Dan Tobacco London Blend No. 1000

A very nice German take on EMs! This is an excellent tobacco, very "traditional" in cut and feel but with something different from your average latakia blend. The difference lies in the Virginias, probably from African crops, which impart a weird but pleasant toasty sweetness. A healthy dose of latakia and orientals completes the picture. A good, tasty blend: it comes at right moisture level in the tin (weird, for a German blend), burns fine (thanks to the coarse but balanced cut) and is very satisfying. It may lack some body compared to some classic English mixtures, but other than that I would recommend it to anyone.

2008 Update: Well, the last couple of tins was a bit disappointing. It clearly looks like they are striving to do some money saving here, already from the tin: no longer a metal strap lid, but an aluminum foil to be peeled off (bad for long time aging). It still is a very nice tobacco, but it has lost something in terms of Latakia fragrance and nutty-earthy Virginia flavour. It has become a simpler, duller, more monochromatic smoke. Still very decent and, as English blends nowadays go, quite enjoyable and balanced (better, for example, than the abominations under the Dunhill label). But I feel cheated nonetheless, as it used to be so much better. My rating has been downgraded to "Somewhat recommended" from "Recommended" accordingly...

2021 Update: Recently revisited this blend, and it has returned back to form... with a vengeance. Actually, it's probably even better than it used to be. Still the lovely coarse cut, and it's again a full flavored Latakia blend (and a very dark one!) with a healthy backbone of sweet, chewy, toasty Virginias (plus a minor dose of very fragrant Orientals). A bit like Commonwealth, but with a little more complexity. Glad to see that DTM adjusted the recipe and that it's a great tobacco again. Raising returned to "recommended" with possible future upgrade to "Very recommended.

Full English as its moniker implies. Does not disappoint in the flavor department with latakia decidedly in the forefront. Smoky, spicy, chewy, and dense flavors abound. I usually don't migrate to latakia-heavy blends, but this one is special. Great Va. and Turkish leaf tone down the lat just enough to make the blend work.

I picked up a 14-buck sack of this pleasant English recently when I was wantonly adding this and that to a big order. Caught up in the spirit of SCHIP I was, despite the negligible increases it promises. The nice thing is that the buying fury SCHIP has inspired may provide a second life to nice but forgettable blends like this. (Hey. I'm Canadian. I know all about nice and forgettable.)

There is absolutely nothing special about this straightforward English blend. It smells like the first-riser's first morning of a camping trip. The grey fire pit, after some rooting around, yields a little orange ember to start up the new day's blaze, the bacon starts to sizzle, the day is all sweetness and smoke. Standard Latakia + Virginia English fare. It smokes cool (though these Virginias seem a little more heavily cased than most and can be a little tongue nippy), produces lots of smoke, and it burns like a charm.

I'm going to smoke the rest of these 8 ounces with pleasure and then, I suspect, I'll never give it a second thought. It has that strange quality about it for some reason. If it were the only English available, I'd be content. If I never smoke it again, I'll also be content.

Ah, but who knows. Maybe the right pipe or the right bevvy or the right mood will lift this blend above the big crowd of nothing-special but perfectly enjoyable English blends.

I just got this in bulk from the Briar Patch in California and it is good!An aromatic English,my guess is the slight topping is vanilla.It is very similar to Pipemaker's Choice from Wilke.It burns very cool and has a wonderful Turkish -Latakia flavor to it.Better as an all day smoke,it isn't quite full enough for after dinner.It is slightly aromatic ,but not at all sweet. An excellent change of pace.

If you want a Latakia blend that is smooth and tasty, reach for this. It isn't overwhelming and delivers a nice, satisfying smoke. It even has a fairly decent room note to it.

I like the balance of the sweet, nutty, and smoky.

Too bad the price is so bloody exorbitant, I might stock up on some.

Good quality, workhorse latakia blend. Decent amount of the dark leaf to the fore, other components to the rear.

Burns well, consistent flavour (with a tiny whiff of topping or soap), and does what is says on the tin. A worthy stablemate for Quiet Nights, Engine 99, Westminster, and others.

This blend was recommended to me by a tobacconist in Santa Monica. I was asking for his recommendation on a full-bodied English. After I described what I was looking for, he put some tins on the counter and this was one of them. I didn't open the 100g tin for over a year. It just sat on my shelf. Then one day as I was nearing the end of another English tin I popped it open and packed an old Savinelli Autograph. I was very impressed.

It has been said that this blend is nothing special. I disagree. I think this blend is very special as an English because it has complexity, strength, full-flavor, traditional English characteristics, as well as some of the most interesting notes I've had in an English. The blend is balanced nicely with the Africans and Turkish, producing almost sour, vinegar-like flavors that compliment the salty latakia. Through the nose I detected classic latakia and some kind of green olive, again, one of the more interesting blends.

If you're interested in English blends, I don't think you'll be disappointed unless you're looking for something with truly full body and taste.