Wilke Pipe Tobacco Wilke No. 515

OK. I got taken in by the Basil Rathbone reference too.

My first order of samples from P&W had this. It's the only one I didn't like. It has a mild soapy taste which doesn't agree with me. I like the Bohemian Mixture and Rumcake better.

I sent it on to another pipe smoking buddy and he says he likes it. There's no accounting for taste.

My supply came from a November 2020 order – the original configuration. I understand there is a version with half the amount of rum, and a version called Double Shot which has twice the rum. My two ounce exploration of this blend was more than enough for me. Firstly, among reviewers who didn’t give a four star rave, soapiness is often mentioned. I didn’t get any soapiness. Others talk of butterscotch; I didn’t get any. I like blends with rum in them (Black Frigate a favorite) but I don’t really taste rum here either. Maybe I received a rogue batch, and that’s a common comment on the forums. What I get front and center is a weird tonquin-like note of coumarin, with the underlying tobacco tastes struggling to get through. My initial explorations landed in the two-star territory, but the longer this sat in the jar the weirder it got, until by the end it was firmly in the 1-star category. At the end, the weirdness combined with the overt creamy sweetness tasted to me like cream soda gone rancid.

I have to comment on a comment about why anybody would review a tobacco they don’t like. First off, we need to be able to calibrate tastes with other reviewers, not just in what we each like, or don’t, but also in the manner of description. Secondly, a diversity of opinions shows that we are not all in the same echo chamber. Thirdly, unlike some who receive free samples, I have purchased all my tobacco, so I look carefully at dissenting opinion and cautionary reviews. If somebody tastes something off, I’ll probably taste it too. That’s the only thing keeping my TAD in check!