Ogden Ogden's Mixture

When I tried Ogden's Mixture first, I didn't care for it much; I thought it spoiled the positive qualities of each of the component tobaccos. But, having bought four ounces (two each of Gold Block and St Bruno), I thought I might as well finish it. I left it in the jar for a few days, and then tried again. Gosh! What a difference! I still can't quite believe it. I now think - and I'm not given to exaggerating - that this is one of the finest smokes I've ever had. To me, it is absolutely outstanding in terms of flavour and duration, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Give it a try! An added bonus is that you can buy Gold Block and St Bruno in most B&Ms, so there need never be an availability problem (until they ban tobacco in the UK, at which point I shall shoot myself anyway).

I used St Bruno Ready Rubbed in the mixture; with slightly more trouble you could use St Bruno Flake, but I don't imagine it would make much, or any, difference. Two important tips: (1) don't smoke Ogden's Mixture immediately after mixing it; it's pretty poor then. Leave it in a jar for a few days to let the flavours get to know each other. If you're anything like me, you really will be amazed at the difference this makes. (2) smoke it very slowly; don't puff, or it'll burn you.

Alleluia: this really is an Arcadia mixture! You'll have to go a long way to find a better smoke than this.

As noted by other reviewers, this is a 50/50 mix of St Bruno and Gold Block - both former Ogden’s of Liverpool blends, hence the name.

Gold Block is only available in 40g pouches whereas Bruno is available in 25g and 50g pouches so I keep 1/5th of the Bruno to be enjoyed on its own. To be honest, I don’t think that the blend would suffer from adding the extra Bruno to it; it’s all personal choice at the end of the day.

I have made up this mixture using both the flake version and the ready rubbed version of St Bruno and find that both work equally as well; the rubbed out flakes can be kept as more of a broken flake which can slow the burn of the Gold Block down quite considerably. The counter poise to this - the slow burning SB burns noticeably quicker which might put off some smokers who do not wish to alter their SB cadence.

This is very much like a cheese and onion sandwich; you can taste the cheese and you can taste the onion but put them together and they make a third flavour all of there own. I find Gold Block, on it’s own, to burn down a bowl like the clappers and it can burn the tongue quicker than a dragon trying to blow out candles on a birthday cake. When the Bruno is added, it slows the whole race down and it only bites the tongue if you reach a part of the bowl that hasn’t been mixed well together.

Preparation - onto newspaper, pour out the pouch of Gold Block, next to it pour out the St Bruno and then blend them together with your fingertips; be sure to lift and tease the tobaccos together and take some time at this stage. As the name implies, Gold Block is made from golden Virginias and the Bruno is Burley and Kentucky - mixed together it does seem like the blend is 75-80% Gold Block but don’t be disheartened, this is good stuff but it does do better with a little time for the two blends to get to know each other.

As I have noted elsewhere and to anyone who will listen, St Bruno comes with a very powerful vinegar note (as do Erinmore, Condor, Original flake I find these days) and both the Bruno RR and Flake versions do well having a few months in a jar “breathing” to use a sommelier’s phrase - the time loosens off the vinegary shackles and allows all the beautiful stewed prunes and raisins smells to come through. It is the same for this mixture - give it some time; I think I am going to make up two or three jars of this blend in the full expectation that by the half way point of the third jar I will have found a most exquisite concoction. I am even tempted to have a look on eBay and see if I can get an old tobacco jar because of the quantities involved; it is very nearly 4oz’s when made up but with the whole Brexit uncertainty looming next month, it might be advisable to get some of this made up and cellared, in case there are any problems with procurement or indeed, price rises.

Room note - the GB does add a heavy, cigarette smell to the room note, which is not as pleasurable as the SB on its own and may garner some looks of disapproval from cohabitors. The actual smell as it is burning is quite pleasant I am told but this is more of a “bottom of the garden” blend because it hangs around.

This is a gorgeous blend though - nicotine is perfect, the spicy bite of the GB is tamed beautifully by the SB but not enslaved by it, the rich burley/Kentucky is a fine supporting cast but, just when you think like that, you notice that the GB is now the support cast for the SB; it’s good stuff, to the point where I wonder if Ogden’s ever made this and sold it as it’s own blend of tobacco? I have trawled the internet looking to see if this is true but, alas, I can find nothing.

