4noggins Bald Headed Teacher

A blend of burley, latakia and virginia, this is one acclaimed in 4noggings' lines Another famous Burley English blend. The nutty burley sweetness really smooth things out and it's perfect for all day smoke.

Burley is the main player here, but you taste some Virginias and a very light Latakia smokiness, lightly cased this blend buns cool and its good any time of the day.

Excellent blend by Rich. Upon first light I am greeted by the warm mellow burleys that occasionally zest into the tang and sweetness of the Virginia, or the smokiness of the Latakia. While the burley definitely takes the main stage in this one, its nice that it lets the other tobaccos get a word in edgewise.

I found this to be a very harmonious blend overall. A very enjoyable and relaxing smoke.

The burley is the most prominent flavor here, but is carefully balanced with the virginias and the modest sprinkling of latakia. I like the fact the latakia doesn't dominate like it does in so many other blends. For some it might lack a bit of punch or body, but for me, it was just about right.

I found if I puffed a bit too quickly that it did bite a little bit, but I suspect that it was because the tobacco may have still been a tad damp. A few minutes of drying on a paper towel might make all the difference.

There seems to be some kind of casing here, something that provides a sweetness in the aftertaste and aroma. It is quite nutty and sweet and brings out the virginias. The latakia is more evident in the smell than the taste as far as I could tell.

If you are an aromatics smoker and are looking for an easy going blend that is a cross over to an English blend, then this would be a great choice. It is not a genuine English, but it is more English than aromatic I would say.

I have only smoked two bowls thus far so I will come back and update after I have made my way through the rest of the pouch. But I can already recommend it on the strength of what I have tried so far.

I saw someone describe this somewhere as "easy going". I think that fits nicely.

Nice low maintenance, low key smoke. Definitely somethign I could see soemone smoking ans their all day every day.

Other comments here are in line with my thoughts.

A little nutty, a sweetness. Just barely enough latakia to remind you once in awhile. Otherwise easy to forget its' there.

Also it grows on you in a strange way. First time I smoked it I liked it but was on now way "wowed".

Next bowl...good stuff. Whatever. Nice enough blend. I'll certainly smoke up the 4 ozs I bought.

But as days went by I started realizing I was specifically craving the old BHT. Really a nice blend. Fills a niche.

I tend to smoke it as a first bowl of the day more than any other right now.

Very good stuff. I cant' imagine anyone outright hating this blend. Certainly worthy of a try for any pipe smoker who likes to explore and experiment with a variety of blends.

UPDATE: 11/29/10

My wife rarely comments one way or the other as to room note.

The other night, unsolicited, she said BHT "makes a nice smell". A glowing review in context.

Wow, a latakia blend that actually DOES use the latakia very sparingly, in balance, to add interest and dimension to the smoking experience, rather than dumping in gobs of the stuff to sledgehammer your palate into submission and drown out the other tobaccos. This is pretty tasty and interesting stuff, indeed, with a good combination and interplay of flavors. The smooth, nutty burleys are constantly in control of the blend, with tangy-sweet, sugary virginias pushing through mid-bowl. The smokey latakia is savory and always present, but never overpowering. Plenty of rich, creamy smoke, and burns cool and dry down to a fine ash. Well done. Three stars.

I should mention how I was introduced to this blend...I received a very small amount of this mixture randomly in a little baggie, as a free surprise/thank-you sample, when I purchased a pipe from 4noggins. Well, it worked. After enjoying a few bowls of this I promptly ordered a half pound, and will order more. Good move guys, samples are a pleasant treat, are far and away the best marketing, and of course it worked here! Thank you!

Update: This fine, cool-smoking, long-burning, easy-lighting mixture is essentially what you'd get if you mixed the good characteristics of McClelland's Deep Hollow with a helping of Pease's Samarra and threw in a smattering of McClelland's Tastemaster. Good stuff, very mellow and enjoyable.

This review is based on a relatively small sample. I smoked three bowls or so at various times over an extended period i.e. I did not smoke them back to back.

The flavor is pleasant, somewhat sweet. It burned relatively well and did not require a lot of effort to keep lit.

IMHO there's more than a "hint" of latakia in the mix, but it's definitely just a component, not a major factor.

My rating may go up to four stars with more smoking, but it's highly unlikely to go down. High quality tobacco blended carefully to get a desired effect.

UPDATE July 2009 Smoked a couple more bowls of this and it's nice but in this genre I think I prefer C&D Epiphany which is a bit more straightforward with less casing. Folks with a sweet tooth will probably prefer BHT.

UPDATE Jan 2010 Had a bowl this morning, and smoked a few over the last few weeks. It's sweet, and the casing definitely influences the flavor a lot. I prefer more natural tobacco, but this is a very interesting "crossover" blend i.e. very aromatic for an English, and for an aromatic, fairly well behaved in the pipe. Tends to smoke somewhat damp for me, but not terribly. I do prefer Epiphany but it's a totally different beast than BHT, not sure why I drew that comparison, except that I really like Epiphany!

Burley based tobacco, semi sweet, the taste is crème caramel, dark chocolate, Nougat, nutty, bite free and soft on the palate, easy to pack and smoke mild with clean burning property.

Good quality tobacco with original taste and flavor, I enjoy this blend with morning coffee.

Not bad. Nice retrohale with a bit of vanilla to it. Its a solid OTC type Burley smoke that is very managable in the pipe. It has a great nutty tobacco taste, a bit of nicotine, a bit if smokiness and sweetness and won't bite (unless you puff like a madman). Great morning smoke