mild but when sipped slowly and intertwined with the room note it becomes subtlety complex and very enjoyable. The taste of sweet virginia lightly mixed with apple and vanilla makes for a very relaxing experience. At times I even get a cinnamon aroma and taste even though it is not flavored with such.

I never in a million years thought that this flavor of tobacco would become my favorite, but it has.

This is a fantastic blend for a Piper looking for a complex mature smoke.

Full Disclosure: I am going through my cellar (which is really a jumble of tins and jars) and discovered some blends that I have not yet reviewed. That being said, I am reviewing an aromatic blend that is roughly 12 years old. All aromatics (in my opinion) lose some of their topping taste as they age.

First off, let me say you always get quality with Boswell. Whether a blend from them knocks my socks off, or is not a favorite, they are always of the finest quality, and who doesn't love supporting an American family owned business?

This is not a terrible aromatic, and I have to say not a great one either. It is relatively bland. I don't sense any apple at all (maybe age?) but there is a nice vanilla-ey type of thing happening. Stays lit well, and doesn't bite. Just not a whole lot to keep me coming back. I can see how many would love this blend though! Lots of other great Boswell blends to keep me interested. As always, no harm in trying it!

In my recent trial of Boswell’s tobaccos, this was the dud for me. Apple Strudel didn’t taste bad or unpleasant, it’s just that I got very little flavor at all. There was a very faint apple note and a bit more creaminess. This just wasn’t what I hoped it would be.

I think the description fits the blend well. It is mild but it doesn't claim to to be apple pie in a pipe. It's a tasty blend with great balance of both tobacco and casing flavor. Topping is very light and I notice more vanilla than apple. The flavor is more like a tart/sweet apple and not that of any apple pastry when you do get hints of the apple. Seems to burn a bit warmer if your not careful. I do notice a bit more nicotine though than I'm used to. Goes well with a cup of coffee and I bet it would be nice on a fall evening outside in the cool air. Packs & lights well and smokes dry...all that good stuff. This is a blend that does seem to get better after a week or two. The flavors meld together, it smooths out and doesn't burn as hot. Like most of the Boswell aromatics, it's a nice blend and it's a great smoking experience. I do like to have this around once in a while and it's a blend that tends to grow on me. Give it a try, I did bascially to see what Virgina blends were all about.

3 Stars and recommended based on quality tobacco. It comes off as a nicely balanced light aromatic. Very well behaved, enjoyable and sort of a "refined" blend.

On the rare occasion that I am in the mood for an aromatic, I often find myself turning to Boswells as they are highly rated for their aromatics with good reason. I agree with other reviewers in tht is is not overly sweet and the apple/vanilla flavor is mild. This may be the reason why I enjoy it. Its not goopy. I have a churchwarden that I find works well for sipping this blend. A nice gentle aromatic for our cool New Enland fall evenings. Recommended.

I agree with most of the other less than positive reviewers. This was a let-down for me as well. There is not much apple flavor (either in the bag or while smoking it), it burns hot, and can bite. As one of the other reviewers mentioned, it's sold as Apple Strudel. I almost think it has a little Latakia in it, although it's not mentioned in the product description.

I really had high hope for this one, but I'll continue my search for a good apple blend. I can't really even give it two stars for claiming to be an apple blend.

I come back to this blend every once in a while. What the previous poster said is true. This blend has a light apple and vanilla taste to it. Very flavorful if your looking for a light aromatic with good tobacco taste to it. Burns well.

"A rich Virgina Tobacco with a very very light Apple Vanilla Topping. A serious blend with a very mild aroma and a rich Virgina Flavor."

I think this is blend is just as it is described. I found the flavor smooth and mellow with a fuller tobacco taste and less casing flavor. The apple and vanilla were there but very mild and more vanilla than apple at that. It's not as sweet or as full as other Boswell aromatics and I taste mostly the tobacco. The apple flavor is more like a ripe apple than any apple pastry, but it's not claiming to taste like apple pie. Burns a bit warmer than others I think (if you let it), but no real bite, and it's a dry smoke.

This is one of the few blends that I've noticed a little time made better. This one actually became richer tasting after a week or two once I recieved my Boswell order. Goes well with a cup of morning coffee. I do notice a bit more nicotine than I'm used to. Not something I have to have around, but it's good every now and then. It's actually called Apple Strudel for those looking to order some up.

i smoked this blend when received,then two weeks later. it improved greatly. a pleasant,very flavorful blend with no bite. the slower you smoke the better it will taste.this is one i will keep on hand.