Dan Tobacco Gordon Pym
(3.22)
This blend contains golden Virginia, Maryland and a little dark fired Virginia that gives this blend a profound flavor. Precious Oriental tobacco gives a soft tangy flavor that is complimented by Syrian latakia. Broad-cut with a slow, even burn, especially in bigger bowls.
Notes: The name of this blend probably comes from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket"
Details
| Brand | Dan Tobacco |
| Blended By | Dan Tobacco |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Maryland, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.22 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 50 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2008 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
UPDATE 9/16/08
Well, despite my initial enthusiasm, this did not make it into my stable of regulars. I still think it's very good, but I've sort of filled the same niche with squadron leader and kensington. I may revisit it again later to see if I'm able to recapture the initial rapture.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Judging by the speed at which I powered through the tin, I think it's safe to say Gordon Pym is well on its way to becoming my number one blend. So why then, if I reach for it more than anything else, would I rate it only three stars instead of four? I suppose the only explanation I can offer is that I'm trying to reserve four star ratings for things which blow my mind in either their complexity or their subtlety... and to me Gordon Pym is neither complex nor subtle. Yet, strangely, if pressed, I would have to admit that's the very reason I love it so much.
While the style may be a bit vague (resting somewhere between an english and a balkan), where flavor is concerned, it's not vague at all. It's remarkably straightforward, completely unpretentious, and totally satisfying. Once lit, the Syrian dominates the beginning of the bowl, then slowly and gradually relents to the Orientals as the smoke progresses to its the end, which always comes too soon. Just thinking about it, I already wish I had some handy right now.
My tin was a bit dry when I opened it... just enough that I considered hydrating it. I'm glad I waited until after the first bowl, though, as it turned out to smoke splendidly right where it was. In general, no matter what packing technique was employed, it required very few relights. Using the Frank Method, I once even had the "charring light" keep it burning until about mid bowl.
I ordered the tin at the same time as a Mastro Beraldi thick-walled chimney shape, and the two serendipitously turned out to be perfectly suited to each other. Pym is still great in other pipes, but to me the Mastro Beraldi/Gordon Pym combo is right up there with Fred and Ginger, Bob and Bing, Abbott and Costello, Jagger and Richards, Getz and Giberto, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Jack and Meg White, etc...
Three VERY ENTHUSIASTIC Stars
Well, despite my initial enthusiasm, this did not make it into my stable of regulars. I still think it's very good, but I've sort of filled the same niche with squadron leader and kensington. I may revisit it again later to see if I'm able to recapture the initial rapture.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Judging by the speed at which I powered through the tin, I think it's safe to say Gordon Pym is well on its way to becoming my number one blend. So why then, if I reach for it more than anything else, would I rate it only three stars instead of four? I suppose the only explanation I can offer is that I'm trying to reserve four star ratings for things which blow my mind in either their complexity or their subtlety... and to me Gordon Pym is neither complex nor subtle. Yet, strangely, if pressed, I would have to admit that's the very reason I love it so much.
While the style may be a bit vague (resting somewhere between an english and a balkan), where flavor is concerned, it's not vague at all. It's remarkably straightforward, completely unpretentious, and totally satisfying. Once lit, the Syrian dominates the beginning of the bowl, then slowly and gradually relents to the Orientals as the smoke progresses to its the end, which always comes too soon. Just thinking about it, I already wish I had some handy right now.
My tin was a bit dry when I opened it... just enough that I considered hydrating it. I'm glad I waited until after the first bowl, though, as it turned out to smoke splendidly right where it was. In general, no matter what packing technique was employed, it required very few relights. Using the Frank Method, I once even had the "charring light" keep it burning until about mid bowl.
I ordered the tin at the same time as a Mastro Beraldi thick-walled chimney shape, and the two serendipitously turned out to be perfectly suited to each other. Pym is still great in other pipes, but to me the Mastro Beraldi/Gordon Pym combo is right up there with Fred and Ginger, Bob and Bing, Abbott and Costello, Jagger and Richards, Getz and Giberto, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Jack and Meg White, etc...