All told, this is well worth a shot and makes a not so great tobacco (imho - GB) and a great tobacco (SB) into something even greater - a cheese and onion sandwich.

I tried St. Bruno over 30 years ago and was not impressed, as I found it to be too strong for my tastes. It was probably the flake I purchased at the time. I read the reviews about Ogden's Mixture on this site and was intrigued. I had also tried Gold Block over 30 years ago and was equally not impressed, but because I found it to be too mild and tasteless. Could these two unimpressive mixtures be greater than the sum of their parts. I wanted to find out. I took 50 grams of St. Bruno ribbon and 50 grams of Gold Block, and blended them together. Let the mixture sit for twelve weeks . The result is definitely a mixture that is far superior to the sum of their parts. A cool, light aromatic, of medium strength,that tastes delicious and is not heavy on the tongue. Try it. Update: Mix Ogden's Mixture half and half with Hearth and Home's L.J. Heart Virginia for a fabulous light aromatic.

On the basis of recommendations received elsewhere, I decided to mix myself 100 grams of this, using Gold Block & St. Bruno RR (although I have been informed that the flake can also be used if rubbed out well enough, but it seemed to make more sense to use the RR from the get-go & save myself the rubbing-out process. Once completed, I left this sitting in a sealed jar for 6 weeks-2 months as it needs time to meld, as is fairly unpleasant when first mixed, I am told. I had ordered a new pipe made specially for a pipe club of which I am a member, and I chose to break it in with this mixture. I have smoked St. Bruno flake before, and I liked it. I have never smoked Gold Block at all, or the St. Bruno RR on its own.

The appearance of this mixture is quite strange, upon first being mixed, it seemed to look fairly evenly divided, but when I took the jar out, it seemed to look like about 90% Gold Block, with just little flecks of St Bruno! Some of the 'ready rubbed' was still little bits of broken flake, but had been rubbed through before adding, and in the mix, there seem to be very few bits of broken flake, the dark rubbed-out baccy seems to have been largely consumed by Gold Block!

The note from the jar is exactly the opposite! It's boozy, fruity St Bruno all the way. Rich, deep berry tones & the pure baccy scent lingering on the nose. It smells divine.

It packs easily and takes the light well. It burns easily throughout, and all the way to the bottom. Be aware that it can smoke a little on the hot side & needs to be handled with some care to avoid tongue-bite. Smoked sensibly, though, it maintains itself fairly well.

The taste is predominantly St. Bruno, but it is somewhat muted and has a little spiciness to it. It's fruity and winey, but a bit lighter than the St Bruno flake, and has a bit more of a 'bouncy' taste, it doesn't last as long and is more pleasant, I would say that the St B. flake in the summer, when a lighter smoke is desired. The tobacco is a nice light tobacco taste which develops more (or the topping fades) the further down the bowl one goes. I am not overlooking the possibility that my bowl may have had a higher percentage of Gold Block towards the bottom of the bowl, but even if I had, I think they have absorbed some of the topping as well. I think the topping just burns off when the end of the bowl is reached.

The room note is fairly nice, it has a St Bruno quality, but again, is somewhat lighter.

The nicotine is much the same, lighter than the St Bruno flake on its own, and I haven't smoked Gold Block on its own, but I can only assume it has less nicotine than St Bruno.

In conclusion, a perfectly pleasant smoke, much like a toned-down St Bruno with some differences in the flavour profile, which must have been caused by the Gold Block. It's not bad, but neither is it particularly outstanding. It can burn hot, so does need to be handled with care, if you like your tongue the way it is. I'll give it a 3 stars, as I'll probably make some more, and plan to finish what I have got, using it all on my new pipe, which by the end of the 100 grams should have a fairly good cake on it.

This mix is one of the best thing in life, very difficult that you will fine a better smoke, does not matter if you like English Latakia oriental blends or Virginia, this mix is the best of both worlds.