Tobaccos Nording - Labrador (Hunter Blend)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-02		Strong	Extra Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

While down at my local pipe shop to try something new, I caught a whiff of the owner smoking this and I was already sold. The room note is delicious. A very rich caramel hazelnut smell with a sweet scent of pleasant Black Cavendish and Burley. I bought a tin and loaded my best Peterson, a large bowled Shannon model. I lit it up and was immediately knocked off my feet. This blend is so rich and smooth, and easily packed. Cool smoking and satisfying to say the least. It's very sugary sweet with a caramel note that is very noticeable. It has a rich hazelnut flavor with just a tiny hint of coffee. However, it's strong, almost confection-like taste doesn't cover up the rich tobacco flavor. Rich burley and Cavendish with just a hint of Virginia shines through brightly to make Labrador a well rounded, full flavor smoke. I recommend this blend to any aromatic smoker looking for a strong, full flavored, satisfying sweet smoke. Even set-in-stone English smokers like a good aromatic once in awhile, and this one certainly will not let you down with a lack of flavor. Very rich and tasty. A word of caution though, the nicotine in this stuff packs quite a wallop. It will knock you on your ass if you're not careful. It's quite potent for an aromatic blend. Still, this is a good blend for any time of day. I prefer smoking it while fishing or hiking. Makes the sweet life just a bit sweeter.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cjone107 (18)	2014-01-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Worth purchasing solely for the tin smell, but the room note is also sweet enough that the wife actually prefers this to any other aromatic. I've never had an issue with the burn, and the caramel and hazelnut flavor is very pleasing. I'm new to the aromatic world, but this is by far my favorite so far.

Pipe Used: Chapuis Comoy Luxor No 2-17

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoker's Choice - Bloomington, IL

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pop pops pipe (28)	2014-07-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Sweet, cool, creamy, delicious! So creamy it makes your palette feel as if you took a mouthful of heavy cream ! You know that slippery feel ? Taste of caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut. At times it tastes and smells like snickerdoodle cookies ! This reminds me of old captain black from 30 years ago in quality ! (Yes the Captain was that good at one time !) This is an excellent aromatic, very tasty, cool and light in body. You will love this If your into creamy black Cavendish blends. All you captain black guys give this a try, you may commit high treason and abandon ship !!

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-02-19		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Labrador is a terrific aromatic blend for those who enjoy caramel flavoring, yet also appreciate a tobacco taste. Because the Virginia leaf employed is light, the aromatic taste really comes on strong with this blend. It truly became a quit favorite.

Pipestud

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-02-12		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I like this, almost as much as I like my own labrador. The hazelnut seems a bit musty to me. It is almost sickly sweet, but that mellows out after the first 1/4 of the bowl. A definite crowd pleaser.

I'm not sure who added the blending notes, but this is still in production, just like the other Hunter blends from Nording.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cellist0doom (6)	2015-07-23		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I would classify Labrador as being the front runner in the race for my "desert island" blend. When I open a new tin and that hazelnut and caramel smell hits me I have a moment where I wonder if I'm supposed to smoke or eat the tobacco. This stuff tastes as good as it smells. Once you get the bowl going, a wonderful, sweet hazelnut flavor hits your tongue. No bite with this blend. The flavorings don't taste chemically at all.

I only encounter 2 drawbacks with this blend. 1) I get very upset when I finish a bowl because that means it's gone. 2) This tobacco can taste a bit ashy at the end of a bowl.

I would give this blend 5 stars if this site had that.

Purchased From: Tinder Box, Pipes and Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoking Friar (3)	2017-06-22		Very Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I am an experienced aromatic smoker of many decades and recently began searching for hazelnut flavored tobacco. Since little tinned tobacco is offered with hazelnut, I suspect that it must be difficult to achieve. Labrador is not what I'm looking for. It smells like hazelnut in the tin but does not taste like hazelnut. The taste that lingers in the mouth is one of almond. It bites, that is, there is a powerful chemical taste that makes unpleasant sensation on tongue and is present for at least half the bowl. It burns hot very easily. Hazelnut must be hard to do.

