Tobaccos E. Hoffman Company - Distinguished Gentleman

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2015-01-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woody, earthy, lightly musty, with a little sweet note and is at times, the most noticeable component. The tart and tangy citrusy, grassy, slightly floral and sugary Virginia mostly forms the base of the blend. The burley is nutty, earthy, woody, lightly molasses sweet and a little toasty. Its effect varies through out the experience, mostly being a secondary player. The sugary black cavendish is a condiment. The pleasant rum topping rather mildly sublimates the tobaccos. The strength is in the center of mild to medium. The taste is a step past that mark. The nic-hit is a slot past the mild mark. No bite or harshness present, and has few rough notes. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a fairly consistent flavor. Requires an average number of relights. Leaves a little dampness in the bowl. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste, and room note. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-15		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I really liked Distinguished Gentleman and when this tin is gone I might just get another. Part of the fun of this hobby for me is smoking as many different blends as I can get my hands on, so, I don't usually take the time to smoke the entire contents of larger tins. But I did with this one. I guess my palate and this blend just got along together. I did find it way too mild on its own, but after adding some Five Brothers (strong Burley that absorbs tastes of other tobaccos without offering much of a taste of its own), I hit the lottery! The flavors of all the different tobaccos in this one, while subtle, come through in a manner that begs attention without slapping you in the face. I can somewhat compare this one to the old House of Windsor Barking Dog.

Pipestud

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Greetings everyone! This is not a coincidence that "Thedstnguishdgntlmn" is reviewing "Distinguished Gentleman". I have been a customer at Iwan Ries for over a decade. They are the Nicest folks on the planet and run the best Pipe store in the world. My gratitude to Chuck, Susie, Kevin, Ron, Adam, Keith, & Mike for their friendship over the years and now for this new tobacco. Now, on to the review. I greatly enjoy crossover blends. I would often go into the store and tell the guys some of my FRANKEN MIXTURES that I would create using Iwan Ries blends. One day they asked me to try their new , and at the time Un-named blend. I was very impressed. It was sweet, mild, smoky, and very cool.Little did I know it would become Distinguished Gentleman. The Blend is a Shag/Ribbon cut. About a 50/50 mix of light and dark tobaccos. When you pop the tin you are greeted by a wonderful old timey aromatic smell. It is fragrant but not in a syrupy way. You cannot quite put your finger on the flavor. At first light you will be greeted by a sweet and crisp flavor. It is actually like biting into a nice cold apple. The smoke has a TEXTURE to it. After about 2 minutes it develops into a creamy and slightly sweet flavor, yet all the while maintaining a true tobacco flavor. At this point you will begin to taste the slightest wisp of Latakia. From then it is all smooth sailing. There is absolutely nothing I can compare it to. It is not a crossover like "just for him" blends. They are very good but you taste Sweet Cavendish then Latakia. This mixture has all the elements come together to form a truly unique flavor.I will say that if you enjoy 3 Star tobaccos and Latakia this will be very satisfying. It is unusual and needs to be tried. Not for the Latakiaphile or the Candy crowd but definietly for true connoisseurs of fine tobacco. Well worth a try. P.S. The room note is heavenly while you taste a little Latakia. 4 STARS!

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2013-05-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got a free sample of this from Ash Tobaccos in Gaylord, Michigan. This is a great shop I visit every trip up north. Every time I visit they have a new surprise awaiting me. Last November for Whitetail Rifle season, they had this and the Spillman Mixture in the 7 oz. cans. I was hesitant of making such a large purchase so they gave me a sample to try. Like I said, great store.

I enjoy the reviews of the distinguished gentleman below, so I was excited to try this his namesake. The tin aroma threw me. while I was expecting an aromatic english blend the smell actually repulsed me a bit, but I ventured on with the first bowl as I was leaving the store. I was not overly impressed so I put it aside and jarred it when I got home.

