Holland House Holland House Aromatic

For once, the souvenir proved a pleasant surprise. Smell of almonds, caramel and liquor, not Amaretto though. Seems to consist mostly of ribbon cut quality Virginia. Both the tobacco and the topping taste perfectly natural and there is no chemical aftertaste. Furthermore, the nicotine level has thankfully not been manipulated as so often is case with drugstore blends. HH Mellow Golden Cavendish preserves the natural mildness of the processed tobacco. Will certainly buy this again.

I tried this so-called drugstore blend just for the heck of it, firmly expecting to hate it. Well, after a few bowls I loved it so much that I rushed out and bought several pouches to cellar just in case this tasty treat were to suddenly disappear! Holland House is not widely available globally, although in some countries - like South Africa - it can be bought at most convenience stores and hence would qualify as a drugstore blend. It is currently also available from a few online dealers.

The blend is dominated by Virginia. It also contains dark Burley, dark fired Kentucky and a touch of Oriental. The tobacco is medium to dark brown in appearance. It is a fine ribbon cut, almost tending towards shag cut. It lights and burns very easily.

The pouch smell is divine. Leather, leather and more leather! Add a fine single malt scotch, a touch of honey and a hint of liquorice and you are done. This is not a sweet, confectionary type of aromatic. One doesn't think of food when smelling this. It has a delicious, masculine aroma!

In the beginning I experienced quite a tang after lighting up. At first I thought it was tongue bite in the making but then realized that it was simply the Virginia's zest  like that of a good salsa. The leather, scotch, honey and liquorice prevent this zest from ever becoming too sharp. This tobacco is flavourful and provides a lovely full mouthfeel. It is no lightweight in the strength department either. Simply a wonderful smoke! It has never hurt my mouth any more than, say, the aforementioned salsa, although I suspect it will bite when overpuffed.

The room note is lovely but not in the same way as, say, a vanilla or cherry aromatic. I recently asked a lady friend, just after I had lit up, what she smelled. She closed her eyes and let her head drop back as a gesture of enjoyment and said, "Wood. Exotic wood." I still smell leather and scotch and honey and liquorice, but I guess exotic wood is good too!

Actually, this stuff is very pleasant! I was quite surprised but the quality of the tobacco used seems to be above average. It's quite rough cut, like a broken flake, but that's ok. It packs well and burns well and doesn't torch your tongue. This is a very popular aromatic and it's easy to see why. It's very sweet, tasty and has a lovely room note. Yes it's a bit of an 'old man's' sort of tobacco but so what? If you need a smoke around non-smokers chances are you'll get away with it with this. Far,far better than the ghastly Clan. I couldn't smoke it all day as it gets a bit sickly but I will always have a pouch around. Not bad at all.

I have been smoking pipe since 2007, have tried multiple blends but Holland House Cherry Cavendish is without a doubt the best blend. Where can one purchase this in the UK as I have recently arrived from South Africa where it is quite common but having difficulty in purchasing it here

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My boss is a huge fan of this tobacco and its his everyday smoke, after some cajoling he got me to try a pack. I was very pleasantly surprised.

The tin-note is of nuts, leather, and creamy caramel giving a sugestion of heavy topping. The cut is a shred or broad ribbon and only sligtly moist giving the impression of a fast burning blend. Both Impressions were false.

The pipe fills well but is a devil to light and keep lit. Once lit it is a cool, smooth, fairly slow burning smoke with just the right amount of sweetness and a clean tobacco taste coming through afterward. it scarcely bites even when drawn on hard and is a full smoke to the end of the bowl.

The room note is of light tobacco and slight cream.

The irritation of lighting and the frequent tamping needed for a long smoke can be removed by filling the top of the pipe with something bland and inoffensive (I use Clan); which kindles well and gets the pipe burning fiercely. It then smokes evenly with little re-lighting needed.

A very fine blend with just a hint of topping on a quality tobacco tasting cavandish base. It is also very good value for money at about £5.25 for 25g. A must for those looking for a wife-friendly smoke.