Pipe Used: Karl Erik

Age When Smoked: Fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mark O (6)	2014-07-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet! If your like me and have a sweet tooth; like aromatics but don't like the sticky goopy residue and want something that burns smooth and even to a fine ash.....this blend is for you. Labrador smells like cinnamon rolls baking and you can smell an open tin five feet away. The room note will please the most finicky folks....very pleasant. In addition, this blend requires very little attention.....a relight at most and Labrador is a good smoke while working or driving when you don't have time to poke, tamp, prod and relight. This blend is good in a cobb or briar. I've smoked several tins and enjoy this blend very much!

Pipe Used: Stanwell Barok Billard

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2014-01-03		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I don't smoke aros much, and bought this one at a shop on a whim, given an actual Labrador waiting at home.

Tin note is amazing. Short of diving in face first, smells like it would make a hell of an ice cream topping. And as with most McClelland blends (imo), quality leaf.

Needless to say, when the aromatic mood finally struck, I was excited to try it. First few puffs were harsh and disappointing to say the least, and it definitely started out as a zero-to-one-star blend. Got much, much better once I finished the first 1/4 of the bowl or so, both taste and room note. Have only smoked it once, so aging and/or drying might make for a better start next time.

If you like aros, this one seems worth a try. Reasonably priced too.

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2022-10-20		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Smoking now.

Tin note is a tangy boozy vanilla sweet dream. The tin has been open for a while but the moisture is still perfect. Beautiful Black and Tan tobacco.

The flavor is semi sweet, nutty, vanilla, bready aromatic. It’s delightful. It’s mild, flavorful, behaves well in the bowl. Enough quality tobacco flavor and sweetness without the topping overwhelming. Average relights, taste and topping stayed consistent to the end. It’s a shame they’re gone. If you like aromatics this was a good one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2016-09-14		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is easily the best smelling aromatic I ever had the pleasure of opening. No guesswork here, it smelled identical to a delicious iced coffee a local cafe sells. It is a liquid treat with a perfect blend of vanilla and hazelnut syrup. I had never been more eager to dive into a bowl.

Perhaps my expectations were astronomical, but I was disappointed the flavor didn't hold up to the match. It was still a pleasant smoke with a decent sweetness behind it, but nowhere near the heaven I stepped into while packing it.

While it may not of been perfect (and boy would I of given it 4 stars), the fantastic room note and nose delight edged a 2 star blend into a 3 for me.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TwelveAMnTX (28)	2016-02-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

The description of Nording Labrador is spot on, it's definitely a rich & satisfying aromatic. I wanted to try this tobacco because of the name & after reading the reviews I was sold.

The tin note is absolutely mouthwatering. The tobacco is top quality & the moisture level is just right. I can taste a hint of caramel & cocoa, but it's the hazelnut that is the main flavor. It's not an overly sweet flavored tobacco, it's more of a semi-sweet balanced flavor. There is no bite whatsoever & the taste lasts throughout the whole bowl. It leaves very little moisture in the pipe & usually burns completely with little dottle. The room note is spectacular, everyone will enjoy the experience almost as much as you do.

If you're looking for a great tasting smoke that will produce a pleasing room note this is definitely a good one!

Pipe Used: MM cobs & hardwoods

Age When Smoked: fresh to couple months old

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TorontoSmoker (19)	2014-10-04		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

This is a very nice, smooth, sweet and tasty aromatic blend. One of my favs.

The flavour is smooth, creamy butterscotchy. Decent quality underlying Cavendish baccy. Not too moist out of the tin, but could use 30+ mins of drying before smoking.

I prefer smoking lat-heavy English and balkan blends, but occasionally I like smoking a good quality aromatic. If you like aromatics like Molto Dolce, then you'll probably like this. If you're mainly a smoker of English blends looking for a high quality aromatic for a once-in-a-while change of pace, then you should try this.

