Villiger Mid-Day

The grassy, citrusy Virginia forms the base of the blend. The nutty, molasses sweet burley is more of a condiment. The dry, woody Oriental is in the background. The unsweetened black cavendish offers a little brown sugar. The various fruit toppings are sweet with a slight sour, tanginess, and floralness. It's hard to pick out what they all are, but I do sense a touch of apricot. The vanilla very mildly underscores the experience. There is a hint of alcohol to the toppings, which do tone down the tobaccos a bit. The nic-hit is very mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool at a reasonable pace with a little inconsistency in flavor at times. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. has a decent after taste. Is almost an all day smoke.

-JimInks

A pretty decent tobacco. It smells kind of juicy and fruity in the tin, packs well and holds a light very well. It smokes clean and fairly cool and I can't find any technical flaws in the actual smokability of this.

The flavoring is OK, but kind of tastes like it's mashed together and isn't strong enough to really turn the smoke into something flavorful. Instead, it seems more like a subtle hint of the different flavors. I got compliments on the aroma and there was no pipe fouling or liquid if I used one or two Denicool crystals in the bottom of the bowl.

It's not the best aromatic I've ever had but it's one of the better ones. It's definitely worth a try!

Well, I picked up several tins of this when Thompson Cigar was running a deal a few months back. If I had reviewed it then, I would probably have given one star. The tin aroma was beautiful--like sweet vanilla caramel. However, it was very moist and I had trouble keeping it lit. The casing seemed way too heavy for me, it smoked hot, bit the hell out of my tongue, there was lots of gurgle in my pipe, and the whole experience gave me buyer's remorse. I gave a couple tins away figuring there was no reason to keep this disappointing aromatic around. Now this evening, I picked up that first tin which I had opened a few months ago. It had been sitting around on a shelf in the basement and it had dried out just a bit--and Oila! It lit well, burned beautifully, and the flavor was lovely. Sweet and toasty with lots of vanilla. There was zero gurgle in the pipe and the smoke was rich and luxurious. About half-way through the bowl I could taste less of the casing and more of the cavendish and virginias and a bit of nice nutty burley. It reminded me of Carter Hall. I still got some bite, but not as bad as the first time I smoked it. It didn't burn super-hot either. This is a good "sipping" tobacco. Puff it and rue it! Sip it gently and it yields rich rewards. I'm glad I didn't give all of my tins away because this will be a regular for me when I want to enjoy a good aromatic.

Great vanilla taste. Great Tobacco taste. Pleasant note. Burned well. Made me consider smoking more aromatics.

This is the best aromatic I have had yet! Just got my tins and this was the first I tried. In the tin the vanilla was in your face. Even tho it was strong it did not turn me away. The vanilla was true vanilla not some lab made vanilla. Right out of the tin the tobacco was sticky with long strands. The false light was full of vanilla for me and sweet. The true light was more of the same, after a bit you start getting some lite tobacco flavor and what I thought was apricot? then back to sweet vanilla. No bite, no bad flavors or anything harsh about this smoke. Take it slow and enjoy and it will burn cool and sweet. No goop and no mess.

This stuff has got to be made by Pöschl Tobak . It has those flavors of a toned down Radfords Sundays fantasy and the like . I would imagine alot of new smokers have tried this blend being it's new itself and everyone wants to try something that hasnt been out for a hundred years or whatever . this one wont be around for a hundred years but thats ok . Are far as it's smoking qualities .. it smokes fine . Easy to light and keep going . No complaints . The flavor is overly sweet for me ... I'd like it if it were toned down about 50% . I get maple [ kind of ] and Vanilla but no fruits . I can see enjoying this every now and then but not daily , for sure . It's big plus is it smoke easy and dry and isnt a wet aro . I'd give this a higher mark if I liked the flavoring , which I feel is over done ... but you may love the flavoring ... and if ya did it would probably deserve 3-4 stars .

