Tabac Manil La Brumeuse

Smoke cigars? We're off to a good start. Like smooth? We're rolin' now. Want a smoke that blows through the bowl on one match and leaves no dottle and a clean pipe? You've found a home. This is burley, in its purest incarnation. Dry, fragrant, crisp, clean, there's no subtle nuances here. A one dimensional trip down tasty lane. The dimension I allude to is one you do not want to deviate from. Is it strong? This is a question of whether or not you appreciate pure tobacco. If your answer is no....then yes, it is strong. If, on the other hand your answer is yes......this is a sublime one component brew, much like a single malt scotch. Like that Scotch, it's to be sipped and savored. It will be served to you dry. Pack it like you're jack hammering concrete. Despite that pack, it will burn at a medium rate and be gone bfore you'd expect. Large pipe or small, it cares little,and if respected, burns irrespective of your smoking cadence. If sipped, you'll be rewarded with all the joy pure burley can offer. It's charms are contemplatively complex. Often back ordered and with good reason, you will find yourself reaching for this stuff again and again.

First off, thanks to all who reviewed this tobacco because with the exception of one reviewer, I found your descriptions to be dead on.

Now for my take on this fine, artisan tobacco -- I find it the closest thing to smoking a fine cigar I have found. I smoke both cigars and pipe tobacco and I've been in search for many years now for a pipe tobacco that bridges the gap to really good cigars. This is it for me. It is dry and smokes rather quickly unless you take great care in sipping it (which is recommended). Slight notes of vanilla but mostly just a really nice earthiness (not dirt!!) that I find reminds me of the pipe tobacco I'd smell as a child.

This is really good stuff and I highly recommend it.

Not going to reinvent the wheel by rehashing everything that everyone else has said. This is unique (from an American perspective, anyway) and wonderful stuff.

I will say I was a bit put off by the manure/barn/cigar smell in the pouch, as I'm not really a cigar person, but I was prepared for this from reading all the reviews, and that's also where I found the similarities to end.

The flavor, once lit, stays very consistent throughout the bowl, but it does so by continuously alternating among all its different nuances. I get a rich, creamy mouthfeel, with a hint of sweetness. It brought to mind what a fine Swiss milk chocolate would taste like, only with barely any added sugars. I also get the yeasty taste and feel that another reviewer mentioned, as well as lingering hints of the ammonia-like aroma (almost as if the tobacco was left to age in the same room with fine bleu cheese). Then there is a fine, perfume-y aroma peeking in so subtly now and again. La Brumeuse switches among all of these experiences, yet is also all of them at once, as if it is simply my palate attempting to adapt and identify them all, and not the smoke itself actually changing.

Don't you dare smoke this Semois too hot! Not because it will bite, that's a non-issue, but because you will destroy all the delicacy of this fine leaf and turn it into harsh, oily, cigar-y exhaust fumes! It must be treated like the relaxing, pensive smoke it is meant to be.

Highly recommended! Thank you to Vincent and Gaetane Manil for keeping this tradition alive and sharing with the rest of the world, and thank you Pipe Guys, LLC for bringing La Brumeuse to the States!

Intro: The one undeniable thing about La Brumeuse is that it is unlike any tobacco I have ever packed into the bowl of a pipe. Vincent will proudly tell you that his tobacco is a completely natural, rustic tobacco containing no additives whatsoever, and he isn’t bluffing. It has no casings, top dressings or humectants. It’s grown and picked by the farmers and then aged, roasted, cut and packaged by Vincent. That’s it.

Aroma: The "tin" aroma of Semois is the most pleasent I've ever smelled. Delicate, floral and surprisingly complex. Dried lavendar is easily identifiable for me, as is a gerneral herbal note and a noticeable cigar leaf undertone. When breathing in a bit more deeply, the leaf gives off a slightly musty "wet forest floor" note that begins to feel like it is the underyling basis of the leafs overall aroma. As you reach your hand into the jar and pick up a pinch, you’ll notice how dry this leaf is. In fact, it’s the driest tobacco I’ve ever had, and it’s meant to be that way. It definitely has to be packed QUITE tightly or else you’ll puff through it in about 10 minutes and have an ungrateful tongue afterwards.

Flavor: The meat of La Brumuese is simply put as a rustic tobacco leaf flavor, with very apparent dried floral and herbal notes that are very pleasing. The aroma carries over quite nicely to the flavor. It’s a strong one, too, with a fairly high nicotine content that you’ll feel in the back of your throat (nothing too crazy though). Throughout the bowl, the flavors deepen and intensify and its unique character really shines. Vincent’s Semois can be difficult to manage, especially for a beginner, but if packed correctly, it won’t require much attention and often burns right down to the bottom without a relight. You won’t be puffing on this one quite as long as other blends. I went through a full bowl in about 20 – 25 minutes.

Conclusion: I have to have a steady supply of La Brumeuse on hand. It is unlike anything else out there, truly. Vincent's Semois is such a refreshig blend in both its story and flavor and is easily one of if not the best pure leaf tobaccos out there!

Note: I've yet to try it, but I think La Brumeuse would REALLY shine in a double chambered pipe. Will update once I give it a try.

Smoking Semois is a unique experience that I struggle to describe.

Opening the paper package, the 'tin note' is that of cow manure. Manure that has been in the sun for a week. With some wildflowers in the background. The 'room note' also reminds me of manure with a sickly sweet undertone. You might want to try this one outside.

The tastes are consistent throughout, but there is enough to keep me interested. It is anything but boring. The floral aromas are fascinating to those of us who more commonly smoke English blends or Virginias.

It goes well with port. There is more than enough nicotine.

