Boswell Pipes & Tobacco Bear Blend

I bought this on recommendation during my most recent Boswell's visit. I told them I tend to like the aromatics but want something that's got a little body to it and some more complexities. They recommended this blend because of the light amount of Latakia in it. I don't often buy blends with Latakia but this smelled great so I took the recommendation and bought an ounce. I am pleasantly surprised!

This is a really nice blend. It's a great middle of the road aromatic with a hint of Latakia. Perfect for someone trying to start to expand beyond the traditional Cavendish, Burley and Virginias... The Latakia comes through as a hint in the rest of the sweet aromatic blend. It has a light bit of the same cherry sweetness (though much more subtle) from the PA Dutch treat that hangs out for most of the bowl before falling out. It stays cool and is still nice on the relight. No bite to this blend just like the other Boswell Blends.

Because of the Latakia it has a little more body than most of the aromatics, but it's still a very mild light blend. Room note is quite pleasant, anyone who enjoys an aromatic will enjoy this scent. It's more complex than your standard sweetness, but the sweetness is still the driving scent in the air. The room note may have been the highlight for me. Second would be the hint of Latakia shining through... and I'm not a Latakia smoker typically. This is just enough to start to enjoy it.

I've worked through the bulk of Boswell's blends at this point and this is one of the better ones. I like a blend that walks the line between aromatic and natural flavors and while this leans heavily on the aromatic side, the introduction of Latakia for someone who doesn't usually smoke it, was quite nice. A strong 3 star blend...

A very cool smoke. The taste is somewhat cherry to me, with a hint of maple or sweetness to it.

A good all day smoke. No goo at the end of the bowl. Very mild and sweet. No bite.

Room note is very good, and people around you will love to smell it.

Update: Turns out, the Initial hype I had was quickly capped off. The blend became very...bland and easy to grow tired of. The lack of kick to the blend, and the similar aroma to other Boswell blends made for an "ok" blend.

Recommended for a starter tobacco, However I wont be ordering anymore to keep around.

A very clean smoking aromatic blend with a tart cherry high note that's layered on a sweeter foundation of vanilla, caramel and a trace of Latakia. Sounds a bit complicated but it works. I wouldn't categorize Bear Blend as a "cross over," there's just not enough unflavored tobacco in the mix for that. The flavored Cavendish is front and center with the Virginia and Latakia playing very minor roles, the former more so than the latter. Throughout the smoke I got a few grassy notes from the Virginia and just a smidgen of smoky Latakia flavor from time to time, but it was never constant. Like most of the blends that I have had from Boswell's, this one requires some dry time prior to loading up, but it does burn nice and slow and the flavor is consistent and somewhat creamy. A good aromatic mixture from a most reputable pipe shop.

The bear blend is a treat if you enjoy aromatics as well as a good flavored tobacco. The smell is of a caramel with a fruity note hidden in there. The tobacco is easy to work with lights well, another enjoyable aromatic that has no bite to it but has a good tobacco rich flavor. The room note as always with boswells aromatics is very favorable and just plain smells good. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys aromatics as well as a person who enjoys a good straight tobacco flavored smoke. I will also put a shout out on this review to the workers at boswells awesome customer service very fast at getting the products shipped out to the customers.

Very nice aromatic smoke! Definitely more of a caramel flavor, didn't find much of the cherry, but that's OK. It has a little more strength than most aromatics of this genre, and that's OK too. Strength does not mean vitamin N, you won't find much of that. What you will find is a smooth, flavorful aromatic smoke. It can get a little moist so have a few pipe cleaners ready. I prefer using a Savinelli balsa filter for a smooth, uninterrupted and maintenance free smoke.

One of the best of aromatics that I've found so far...

I have to work not to smoke this too fast. A subtle cherry and vanilla flavoring that does not overwhelm in the least. Sipping brings enjoyment to the patient smoker... more full bodied than many aromatics, but doesn't bite at all...

Definitely an all-day smoker... I lean towards the Virginia perique blends but we'll dabble into the aromatics occasionally. Most of the times I'm extremely disappointed and wonder why I bought them. Not the case here. This will be a repeat purchase for me.

This is a pretty good blend. Slight cherry flavor and a good sweetness. Reminds me of pipes and pleasures pipemaker blend. I like it enough to keep some on hand. It's a good all day smoke for sure.

I made one of those pleasant, accidental discoveries not long ago. Is that what they call serendipity?

I was heading out for the day and when I grabbed my pouch, it was nearly empty. I had just a little bit of two samples from Boswells - Dan's Blend and Bear Blend. Not being the most sophisticated guy in the world, I dumped them together and headed out. All I can say is, "Nice!"

With the first whiff, you get some Cavendish, a slight hint of the cherry, but that's about it. I detect no hint of the latakia the others have talked about in the Bear Blend. It's very understated.

On the palate, it has a smooth, subtle flavor…almost sweet, but not quite. There's just the slightest little hint of the cherry, but I get none of the caramel or the latakia – and I'm okay with that. I'm not a tobacconist, but I'm guessing that is the balancing effect of the mild Virginia from the Dan's Blend.

It has no bite, and definitely tastes more of tobacco than it does of any of the seasonings. If you're looking for big flavor to rock your world, this won't work for you. If you're looking for pleasant, easy on the tongue, full tobacco flavor, this works. It packs easily, stays lit without a fuss. If you're an all day smoker, this is definitely an all day blend.

Use a thick bowl - it does tend to burn a little hot. Great room note - full, rich and very pleasant. Even my non-smoking friends like it.

Nice stuff! I was expecting an aromatic, but this is more of what people are calling a 'crossover blend' Oddly enough this blend shares pipes very well with NothWoods.

Butterscotchy-cherry-vanilla taste with a bit of latakia that really tops it off and imparts a very robust flavor. Great on relights! Great room note.

Perfect blend for an aro-smoker like myself. I just don't crave a pipefull of something that is "Latakia with a fleck of something else on top, so we can say it has depth" every day, or feel the need to smoke lat-bombs to be a 'real man'. These "crossover" blends that use latakia as a spice and not as the whole damn pie are great.



Smokes a bit hotter than I'd like (use a wide bowl), not much vitamin N, and just does not keep well even when properly sealed in a mason jar as with just about every Boswell. Very solid 3 stars!