Sillem's Black

I am not a true fan of Latakia blends, but as I read the composition of this tobacco I gave it a try. It is excellent. It is not a daily smoke, but it is deffinetly a special ocassion choice.

I'm certainly not an aromatic smoker but i do believe that this is a blend to have in your collection of tobacco. It's worth a try at least. It's a cool aromatic with a smooth flavor. The Latakia is mildly present in the tin aroma. When smoked, the Cavendish comes out with strength while the smokiness of the latakia takes the back seat. As an English/aromatic i think the proportions of flavor are exceptional. I would suggest this blend for the english smoker amongst intolerable company or the aromatic smoker looking for make the switch to english. 4 stars in this new reviewers book.

Sillem's Black is the best aromatic I've ever tried, hands down. This is the stuff that makes pipe-smoking one of the greatest pleasures in life.

The tin aroma is inviting with a prominent Latakia/floral smell, but once smoked the Latakia compliments the Black Cavendish wonderfully and is not overwhelming, but stimulating to the tongue. The flavours are complex yet subtle and intensifies as the bowl progresses. I experienced no tongue bite or fowl after-taste.

The quality of tobacco leafs are almost identical to the 2009/2010 Limited Editions blends from Peterson (which I enjoy). The tobacco burns slow & cool producing a fine, white ash and should be smoked at a glacial pace to appreciate the multitude of notes.

This comes highly recommended and would make for the ultimate special-occasion luxury smoke. I'm definitely going to stock up my tobacco bar with this heavenly tobacco.

Update: 12/12/2011 This used to be the best blend in the world for me, being new to latakia type blends. I'm losing favour with aromatic blends these days. Once you get used to decent latakia blends, you'll find the flavour of Sillem's Black to be saturated and dull.

This is one of the best tobaccos i have ever smoked , just finished my fist bowl...and WOW..its amazing. When i lit it i got the marshmallow flavour with the latakia background. I have been mixing my own strong latakia's and i must say this artful blending of the tobacco's are amazing. First time i finished a complete bowl and want some more directly after.Its amazing stuff. We have to import it here at a price, but my next order is definately underway. Well done sillems on an excellent smoke.

I own and smoke all four of the Sillem's "colors" - Red, Green, Blue and Black and excellent as they all are, I have to say Sillem's Black outshines them all by a comfortable margin. This is reflected in the fact that more people have reviewed Sillem's Black on this board than the other three Sillem's combined! This is a truly unique tobacco - an English/Aromatic with incredible balance and subtlety. The Latakia is definitely there but certainly not alone. As the bowl progresses I taste the nutty Burleys and sweet Virginias weaving in and out. But the most remarkable aspect is the difficult to identify flavorings! Sometimes cherry, sometimes a toasted marshmallow, sometimes... don't know what! But overall it is far more than just Latakia. People who smell the room note ALWAYS comment on how delicious it is! That rarely happens when I smoke a typical Latakia blend. And never any bite, even when I push it hard.

I just finished a bowl of the Blue and enjoyed it but I find myself looking forward to the great pleasure and satisfaction I get with Sillem's Black.

Definitely an English/Aromatic. Not an aromatic. Which is fine. But I was a bit disappointed at how the Latakia simply seemed to overpower the smoking experience and bury the subtleties of the other ingredients. I really wanted to like it more, and it is truly excellent quality tobacco. I would rate it much more highly just as a strong Latakia dominated blend. I simply did not feel it was as well balanced as I would have hoped, based upon the tin description and my expectations of a more diverse, quasi-aromatic experience. What toasted marshmallow??? Huh? Latakia!! Fruit and nuts? Where? Latakia!!!! It is what it is. But just that. Excellent Latakia...I was also surprised by a little unexpected harshness and bite which none of the other Sillem's blends seem to exhibit. Seems to smoke a bit hot.

I vastly preferred the excellent Sillem's Blue which is rich, heady, mapley and flavorful, and on its heels, the lighter, slightly less interesting Green, then the very different but quite excellent, fruity Red. YMMV. Still great stuff no matter what your preferences, all of it, and Sillem's is top notch across the board. Try them all. But try black if what you want is....LATAKIA. Try the blue if you want a slightly more aromatic experience of the highest order.

Smooth, but intense tobacco. Don't let the "aromatic" descriptions fool you, this is an English. Very overwhelming at first, mellows out towards the middle, burns nicely.

One tin should do me fine for a while. I'm mostly an aromatic smoker, but this is a nice addition to my repertoire.

Recommended if you enjoy Englishes, somewhat recommended if you enjoy aromatics.

Very tough to get your hands on! I had to wait two weeks for it because it was on back order from cupojoes.

It's a very interesting mixture which seems like an experiment between latakia, burley and aromatics.The final tin aroma is campfire(latakia) and plum.The smoke is extremely good for beginners,but as your tastes evolve,its fruitiness dominates the aroma of a good quality tobacco.But it remains a very pleasant "desert"...

If you dry this tobacco,you will be surprised about the depth in aroma it can reach!

Received a tin for Christmas and was not disappointed! I had heard about this blend for quite a while, with various descriptions. I would have to call this a German English blend, because of the equal mixture of English flavors, with a unique and pleasant aromatic topping and just the right amount of sweetness for me! Cool smoking, I used it in a pipe my son bought me for Christmas as well, so I was able to enjoy it with no ghost flavors interfering. Complex, as the fruity nature of the tobacco mixes perfectly with the English. As I smoke more, I like it more, very well done and is becoming my new favorite! My tin came from Germany, not England, as the description states on this page hence, my previous categorization.