Sillem's Black

Wow...What can I say...Wow! A Neo-English indeed. The blenders found a way to compliment the Latakia in a way I never thought possible. The Black Cavendish truly makes this blend shine. This blend made it up in my top five within the second draw of the first bowl. This is a very sweet blend so if ya don't like the sweet with your smoke than stay clear but if you're a fan of the English blends and you're looking for something progressive and unique than dude, you gotta try this stuff! Well worth the price. I actually think this will appeal more to the younger generation of pipe smokers, for our numbers are growing. This hobby is coming back in a major way. Oh, and yes i can taste the toasted marshmallows! Essential.

Edit 11-17-17. Well time goes by and tastes change. I'm changing my review from a 4 star to a 2 star mainly because I just can't smoke blends like this anymore. Too much added flavorings and too little nicotine. I still recommend this to beginners but I prefer more stout blends these days. When I first started smoking a pipe (10-01-2009) I was very fond of Latakia blends and German aromatics, these days I prefer traditionally scented Euro baccies like Condor Plug and St. Bruno so my tastes have obviously changed. I still think Sillem's Black is much better than most of the American style aromatics out there but I can't highly recommend it anymore.

Wonderful. If you read my review of Iwan Ries' "Gourmet English," it applies to Sillem's Black as well - they are almost identical in appearance, taste, smokability and room-note, although Sillem's Black seems to have slightly more of whatever flavoring/scent added, which is more pronounced in the tin note as well. The tin description above is puzzling, and it is not printed on the actual tin I purchased. I detected no "fruit essences" whatsoever (and I am not a fan of "fruity" tasting tobacco).

It arrived a little over-moist in the tin, but rubbing out a portion and letting it air in the open tin before packing allowed it to smoke perfectly. If you drink a cup of coffee while smoking a bowl, you may notice that Sillem's Black leaves the same nuanced aftertaste as IR's Gourmet English on your palate, although Sillem's Black has perhaps a hint of a more licorice-like aftertaste. For this tobacco blend, I have nothing but the highest recommendation.

Now the critique - not of the tobacco, but the packaging and availability. While IR's Gourmet English is readily available in an airtight sealed two-ounce tin or in bulk, Sillem's Black only comes in a 100g tin. Although the tin is very aesthetically pleasing, and no doubt contributes to the higher price of the tobacco, unfortunately it does not provide an airtight seal so the tobacco dries out too quickly. The tobacco inside is packaged in a folded cellophane pouch which is taped shut, also not airtight. It helps to put a humidor disc in the tin if you are not going to smoke the entire tin soon. An airtight tin, or perhaps a resealable foil pouch inside, would be a huge improvement. It would be nice if it was available in bulk too, but it is not.

Right now, Sillem's Black is unavailable for purchase anywhere online that I know of. If someone comes across any website that actually has it in stock, please inform us. But until some more becomes available in the future, I recommend trying Iwan Ries Gourmet English, as it has almost identical qualities in every way, and it is available in bulk too.

[BTW: Stop whatever you are doing right now and call your representative in Congress. Tell him or her to vote NO on H.R. 4439, the Tobacco Tax Parity Act of 2010 which was introduced on January 13, 2010. If passed, it will raise the tax on pipe tobacco 775% - that's seven hundred seventy five percent - from $2.8311 to $24.78 per pound. At that rate, you'll see typical pipe tobacco retailing at $150 a pound - which will put a lot of local tobacconists out of business for good, which is the intent behind the legislation.]

Wow. This is awesome stuff!! The tin note is sublime but, it's hard to describe. Latakia with a slight berry topping perhaps. The moisture content is fine and the tobacco lights up right away and produces nice plumes of white tasty smoke. It burns down to a nice white ash. The room note is very pleasant. You just don't want to bowl to end. I enjoyed this tobacco very much. I experienced no bite at all. It kind of reminds me a milder version of GL Pease's Maltese Falcon with twist. Excellent. Well done!

I was gifted a generous portion of the this blend and I have to say i quite enjoyed it. Upon opening the baggie it was in, I was rewarded with a smoky sweetness that just begged to be put to the fire. It is a dark looking blend with a rough cut leaf composed of black and dark brown flakes that were of just the perfect moisture so Zi felt no drying time was needed. i don't know if the person that sent it to me had dried it or no. It loaded quite easily into my pipe, and lit up with one char and one full lighting. it burned quite well and provided right off the bat a nice sweet, creamy and smoky taste and aroma. This is for sure an English blend with the spicy taste of the Latakia, but the Black Cavendish content was there but in the background. it added a sweetness that was delightful, and it held this flavor all the way to the end. It never grew gruff or bitter and it never tried to bite me even when I pushed it. It burned cool in my pipe and burned down to a fine ash with no moisture or dottle in the bottom of my pipe and I smoked it in a large pot. I really like this blend for a Latakia smoke and I would highly recommend it to any one looking for a crossover English/Aromatic. I will buy more of this.

This is the first aromatic that actually smokes as delicious as it smells in the tin, even better as far as I'm concerned. This stuff is absolutely scrumptious! One of the first to "burn to a fine gray ash without any bite". Don't pass this one up! One bowl last night and I'm gonna order several tins when I get my next paycheck. I can't really describe the taste except to compare it to drinking a really nice Amaretto such as DiSarrono or similar. Very rich and delicious. Get some!!!

Upon opening a tin, scent is surprisingly strong - at least for "traditional English art of blending". Fortunately, during smoking this strong flavour is not so dominant and smoking is easy and constant.

To me, this is not "the best tobacco I've ever smoked" as someone said, but it is good aromatic. Very good for easygoing hot Summer days along Adriatic Coast.

My rate: 3.80.

Wow, I'm hooked. I bought this not really thinking it would turn out to be a good or even great blend. But I figured if the manufacturers invested so much money and talent into a nice looking tin, then maybe they spent as much money and talent on blending the tobacco inside. Boy they sure did.

I'm not exactly sure how to describe the taste. Sort of like vanilla with hickory. The blend is reminiscent of an English, and yet it isn't. It tasted so good, I just kept wanting to smoke it.

The aroma upon opening the tin reminds you of other aromatic tobaccos, but it's not an aromatic. So don't get me wrong, I loved the smell, it's just deceiving. It burned nice, probably since I let it dry a bit. The taste was present all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

I'm getting a few more tins of these babies. I can't wait to try the other colors. I'll also keep this review up-to-date if anything changes over time.

arrr me salty dog get ready for my leather boot to sink far into yrrr nether regions! This needs a latakia warning on the tin,it smells really great looks even better.You can smell the tobacco through these tins but I couldn't detect the taint, its been awhile since the last latakia attack. To me this had a medicine taste not unlike what mom gave you as a kid.

This was everything described in the tobacco description. I was hesitant in trying this one as I am only an occasional smoker of Latakia blends. However, for me, it was just about right - not too strong and certainly not overpowering. Even though Latakia is the dominating factor, there is a certain something to it that I have never experienced with any other Latakia blend. I can taste what is called the "honey, fruit essence," the fruit being plum. It adds an underlying sweetness which is very complementary to the Latakia. Put the pipe down after smoking it a bit, leave the room, and re-enter a minute or two later - what a fantastic room note! It's a very unique Latakia blend. It may be a bit over the top for a handful of non-Latakia fans, but it is a very nicely blended tobacco. It does have a tendency to smoke a bit hot (even with sufficient drying), along with the nipping at the tongue that I experience with Latakia. I believe the majority of pipe smokers would appreciate its merits. Even though I am not a regular devotee of Latakia, I was pleasantly surprised enough to consider revisiting this blend on a regular basis.