Some time definitely did it some good as in four months time I started to enjoy the blend. I finished my last bowl last night and will likely buy that 7 oz can after I smoke through some more of my stock. I am pretty heavy in this genre at the moment.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fustillat (6)	2012-11-16		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Here is my impression after a month of smoking this blend daily. The mesmerizing tin aroma is very misleading as it completely disappears when fired up, so it's useless to build expectations on it. The flavor is very subtle, so it should be smoked in a closed area to relish it fully, also DGT is recommended, otherwise you might have the impression that you're smoking tap water. It has zero tongue bite.

Update on 15 Feb 2013: Maybe it has to do with a few month's aging that I began to like this blend a lot more as it proved to be an excellent morning smoke when my senses are still not very keen. Upgraded from Recommended to Highly recommended.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2019-02-06		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Distinguished Gentleman comes in a nouveau-retro tin that includes olde tyme labeling and two blue paper tape “seals”, just like the best OTCs had, Way Back When. It’s a crossover blend featuring short ribbons and small chunks ranging from light tan, to red-ish, medium brown, to black. The tin note includes smoky and musky VA/Bur tobacco under a very fragrant, spicy, masculine potpourri topping that’s rather like bakery spices and exotic, woody incense. Whatever it is, the topping fades considerably over a week in a re-closed tin. As for smoking it, DG worked best for me after some rest and loaded into a 3-4 pipe. This tact delivers both the best burn and the least compromised tastes. DG lights with patience, and right away it smells even better than the tin note, and it tastes OK for a while. However, it gets muddled by 1/3 unless I maintain an extremely slow cadence, to the point where it barely burns. Germane to this, re-lights that cause no problems in the early going make for bad tastes later on. At its best DG features slightly smoky, earthy, damp hay from the VAs under the slightly musty, rather bluff, earthy Burley, with the topping just proud of the tobacco. There is some sweetness, also some sour and some bitterness, and there is plenty of smoke. The topping finally craps out around 3/4, leaving a fairly ordinary tobacco blend alone to the finish, which is about 7/8 for me, when it goes out and doesn’t want to re-light. Strength is mild. Tastes are medium. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste comes around to the best of the smoke.

I think the best of Distinguished Gentleman is worth 3 stars. Unfortunately, I can’t consistently get its best, so I guess I’ll have to give it a 2, which means I can see where someone else might like it, but I don’t like it enough to keep messing with it, especially when I can smoke, say, Savinelli’s Essenza Cipriota instead.

Pipe Used: 3 - 4 briars preferred

Age When Smoked: from "new", undated tin

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Compare/contrast to Savinelli's Essenza Cipriota.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RoundTwo (38)	2017-09-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is truly a fragrant tobacco with an intoxicating aroma. Literally. Not your typical aromatic at all. The topping and casing give it an old time flavor that will make you want to take your socks off and put your feet up on a table. On the Pipes Magazine Radio Show podcast Episode 84 Chuck Levi said this was a recreation which was originally labeled as recommended by distinguished physicians and thedstnguishdgntlmn claims that he loved it so much they used the name. This is a storied blend of old and new. I definitely recommend buying this just to try it if not for the lore alone. I asked in the IRC shop what the secret ingredient was but they refused to tell me saying it was a secret or something like that. I do not smoke aromatics but this being distinguished as a crossover I will always have some of this laying around because it tastes great.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2012-01-05		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This reminds me of 4 Noggins, " Bald Headed Teacher" but instead of a strong vanilla it has a strong rum topping, both with Latakia overtones . This is also similar to Boswells "Premium Burley" that has whiskey topping and stronger Burley. In any case, I feel the Burley comes through stronger than I like and the topping tends to have some bite, this might improve with age. I will not buy again.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jedibastard (37)	2019-10-21		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is now what I imagine, when people say "sweet smokes". The tin smells of some spice and burnt leather. With a soft topping. Maybe from the black cavendish? Who cares....its good! This is spicy and smokey. But it also has just a subtle sweetness to it, not enough to take over, just enough to gently soften the spice. I didn't notice that topping sticking around much longer than a few minutues after my char light. Which is a-ok with me. I didnt get any bite...which surprised me. Smells great in the tin. Smells great burning. And smells good on your ratty old sweater on a chilly fall day. Stick this in your pipe, and smoke it. Thats it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-06-22		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

E. Hoffman Company - Distinguished Gentleman.

Because the tin's one of the bigger in style, there's a little room to let some air circulate, thusly achieving a smokeable level of hydration. There's one or two bigger 'leafy' pieces in the blend, but none which are too coarse/stick-like to be smoked.

