Dunhill Three Year Matured Virginia

Don't think of this as virginia. Don't think of this as an oriental blend. Instead you should think of it as an incredibly strong aromatic.

It is wonderful! I like tobaccos with a strong nicotine kick, but alas, so many of them lack the civility needed to be smoked in public. Those that have impeccable public manners are as limp as overcooked pasta. This is the tobacco to choose if you want something that people around you will like and still satisfy you. When smoking this in a public place without fail someone will come up to me and tell me how wonderful it smells- it does have a magnificent aroma for the non-smoker. And for you, the smoker, you won't have to contend with that question that I get after smoking so many other aromatics: "Did I just smoke something?" No, you'll know that you did, your wobbly knees will speak volumes.

What this blend does have in common with virginias is that to really enjoy it you need to smoke it slowly. While it doesn't bite too badly because of the orientals in it, if you puff too hard you'll lose the remarkable flavor of this blend. Slow smoking will release a constant stream of berry flavor (raspberry/blackcurrant/whatever) into your mouth and into the room around you. It comes very close to tasting like it smells.

I realize that the dedicated Virginia smoker would probably find this far too heavily flavored for his tastes. I realize that the English smoker would find it far too sweet. But for those of us who have a palate that ranges far and wide, this is one tobacco that shouldn't be skipped.

Upon opening this tin for the first time I was reminded of the Monty Python skit where the police man goes to the confectioners and complains about the larks vomit . Three Year Matured Virginia would lead on to believe the tobacco to have certain traits . None of which would be the heavy dowsing of fruit aroma . This should definately have a very large label on the front reading "WARNING ! FRUIT FLAVORED!"

I am new to the world of virginia tobacco. My experience is largely founded by trial and error, and limited to a graduate student?s budget. Being that my focus as a student is on literature, the future does not look better, according to job statistics posted on the math department?s entrance. So exited I was about my recent discovery of Dunhill?s Light Flake, that I ordered three tins of their Mature Virginia. After an initial four days since I clicked on the order, I waited like a sniper for the mailman, and entrenched myself in the bedroom with my required reading of Swann?s Way. The smell upon opening the tin was thick of raspberry! Something like an edible Hallmark Card. It is a dark brown ribbon cut with a few individual blondes hairs if you look hard enough. The tin smell was consistent with the aroma upon the lighting. The flavor was obviously fruity, with the intensity of the flavor varying from mild to medium, and the sweetness of it all was definitely too much for my olfactories. I found the tobacco?s body, in other words its effect on my palate, to be a bit overpowering at times. Perhaps my palate hasn?t callused enough for this blend. The smoothness of this tobacco (the relationship between the body and flavor), is subject to individual taste I suspect, and the fact that Dunhill mass produces this blend must mean that many pipe smokers appreciate it. Nevertheless, the body of this blend was not consistent to me. It possessed the overpowering sweetness of a virginia blend that may have been allowed to ferment too long in its own juices. I suppose I should have researched better before I purchased three tins. My girlfriend walked in on me and claimed the aroma was identical to a shower lotion she uses. On a positive note, the tobacco did smoke better in a MacArthur corncob, though there is something sacrilegious about the act.

My favorite of all time (as my user ID suggests I suppose) reviewing from memory and probably idolizing it like a high school girlfriend from 50 years ago but be it as it may. I am trembling to get my hands on the new Charatan version but may never get that in the US who knows. This is a tobacco as great as it is a little weird, not a typical aromatic and very well crafted, very high quality red Virginia, so smooth, elegant and simply delicious. Add to that a seizable amount of berry topping more than I would normally like but this one was also elegant, maybe a natural distillate of sorts, not chemical or fake tasting and does not pop in the smoke as much as it does in the tin. I smoked decades old tins that Chuck had sold me, I got all of the tins he found in then back and ended up with a good amount of the old Murray's. Those must have have been great but the later iteration made by Orlick I suppose for Dunhill were fine as well. This had to be carefully smoked but did not get too hot, never had a bite from it, it got more intense to the end of the bowl and maybe that is the only weakness of this well topped blend, the topping just concentrates of course. In any event, I tip my hat to this old girlfriend and lusting for the Charatan version.