Three VERY ENTHUSIASTIC Stars
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 13, 2008 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a review of an unaged tin right off my tobacconist shelf.
Gordon Pym starts out nice enough, but as things get going, it develops into a most fine English blend you'd ever want to smoke. This is worth a try for the Syrian Latakia alone. I have even smoked this with a sore tongue without fear. Simply perfect! This belongs right next to Squadron Leader and Westminster in my English rotation.
Nooorm's review says the rest I would want to say.
Gordon Pym starts out nice enough, but as things get going, it develops into a most fine English blend you'd ever want to smoke. This is worth a try for the Syrian Latakia alone. I have even smoked this with a sore tongue without fear. Simply perfect! This belongs right next to Squadron Leader and Westminster in my English rotation.
Nooorm's review says the rest I would want to say.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 02, 2006 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
As the previous reviewer, I'm not sure that I can add much more than what's been said. However, I do find this blend a bit more complex than some of the other reviews. Perhaps just some subtle differences in the processing or the fine quality leaf that is obviously used...I like this blend very much.
I find it softer, "rounder", and generally an inviting smoke. Predominantly, I smoke Virginia Plug and Flake tobaccos and have for the past 35 of my 45 years of pipe smoking. I take a couple of months every year to revisit some of my old favorites... although there are very few left anymore. I do experiment with a few new items on the market and I'm glad I tried this one.
I smoked most of this tin in a 10 panel straight stem billiard type Castello(one of the Pipe and Tobaccos Pipe of the Year pieces)in various settings and at different times of the day. All were pleasurable experiences and I have nothing but positive comments. I do think some aging would prove interesting and perhaps beneficial.
The only thing that would please me more would be for DAN TOBACCO to make this available in a plug!
I find it softer, "rounder", and generally an inviting smoke. Predominantly, I smoke Virginia Plug and Flake tobaccos and have for the past 35 of my 45 years of pipe smoking. I take a couple of months every year to revisit some of my old favorites... although there are very few left anymore. I do experiment with a few new items on the market and I'm glad I tried this one.
I smoked most of this tin in a 10 panel straight stem billiard type Castello(one of the Pipe and Tobaccos Pipe of the Year pieces)in various settings and at different times of the day. All were pleasurable experiences and I have nothing but positive comments. I do think some aging would prove interesting and perhaps beneficial.
The only thing that would please me more would be for DAN TOBACCO to make this available in a plug!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2022 | Very Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Popping open a tin from 5-6 years back. A satisfying “shlunk” as I twist the top off and I’m immediately greeted by the tin note. Like an English, but not like an English; the tang of oriental tobaccos is here replaced by a sweetishness: grape juice is about as close as I can place it. A dark blend, mostly a cedar-chip red, with bits of black and tawny gold mixed in. The tin note calls to me: I can smell it from my lap without inclining my head, but it somehow disappears when I bring the tin up to my nose. Loads easily, with its short and choppy ribbon cut— chopped ribbon?— into a Peterson XL Aran, dedicated to English blends.
Taste from the charing light is a quite unexpected blast of sweetness, the same taste I got in the tin note. As it settles, I’m getting a fairly typical English experience on the one hand: campfires and wet leaves from the latakia (perfect weather for it too, we’ve just had a rain), spicy cumin from the orientals (especially evident on the retrohale), and that *something else*, also most evident on the retrohale. Grape juice is the closest I can come to naming it.
And the grape flavor remains as I smoke down the bowl. As someone else noted, lots of smoke off this blend; the little choppy pieces burn well and quickly. Not much nicotine effect. A little drying effect, which I always get from oriental tobacco. This is the first blend I’ve smoked that has Maryland tobacco, as far as I can recall, so maybe the sweetness comes from that. Further research is required.
This stuff burns quick! A full bowl smoked down to powdery ash in about twenty minutes. I have to disagree with the description of a “slow, even burn”. “Even”, maybe. “Slow”, not even close.
This is an English with something different. A little sweetness, a little oriental tang. If you tried Nightcap or Bowlegged Bear and got a little roughed up, or if you work someplace that allows you to come back from a lunch break smelling smoky, this will fit the bill nicely.
