pipesandcigars.com Angler's Dream

The toasted burleys offer some, uh, toast, some toasted nuttiness (almost like Planters roasted), earth and wood along with a few minor molasses notes, and a bare hint of sour. They are the lead components. The red Virginia has a mild tangy dark fruit sweetness, and a touch of earth and wood in the background. The unsweetened black cavendish provides a little brown sugar that underscores the blend. I also taste light honey, and the cinnamon adds a slight, tasty spice. The strength is a step short of the center of mild to medium, while the taste is in that center. The nic-hit is mild. Though some prefer it dry, I do recommend you hydrate it first because it's packed very dry, and the flavors are more obvious when moistened a little. It will also slow the burn rate a mite, though you won't experience any harshness nor will it bite. Mildly complex, it burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a very consistent, mildly sweet and slightly rugged taste. Requires few relights if not hydrated, and leaves barely any dampness in the bowl. Has a great room note, and a short lived pleasant after taste. An easy going all day smoke.

-JimInks

This is a pleasant smoke, and it is somewhat basic. I get a slightly sour burley in the taste profile with a hint of honey and cinnamon to take the edge of that sour. I would not call this an aromatic, although it has a mild topping. There is no trace of chemical or other "off" flavor. This is the OTC you wish you could buy at every grocery store.

This is a comfortable combination that works pretty well as you puff away while working on something else. It is not fussy about packing and seems very consistent through the bowl. Mine came a little dry, but that seems to work pretty well, and I have smoked it as delivered.

In true "codger" mode, I have smoked three bowls of this so far today (in the same pipe) while doing work in the office. I could easily do the same thing while fishing, and I think it lives up to its name.

This is an excellent tobacco. Consider what the blender has done here: he has created a 'real' tobacco blend to compete head-to-head with today's chemical laden OTC brands. Consider those harking for the nostalgia of their grandfathers blends, purchasing their pouch of PA or whatever, only to find it a PG soaked chemical mess. Or worse, a new smoker experimenting and quickly giving up after tongue bite, nasty aftertaste, and chemical residue. For the genre, and for the price, this is a masterpiece: a highly underrated and under- appreciated blend.

The tin note is sweet, with a light peaches and cream / sweet cocoa aroma. The cinnamon casing is very mild and not what I expected. It's more like cinnamon sugar, with none of the sharpness of pure cinnamon. The blend is extremely smooth, but not 'mild' - there is excellent burley flavor here. Absolutely no tongue bite. I intentionally puffed away at this tobacco to find the 'bite point' and it simply wasnt there. The tobacco is on the dry side for an aromatic, but then this isn't really an aro, per se. The moisture level was just right for a burley OTC alternative and should be a welcome change of pace for OTC smokers.

The charring light is very sweet, in the pure brown sugar (or cinnamon sugar) rather than goopy sense. This burns off quickly and mellows as it blends into the natural nuttiness of the burley to create a wonderful balance. Towards the end of the bowl, most of the cinnamon sugar is gone and the flavor is nearly pure burley with a hint of (naturally) sweeter cavendish. And unlike the OTC's, no chemical taste at the end of the bowl!

The nicotine is here- again, not too much and not too little. Like the flavoring, just enough to satisfy. There are not layers of complexity here, but then that's not what one comes looking for in tub of Angler's Dream. Straightforward burley with light casing, done just right.

This is a perfect blend for the heavy smoker, an excellent all-day smoke. A nice change of pace for burley fans. A better tobacco experience for aromatic smokers. And a far superior option for modern day OTC smokers. Add in the value, and you've got a truly extraordinary blend.

Edit 2017: Why do so many of my favorite tobaccos get discontinued?

Edit 2020: Glad to see this was brought back!

This blend has a simple taste, is easy burning, and comes at a price point that makes it worth every cent. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of taste, having heard that this had a faint cinnamon flavor I was a little apprehensive. My experience from the tub that I ordered was pleasant, sweet toasted burley with a slight hint of cinnamon that occasionally shows itself (most notable when exhaling through the nose). This is what I was hoping for when I ordered the blend, something simple that is respectable in its own right. Well done Russ, you've hit the mark on this blend.

I received a good size sample of this at the West Coast Pipe Show in November and it is a pleasing, lightly aromatic smoke. It is now sold in a "tub" and I am guessing that the intent is to offer a simple, all day smoke similar to OTC blends, but of course better. AD does exactly what it claims to do. It isn't complex, nor do I think that was intended. I don't get a lot of the cinnamon coming through. It's a very fairly priced all day smoke, that isn't bitter. For those reasons, I would highly recommend it.

Well, I just couldn't resist being one of the first on this new offering from H&H. There are a number of Russ's blends that I find very tasty, chief among them being Stogie...and while this one is also quite good it's also quite different from Stogie...actually it's quite different from anything else I've tried! Is it the touted Cinnamon essence? Well, that is a difference...but not one that screams at you...being pretty muted...and surprisingly very pleasant. Other tasting notes I jotted down include terms like spicy, creamy, cocoa and musty. I don't know if it's at all accurate, but those taste notes would lead me to guess there was some amount of Virginia, some Burley and maybe a little Perique in there. If so, they are doing their jobs. The blend is ribbon-like in cut, just the right moisture level for me, packs and fires up very well and smokes effortlessly and with no bite. The most interesting thing was the shift and play of the flavors I mentioned, which kept my attention. All in all it's yet another example of Russ's ability to produce the quality, unique and tasty blends for which he is justly renouned. Also, it didn't seem like an aromatic in nature, though I guess bybdefinition it is...maybe more like what I would call a natual or semi- aromatic...having a very subtle use of a flavoring and with much of its character coming from the tobaccos used in the blending. Good stuff.