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Similar Blends: molto dolce.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Preacher PipeWeed (5)	2014-09-29		Medium to Strong	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

If you enjoy aromatic tobaccos, this is one of those rare 'must-try' blends. It has the absolute best tin note that I've ever encountered, hands down. I could easily open a jar and let it serve as potpourri...but that would mean I couldn't smoke it (and that just won't do). Of course, the flavoring of the tin note is always stronger than the flavoring one gets in the smoke itself, but even the room note was pleasant, light-hearted, wonderful. Despite being an aromatic, the tobacco easily burned to a nice white ash without even needing pre-smoke drying time. The burn was smooth, almost velvety.

The reason for the 3 star review is that there is too much discrepancy between the tin note and the smoke itself. This is an inherent weakness of the strongly flavored aromatics...they simply can never deliver the same taste in the smoke itself. There are aromatics that are more even (though admittedly none that are as strong in tin note as Labrador). Also, as with all strong aromatics, there is always a hint of something chemical (though this is one of the better aromatics).

This won't be a regular smoke, but one that I will definitely buy on occasion in the future.

Pipe Used: MM Corn cobes

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrPiper (31)	2014-02-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Met Erik Nording at a pipe shop in Alabama. He recommended this and so I picked up a tin. He really made a good recommendation. Opening the tin it is diverse in color not unlike Lane 1Q. Labrador is no dog. When the tin is opened, the aroma is best described as beautiful. There is temptation to just eat it. The thin ribbon cut is easy to deal with and the moisture level was just fine.

The flavor is exactly as described on the label. Surprisingly rich for an aromatic and yet the flavor of tobacco is primary. I packed this lightly and smoked it quite slowly. It stayed lit fairly well, not that I really care as aromatics smoke more pleasantly the slower they are smoked and the pipe going out is just part of doing business. I was able to burn this down to ash with very little dottle in the bottom of the bowl.

I did not get any diminishing of the flavor as the bowl was smoked. The room note is crowd pleasing and the aftertaste of the smoke is sweet, not smoky. The blend did not in any way ghost my pipe and I would be comfortable smoking this in any pipe I enjoy.

The price was a bit high for a 1.75oz tin. I could buy almost 1/2 pound of 1Q for the same price, but this is much better I must confess. Labrador is a treat I will certainly return to and entertain with some regularity, but I can not really afford to make this an everyday type of tobacco.

Pipe Used: Nording Square Panel Straight Billiard

Age When Smoked: New Tin

Purchased From: The Briary in Homewood Alabama

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pylorns (14)	2014-01-03		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

When my buddy let me smell the tin, I immediately bought one. Caramel, Vanilla, even a bit of rum.

While it appears to be a bit wet, I found that I didn't need to dry it out - and it didn't bite much at all, the taste and flavor you get is very similar to the aroma which is rare when it comes to aromatics. This is a blend I keep on hand for any occasion, good go to blend. I never have problems getting it lit and having it stay lit and I continually get compliments on the room note.

Pipe Used: Nording Free Hand, Peterson System, Virgin Briar

Age When Smoked: 1 to 2 months

Purchased From: Heroes and Legacies

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2013-12-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Not a bad addition to the series, it is a very nice blend that stays lit until the bottom of the bowl for me. The moisture level is okay right out of the tin, but some may want to let it dry for a bit of time. YMMV of course. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paleoman (9)	2012-07-22		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A bit of a disclaimer before the review. When it comes to aromatic blends, I am accustomed to those that are blended with some Cavendish, so this blend was similar in terms of the pace of puff and overall approach. I smoke a variety of blends, rotating between straight Virginia/Burley, Latakia, and aromatics. In terms of aromatics, Lane's 1-Q is a benchmark for me, not because I think it is a great blend or that it is exceedingly high in overall quality, but in terms of my expectations for an aromatic blend. I keep a tobacco jar of 1-Q on hand for general aromatic puffing, and it seems to perform adequately in that function. All this to give you a better understanding of my specific position vis-a-vis blends in general and Nording's Labrador specifically.

