Dunhill Aperitif

This is a solid medium English, more savory than sweet, and somewhat similar to H&H's Black House, which is an homage to an aged tin of Balkan Sobranie 759. It delivers a good dose of nicotine, and like most Dunhills, the ribbons are cut beautifully and the moisture out of the tin is just right.

Aptly named, I think this is a solid early evening or afternoon smoke -- perhaps an all-day blend for English lovers. I am somewhat perplexed by the offering, given other choices in the Dunhill line, but I suppose Dunhill wanted to craft a blend for each day part.

Regardless, it's good, not great, and a bit redundant.

This blend seems to fit nicely in between Early Morning Pipe and MM 965. As has been stated in reviews here below, I agree that it comes across as having that component / blend ratio that isn't quite there in 965 to set it apart from NightCap. This could be an anathema of sorts, as MM 965 is a Hall of Fame toby here. Aperitif does have a fantastic cut, very thinly cut ribbon that I find to lend itself to great burning characteristics. I have never seen a cut this thin but I now question why other blends of Dunhill don't follow this template. Dunhill can always be counted on for a great tin presentation. This blend is an improvement in my tastes to both EMP and MM 965, giving you more strength then the former, better flavor than the latter.

It kept my attention, and I would recommend it, good lat mixture but allows the Vas to shine nicely. I think the Cav is the key here.

Upon opening the tin I was greeted with the wonderful aromas of Latakia and Black Cavendish dominating the tobacco and also a sweet, Maple, perhaps even Treacle-like scent. The tin note conjured up images of bonfire night and dark ale, very autumnal indeed.

The tobacco in the tin was good to smoke from the get-go, it packs easily and lights easily, retaining the flame superbly. Quite a complex blend but not overly so; it doesn't confuse the mind or the senses. For me the Cavendish seemed to be the major player in this mixture with the Virginia being more of a supporting act and the Latakia jumping in here and there to announce it's presence and tease the senses.

From smoking it I can certainly appreciate that it's best enjoyed in the early evening, I'd even go as far as to say that it is best enjoyed on an Autumn evening.

Quite enjoyable, although not tremendously exciting. I found after about 30g of the tin I was getting a bit bored of it. I also found that it dries out quite quickly - and this in turn makes the mixture quite bitey - so I would suggest decanting the tobacco into a jar with a good seal after opening.

The comparison to My Mixture 965 is very aptly done. It's a smoke in the same vein, with its own merits. Whilst 965 is very creamy, almost buttery to me, Aperitif is a tad more spicy, yet less intense in aroma.

Typical, perfect Dunhill Ribbon-Cut and the tin note is slightly creamy, decently smoky and a bit ethereal. Condition - as usual with Dunhill - is on spot and can be smoked right away.

In the pipe Aperitif comes along with a smooth, mild creaminess, decent, yet gentle smokiness, mild sweetness and a whiff of etherealness. It's rather mild in strenght and flavorwise on the medium side. By times I get hints of sweet and tart nuts, that harmonizes very well with the earthy, woodsy and smoky-sweet tenor of this blend.

Didn't overwhelm me, but a solid smoke. Yet I find 965 to be better, so this is 3-stars for me. Not outstandingly good imho, but a tasty blend, that can be enjoyed all-day.

Very nice flavour. I'd recommend this one. Burns very nicely and packs super good in the bowl. Smokey undertones and a really relaxing experience. All around goodness.

The tobacco came in a baggie from a friend labeled "2013?" It was a medium ribbon of mixed tan, brown and black. The hydration was slightly on the dry end of what I would term the good smoking range. I smoked it as delivered.

I have been smoking this mostly in pots. I find it to have a nice flavor. It has the smoky latakia and a little spice from the Orientals. There is perhaps some hay from the Virginia, but I don't get any citrus. The Virginia is not much of a note in the signature for me. There is a slight sweet that I claim is a mild topping of some sort. Maybe this is the cavendish or the Virginia.

The smoking experience is pleasant, and it is easily repeatable. It burned cool for me and it was easy to keep lit.

I have one more tin of this waiting for the fullness of time, but I am unlikely to keep this in inventory just as a rule. The price point per ounce for tinned tobacco is a little high, and while this is good, it is not THAT good for me.

This is a solid 3. The tin description is a good one. It is a well-balanced medium mixture. I can easily imagine this being a favorite of someone out there.

I bought this tin when they first rereleased it and the Durbar and just recently finished the tin. I did decide I liked it enough to add a few more tins to the cellar, which is more than I can say for the Durbar which was mostly given away.