Taste from the charing light is a quite unexpected blast of sweetness, the same taste I got in the tin note. As it settles, I’m getting a fairly typical English experience on the one hand: campfires and wet leaves from the latakia (perfect weather for it too, we’ve just had a rain), spicy cumin from the orientals (especially evident on the retrohale), and that *something else*, also most evident on the retrohale. Grape juice is the closest I can come to naming it.
And the grape flavor remains as I smoke down the bowl. As someone else noted, lots of smoke off this blend; the little choppy pieces burn well and quickly. Not much nicotine effect. A little drying effect, which I always get from oriental tobacco. This is the first blend I’ve smoked that has Maryland tobacco, as far as I can recall, so maybe the sweetness comes from that. Further research is required.
This stuff burns quick! A full bowl smoked down to powdery ash in about twenty minutes. I have to disagree with the description of a “slow, even burn”. “Even”, maybe. “Slow”, not even close.
This is an English with something different. A little sweetness, a little oriental tang. If you tried Nightcap or Bowlegged Bear and got a little roughed up, or if you work someplace that allows you to come back from a lunch break smelling smoky, this will fit the bill nicely.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Aran XL
Age When Smoked:
5 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 19, 2021 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
smooth, sweet..its more of a tangy dark fruitiness, smoky and musty. moisture was perfect out of the tin and its a nice chopped codger cut so its easy to load. worth seeking out if you like full english blends, this one really stays with you when you're done.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2017 | Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
When we opened the can we found a tobacco with a square ribbon cut ribbon. The degree of humidity is optimal. No need to dry it. The smell is smoked by Latakia, in addition there is another smell sweet and similar to some milk. Tobacco ignites and burns well producing whitish ash. In the first part of the smoke is present a spicy latakia that does not drown, in addition is present the aftertaste of milk. The smoke is soft and silky. In the second part of the smoke and latakia is in the background, manifesting maryland and the Orientals. The smoke is much more intense and dry. The finish is dry and strong. It is a valid tobacco for any time and for any climate.
Pipe Used:
Missouri Meerchaum
PurchasedFrom:
Duaso tobacco shop, Barcelona.
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 15, 2017 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
What this blend is for me is a nice easy going blend. The Orientals, and Latakia seem to meld together well with some Virginias coming through. The Maryland seems to take a back seat, but over all I love this blend. Too many times the Latakia in many blends take the front seat, and literally knock out the other tobaccos. My thought on that is why even bother blending when you cannot even detect anything else but Latakia? I could easily smoke this all day--that's why I like it. I detest Lat bombs. For me this blend is nice, and dry--smokes all the way through with flavors never really changing, and diminishing. I cannot see a reason to detest, or hate this blend unless you prefer a total Lat bomb type tobacco. Me I like to be able to actually pick out the varied tastes--Orientals, and latakia melding together with a hint of the Virginias--I keep plenty of this around in my rotation--year around smoke for me. It goes great with a morning cup of coffee.
Pipe Used:
Briar
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes, and local B&M
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 18, 2015 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
Very middle of the road blend I actually consider it a Balkan, everything here is about making the oriental leaf shine the Virginias are only here to remind you to puff gently, I don't really see what the Maryland leaf is doing on this blend and the nicotine is non existent , to make this review short and easy I would say this if you like skiff or early morning blend put this one in your rotation if not save your money and keep on searching.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli punto oro
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 07, 2015 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This stuff isn't my typical latakia bomb, but it's definitely one I'll keep in my rotation. More oriental/Va forward than Latakia, it does retain a muted smoky note combined with a green tea flavor. Buttery, smoky, a little earthy, no noticeable vitamin N rush, just a nice all-day puffer for english fans.
Pipe Used:
Peterson 150
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 06, 2015 | Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Truth in the advertising, it's definitely an English blend. It does all the good things you would expect an English blend should do. In my very fortunate experience, it burns very well, lasts quite a while in a pouch, and provides a nice, dry smoke. It's actually does cause me a tiny bit of tongue bite, but its other qualities make up for this deficiency. An excellent blend, my first from Dan Tobacco but not my last. Recommended.
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