BTW: thanks for the generous sample.

I am honored to be the first to review this new blend from Russ Ouelette of Pipes and Cigars. I received a free sample from Russ and I want to thank him very much for that. My sample was a beautiful mix of small to medium flat flakes (resembling fish food flakes but smaller). The colors ranged from medium brown to very light tan with some black thrown in. Very appropriate for this time of year! The bag aroma was pretty mild but sweet, yielding whiffs of chocolate, cinnamon, and honey with deep inhalation. Moisture content was just right for me and my first smoke of this blend packed with ease in a bent sandblast Chacom. Lighting was a breeze and the smoking experience was joyful. Throughout the smoke there was the ever present taste of good, high-quality, nutty Burley. It had just the right amount of sweetness and was in no way cloying. I attribute this to the unflavored black cavendish. Every now and then I would get the taste of some cinnamon which was like getting to eat the cherry off of a very good tasting cake! It smoked dry to the heel and I mean dry. It may have a tendency to smoke hot if pushed, but it was never a problem for me and I enjoyed smoking it at a moderate pace. My tongue never even let me know that smoke was passing over its surface. Very well done! There was never any bitterness at all.

This is truly a remarkable aromatic, and I base my observations after several bowls of smoking pleasure. The Burley dominance is to my liking as I am a big fan of Burley. The additions of chocolate, honey, and cinnamon were well added by a sure hand in expert proportions and in no way detracted from true tobacco flavor as neither of the flavorings dominated. This is how all aromatics should behave. I mentioned to Russ that I was a fan of Half & Half and I think he nailed it right on in perhaps modeling Angler's Dream on what made that classic blend so appealing in its hey-day. Lesser quality Burley simply would not do this blend justice and it seems that Russ is using hi-quality leaf. An "aromatic lover's aromatic" for sure. Those enjoying a good Burley smoke will not be disappointed. Good job Russ!

P.S. Gets even better by the bowl's end - a delightful, subtle sweetness.

OTC looking but not OTC smelling in the tub (and those who have smoked a fair bit of older OTC's know what I'm talking about with regards to the aroma), this is an extremely user friendly tobacco that loads easily, stays lit, comes at almost perfect moisture levels and promises a no-frills smoke, which it delivers.

This one has a charm that won me over. A slight nutty chocolate flavor with a very mild hit of cinnamon that I only really noticed when snorking but seemed at other times to provide a very subtle spice that without knowing it was cinnamon, I would have guessed it to be. But I suspect it's this flavor that elevates it above today's OTC blends. Low in complexity (and who cares!) and not even overly flavorful, this strikes me as a blend that has been purposefully un-fritzed with. No overthinking or overproduction here, just a no-nonsense grass roots blend for guys who just love to smoke and taste tobacco. This is a blend that I intend to smoke while doing other things, like gardening and working around the house. It will provide a tasty smoke that won't take my attention away from the task at hand. This isn't a 4 star blend to my personal tastes but I love the idea and execution of it so much that I can't rate it any other way. I could see this putting PA, CH, SWR, etc out of business once the word gets out. And it's cheap! You simply can't afford to dismiss this one if you're an OTC fan. Well done, Russ!

To me this a mild aromatic that is a burley forward tobacco, but with several flavor layers. Tin note is nutty, a little sweet and touch of spice. My batch was good in moisture and not too dry as others have experienced. The taste is a nutty burley, a hint of brightness from the Virginias and the subtle topping of cinnamon was noticeable. The cavendish is also there and maybe that's what is bringing out the honey type sweetness. I am not a fan of cinnamon, however, I find it is not overpowering or off putting at all. It certainly adds to the layers of flavors from initial light to finish. The nicotine level is mild to me. The cut is an odd course cut. The batch I received had a lot of clumps that needed to be broken up/rubbed out. Packing is ok, I pack it similar to a broken flake with it being a thick, clumpy course cut. It lights easy, burns cool, but for me it requires more than the normal amount relights, which could be because of my packing technique. Never experienced tongue bite, even when smoking the pipe hot to the touch. I have found it smokes and tastes best in a cob. Prior to the re-release I only had one bowl to sample, but in talking with those who smoked this blend when previously available, it is exactly the same with the difference being, it is now only sold in bulk and not in tubs. Could be an all day smoke. I put this in the "cellar it" category. Hopefully it is a blend that will be continue to be available, but I cellared some "just in case".

This is a fantastic basic smoke. It does have a very nice natural tobacco flavor to it. I compare this tobacco taste to MacBaren's Burley London Blend. If you like a basic, flavorful, tobacco smoke, buy this. I rate it a 4 star for what it is. Good job, Russ. I must say that I opened it a year ago and it was so-so. But now it is fantastic. The tobacco has matured, but so has my taste.