My tin date is Oct. 4, 2015. I waited three years to pop the tin, so by then really already a six year matured Virginia. But it sure didn’t taste like it. I mean I age Virginias and blending tobaccos all the time, but maybe these weren’t particularly high grade tobaccos to begin with. Which is maybe why it needed three years to be palatable. Anyway, I never had the original, but this re-release didn’t impress. Jarred and waited another five years – now almost eight years in total. Here’s what I get:

Tin note when first opened was like old weathered hay and some rustic dark oat bread. After sitting in the jar undisturbed for five years the aroma has changed to a distinctive rye and pumpernickel bread. I may have perceived some slight dried apricot when I first tried it, but now I find no trace of the fruity top note that others mention. What I get is rather dry and woody and the red Virginias just don’t seem of a quality sort.

Still warrants two stars, because I reserve one star for blends that are faulty or obviously imbalanced. This is just a thankless chore getting through a bowl when I know I have so many better choices waiting for me in the cupboard. Like regular old Dunhill Flake, even without any aging. But, as they say, you mileage may vary.

Tin note of hay/vegetation, mild citrus and spices. Tobacco is tan, light brown, brown ribbon cut with a little dark brown mixed in. Moisture content is great. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of Plum and Citrus. Flavoring is upfront in the 1st 1/4, then moves to the background. Plum fades to nothing at the 1/2-way point, leaving the lemony citrus alone in the background. Taste is mild to medium and mostly consistent, with notes of plum, spice, bread, acidic, rich wood, very earthy, cigarette, leather, floral, dry, herbal, orange peel/zest, slight bitterness, citrus, fermented sour, a lemony grassy background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Oriental/Turkish and Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Tin is pretty close to smokeable as soon as opened. I am working off some tins from a few years ago at this point. If I go by the online Dunhill date codes, I have tins from 2014 and 2015.

Dark ribbon cut. Aromas of pure tobacco. The initial plum note is now very faded and almost not noticeable. I can pick up some of the Orientals I think from time to time. The Virginia's smell of old earth.

The iinitial flavours are of grass and tobacco. The Virginia’s are somewhat sweet but have become more earthy. The orientals are present but subdued. The sweetness of the Virginia’s grow as the bowl progresses. The top note of plum is noticeable from time to time but very mild.

Overall this is a good Virginia blend but there are better available. The age that has been added to this tin enhances the earthy qualities of the smoke. The sweetness comes through but it more refined now than in a fresh tin.

I find the body to be medium and the nicotine to be close to medium as well. This burns easily to a fine ash and leaves little moisture behind. I am disappointed that it is gone. I will open 1 tin a year until I am out of stock.

I am having a really difficult time understanding why the reviews for this are so mixed. When I first opened a new release tin, it did legitimately seem like a tin of matured Virginia. After those early smokes, I considered it a solid 3 and a quarter stars. I've got quite a lot of these tins due to Dunhill's seemingly inevitable abandonment of it's beloved tobacco line. I mean honestly, I don't even know what else they sell. Maybe some cologne or perfume? Watches? Not sure. Anyway, back to it. Up until searching this product here, I had no idea it was flavored. That's how subtle the application is to my senses. Personally, I've always noticed that my tastes for different tobaccos changes and evolves over time drastically. A lot of tobaccos come and go in my rotation, dispite my want for some to stay amazing to me, they just don't. 3 year however, while not the most awesome tobacco I've smoked ever, has continued to maintain a lofty spot for me and has actually been climbing the ladder lately. That is very rare indeed. The last time I opened slightly lighter appearing Virginia in it and smelled amazing to me. I didn't know it had orientals in it either. Interesting.... Maybe this last time was a little bit on the fresher side. I'm not convinced that aging tinned tobacco always makes it better. I'm experimenting now on that front in an effort to gather more data. I'm staring at a bowl of this great tobacco in my polished, maple pipe right now and I need to get to it, so to sum it up, this is a really good tobacco and you may love it like I do so don't let the haters put you off.

Couldn't get past the awful flavoring of this one but I wasn't too disappointed with this Dunhill blend. The tin aroma produced a fruity-like essence. I wasn't crazy about the flavor but the strength was fairly respectable. However, the aftertaste is where this one is lacking. I didn't like it & this roll was the aged Murray's version. The flavoring left an oily, intrusive taste on my palate that detracted from the overall smoking experience.

I thought after wasting $$ on a roll of the original Murray's awful tasting stuff, why would I suffer a chance on the newer Mac Baren's mixture? Not a palate pleaser for this piper. Not too awfully bad but certainly not good! However, I can understand why many find this blend to their liking & why many dislike it. I've never suffered another tin nor do I ever intend to. It wasn't a totally pleasing bell ringer type experience that I was anticipating. Not all Dunhill blends befit the name &/or quality... especially this one & a few others. I found a buyer who loved it and unloaded it on him.