The Latakia's the stronger of the four, giving a rich woodiness rather than just smoke alone. The Virginia adds almost a 'freshness' to the flavour, by being slightly fragrant; slightly. The Burley could cause it to be slightly rough around the edges, but the Cavendish placates the situation. The rum has been added lightly: it flavours the smoke just enough to enable identification, but isn't sharp, or alcoholic tasting. I get no tongue bite from it, and the temperature doesn't rise above medium.

The nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Distinguished Gentleman? Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Levent Meer'

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	August (4)	2014-02-09		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Spilman Mixture's more elegant and subdued brother. Is it possible to be too civilized? Mmmmaybe. I still like it though. The cavandish makes this a different tobacco but the family resemblence is unmistakeble. I think of this as a late evening smoke, when the day is winding down. A man needs a tobacco like that around and this is mine.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin.

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clive Moses Apikouris (41)	2012-12-12		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

From the description I really looked forward to trying this blend. Lately I've really enjoyed the blending of Burley, Cavendish and Latakia in a number of tobaccos and in my own experimental blends. After opening the pleasingly nostalgic tin I was greeted with a very pleasant aroma reminiscent of raisins. The cut was very chopped up and fine like what I had found in some generic store brand blends of the past. However with the anticipation of happy puffing I loaded up an old classic Sasieni Lovat and lit up. Immediately as I began to draw on my pipe up some of those finely ground particles found their way into my mouth. Undaunted I expectorated and continued. At first the smoke was smooth, fragrant and pleasant tasting, similar to the Altadis Revelation match. My pleasant piping was abruptly cut short when very soon my pipe stem began to fill with nasty, acrid juice and the flavor now became very harsh in kind of artificial and chemical tasting manner. Now this blend began to remind me of another disappointment, Rattrays Professional Mixture. Both smelt of raisins, started off very nicely and then became too aromatic in an unpleasant manner. Like P.M. my solution in order to enjoy D.G. is to treat it like an aromatic and smoke it in one of my Vauen, Big Ben or Dr. Grabow filter pipes.

12/17/2012: I'm updating my review. As I suspected, this blend should be treated as a "drugstore style" aromatic and smoked in a filter pipe. I'm now puffing away with this stuff loaded up into a Vauen. While still a bit chemical tasting the nastiness has been filtered out and I could recommend this to someone looking to try out a 1970'S style drugstore pipe tobacco. while I won't be smoking it that often I'll move it up to three stars. 12/25/2012: I likely shouldn't spend so much time writing about such a mediocre tobacco but I felt an update was appropriate. I continued to try and enjoy this blend filtered as I smoke other drugstore and aromatic blends. The more you smoke it the less you like it. While supposedly rather mild it even filtered has a very nasty gaseous and chemical aspect that makes it become unpleasant as the smoking proceeds. Back to a very lenient two stars. I'll put this stuff away for a few years and save my palate for better blends. Again only recommended for a time machine drug store tobacco experience.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (557)	2023-04-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of sugary spices, vanilla and musty vegetation. Tobacco is a Coarse cut of yellowish tan, light brown, brown and black. Moisture content is good. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is listed, but other than smell, I couldn't detect it. Taste is mild to medium and somewhat consistent, with notes of smoky incense, herbal floral, tart and tangy citrus, nuts, spices, sour vegetation, wood, sweet grass, toast, peaty/musty, orange peel, zesty, a mildly lemony background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia and Latakia fighting for the is leading with Burley and Cavendish supporting. Flavoring is supporting from afar. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Pipe Used: James Upshall Smooth Acorn (4) (P) (FH)

Age When Smoked: 7 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe On The Patio (7)	2022-04-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This tobacco is a great smoking delight! A wonderful all day smoke that has made me wonder if I could smoke this all the time. I find myself being drawn to this one over and over and I’m not sure if it’s the light aromatic quality or the really nice quality of the smoke or both! This wouldn’t be my first choice of tobacco normally, but after being gifted some I just can’t stop smoking it! I’ve not yet had a bad bowl of Distinguished Gentleman yet and I keep waiting for it to happen. Cool and smooth with no bite. Just a very nice aromatic smoke. One I will continue to buy and smoke.

