Vauen No. 22 English Blend

Vauen - No. 22 English Blend.

This is an idiosyncratic, individual, 'odd', English.

Before I talk flavour, let's discuss the unlit blend. Removing the tin's lid reveals a blend that's mostly black and well rubbed, with a few coarser, light, Virginia pieces. The moisture's good, the lid popped with a hiss, so it must have been perfect upon tinning and the airtight seal's maintained that. The smell from it differs from what I'd expect from a blend titled English; it smells sweet, and a little aromatic.

I've been smoking this today and it's a blend I find strange. Firstly, for this, the name English doesn't really apply. There's nowhere near enough Latakia! The hearty amount of black Cavendish stops this qualifying as an English; IMO. The Burley and Virginia aren't recognisable. It's mainly black Cav with a SPLASH of Lat'. Then we have the toppings. The whiskey gives some astringency and the vanilla gives a slight stickiness; not an English flavour! On the positive it burns nicely; cool, even, and well.

Nicotine: for an 'English', weak. Room-note: not nice.

No. 22? Simple: not nice, I've smoked it today to review it, and now it's going in the bin. Not recommended:

One star.

The vanilla flavouring in this blend is way too much for my tastebuds. Was given a tin of this - luckily, I didn't pay for it. It has nothing to do with an English mixture. It is just a typical, German over-flavoured insult to your pipe. Should you want to try this blend - perhaps out of curiosity - please use a pipe, which you had planned to throw out anyways. This blend will 'ghost' your pipe - rendering it unusable for anything but vanilla tobaccos.

This is a unusual one! English mixture consisting of Latakia and Cavendish plus some other tobaccoes with a Vanilla topping... Very easy to smoke and keep lit. The taste is coming smooth and easy at first then the latakia is clearly making it´mark with a sour cream feeling. Very balanced and never over the top. There´s also a little more nicotine content then in most aromatic mixtures but much less then in most english ones. The vanilla topping seems to be mostly in the room note and you can still smoke your pipe at your favousite bar without offending people.... Highly recomended for smokers that are slowly heading from aros to english mixtures or people that enjoy unusual blends that offer taste but are not too strong either. Also perfectly accepted by bystanders in your local pub...

This is a good, balanced and complex English Mixture. The Orientals are slighly dominant. The latakia flavour and taste may be scented, but not so strong. Recommended, specially for People that enjoy mild english mixtures, but not want to get tobbacos with strong latakia amoount and taste.

VAUEN: No. 22 English Blend: A tobacconist in Germany recommended this to me & I fancy it. The blenders @ Vauen have courage to offer us something unique in an English Aromatic... the spicy Latakia & Black Cavendish present in a very well behaved & balanced creamy smoking experience. The Burley is a foundational part & the Virginia comes in with subtle hay & citrus. There is a liquor & vanilla topping apparently... it is enjoyable but allows the tobacco to shine. It is tinned @ perfect humidity & has no “bite”. It all comes in a ribbon cut. This is an easy & enjoyable light English aromatic - something that was new for me. It needs few re-lights; smokes to a proper white ash. It is a sumptuous smoke; evocking very positive comments from those abouts. I expect it will moderately ghost a briar. I recommend it to you if you want to explore the English family “lite” & enjoy a smooth smoke.

With a pipe manufacturer claiming that many traditions one could easily expect them to have a good hand on tasteful tobaccos. Taking a look at their spectrum of blends shows that they mostly serve the fans of aromatics so I was glad that (besides the no.14 VA flake) there’s another natural tobacco on the menu. By its name...

Opening the tin offers a strong smell of vanilla and black tea so I had to read the tin description again where no topping is mentioned, instead: a mix of BC, strong Latakia pinch of Burley and Virginia. Can see very dark leaf with golden sprinkles and everything very moist and almost sticky.

Had to dry it out for quite a time and then got too inpatient and packed it in a medium sized bowl. Packed well and took flames after second or third lighting.

First third of the bowl is dominated by cavendish with a not at all decent vanilla topping. BC is definitely the main player of this Blend I can only taste another ingredient after half of the bowl I think cause that’s the moment when the aroma of artificial vanilla flavor gets less (tasting a bit more like black tea) and a bit of spicyness shows up from time to time. Still not a hint of Latakia detectable. Sweet, yes. Burley? Orients? It’s all buried under that heavy aroma. Last third of the smoke is bearable and I can finally taste something that reminds me of tobacco. Still no Latakia.

By definition this is NOT an English blend. The misleading name is not the only fauxpas about this tobacco. Whoever’s behind that one at Vauens manufacturing is apparently not knowing much about the definition of this type of blending. Maybe two stars without the name.

Vauen tobaccos flew under my radar far too long. When I discovered their top shelf tobaccos I began with Vauen English Blend No.22 and it's been a favorite ever since. It's a Latakia forward Burley/VA blend that has some Black Cavendish added for sweetness and a flavoring component of Vanilla and Bourbon. The main difference with this English-Aromatic crossover is how well this seemingly impossible task (or some would say "questionable act") is executed. This blend is well balanced in every way. It not only still tastes like an English blend but has a rather unique flavor that combines with and compliments the Latakia well rather than ruining it's smooth smokeiness. I'd really like to know what Bourbon they use. Hell, maybe they're fire-curing the Latakia with whiskey barrels! If you're going to make a crossover that pleases English fans, you can't mess with the English taste. Crossovers are sometimes a hard sell, I know, but if you're open to the possibility that good can come from such ideas, this is a fine, fine example. It has lasting taste throughout a bowl, smokes smooth and creamy, lacks any tongue bite or sharpness. The tin I received was a tad moist, so I kept it in the tin a while and gave each bowl a half-hour drying time the first few days. By then the tin was perfect and ready to cellar. Though, it doesn't last long enough in my case to bother. I wanted to review this blend both because I enjoy it but also to alert readers of it's sweeter nature. With a name like "English Blend" some might not be expecting a crossover like this. Naming aside, this is a tasty treat that deserves to be tried and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.