Dan Tobacco Gordon Pym

Oh man.... this stuff starts like Old Ironsides and turns sweet like Frog Morton... fantastic. Bingo.

While this blend does not grab you by the ankles and shake you upside down to get your attention I feel that it is a good blend. It is not very complex but has good flavor and burns very cool and even. I generaly go for blends with more complexity but sometimes I just get in the mood for this and enjoy it. This may be good as an all day smoke for some who would enjoy a medium english blend as a main stay, I like it on occasion.

Update 6-28-11:

I dont know if my palate has developed or the blend has changed but I was sure wrong when I first reviewed this about the complexity. This blend weaves between the turkish and the latakia and the virginia adds a nice sweetness. Lately I have really been enjoying oriental blends and this one sings. I must upgrade this one to 4 stars!

Appearance Not the usual cut for an English mixture, this is short and wide. The color spectrum runs the gamut from pale yellows, through tans and reds, to black Aroma: Just the perfect aroma for an English blend, sweet Virginias, spicy Orientals, and smoky leathery Latakia. Packing: Easily packs into medium and large bowls, not tried in small bowls.

Lighting: Takes flame readily, usual char-tamp-relight sequence gets a good coal going.

Initial flavor: Full bodied English mélange of tastes, smooth on the tongue, with good mouth feel. All of the components can be sensed easily by the palate.

Mid-bowl: Burns cool and dry. The flavors are like a musical group; sometimes all together, sometimes in solos or smaller combinations. Wonderful balance of tastes, nothing overwhelms anything else.

Finish: Always finishes too soon for me. Satisfying enough that I don?t need another bowl right away, but the next one is always Gordon Pym.

Summary: Perhaps a bit too full for an all-day smoke (YMMV), but excellent anytime of day or night

Update September 2008

The more I smoke this blend, the more impressed I am by its subtlety, complexity and overall charm. I therefore upgrade my original rating from three stars to the full four.

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During the recent spell of outlandishly hot weather I found myself casting around for a clean-tasting tobacco that would serve me as an anytime smoke and give flavour and satisfaction. My normal Virginias had all failed the test, tasting either dull or downright rough and offensive. My English blends had similarly fallen by the wayside. Even Burley classics such as Edgeworth Sliced would not do the trick for me, and so out of curiosity I turned to Gordon Pym, a tobacco that I had previously found pleasant but stunningly ordinary. Epiphany!

For whatever reasons, the heat and humidity appeared to have worked an act of magic on this blend. Most noticeable initially was its sweetness, a refreshing, pure cleanness of taste that was in no way cloying. The touch of Syrian Latakia offered a pleasing, mild smokiness to the effect, and then the Orientals joined in, their slight spiciness giving a gentle tingle to the tip of the tongue. There was no further development in the overall flavour, simply a slight gathering of strength towards the end of the bowl, utterly devoid of harshness of any kind and with no excess moisture in the bowl. A pipe cleaner passed through at smoke?s end emerged bone dry and remarkable clean.

Subsequent smokes in a wide variety of different briars all gave the same results and the same degree of smoker satisfaction, leaving me with a clean palate and a happy smile. This is not a great tobacco, but it is one that continues to serve me well in the present sub-tropical conditions. If it works for me, it could work for you too.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.