Pipe Used: Many Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MangoLegs (72)	2021-12-04		Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

Preparation & Burn: 7/10 Burns pretty well but a bit warmer and sharper than I prefer. Good cut. A bit moist.

Taste: 11/20 Decent light lat blend with sweet and booze topping. Unfortunately lacks tobacco taste.

Mildness: 9/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. Not much nicotine here.

Total: 27/40

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkTheLad (46)	2020-10-19		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I generally like crossover English blends and this one is no exception. It is pleasantly sweet, rich and lightly smoky. It produces a decent amount of smoke and has a nice mouth feel to it. There is a light topping here but I can't discern what it is, other than lightly sweet and maybe a little fruity, but not over done. Good show E. Hoffman! 3.5 Stars!

Pipe Used: 1/2 Bent Paronelli

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2019-05-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is the first American blend (whatever that means) I have tried, and I can safely say I'm proud to be an American 'blend' smoker. That is until the tin aired out for a few days.

The cut is certainly rough, but not from twigs or annoying bits, it's just thicker ribbons dried with a coarser feel. The aroma is enticing, not overpowering, yet hard to describe... perhaps the old photo on the cover has bent my imagination, but I can envision a steam train conductor smoking it. Likely motor oil, treated lumber, sweet whiskey, and other guy scents were thrown into this cauldron.

The contents takes a few seconds to light, but smolders nicely once lit. The smoke has a wonderful dark sugar flavor with some weight, yet is not overwhelming on your lungs. The problem I had was when I returned to the tin only a few days later, everything became bland with a cardboard taste. It was a frustrating feeling, since my first few bowls were an easy 3 stars.

As an Aromatic fan I really enjoyed the initial experience, so I'll give this 1.5 star blend a small nod to 2.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	colonel jpl (25)	2018-09-08		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nothing about this blend works for me. It burns hot strong bite and overpowering burley taste. I get no Latakia taste. To many good blends to smoke this

Pipe Used: Peterson Bull dog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	echambers (1)	2018-07-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is just what you might expect from am English Aromatic. The “English” comes through predominantly, with a flavor profile similar to a light version of Peter Stokkebye’s Proper English albeit with a slight sweetness. The sweetness, of course, can be attributed to the cavendish and the flavoring (Rum, we’re told but it tastes more like a honey-bourbon. The “Lightness” comes, I suspect, from the Burley. If this were my blend. I’d cut the burley in half, allowing the other components shine a little brighter.

This is one of those blends where the tin note is not a great reflection of the flavor profile when smoked: Much sweeter in tin then in the pipe!

Smokes well right out of the tin, especially with a little drying time.

Falls a little flat on the retrohale but the room note, so I’m told, is pleasant.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kaleehb (1)	2017-09-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

From the Tin: Removal of the seal showed a very nicely multicolored ribbon cut tobacco. The initial nose showed an alcohol topping (possibly rum) coupled with a rich, sweet and smoky tobacco scent.

Tasting Notes: The combination of the Cavendish and Virginia give the blend a honey like sweetness while the nuttiness in the burley is easily detected. The faint campfire, woody smokiness offered by the latakia seems to be in the backdrop of everything else but is noticeable, adding an enjoyable complexity to the blend. The room note was very enjoyable with a sweet creamy vanilla and crispy dry toast aspect. Overall strength was medium and body mild/medium.

Overall Impressions: After the first bowl of Distinguished Gentleman I wasn’t immediately reaching for a refill, however, wasn’t turned off by the blend either. The tobacco is of the utmost quality and the experience was enjoyable, I just wasn’t blown away by anything the blend had to offer.