Ok, so on the with the review. Labrador is my favorite out of the Nording aromatics, primarily because it reminds of what 1-Q could be with more careful blending and pressing. From the first 1/3 of the bowl I get the intended flavoring, and unlike the Pointer blend, I don't think the flavoring process creates a harshness in the tobacco. This may be because - as I understand it - Pointer is flavored with an alcohol/liquer, which, I think, brings out a harshness - particularly in the Burley. Burleys and Virginias can puff rather hot, and the alcohol exacerbates the heat and potential harshness.

In the bottom 2/3 of the bowl I get more of the flavor of the tobacco, which is particularly pleasant. Moreover, I still get a hint of the flavoring at least until I get to the bottom 1/3.

I recommend this as an alternative to those who are used to smoking aromatics blended with Cavendish and whose normal puff is a Lane/Stokkebyye blend. Not to say those are bad, my opinion is that they are inferior to the Labrador, primarily because you can enjoy the tobacco base to a greater degree than the regular bulk blends can offer.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ii31al (5)	2017-08-31		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

sweet and smooth aromatic-no tongue bite-smells and tastes the same-nice burn nice room note. One of the nicest aromatic I've smoked in a while Recommended for aromatic lovers 4/5

Pipe Used: NA

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Harsim David (3)	2016-12-07		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Very Full	Very Pleasant

All I can say is AWESOME. This was the first true aromatic I've smoked besides a Caribbean spiced rum tobacco I got from a local tobacco shop and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The tin note is a strong almost overwhelming caramel/hazel-nut smell. Very cool smoke no tongue bite whatsoever and you can definitely taste the caramel/hazelnut note which combine to create almost a butterscotch taste. It feels like I'm eat a Werthers original every time I smoke this. Great tobacco.

Pipe Used: MM Eaton

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-11-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Flavors come through, consistent with aroma, with none dominating. Medium flavor, light to medium strength. Burley nuttiness and sweetness of base tobaccos complement the blend well. 3+*.

Pipe Used: MM

Age When Smoked: Unknown.

Purchased From: Gifted from BOTL - Thanks Rick!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CapnStuby (33)	2014-07-30		Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I think I got a bad tin of this because my smoking experience was very different from the other reviewers. My rating is an overall rating but I'll break it down into thirds.

The pack was pretty easy. The tobacco is in smaller ribbons than I'm used to and I tried not to pack it too tightly to minimize the heat. The initial light was pretty good and after a quick tamp and relight, the bowl burned all the way with no real trouble.

First third: Good smoke volume with very nice room note. Reminiscent of hazelnuts, caramel and vanilla. However, the smoke I was tasting reeked of some sort of plasticky, solvent flavor. This nasty taste persisted through the entire third of the bowl...and the pipe rim was coated in a slick of liquid. The pipe became a sort of blast furnace and I had to be very gentle to keep the varnish on my pipe bowl from sublimating.

Second Third: This is where the tobacco actually wasn't so bad. The caramel flavor came in and the solvent taste went to the back for a bit. The temperature decreased and this was sort of like a Captain Black blend.

Last Third: The plastic solvent flavor came back with a vengeance and the heat became high enough to smelt copper in the bowl. I had to kill the pipe here for fear of damaging the walls. Smoke volume was high but acrid.

This gooped up the pipe, but good. Other than the 2 star middle third, the other thirds definitely rate a negative score. I can't honestly recommend this to anyone and this is just another disappointment from Denmark.

Pipe Used: Generic Briar

Age When Smoked: 1 year cellared

Similar Blends: Captain Black Round.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-10-10		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

First off, let me say that I am a fan of aromatics and this is my first review. That being said, this is my opinion is one of the best aromatics that I have tried. The tin aroma is wonderful and the smoke is as described on the label...rich and satisfying. My wife does not like pipe tobacco, so I always smoke outside, which is fine by me as I tried this on a Fall afternoon watching the autumn leaves wishing I was going duck hunting.

Nobody has rated this review yet.