Boswell Pipes & Tobacco Bear Blend

This seems like a beefed up Berry Cobbler to me, with perhaps slightly more virginias and cavendish, and the addition of latakia. LIke all Boswell blends, it is very mild, even if this is supposed to be one of their more stout concoctions. These are very fine blends for what they are, and if you like smooth smoking high burley content aromatics with a lot of aromatic room note but not a lot of tobacco flavor or complexity, then you are sure to love Boswell, and Bear Blend. Part of that formula also calls for no bite (due to the light hand with the virginias?) and really no appreciable nicotine. These remind me of the House of Windsor blends, which were supposed to be high quality reissues of drugstore offerings of yesteryear.

Do not take my assessment as a criticism or slight of Boswell. I am merely pointing out where they fall on the spectrum, as opposed to say 1792 or Peterson flake, in terms of strength and style. I can honestly say I reach for this type of blend, when I am working for example, more often than something like 1792. They require little fussing once lit, and can be enjoyed without paying too much attention to them. Each has its place. I have friends who concentrate on smoking English blends, and I tell them to branch out and try some of the higher quality aromatics, of which Boswell certainly is at the top. For those who claim to only smoke aromatics, or, more incredibly, only Boswell blends, I would say the same thing, there is a whole world out there to sample, and you can learn and improve your pipe smoking skills if you force yourself to master some of the more demanding styles, like a good virginia flake. I know Boswell has tins aplenty from other companies, so they are clearly down with that approach!

With respect to Bear Blend, I really could not detect the latakia. It did show more virginia flavor and qualities, and requires a little more care to achieve that cool Boswell smoke. I find that all of their mixtures really benefit from a good drying out, and this one requires more drying than most. Give it a few hours and you are going to have a much tastier and more enjoyable experience.

I do taste the carmel and cherry, with a little more tobacco flavor than in other Boswell blends. Perhaps that is where the latakia is coming through. My one gripe is that this, like Berry Cobbler, has a funky aftertaste between puffs. A logical conclusion would be that this is a result of the cherry flavoring used, as I do not detect this aftertaste in their other blends that I have tried. While it is not overwhelming, and does not ruin the smoke, it is there, and is distracting, especially if you are used to more natural blends.

Along with that aftertaste, I rate this one a little lower also because unlike most Boswell mixtures, it at least purports to be a medium to full bodied smoke, and it really is not in any way. The latakia is not significant enough to play any real role in the blend, and it lacks the backbone and complexity that more virginia based mixtures offer. I would love to see the guys at Boswell really tackle a true medium to full bodied blend, with more complex virginias and other component leafs. This one, while not bad, is just not there in terms of body or strength.