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.

I like this stuff alright, but more for a blending tobacco than to smoke it straight. I was fortunate to have a lot of this given to me. First taste was when a friend who attended the Chicago show about three years ago grabbed me a couple samples and later when another friend decided he didn't like it and sent me the rest of his 100g package. So what I really have liked about it so far is that it has been free. 🙂

Reading the description, I was not surprised to see this described as cigar like. This was the first thing that went through my mind when I smoked it. It is a burley so far as I know, but it is different from many of the burleys available in the states. Less chocolate and nutty sweetness. More stout, not unlike the burleys used in the C&D burley flakes. IN fact, I would say this is the closest I could compare this too. Semois, however, is more forgiving, to my tastes.

Many stout Burleys just tend to taste like ash when you push them too much and many can be difficult to find that sweet spot where your tempo is just right and you are rewarded with that nutty/chocolatey sweetness. I did not find this to be the case with the semois. It held its taste pretty consistently from beginning to end, almost to a fault as I just found the blend to be too boring and one dimensional by itself. Now added to other blends that may be too weak or too topped, I found this to be an excellent addition that always improved whatever I was smoking.

So in summary, I would give this three stars in all around utility and would recommend everyone to try it if you get a chance as it will be a different experience. Two stars though for a solitary smoke as it is just too boring on its own. Four stars for a blending burley.

A fairly dark ribbon cut tobacco that comes as dry as hay. In the packet it has vegetable aromas that might account for the 'barnyard' descriptions that are so common when describing this tobacco. These are not animal smells, but hay and mushroom, a grassy yet fusty aroma.

This packet note doesn't extend to the smoking itself, at least not in my pipe. Whatever this type of tobacco's provenance, it is clearly a burley, and accordingly throws up darker notes, sometimes hinting at cigars, but is not at all complicated. It has a fair amount of bitterness, but none of the cocoa or nut flavours one might expect of a good quality 'straight' burley. If I had only one word to describe this tobacco, it would be: 'acrid'.

There are moments when the occasional sweet and sour note is encountered, suggestive I suppose of fermentation, but these are too ephemeral to challenge the one note insistency of this smoke.

Burns fast, unsurprising given its dryness, and is moderately strong.

I am happy this baccy has survived and is now widely available, and happy too that it has its fans. I am not one of them.

Addendum. I have been trying this in different pipes and the recommendation from other reviewers that it is suited to cobs has struck true for me. I don't think this is a property of the cob material, but rather the easy draw typical of cobs. Just seems like the combination of dry tobacco, packed tight and easy draw allows the tobacco the best 'expression'. While I'm here, the room note of this baccy would be familiar to anyone who has smoked French cigarettes in decades past.

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.

I often look forward to unique tobaccos—and Pure Semois is certainly that, unique. First off, the tobacco came very dry out of it's wonderfully retro package. So dry, it crunched! Upon lighting, the taste of this baccy was simply outstanding. This one was like a cross between a robust cigar and a cup of strong nutty coffee with a splash of 90% cocoa. An awesome taste, but, sorry to say, way, way, way to strong for me. I love burleys, and this one's a good burley, but I hate gettin' kicked in head with nicotine. So, for me, this gave me a four star taste with a one star smoking experience—it verged on making me nauseous!

I suspect this blend will make a good blender, especially for blends that need a boost in the nic department, and, I'll experiment with that in the future, but, in and of itself, I'll not smoke it again.

I wish this one had much less of a kick to it, if it did, I'd like it a lot more.

Keep on Piping!

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 !