Sillem's Black

Among the best aromatics in the whole world, not just because it has the latakia addition which makes is rare but because the balance of flavours is just perfect for such a complex mix.

The smokey and creamy substance of the latakia is present but doesnt dominate, just add his character with subtlety, surrounding the palate but letting the virginias carry the sweet touch, a combination that one may paragon between vanilla, some cherry and honey. The smoke is robust, mature like, balancing between creamy, nutty, just a tad sweet while the flavour, casing and taste always keeps a mild pace. Something you may like if you prefer the english personality from the mix, but on the other hand it may dissapoint a bit the sweet tooth as it never gets sweet, always keeping balance, always managing to grant an english with a grain of sugar.

Personally i love this blend, its unique. Very calming smoke, a must for the colder days.

WOW.

I had never heard of the brand or the blend, and when my pipe guy said I have to try some and described it as an aro with some latakia, I have to admit I was just humouring him when I fired it up.

It opens fairly innocently, big plume of aro smoke which tasted like a lot of other aros. Then all heck broke loose and the latakia came in beautifully. It's really something, the aro elevates into a really gentle but sublime taste, and the lat is just right coming in and adding just a hint of smokiness.

The concoction is just right, and it really changes the whole way down. Down near the end, its a very rich and deep bowl where the tobacco is noticeably present with the aro elements changing the whole way down too.

Cannot recommend it highly enough. Completely surprised, and now I need to find a procure a lot of this.

An extraordinary, unique aromatic, blended with Latakia - truely a remarkable masterpiece!

There's not much more I can add to the glowing reviews here except for one thing - I have figured out what this subtle, enjoyable topping tastes like to me:

It's Black Forest cake my friends! And it's fantastic!

Two points of caution: The last 3rd of the bowl isn't quite as nice as the first 3rd of the bowl. And it does dry out rather quickly in the tin once you've opened the bag, even if you keep it tightly wrapped in the cellophane bag and the tin tightly closed

Quite simply the best tobacco I've had in long time just great.. As others have stated though, put this in a jar because the tin is terrible to keep it in.

What can I say about this that hasn't been said before? This blend is near perfection, if only it weren't so hard to find.

There are two different tins, a square kind and a rectangular kind. Neither are airtight, as the bags inside them are unsealed and simply closed off with tape. Luckily, it seems that even if the blend goes dry it doesn't get harsh or lose all of its flavor, like many other blends in the same packaging do. In fact, this blend smokes best dry, and it will dry; no goopy PG here. The tin note is fantastic, a sugary honey-like sweetness with a hint of fruit (think syrupy-sweet fruits like mango, passionfruit, or candied strawberrys) and a backing smokiness like marshmallows on a campfire. The tobacco is pitch black with some flecking of bright Virginia, not quite a ribbon cut but almost needle-like, kind of like some kinds of tea.

It takes to flame quite easily and forms a grey ash quickly. Some people like to call this a crossover English blend, but I disagree with the latter; it is not at all like an English, but its own thing. The taste is that of a wood fire perfumed with honey. It's a very gentle, mild taste: no intense Latakia soapiness, vanilla aromatic, or fake fruit topping, just a satisfyingly sweet smoke. The black Cavendish and Burley help provide a decent body to the smoke, which helps further accentuate its gentleness. The flavor lasts all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Won't bite, in fact it almost does the opposite; the smoke is so dry it'll start to dry out your tongue in a tannin-like fashion. An easy favorite, for as long as it's still available.

When I think of aromatic English blends, I tend to think of blends with the components of an English blend with some added sweetness (like Frog Morton’s Cellar) or a light topping. Sillim’s Black takes that to a whole new level. Black, like all of the Sillim’s aromatics is comprised of high quality tobaccos with a very heavy topping that smells wonderful. I don’t really pick out the toppings named in the description, but with that said, I can’t think of an aromatic blend that contains this much Latakia and is so aromatic (aromatic in an additive sense). It needs some dry time, and it will leave a pretty strong ghost in your briar so be sure to use a briar dedicated to aromatics or even a cob. It will even ghost an aromatic pipe that hasn’t been used with Latakia. With that disclaimer out of the way, it burns cool, is very rich in flavor and won’t burn hot. Black is fuller in body too. It will leave a tad bit of moisture in the pipe is not properly prepared. A lot of aromatics don’t cellar well, but I have had them jarred for as longer than four years without a problem. The packaging, while elegant, isn’t designed IMO for long term storage so I would jar it if cellaring is part of the plan.

As others have noted, the tin fragrance is similar to toasted marshmallows. The marshmallow taste is greatly diminished while smoking which gives it a subtle quality. Contrary to other reviewer's comments, I could not detect any hint of floral or soapy smell or taste. It is sweet but not cloying or artificial or chemical. This is a unique blend because. although it is sweet and it has latakia like MacBaren's Latakia, it has a delicate, smooth taste. The idea of lat combined with sweet Cavendish seems bizarre but Sillems somehow accomplished it. It can give a slight bite if multiple bowls are smoked continuously but, generally, it is a well behaved blend. Great stuff and deserving of 4 stars.

What a great smoking pleasure ! As soon as you open the tin, you clearly understand that it's gonna be something, boy... Perfect balance in the mixture of Latakia, Black Cavendish, Burley and Virginia. This tobacco is really... special and deserves to be smoked in a peaceful environment: doing nothing, watching nothing, earing nothing and, last but not least THINKING about nothing. Total exprerience 🙂 Very big stuff !

Wow. I don't give 4 stars lightly, but this German-English blend absolutely will knock your socks off. Extravagant is the right description for this blend.

Tin aroma is definitely unique: the smoky spicy aroma of the Latakia is definitely the dominant part, but the sweet honey aroma of the black cavendish is the secondary subtle part. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't come vacuum sealed, but that's not a big issue. The tobacco is a bit wet anyhow, so if it dries out a bit, it's sure to improve the smoke. However, if you're planning on long term cellaring, put the pouch in a ziploc bag and place back into the tin.

From the first light, it became clear to me that Sillem's has taken this Latakia blend to aromatic levels that few other blends reach. The rich, creamy subtle spiciness is predominant early on. Others have described toasted marshmallows and I agree - definitely. There's a sweet nutiness to it that isn't overpowering and it's one of the few blends I've smoked that I could actually smell the room note and it is wonderful. The further into the bowl, the spicier it gets and I detected somewhat of a coffee bean flavor still mixed with toasted marshmallows. The bowl ended perfectly with nice white dottle and a very spicy finish.

One note about strength: this one is deceiving. It's stronger than you think. You'll get a nice nicotine buzz going about half way through the bowl and depending on the size of your bowl, it might grab you by the throat when you're done. It's definitely in the medium to strong range. I couldn't smoke this blend everyday, but it's a definite treat. It's a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for and this would be a welcome addition to anyone's stock.

A phenomenal blend.