Stanwell Melange

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN AROMATIC TO PLEASE THE OLD LADY AND THAT YOU CAN ENJOY THIS IS IT. THE ORIENTAL FLAVOR IS IN THE FRONT AND THE BURLEY IS ALWAYS THERE. THIS BLEND WILL NOT GUNT UP YOUR PIPE OR LEAVE ANY FLAVORING BEHING. THERE IS A APRICOT AROAM THAT YOU THE SMOKER WILL GET EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE BUT OTHERS WILL SMELL A COTTON CANDY AROMA. i ACTUALLY ENJOY THIS BLEND. IF YOU ENJOY A SCOTISH BLEND THEN TRY THIS AS YOUR CROWD PLEASER.

This is my go to aromatic. I smoke English blends daily. But when I'm in the mood for something sweet and mild I smoke this. The room note gets compliments from all. The tin note smells delicious! The taste as stated in the introduction is of apricot, and nutty burley. I enjoy this at least once every other month with a tin always on hand. Very low nicotine. And it is very reasonably priced in the U.S.

QUITE...A...SURPRISE! I got a tin of this due to a "passaround-tobacco-box" we have going on, and when I grabbed the tin I was sure: Nope.. this aromatic isn't for me (not an Aro-guy at all), but I dared to take a sniff... and fell in love with the scent!

First I thought it was the wrong tobacco and I got the "Classic" Stanwell, because the tin note is mostly of vanilla and coffee with a generous spoon of cream. Apricot? Yea, slightly in the background! JimInks mentioned 'peach' as one of the flavorings, and I think this is not too far fetched!

What I find interesting about the Stanwell aromatics: They often are not the "Virginia/BUrley/B.Cavendish" tobacco base, but often add Turkish/Orientals to the mix, which I like! Couldn't help myself but too fill a generous clay-pipeful of this blend.

In the smoke the apricot flavoring is more obvious than in the scent. Apricot and vanilla take the main stage, deliciously accompanied by a very tasty coffee/latte-ish aroma in the background. It's a full-grown aromatic, but leaves a bit room for the tobaccos as well. What I notice most is the toasty, nutty burley. The Orientals tend to shine through by times with a smooth exotic, dry spice. Has quite some body for an aromatic!

The flavourings are rich, yet smooth, unobtrusive and natural-feeling. The tobaccos do shine through and perfectly melt with the smooth flavourings to create one unique smoking experience and an aromatic, that appeals even to me, as someone, who get's highly sceptical when it comes to flavored blends. But this one just works. Great morning smoke, great after-dinner treat along with coffee, tea, or a hot chocolate..., yup, 3,5 stars!

Absolutely love it. I’ve never experienced a tobacco for which the taste is exactly the same as the aroma from the tin and now I’m spoiled: it turns out that aromatics don’t just have to be for everyone at the other end of your pipe! I struggle to describe the aroma/taste - I agree that it’s apricot vanilla cheesecake, but there’s also a maple syrup pancake quality. It’s absolutely unique. Smoked all the way to the bottom on one light, but also did something I’ve literally never had another tobacco do: even without picking it, it smoked all the way out from the center, leaving absolutely zero unsmoked tobacco in the bowl. I’m in love!

Upon opening the tin, a delectable scent fills the room, reminding one of caramel & cream...which is to say, the tin note is fantastic! This is a real aromatic, so you will not detect any natural tobacco scent. The tobacco is a nice mix of colors: red & gold virginias, black cavendish, brown burleys, etc.

Melange is a bit too moist right out of the tin, so I'd advise you to dry it before filling your pipe. If not, it can pack too hard, making it impossible to smoke. It may take you several lights to get this tobacco going, and it will go out on you, requiring a relight. At first, the smoker is rewarded by mild hints of the flavouring in the smoke, though they remain elusive, which is frustrating, considering the tin note. The room note is fabulous and will be certain to please a crowd. But I am only givng Melange 2 stars, because about halfway through the bowl, despite careful sipping, the smoke turns acrid, spoiling the smoker's pleasure. This is very unfortunate, as Melange is a tobacco I really wanted to love, but just could not... It is not a bad tobacco, but it would not be among my top 10 aromatic choices.

