Torben Dansk Blue Note

New pipe smoker.

I usually don't smoke aromatics, because I usually can't taste them. This was an exception. The topping was substantial, although the vanilla sweetness was the strongest. I also got a lot of brown sugar and bread from the cavendish and virginia.

Mechanically, I was disappointed. Quality of the ribbon was poor compared to what I'm used to (spoiled for choice). I found a number of stems and chunks that were unsmokable. It packed ok all the same, lit and stayed lit well. My sample was dry, so minimal moisture.

Overall, not a bad smoke, but not my desert island blend.

I went the gamut with this one. Disliked it the first time I tried it, as it is very sticky and the vanilla bourbon casing is vaguely nauseating. Tried it a few months later, and thought it was the best aromatic I had ever smoked. So, I ordered 1/2 pound. Another several smokes confirmed that this has virtually no tobacco taste, and the casing is cloying. My search for the perfect aromatic continues.

Nonetheless, this continues to be a favorite of many, so give it a try.

This stuff is not for diabetics. It isn't goopy or artificial tasting but it is sweeeeeet. This one of those mixtures that you take with you to visit in-laws. You can smoke it on the patio and the fragrance that will somehow waft into the house will actually draw compliments.

Try as I might, I just can’t find a happy medium with this blend. I dried it, smoked it right from the tin, tried different sized bowls, packed it both loose and firm and took my time with each bowl. Careful or carefree, the results were the same. Blue Note just doesn’t have enough flavor for me. From charring light to the bottom of the bowl, any amount of flavor was fleeting at best. At a gentle sip, I found subtle hints of coconut, fruit & vanilla with a flash of booze, but these flavors came across as minuscule blips hidden within vast amounts of sweet smelling, vapid smoke. Dan Tobacco describes Blue Note as an “extraordinarily mild blend.” Without a doubt, a most spot-on & honest description. Anyway, Blue Note does create an excellent room-note. I just wish there was more to taste.

Popped this tin a week ago and after 5 or so bowls I've made up my mind that it's good but I can't dig it like some other aros. The tin note is a fruit explosion... almost a bubblegum aroma. Not a bad thing I guess. If you're into that then rock n roll (reminds me of the first whiff when busting open a box of Fruit Loops and jamming my head in the bag - I'm ok with admitting that I do that). Smoking this is nice... fruity... sometimes someone sprinkles a little pepper on my fruit. The reason for two stars is I thought this blend was pretty high maintenance. Packed too tight and it burns hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself (stole that line from Back to the Future III) and bites like crazy. Packed too loose and I have to puff like a hypoxic maniac to keep it lit. Tried this in three different sized bowls but can't get this one right yet although I really want to. Every once in a while I get a nice taste but then it goes away and I'm fussing like a first time parent that brought their newborn to a fancy restaurant (been there, done that, got a t-shirt). Gets a bit more care-free after the first half of the bowl. I'm not ready to give up on this blend yet... it does taste great. Until I figure Blue Note out, I'll stick to only two stars and one tin for now.

Dear god, my teeth hurt from the smell of sugar. If blindfolded you would have a hard time identifying which was my pipe, or a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. For how sweet it is, you would expect it to be simply dripping with syrup topping, but it is oddly not gummy to the touch.

Once lit, everything begins to calm down, though there isn't much subtly to the flavor, just pure uncut white crystal sugar. It is a dessert smoke in the purest sense, as hours afterwards your saliva will remain sweet. Others in the room will love it, since it doubles as an amazing air odorizer.

On my quest for the best vanilla aromatic, this one did not hit the mark, there Sweet Vanilla Honeydew did a much better job (and to this day is my favorite vanilla).

When I first began my interest in pipe smoking, it was (and still is) common advice to start with aromatics. The question of how profitable this advice is is to be answered elsewhere. But one aromatic that kept being brought up was Dan's Blue Note. Though my experience with it did not make me a convert, I can certainly see why this blend is popular.

First, both the tin note and room note are decadently appealing; to smoke this will make whatever nook you are in smell like a fine bakery that is loaded with the sweetest cakes and confections. To taste it renders a similar result, with swirling vanilla notes up front and taste of dried berries present in body and finish. The smoke, much like the flavor, is creamy and mild.

But like any sweet, it is not something one will want to enjoy all the time. None of the Virginias or other tobaccos manage to express themselves, doused as they are in saccharine. The body is very thin and taste mild to the point where one sometimes feels the need to puff more strenuously than necessary to tease out some depth of flavor (always a bad idea, especially with aromatics). Some others have stated they enjoy this blend because of the variety of flavors present, but I find them to only intermittently show up, like a shy girl trying to get a word in a conversation, only to be drowned out by louder (and almost never more interesting) company.

Even so, I don't want to come down too hard on this blend, because there is much to recommend to it. For beginner smokers or aromatic enthusiasts, there is much to love here: the blend smokes coolly, the taste is mild and sweet, and the room note is second to none and a real crowd pleaser. In fact, I like to keep some handy just in the off chance I may find myself smoking with a crowd sensitive to tobacco, as this is the one blend that manages to avoid offending even the most sensitive to smoke. There are other aromatics out there that are more enjoyable to me, but this blend still has its merits and rightfully has its vocal fans.

The -ne plus ultra- of aromatics! (Room note wise anyway) This has a most wonderful room note, even out-doing the White Captain Black. As far as taste goes, it’s not anything I would smoke on a regular basis. It’s a bitter disappointment and a goopy one at that. Only a dedicated pipe (s) should be used for this, as it will treat a briar same as Mixture 79. Only recommended for smoking for room note impression to satisfy the non smoking crowd. (Which it will)! I keep this stuff around just for this reason.

I just cant get this blend to stop biting, and gurggling in the pipe. As far as the room note goes, its exquisite, but thats pretty much it with this blend.