Chonowitsch T 17

- One reviewer said Gingerbread, yes, nice room note, very mild but with a nice flavor, a good change of pace from heavy Latakia blends. Nice when snorked, it gives that Oriental forward. I know I've tasted a similar blend before, it has that "split oak" flavor, or "pencil shavings" cedar flavor!. Really not a big blast of flavor, I think this is one I could get hot and ashy if I wasn't paying close attention, but when sipped and savored and not pushed, it's nice. . Mindless puffing gets you a mediocre smoke, like sucking hot air and 2 stars .

This seems to be very pipe type sensitive. Some cobs or briars are great, while others are so so, haven't determined the bests yet.

Ok, we are between 2 and 4 stars , I'll give it a 3 stars, just don't expect to get anything if you're a northern winter smoker running outside to catch a few puffs, it needs to be savored!

The aroma of dark plug tobacco hovers behind the ghost of Virginia tobaccos - subdued and mellow. More sniffing bring out caramel, chocolate, red wine, gingerbread, wet leaves and birch bark. Noticeable sweetness seems to come from the casing rather than the Virginia. (Typical light, sweet Danish casing.) Danish blends usually bite my tongue - due to the casings they put on everything - but we'll see.

Interesting cut - very coarse. Fairly easy to pack. Burns well.

Smoke begins with dusty tobacco flavors, Virginia tastes toasted and mature. Peppery, slightly sweet, faint pine flavor, more dusty notes (reminiscent of raking dry autumn leaves). Casing brings caramel and raisins - in subtle small doses. More dry, dusty moments, like a tobacco barn in November. Pleasant, but comes across kind of dull. Drop the sweet Dutch casing, and pump up the Virginia and Oriental mix, and then You'd really have something. (Not that much like a Scottish Mixture to me, but too bland and cased to tell what the blend was meant to be.)

As I said, quite pleasant. Not bad but not exciting. Nice smoke for busy times when you aren't paying that much attention to your smoking. Smokes well but I doubt it will be a regular smoke for me. Doesn't bite as much as I feared.

Finally a Kohlhase & Kopp mixture that tastes different from the usual ( they make Banker's, Comoy's, Robert Lewis and they're all the same)! Maybe because this isn't a reissue of an historical tobacco...The cut is REALLY broad, with Virginia leaves the size of a blanket; you better tear them in smaller pieces to harmonize the size with that of the other tobaccos. The moisture was perfect to smoke upon opening the tin. The first impression is that of an overall sweetness at the smell, and this impression lasts after having lit but the sweetness is unobtrusive, pleasant. The second part of the bowl is the better one, when the slightly acrid oriental leaf counterbalances the sweetness: I personally would have tried to add a little more Latakia to suit my taste, but the blend is nicely balanced however. The sense is of a general mildness and tranquillity, a mixture that can suit every moment of the day without becoming too invasive to the palate, burning well and dry. Just pay attention at smoking it slowly: it can bite if rushed, due to the high percentage of the Virginia leaf, but it never becomes bitter.

A very pleasant surprise!

Appearance and tin aroma: mostly darker leaf with some mohagany and lighter leaf interspersed. Broadcut ribbon. Smells very fragrant with a slight "honey" topping noticable too.

Packing and lighting: Moisture is perfect out of the tin. Packs easily even though the ribbons are broad. Works better in big pipes. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: When I think of a Scottish mixture, this is it! Not too sweet and heavily cased like the MacBaren offerings, not too full and cloying like 965. Not too light, like Old Dublin. You get the point?

Mid-Bowl: Nirvana, this blend gets into the "zone" with all the leaves balanced properly, with a nice room note to boot!

Bottom of Bowl: Finishes with a slight increase in strength, dry, no bitterness. Let's reload!

Overall: I really enjoyed T-16 and really had no expectation for this blend. In fact, I was expecting to be disappointed. This blend has filled a void in my overall rotation. It has replaced MacBaren's Scottish Mixture Flake. I really liked the perfect mix of leaf and slight casing and its overall smoothness. For those times I want something sweet, but not overly, T-17 will be the one. Try it, you'll like it!

This blend have a nice tin note. Slightly fruity scents with smokey and herbs flavor. The color is black and dark brown with coarse cuts and the moisture level is good. Easy to pack and fit in almost all my pipes.

With a good moisture level, the tobacco is easy to light, I'm packing with usual 3 layer packing method. Just give a nice cherring light, little bit tamp, relight again, and then I can start a long time smoking because is not difficult to keep the light on. Burnt slowly and relative cool at my Ben Wade Standard 275 Barrel Poker.

The taste is quite mild, not strong. The smokey taste is very slight and mellow and just a little slight spiciness, and that also almost not detected. At the half of the bowl, oriental little bit dominant, pine and slight herbal taste detected and stick on my palate without loosing the sweetness. I think this English blend is dominated with virginia at larger portion. During the smoking time, virginia is the most dominant taste of this blend.

I'm not dissappointed with this blend and quite like it. For those who loves a mellow mild english I really recommend this blend. I think this blend is a good starter for those who wants to try English blends without getting any overwhalming smokey taste of Latakia or strong herbal taste of Orientals.

This is a very pleasant smoke. Upon opening the tin, I note various shades of brown tobacco along with strands of black. The moisture level is ready to go. The smell is lightly smokey with a little tang to it, almost like barbecue sauce. It is easy to pack and light without much effort. The taste is savory, mildly smokey and toasty with a little sweetness. I also note a little sour tang at times but in a good way. No flavor dominates which makes for a balanced, flavorful smoke. If you are looking for a solid Scottish style tobacco this is a good place to start. This will make my rotation.

The tin description is "[i]n the English tradition of Black Cavendish, Virginia and a pinch of smoky Latakia."

"Black Cavendish" can mean almost anything -- a type of tobacco processing that apparently for European blends usually starts with Virginia.

So... no "oriental," unless you want to count the "pinch" of Latakia. The above description citing Macedonian (etc.) may be incorrect or out of date. Virginia + Virginia Cavendish and a pinch of Latakia. So how is this blend "in the English tradition"?

But the blend is terrific. The tin note is stewed fruit and over-ripe honeysuckles. The smoke is very smooth and flavorful and not aromatic -- the fruitiness tastes like tobacco to me (conceding whatever actually is in it is a mystery. Too bad tobacco ingredients are not labeled like food). There is something consistently sweet about the smoke -- licorice maybe. The Latakia is a condiment only -- the smoke is not sooty in the Balkan style, and I like it as a change of pace from Balkans for that reason.

In appearance there is contrast between bright orange shreds (thickly cut and short) and very dark leaves (some very tiny). It feels almost sticky, squished into the tin, but quickly gets loose and ready to smoke with no fuss.