I was given a two bowl sample of Melange and Vanilla so this review is based on only a very small sample. The blend is quite sauced and lives up to its namesake. It burns dry and is sweet throughout. But, I simply didn't find it to my liking. It burned much hotter than other aromatics that I enjoy. It could be a body chemistry thing or the size of the sample as I generally want to know a blend more before reviewing it, but that would mean buying more and that won't happen. I also didn't like the aftertaste. A lot of folks like it, so you may as well, but it's not for me.

Now this one. The ethalon of all aromatics. Haven't met any smoker yet who wouldn't like it just a bit. Interesting fact, I've consantly asked other what does it smell like raw and I haven't got two identical answers. From peache to chocolate, from caramel to coffee, I got everything. Turns out, the taste is somewhat everything, but mostly caramel and some apricot, so I've felt. Few precautions though: first, if you prefer to feel the taste of tobacco, leave it be. The topping's so strong, so dominant, and although it weakens proceeding to the bottom of the bowl, it never disappears. Secondly, I wouldn't give it to a newbie. The reason is simple: after a hefty aromatic everything tastes bland, empty and so he'd miss out lotsa things. All that being said, I love it as an occasional blend. After it I always smoke sungold or other tasty non-AROs to get my taste back to default. It shines all day long, in every setting, every weather, it's room note is absolute best, even better than some air fresheners. As of drinking, you ought to choose something mid-to-strong, as it will dominate most teas and the heavenly sweetness just doesn't feel right with water or beer. Irish coffee is king but scotches or liquores work just as fine.

This is definitely one of my favorite aromatics. The tin note translates very well into the taste and the wonderful room note. It reminds me of apricot cheese cake or panna cotta with apricot sauce and a cafe au lait nuance. Creamy, nutty, fruity, lightly citrus, ...simply delightful.

I don't do sweet aromatics very often AT ALL, but this one is really fun for a casual afternoon smoke. It's really a modernized version of the Lane 1-Q. Many of the same apricot fruit notes. It's slightly less incense-forward than the 1-Q, and a little richer on the actual tobacco notes.

Frankly, it's very nice. I've starting mixing it down with a basic virginia blend, but that's just personal preference. The tobacco flavor does come through even without blending it down, and the sweetness is not cloying or overwhelming.

For some reason, I really prefer this in a briar. I've tried it in clay and meerchaum also, but there's some nice combo with a briar that I can't fully explain. Your mileage may vary. It will ghost a briar somewhat, though -- not terrible, but noticable. Just FYI.

Nicotine is mild, smell is awesome in the tin and the room.

Sweet, but not too much. Like that pie that's balanced on sweetness so you want to keep going. Somewhat earthy too.

I like more pungent tobaccos, so I can't give it the maximum rating.

Also, the room note is non-existent. I can't detect it at all. It's not weak, it just doesn't seem to exist. Maybe it's so weak that I don't notice it, which is the same thing.

Anyway, it really is better than drugstore aromatics like 7 Seas etc. A step above them, I would say.

For those who like mild but quality aromatics, go for this.

I really love this tobacco. It is warm, it has full caramel-like flavor, it smells fantastic. It is one of the tobaccos I regularly buy. On top of that, it's among the cheapest (9 euros), so, of course affordability is a big factor.

