Orlik Tobacco Company A/S Racing Green

The Virginias are grassy and bready with a lot of tart and tangy citrus. They are ably supported by the nutty sweet, lightly spicy, earthy, woody burleys. In the background is black cavendish which offers a minor brown sugar note as it is employed to add a little smoothness to the taste. The various toppings include tangy citrus, ripe fruit and a touch of vanilla. They may tone down the tobaccos moderately, but they also create a deeply sweet, smooth, fairly creamy, consistent synergistic flavor that never weakens or bites. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. The strength is almost in the center of mild to medium. The taste is a couple of steps past that center. The nicotine level is fairly mild. Won't bite or get harsh even when pushed. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace, and doesn’t require many relights. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a very pleasant, lingering after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke.

There is a little similarity to Orlik Golden Sliced in some respects, though this is sweeter and a little more aromatic.

-JimInks

Racing Green is the newest in the Orlik series. The package claims that Racing Green has classic British elements. If they refer to the topping added, they are very wrong. Therefore i think they must mean "British" as in pure and clean tobacco. That is not entirely wrong, because the cavendish is very subdued and the topping only rears its head at the beginning of the bowl.

There is not much new here. A typical Danish semi-aromatic, but the topping has a twist: grapefruit in a very small measure. The blend is very reminiscent of Golden Slices, but is a tad more cool and flamboyant as in not monochromatic. It is an interesting blend for crossover fans, and I will recommend it for its well balanced qualities, compared to other blends in the same tier, and for its quality of leaf. Ask for it at danishpipeshop.com (it's not listed, but they carry it).

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

Orlik - Racing Green.

I opened this with a yawn, I had no expectations whatsoever. I was wrong to have a somewhat negative approach, it's a cracking little smoke:

I didn't realise this was a supposed aromatic at first as I didn't get a fruity/false smell from the pouch; granted, I never particularly took a purposeful sniff of the pouch, it was just what I ascertained whilst I was filling my pipe but even when I read it was aromatic, I still got next to nothing from a deep sniff. Either way, it's a good smoke:

I like it when aromatic additions are added sparingly, at just the volume to enhance yet not hinder the smoke. That's how this has been done; the smoke is mainly tobacco flavours, with a very subtle embellishment to the taste on top of them: I can't detect any alcohol, nor liquor , the extra additions form a sort of fruity, custard like quality. This is very delicate so it doesn't impede on the natural flavours of the tobacco's. Of the these I find the Black Cavendish and the Burley take the lead, the Virginia seems to fall behind a touch; it's still tasty but it's not as brash. The nicotine's quite mild in this, it's not REALLY mild but I don't get a lot of it. There's isn't anything negative about the room note, I wouldn't say it's brilliant but it's most certainly not a bad one.

My low expectations for this were very wrong, it's a really good blend.

Highly recommended.

The immediate aromatic note from a freshly opened tin belies the depth of this tobacco. Slightly citrusy like Orlik gold yet a tad "deeper" and fruity like say Dunhill's Royal Yacht with an aroma of dried fruit but not as dark and heady; once burning and mid way into the bowl this tobacco shines. I purchased this knowing only of Orlik Gold, a surprisingly good quality tobacco for the price it sells for and I am very glad that I did. Racing Green has a bit more depth and flavour to Gold and heralds a smoke more deserving of your attention. I'm finding it better with each puff as it burns down to the bottom of the bowl. I'll be definitely adding this to my rotation.

This is a fine smoke. The Virginias and Burleys, to my taste, are very well balanced and delicious. The topping is where it gets really interesting. It seems to match and enhance a lot of the natural tobacco flavors making it a bit difficult to pin down. There is also a nice sweetness from the Cav. This is a wonderful blend.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns well straight from the tin.

The only thing wrong with this tobacco is the name.

I've smoked two bowls in two different pipes. Similar smokes from both. Initial impression of this tobacco is that Orlik has a winner here...but for the name.

I believe that Orlik describes this as a classic English blend. If your idea of a classic English blend is something from Dunhill, then you might be disappointed. However, if you think along the lines of a Lakeland blend without the cloying toppings that Gawith adds, then you would be a lot closer to what I think Orlik is trying to achieve.