Full review at: https://cedarboxcigarreviews.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/distinguished-gentlemen/

Pipe Used: Savinelli Bings Favorite

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mosessupposes (11)	2017-09-24		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I'm a non aro smoker who likes an occasional change of pace. When I want a real change, I smoke Melange, sometimes cutting it with 5 Brothers. Searching for a more subtle change I first tried Edward G Robinson. The taste was OK but the bite wasn't. I had tried Spillman years ago and, for me, it was too light for an English. The reviews of DG motivated me to give it a go. I find it slightly aromatic, easy to pack and light, the correct moisture level, and cool smoking. I think I've found my subtle change of pace. A strong 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Cobs mostly

Age When Smoked: Just purchased

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: None that I know..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Warwick (37)	2016-07-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This just fits so well into the 'contemplative' niche for me. Requires no drying, packs easily, and burns at an easy pace. I am rather susceptible to tongue bite and and am pleased that this is not an issue with this blend.

The components are nicely balanced - the Latakia is a only supporting player, thereby allowing the other notes to come through nicely. Likewise, any flavoring is not predominant; rather, it is just intermingling. There is enough going on with the various notes to occupy the mind's background attention, allowing one to attend to whatever deep and worldly thoughts occupy one's foreground attention.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum (2016 CCN Pipe - unfiltered)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: MarsCigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipincool (3)	2014-04-18		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This has to be the worst pipe tobacco I've ever smoked. The smell out of the can was almost soapy - it didn't belong as a flavoring or casing at all. That was about as good as it got. The flavor was terrible to non-existent, the smoke made me sneeze and the tongue bite was the worst I've ever experienced. One star - for the design on the tin and nothing else.

Pipe Used: briar

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jankoez (69)	2014-03-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Another pleasant blend from E. Hoffman Company. Distinguished Gentleman isn't a blend which is going to kick you in extasy, but it is reliable for every occassion and it will not let you down. It burns well, gives pleasant sensation and it matches at evety time of day.

My rate: 4.3

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-12-09		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

i bought this based on reviews from this site, and regretted doing so. there's not much to it, and i found it didn't agree with me, causing a few coughing outbursts (which is unusual for me). just not my thing, apparently. i know this review probably isn't very helpful. i just found it very forgettable.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Piper@TheGatesOfDawn (9)	2012-09-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Very mild and easy to smoke. Burns well and tastes unique. I detect no vanilla and only the slightest hint of whisky. I do, however, detect something strangely appealing: pencil shavings. I happen to like the smell of pencil shavings and this tobacco has that same earthy woodiness. A nice change of pace from heavy aromatics. Try it, you'll like it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marc7570 (2)	2011-12-15		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

i received a sample of this tobacco from iwan reis. if you think spillman mixture is a little strong then you will love this one. a bit sweet. easy to light and keep lite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dedalto (25)	2011-09-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Every nw and then you bump into something that is just fantastic. I have really gotten tired of Latakias, but two friends told me about this blend. So I thought why not. At any rate, about this tobacco. Wow! Creamy. Smooth. Crossover. Aromatic. I don't care what it is. Don't care what is in it. This stuff is great. Just smoke it. This the sort of stuff you to sit and smoke in the barbersop. Thus I conclude another highly antalytical review.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arpie55 (77)	2011-08-25		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

not a bad aromatic type blend but it will bite, my tongue felt scorched

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2011-08-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I find this blend to be quite nice. It lights and stays lit easily enough. It burns down to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. I think this has a somewhat unique smell out of the tin. All the components of this blend come together quite nicely with none really overpowering the others. All in all, I would definitely recommend this fine blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I have only been puffn on a pipe for 10 months after smoking cigs for 40+ yrs.Ive tried numerous blends virginias,english, aromatics balkans and small batch blends .This tobacco in my case was a direct result of this website and all the reviews I have read. That has been the case in practicly all my purchases.For that I thank you all. As such it is also my first review. When I first bought DG everything that has already been said rang true except I thought the flavor was weak and after 6bowls decided to let it sit in a mason jar for 3 months. I took it out and met the same great tin aroma and room aroma and burn qualities but it was still weak. Well having 7 oz. of weak tasting smoke around did'nt sit well with me soooooo. another first for me I bought some blending latakia and perique and went to work. I weighed what DG I had left and added 10% mc clelland latakia and 2% of the weight in mc cl perique. and let it sit for a month. BOOM this is the greatest tasting tobacco IMHO ever. I smoke 5-6 bowls a day and this blend is usually 3 of them. All I did was take the smog off a hot rod chevy and now it screams . I thought of trying hoffmans Spillmans blend but this is my go to smoke and I love it so much that I have made a pound that I cellared and one that I'm smoking so some time later I might .GREAT STUFF