There are only three things I like less. Firstly, I get a lot of "ashy aftertaste", so I like to have something to drink or eat afterwards. Also, I gunks up my pipe a lot faster than other blends (I don't know why, but I noticed that). thirdly, I found the taste to be inconsistent through the pack - probably because of the small flakes, which dominant flavor you get really depends on your pinch. Maybe whole flakes or ribbons would have been a better cut. Finally - and most importantly - I found the temperature at which I smoke it to be important. When I smoke it and it's warm outside, the whole flavor emerges and it's wonderful. When it's cold out, I find the taste to become more bitter, less amazing. For this reason I really feel like it's more of a summer smoke. DESPITE these things, I still highly recommend this blend, it's one of my absolute favorites.

Just a pleasant smoke. Gentle aromitc aroma that burns well and tastes sweet. For me there has been no ghosting of my pipes. The room note is always a positive. Melange has no great depth of character, unique flavor or aroma. Just a very good light aromatic smoke at what is usually a very reasonable price.

This is somewhat similar to Blue Note as far as flavor. I do however enjoy it more than Blue Note, as it doesn't bite like Blue Note can.

Lights and packs easy, tin note and room note are superb. I recommend this to any and all aromatic smokers. Good job to Stanwell.

Pairs well with an iced tea.

If you like peach and apricot in your pipe then try this blend. This mixture delivers an outstanding fruity aroma with delicious flavor and creamy/nutty taste, the tobacco quality is top notch, the smoke is dry and cool with no bite at all, room note is outstanding.

I highly recommend this blend for new pipe smokers as well as veterans, this is for you dessert after dinner smoke.

In August 2009 “depserado” gave me a tobacco he had in his celar since September 2008. I took it with reserve as I didn't like its name: Melange Stanwell. I was mistaken, DREADFULLY. A stunning aromatic tobacco that was well matured. Maybe that was what made it so exquisite. Lightly aromatic, with an exceptional fruity flavor of apricot. I still haven't mentioned its components: Black Cavendish, toasted Burly, Orientals and bright Virginia. Perhaps it's the oriental that makes it so unique. The only slip off this tobacco has is its cut, which makes filling relatively difficult. At the end it leaves some minor sludge, which may have been more if the tobacco wasn't aged for a year.

I ordered this blend because I like apricots. I'm also looking for an aromatic to smoke around my girlfriend, who kindly accepts my pipe smoking without complaining. Not being used to European aromatics, it took me a couple of bowls to appreciate Melange. I found that drying it out extensively improves the burning qualities and lessons the aromatic flavor. Only time will tell, but this may be a blend I buy again. The components are first-rate and the aroma is very pleasing. There is not an overabundance of black cavendish. Virginia predominates, with some burley added for coolness. The oriental is minimal, but delightfully present. You can actually taste the tobacco. A very novel concept for an aromatic. Very pleasant aftertaste. Bravo!

I just finished a big bowl of this on my vauen pipe, and i have to say that,together with the Peterson´s conoisseurs choice,it is so far my favourite tobacco.It dosen´t leave any harshness neither on the toungue nor on the palate, the flavour is full and smells like good aromatics should,sweet but without disturbing the qualities of the tobacco.Burns beautifully even and never goes of.The qualities of the toasted leaves and it´s sweetness can very much be percieved. Cavendish,virginias,toasted burley,apricot:that is heaven on a bowl Great with a good cup of aromatic or spieced tea.

Nice aromatic tobacco, well balanced. It reminds me of Peterson's Connoisseur's choice, but it seems to me a little lower (very little). Good smoke, no bite, recommended.

I don't give it one star, since to me that would be reserved for blends like butt. But Melange was not great. Problem? It was like gummy steam to taste, and the smell was just cloying. I bought it for the room note recommendation alone, so you can imagine how disappointing it must be to write that. Really though, it smells like hot mug of saccharine-choked apricot concentrate. I hated smelling this stuff on my clothes, and it seemed to stick indefinitely. And it took a LONG time to work its influence out of my pipe.

Maybe you should miss this one. That is unless you like smoking rank fruit kool-aid, and coming from an aromatic smoker that's a pretty lousy thing to say.

Update: I lied. On reflection, this stuff probably deserves one star.