This is a good Scottish type blend that has a nice smoky sweetness taste to accompany a nice creamy smooth feel. I really enjoyed it, but my enthusiasm did tend to wane as the tin stretched on. This will provide a nice contemplative smoke with shifting flavors, maybe moreso than any other Dunhill Latakia blend I have tried to date. I find with blends like this a lot depends on my mood at the time of smoking. Without distractions it is amazing, but introduce something that upsets my peace and quiet it is less enjoyable.

I am leaving this one at three stars because it is good and at times, It was definitely knocking on four stars.

Reminds me of nightcap light without the Perique. The blend is good, it just wasn't what I was expecting with the addition of the Cavendish, and I tend to like more Latakia in my English blends. Overall quality of the tobacco was excellent, and the burn characteristics were perfect, leaving a fine white ash at the bottom of the pipe. I have to say that this is a quality smoke and should be enjoyed by any Dunhill fan that likes nightcap, but want to tone it down a bit.

After reading my review of Dunhill Aperitif, I decided that it was only fitting that I rewrite my original review, as it was not very descriptive, and therefore was not very helpful to those that have not tried this blend before. Let’s begin with the tin note of the tobacco. Upon opening the tin of Aperitif, one is greeted with several different aromas. There is a natural sweetness somewhat similar to that of honey that I get from the Virginias, there is a very delicate, slightly floral aroma that I detect that I believe to be the Orientals, and lastly there is the smoky, earthy scent of the rich Latakia. The Latakia in this blend is much milder than Dunhill’s Nightcap, but it is fuller in body or richer than that of Early Morning Pipe. As for the Cavendish, I am really unable to detect any aroma that I can or would associate as belonging to it. The quality of the tobacco is impressive, and one will not likely find any hard, twig like, or woody bits mixed in with the blend. As for cut, the tobacco is composed primarily of a thin, fine ribbon that makes for easy packing of the pipe, which takes and maintains a flame well. Moisture content of the tin that I am reviewing was spot on perfect when I received it, and thus, the tobacco required no drying time whatsoever before being smoked. After packing a bowl into one of my favorite Dunhill pipes, which was only fitting, I put flame to the tobacco. Again, due to the cut and moisture content of the tobacco, lighting took minimal effort. Once lit, the first flavor that I am able to detect comes from the smoky Latakia, however it is mild, smooth, and creamy. The Latakia is followed shortly by the slight sweetness of the Virginia, although I find it hard to describe or compare what this sweetness resembles in flavor. There is a slightly tangy or sour note that I am able to detect, although it does not remain in the flavor profile all of the time, and I suspect that this comes from the Oriental. Lastly, I am able to detect a slightly nutty flavor in the blend, although like the sour note, it is not always present in the flavor profile, and I can only assume that this may be coming from the unsweetened Cavendish which has been mixed in with the blend. As for the burn characteristics of the tobacco, I would have to say that this blend required little to no tending of the pipe, with only the need to tamp and relight somewhere around mid-bowl which may have been more my fault than the tobaccos. The tobacco burned down to a fine white ash that made for easy cleaning of the pipe, only requiring that I run a pipe cleaner through the stem to remove any moisture. I would have to describe the room note of the tobacco as pleasant to tolerable, as my wife made mention that the smoke was rather mild, but smelled like a hardwood fire in the fireplace. Overall, I was very satisfied with Aperitif, as it was a mild and creamy smoke, full of flavor, and very balanced. I would recommend this blend to any fan of English blends that enjoys a more mild mannered tobacco for the first pipe of the morning.

Being the third and final addition to Dunhill's Vintange Blends, the Apéritif is a Latakia based ribbon cut mixture of golden Virginias, floral Orientals and some Black Cavendish. Therefore the tin note is intensely spicy and peaty.

Even though the tobacco tends to be a little on the moist side, filling and lighting your pipe is easy.

Smoking Apéritif doesn't require much attention, exept tamping down the ashes frome time to time. It can be a perfect all day smoke, but it would be a shame not to fully appreciate it. While the Virginias and Orientals offer grassy and floral notes, there's always the spicy and smoky taste of the Latakia, topped off by the smooth and creamy sweet Cavendish. Nicotine content is quite high, so despite its name I wouldn't enjoy it on an empty stomach. It burns down coolly to some powdery, almost white ash.

The room note is also dominated by the Latakia and therefore spicy, but tolerable.