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-03-16		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I very impetuously ordered the 7oz tin before trying it, based on the first 2 reviews below. After waiting patiently for a month (I am very, very far from the nearest Friendly Tobacconist), I finally heard the mailman approaching. I admit that by this time, I was a bit too overexcited, and nothing less than The Greatest Tobacco Ever Made would have satisfied me.

First impressions: the tin is nice and old-timey, with what I believe is an exact replica of the old label (right down to the tax sticker). Upon opening, I was hit with a wave of "can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it", which is the only way I can describe the flavour of this blend. Maple syrup? Marshmallows on burnt toast? Marmalade? I don't know. Half sweet, half earthy, half salty. (That's too many halves, I know.) The appearance of the tobacco is very pleasing: gold, black and brown strips.

Packed and lit like a dream, as I had expected. Pre-light draw was quite sweet, but once lit the sweetness dimmed somewhat and the taste had become a little fuller. It's very mild, as mild as I've ever had, which encouraged me to smoke like a chimney, at which point I was bitten lightly. But that was my fault, not the Gentleman's. I didn't quite taste any latakia, except as a kind of lurking presence in the background, as though someone in the neighbourhood was having a camp fire.

Smoked down to grey ash, around one hour and twenty minutes later (in quite a smallish pipe).

I did the room-note test of going out, sniffing some mouthwash, holding my breath, going back into the room, breathing out and then breathing in again. It was that same "can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it" scent: I don't know what it is, but I think I like it.

I'm not sure I did find it The Greatest Tobacco Ever Made, but I'll be happy to go through the rest of the 7 ounces, and then get more, just to make sure. A wonderful slice of Americana - I smoked it in a 1940s Kaywoodie, to make the illusion complete :)

Get some, man.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-03-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

There is something inherently pleasing to me about vintage blends, and more specifically, "crossover" blends that I can never resist. Going purely off my instincts and the whimsical portrait on the tin, I bought the seven ounce of Hoffman's latest offering. Unlike Spilman, while the components are similar, the tin aroma was much richer--I detected a topping that I could only place as cognac or possibly rum (and please excuse me if I am completely wrong) that was made richer by the latakia. Spilman, a straight tobacco as it is, smelled ripely of latakia, and is another great blend on its own. Either way, the aroma was delightful, and I was eager to load up one of my larger pipes to ensure the ingredients had enough room to breathe. On the top of the bowl, the latakia came through just enough to detect, while the fragrance immediately produced a compliment from a friend of mine who generally detests the smell of any tobacco (although he will smoke aromatics). From what I could tell, the cavendish was prominent, but infused well with the other tobaccos--the latakia seldom surfaced as I progressed through the bowl, but when it did, it was just when I thought I had thoroughly analyzed the blend. If this is considered an aromatic, and I only suggest that because the room note is so pleasant, it is by far the best I have yet to smoke. The tobaccos are not obstructed by the thick fragrance, nor are they singular in dimension. This blend was surprisingly milder than Spilman as I thought they would be very similar. If you enjoy aromatic tobaccos, yet want a blend not completely dominated by cavendish, you will enjoy Distinguished Gentleman. I am eager to compare this to Sillem's Black, which I have yet to try. P.S. It probably would have been easier to draw an arrow pointing at the Distinguished Gentleman himself down below as he gives an excellent review of this unique blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HobgoblinTA96 (60)	2022-12-22		Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