Before I review the tobacco, back to the name. When I think of racing green, I think of something fast. And this smoke is anything but fast. It's a thoughtful smoke. One that you don't want to rush, as there are subtleties and ranges of flavors that would be overlooked if smoked fast. I think that Orlik might have been better served - if it wants to suggest something English - by selecting the name of something stolid, staid - something we'd all recognize as something very old and very English. But not Racing Green.

It would be easy to view Racing Green as a cross-over blend: for the aromatic smoker who wants to try a VaBur, or for the English smoker who wants to try an aromatic. But in many ways it is neither a typical mild-topping aromatic nor a typical English blend.

The initial tin note is also misleading. It's quite sweet and strong. At first I thought that perhaps somehow an Orlik tin got into a Mac-Baren assembly line. But as I looked at the tobaccos, they did match what the tin describes:

"A tobacco of high contrasts made partly of Virginia tobaccos from Old Belt in America. On top of this, Burley tobaccos from Mexico and Malawi, and a touch of Black Cavendish is added."

On first light any thought that this is a typical light-topping aromatic is quickly snuffed. Though the sweetness of the Cavendish does come through, the Burleys take center stage - but the Burleys are tempered by the Virginias and the Cavendish. Where most VaBurs are heavy on the Burley from top to bottom, by the first third of the bowl there is a wonderful balance of Virginias and Burleys, with still a hint of Cavendish sweetness. The last third of the bowl lightens rather than darkens (as with both of my smokes) as the Burleys decided to take a backseat to the very smooth and non-biting Virginias.

This is a fine tobacco. At the introductory price being offered at various online sites it's an absolute steal. I think that Orlik has a winner here, but for the name.

If this is an "aromatic", then what the hell do you call Lane 1Q? My point is that the flavorings in this tobacco are so subtle that if someone used to smoking traditional aromatics were to smoke this, they would not consider it an aromatic.

I normally smoke non-aro Virginia tobaccos, but this one suited my palate amazingly well. It is absolutely delicious. The Virginia notes I pick up in this blend are very similar to the famed Orlik Golden Sliced, but the addition of Burley and Cavendish really smooth it out nicely. It burns very cool and is not prone to biting at all. It is deliciously sweet, full in body (but not too strong in strength). It has a very creamy profile with bright vanilla and citrus notes. But the flavors seem very natural and not artificial in any way, unlike what you would find in a traditional aromatic.

Like some have already pointed out, the name sucks. But the tobacco certainly does not. It is currently one of my favorites. I highly recommend you try it if you're into high quality Danish blends. Well done Orlik.

If you like Orlik Golden Sliced you have to give Orlik Racing Green a try. Some have said Grapefruit, I say Guava/Custard Bread Pudding, You say......

The tin note is Citrus/Guava with a custard creaminess in the background that does transfer to the smoke. However the topping fades in and out and is never cloying. The Tobacco is very high quality, the Virginia's really push the sweetness in this blend and the burley gives the smoke some body. The cavendish? Well..... I don't know what the hell the cavendish does.

About half way through the bowl, I suggest putting your pipe down for an hour or two. The Burley is BAM! IN YOUR FACE GOOD. For some reason when DGT'd the burley really stands out. When you smoke it straight to the heel of the bowl(which it really does smoke to a white ash with no doddle)Racing Green gets sweeter, almost developing a Marshmallow Circus Peanut flavor. In fact the pipe smells like Circus Peanuts when the bowl is cashed.

Racing Green is ready to smoke out of the tin, it behaves like a Lakeland blend, with its high quality tobacco. I must say outside of Lakeland Blends, Racing Green is the only "Aromatic" that I would smoke on a regular basis.

Great Summer Blend to add to your rotation between the Va/Pers and Straight Virginias.

What a delightful smoke this is! Pleasant and light, Racing Green is a whiff of ripe fruit in the tin; I detect apricot. The virginia is light citrus and sweet grass. The burley lends a bit of body with its characteristic nuttiness, while the cavendish smooths out the experience and lends a hint of sugar. Lightly sweet and creamy, a hint of fruit, this blend is a pleasure. I'm impressed. 4 stars.

I'm pretty sure this is Orlik Golden with a mild aromatic topping added. I like Golden so i liked this as well. The topping is not overly strong which is my preference for aromatics so i'm going say it's a damn fine smoke. Good price to and doesnt gloop or ghost your pipe up. Very pleasant. Medium strength.

I also agree with comparisons flavour wise to Dunhill royal yatcht. Like a milder tamer version.