Dunhill Aperitif

Wow!! What-A-Blend!!!! This baby right here is one piece of paradise, especially for english/scottish lovers. And thus, goes on my favorites list.

Tin note: Smoky latakia, spicy and leathery orientals, wood and a bit of hay.

Presents itself with lots of black and brown leaves, completed with some dark yellow and only a few golden ribbons. The perfect “Dunhill cut” with short to medium ribbons. Perfect moisture.

The taste is sublime, delivering a creamy, velvety, buttery, smoky and sweet latakia, leathery and just a bit spicy orientals of the best quality. It’s like a soft cloud on your tongue. Latakia is in the front, followed by the orientals.

Amazing smoke, complex, full of taste, a dance of flavors. Reminds me of Margate and Baby’s Bottom, and the orientals are similar to those in HU Tobacco’s Soraya with complex notes. Top quality leafs.

Burns absolutely excellent, you can light a single match and smoke the whole bowl without going out. It doesn’t get hot, it doesn’t burn/bite, it always delivers a cold smoke, doesn’t go off, no matter how hard you puff. The only problem would be that it burns a little too fast.

Delivers a very cool, cold, smooth, thick smoke, like a cloud.

The room note is full of latakia, so I don’t think a non smoker would appreciate it, but for me, this smells like Heaven.

About two years ago, I stocked up on Dunhill’s big three, EMP, 965, and Nightcap as they were closing production once again. I also ordered one tin of this. In hindsight I wish I had ordered more as I cannot find this one carried under the Peterson banner. The tin note on this one is sweet, slightly sour-ish and densely packed like most Dunhill blends seem to be. This is a Scottish blend as it has Cavendish. The ribbons are fairly moist but with my expertise lights up like a champ. I have been smoking this on and off most of the past week, first in my 1947 Dunhill, and later in my 4 dot Sasieni Kensington Dublin, (1949-1979) which makes this pipe at least 41 years old. Wow, two real antiques, just like the smoker. This is an excellent light medium smoke and is very well blended and produces a nice thick white cloud of smoke. As a stickler this is named “The Aperitif” not Aperitif. As if it matters. 🙂 I had to look up the definition of Aperitif and is as follows: an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite. Well this smokes great anytime, especially with my drink of choice, coffee. If you find some, buy it.

Similar to MM965 lights and packs well. Stays lit. Slightly spicy but mellow in now is Smoky sweet with a nutty/molasses undertones. Taste is very Latakia heavy with a very blended creamy/ mildly sweet woodyness. Wonderful blend. Definitely gets better with age. No bite and medium to strong on the “N”.

This is a medium Latakia-forward blend, well-tempered by the Cavendish and mild Orientals. Like many of the current Dunhills, it's mostly thin ribbons which catch easily and burn a bit on the fast side. Those who want blends with a really strong Latakia presence would be a bit disappointed. Smokers who like the approach of most 'Scottish'-type blends would likely consider it a solid but not outstanding example.

I cannot help but review Apéritif as compared to MM965. In the tin, Apéritif is rather messy for a Dunhill blend, the ribbons seem less even than usual, and overall a bit thinner. It takes a light quite well, and stays lit easily. It is less forgiving than some other Dunhill blends i've tried, even though it is a rather robust blend, i find that it is at its best when sipped slowly, while MM965 can be puffed quite vehemently. Apéritif can easily become harsh if pushed too hard, it will burn hotter and faster than other Dunhill offerings, on the other hand it seems to leave a bit less moisture in the bowl. On to the taste. On first light, there is an oriental bouquet which is delightful; savory, spicy. I like the opening better than MM965. It is overall dryer, sharper, i feel that the latakia is less present and the orientals more to the fore. It is more lively and edgy than MM965, has more high notes, but a thinner ''body''. The cavendish may be there, but i get no ''milky'' taste from it. As the bowl progresses, there is a yeasty / bready quality that develops, and by the end of the bowl though, the flavours are quite muted. I think MM965 is more consistent throughout, while Apéritif has moments where it really shines and others when it falls a bit short... I prefer Apéritif's flavour profile, but i feel that MM965 is better at what it is trying to do. Tied at 3 stars !

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.

Currently my favourite EM, together with Balkan Sasieni. I'm not a heavy smoker, so I tend to prefer tobaccos with a low amount of nicotine. This is probably the exception in my rotation. I love every aspect of it. The tin label, classy and reminiscent of an ancient time, the tin aroma, which says "Latakia!" from the first moment, the fact it's easy to pack and to keep lighted. I agree with the reviewer who said all the various tobaccos are recognisable during the smoke. Plus, it never bites your tongue. Highly recommended!

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 first light I must say it did remind me of a lighter 965 but many puffs later it has taken on a distinction all its own. I don't get a spiceness at all. I get a wonderfully light Latakia and slight sweetness.

It's really a nice burning, non biting, well balanced blend in my opinion. I can see smoking it after a hard days work when night cap may be a bit much. It does have a slight woodsy-ness to it but imho it is not overbearing. I'm glad I tried it. I will restock to have in my cellar.