I have shied away from aromatics in most cases, having found only a few that really deliver a good smoke. Usually the tobacco can't stand up to the topping, and as I definitely tend to prefer VAPers and VA flakes, most of them are too light on flavor, body, and strength to suit me. In fact, I have definitely begun to gravitate toward very strong, rich, natural tobaccos, but this is one that I would say could actually stand to have more topping. I say that because I find the vanilla/marshmallow/fruit aromas and flavors of this blend delectable, and they are more muted than I would like.

That said, this is a killer aromatic smoke. The tobacco is of very nice quality, and it is smooth, gentle, and well-behaved. It smells amazing and tastes wonderful. I find that the sweetness really begins to develop after a few minutes, but at no point is it overwhelming, nor does it ever overpower the natural tobacco flavor. There is never a question (as I have had with so many sweet aromatics in my dark past) of whether there is actually any tobacco in the bowl.

Of course, this stuff is also a great value. It is far, far less expensive than other blends of this quality, and I think it might just be impossible to beat for the price. If you are an aromatic smoker, this is a fantastic blend. If you (think you) are not, give it a shot anyway. It's good stuff.

Villiger 1888 Mid-Day is a pleasant and well-behaved aromatic tobacco.

Upon opening the tin, 1888 Mid-Day presents itself as a visually appealing mixture of both light and dark ribbon-cut tobacco. Burley, Virginia, and a tobacco processed by the Cavendish method are present. A prominent and pleasant scent of caramel dominates the mixture in the tin, with a background of melon and a piquant aroma of fermentation. It would be hard to find a tobacco with a more appetizing scent.

Moisture content of this tobacco is ideal, with the leaves holding together for a short time after being pinched and exhibiting no breakage or powdering. Lighting is even and effortless, and burning characteristics are excellent and consistent.

Smoking taste is mildly sweet and nutty with occasional and fleeting hints of a peppery spice. As with nearly all aromatic tobaccos, the scent in the tin does not resemble the actual taste delivered when smoking, but 1888 Mid-Day is a pleasant and accommodating tobacco.

If this tobacco were personified, it might become a middle-aged man with a career in diplomacy. It presents an agreeable face to the person who smokes it as well as the people who surround him. The room note of this tobacco is wonderful, and it should not be surprising if people come up to you while you are smoking and ask you what it is.

The only negative point of this tobacco is that it becomes sharp and oppressive on the palate at the very end of a smoke, so it is best to discard the last bit of dottle from your pipe when the characteristics of the smoke begin to change. The ash produced from this tobacco is fine and gray, with a slight stickiness to it, but it doesn't seem to foul a pipe even if you smoke with an impatient draw or under windy conditions.

This tobacco also travels well, and seems like a good blend to smoke when you are out in public. It is pleasant for both the smoker and the bystander, except for those people who are simply opposed to observing any tobacco-related enjoyment in their fellow travelers.

Villiger 1888 Mid-Day is a tobacco I recommend, and it is also the tobacco my wife enjoys smoking the most in her pipes.

Pipes used for testing: T.C. Fuller Handmade Pickaxe Grade 2 2008, Savinelli Dry System 3613, Peterson System Star (313), Savinelli Silver 611 KS, Savinelli Dry System 2101

Villiger, Mid Day… Most of my reviews of aromatic blends, I have to force myself to stay objective when describing their character, as I much prefer a straight blend. But this one is different, it's an aromatic, and I like it. This is my second Villiger blend i've tryed of the three available. I found their Late Night, excellent, now this one, also excellent. I just may try their third entry, Early Day.

Well mannered with no bite, good burn characteristic and no goop, a nice trio for an aromatic. As for the flavor, there is plenty of it; you'll not be disappointed in that department, some sweetness but no particular flavor seems to dominate for very long, they just swing by. IMHO a very well crafted blend, for those that enjoy a ARO from time to time. My personal rating 2.5/5