Yes, it is drier than mass market blends, but it is not overly dry, not like it has been left out in the open air. This is 100% natural, no humectants, no casings or toppings, no propylene glycol.

It really is like nothing I've ever smoked. The more I smoke it, the more I love it. A big taste of Belgium! Can't wait to try it with a Trappist ale!

This Semois is a high quality belgian artisanal tobacco, made by Vincent Manil and his wife in Corbion, a small village in the Ardennes, near the Semois river. It comes in large and long springy ribbons, and one could find that it smells like cigars, with a nice herbal touch. No topping or additional flavor, this is natural tobacco. It contains no conservatives and comes in a rectangular paper bag, attention must be paid as concerns the way you stock it. The stuff can easily be found in Belgium.

Packing is very easy, but considering that this semois burn very well, you should pack it tight. Once lit, slow to very slow puffing is necessary, in order to bring out all the underlying notes, which are pretty amazing. Herbal, earthy, smooth, creamy, sometimes spicy, this gives plain-tobacco taste with a burley-like aroma.

The first time I tried this semois, I told to myself that it was the best cigar I ever smoked. It can be compared to Windels Semois Half Grove, but I find La Brumeuse to contain more "terroir". This goes well with a cognac, by the way.

A great natural pipe tobacco which can provide you much enjoyement, and rather unique sensations. Highly recommended !

This has been on my radar for some time. I first learned about La Brumeuse froma NYT article (link below) and various YouTube reviews. The tobacco arrives wrapped in thick paper shaped as a brick. It's *extremely* dry. I was initially tempted to hydrate it but changed my mind thinking it must be this dry for a reason.

Being so dry, the tobacco is a little annoying to pack as you have to essentially crush it in. However, putting this aside, I was greeted with an outstanding smoke!

To me, this smoke is monotone and earthy, but delicious. I find it similar to a cigar. There's this aroma that lingers with each puff and the taste is very good. It's absolutely outstanding with a cup of hot black coffee (Cafe du Monde). I highly recommend this blend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/magazine/tobacco-thats-so-brooklyn-but-made-in-belgium.html

From the bit of reading I’ve done, I understand that both Belgium and Italy produce their own versions of what is in the US referred to as “Kentucky”, basically a fire cured Burly tobacco. With the recent jump in recognition, popularity and availability of “Dark Fired Kentucky”, my own interest in related varietals has grown. The hype (and the fog) surrounding Vincent Manil’s Semois have particularly drawn my interest, and I was pleased to finally get hold of and smoke some serious Belgian “Burly”.

My 3.5 oz. brick of La Brumeuse arrived with a nice, retro paper label over a “paper foil” wrapper. The tobacco inside is pressed, long ribbons, and it’s pretty dry, though it’s still springy and not at all crumbling to dust. The aroma is low, musty, earthy, muted spices, slightly mossy, very cigar like, also faintly smoky, with ethereal meadow grasses and wildflowers. I have read that this tobacco is traditionally cured with oak wood smoke. If that’s the case here, Manil have done a good job of self-restraint in not making extra certain we know “it’s SMOKED!”. Speaking for myself, I hope to never smell (or taste) again the “smoky” topping applied to too many blends over the years. Meanwhile, persistent sniffing is what this blend is all about, IMO, and for me this is what makes this blend a Topper. Well (which is to say, tightly) packed, LB fires right up and smokes down like a dream. Because of the quick burn, large pipes seem to be in order. I prefer a pipe not used for strong Balkan, DFK, Perique, or Lat blends, and in my case, La Brumeuse gets its own pipe. I was hoping the smoke would echo the packaged aroma, and indeed, it does, right down to faint lavender. For me, the level of the musty earth and cigar spices is perfect, because they in no way interfere with the rest of the tastes and scents. While it may be “one dimensional”, it’s a nice dimension, top to bottom, and I find La Brumeuse to be interesting and satisfying, too, largely because it’s easy and relaxing to smoke. There is some KY “fat” and tannin, but not much, and only a little cashew in the way of “nuts”. Basically, this is not a typical US Burly. Strength here is medium. Tastes run midway between medium and full the way I smoke it. Room note might be an issue for non-smokers. Aftertaste is a nice trailing off of the smoke that can be a little sour and ashy if LB is smoked carelessly. I think there’s also a very slight bitterness here that I find bracing.

I absolutely recommend La Brumeuse to those who enjoy mild cigars, or any adventurous lovers of KY blends. I do not equate LB with simple Burly or VA/Bur blends. Four stars from me and a spot on my Favorites List. It’s also getting a nice, big, old Punto Oro.

EuroBurley? I'm a Burley lover and I had to try this fine tobacco. It's expensive, dry, and packaged in a bit of an odd way... The Tobacco is compressed into a brick, then wrapped in a heavy foil paper. But there is no glue or actual sealing of the package. I recommend removing the tobacco and packing it into a quart or litre sized glass jar. The cut of the tobacco is similar to Birds Eye as the leaves are cut across so that the smaller veins form bird's eyes. In the entire 3.5 ounce brick I found only two smal woody bits, so the actual quality is very good. Brick note: delightful, sweet humidor just opened.

This dry tobacco lights very easily, smokes fairly quickly and is best tamped aggressively for flavor. Flavor is unique; not dark burley, not light burley, somewhere in between with a slightly sweet grassy taste. Another reviewer mentioned turkish hints and I have to agree. La Brumeuse is the best straight Burley that I've ever smoked and it is quite enjoyable as a simple, strong tobacco. Strength is almost strong; too strong for me to call medium. Goes great with coffee and pale beer. I have to give this one four stars for quality and uniqueness, but don't splurge on this if you don't care for Burley.