Anyone that has read my reviews knows that I am not above bashing a blender, tobacconist, etc. if they choose to put out a crappy blend or if the blend is misleading in it's description. This blend is both misleading and crappy at the same time. (Sorry Iwan Ries & Shame on You - I foolishly believed a storied tobacconist such as yourself would have been above selling this kind of garbage!!!). This blend is absolutely disgusting. Think cheap cigarettes soaked with imitation vanilla extract. Honestly, I only believe they sprinkled it Latakia in order to save it. What ever they were thinking it should have been tossed and not sold under some hyped up description (greed I suspect). This is truly horrible. I tried to age it. It's now dry as a bone, and still the imitation vanilla lingers. With age it becomes a "stale" cheap cigarette. Truly, this will be one of the few baccys that I will have to dump out. It's that bad.

Similar Blends: Cheap cigarettes soaked in imitation vanilla with a dusting of latakia (yuk).

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2020-05-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My wife always jokingly refers to this one as “fancy lad.” This blend would seem to have a mid century modern feel with regards to the ingredients and being an American English aromatic. The Latakia is a backseat occupant speaking rarely and quietly. The topping is detectable in both the smoke and the sidestream. I had no issue with ghosting. If one were to freight train one or three bowls of this daily for months on end, I would assume there would indeed be traces of DG left in your pipe for months if not years to come. I can’t quite place what the topping(s) is but it gives the vague impression of vanilla. Easily an all day blend if American style English blends are your bag.

Pipe Used: Numerous

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: Iwan ries

Similar Blends: Hmmm.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-17		Strong	Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

Spilman Mixture + cavendish. Nice, but I just don't care for cavendish. Well cut, burns well. As a regular Spilman smoker I was given a sample of this to try and, though it was nice, it's just not for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-03-07		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I don't know what catagory you would put this stuff in, but I will try. Old time tobacco goodness catagory! The room note is acceptable by my wife. It gives me pleasure and that makes her happy and want to go out with her friends leaving me with my pipe in my hand, oh well see ya later baby. Stay out as late as you want dear. I should never start a review in the middle of a fight with the wife. Back to the tobacco, it is a breath of fresh air, spring time air. This will be a close companion of mine through the warmer months ahead. A rich full tasting tobacco with a wonderfull after tatse. Would be great after BBQing and eating outdoors. I will be suprised if this does not catch like wildfire amongst the brotherhood. I opened the tin and got staight up and got a bigger pipe. After a few puffs went and picked out my next pipe for later. It is that good. Mouth watering good. This I am sure will cellar very well too. Go getchya some!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-18		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

E. Hoffman Company in my opinion makes some of the best tobacco I have ever smoked. First I smoked the Spillman Mixture for a while till Iwan Ries introduced Distinguished Gentleman. Since it was by E. Hoffman Company I had to try it. The flavors mix well and it doesn't bite much unless your hot boxing it, which you should never do with any tobacco. I believe the most pronounced flavor is the latakia and I really like it. Distinguished Gentleman is now what I smoke everyday.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

its namesake just happens to be one of the more prolific reviewers on this site and a favorite patron and customer of iwan ries and company. he's also a dear friend. the tin is nostalgic old chicago like the great shop that sits parallel to the famed and gritty elevated tracks along wabash avenue. it is amazing to think that this is a true family business that has weathered the tests of time, urban renewal and changes in popular opinion about smoking. businesses and institutions have come and gone in all of our great cities, but irc and this tobacco continue to serve as a living reminder that some things deserve to continue and will hopefully be enjoyed by future generations of pipe enthusiasts. the tobacco reminds me of the way blending used to be at irc. theirs were the first non-drugstore blends i ever tried. three star blue used to be one of my all time favorites, but things have changed. luckily, chuck and crew have commissioned this beautiful blend with its forward yet subtle tin aroma, muted but rich flavor and delightful room note. though ingredients are indicated above, it's so good it really wouldn't matter to me. like good food or drink, i prefer to experience and enjoy. it's everything tobacco used to and ought to be. not a bite in the bowl and can be smoked throughout the day and in all seasons. this is a blend worthy of its namesake while it commemorates one of the great meccas of pipes and tobacco in north america!

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