Newminster No. 23 Blackberry Brandy

This blend smells delicious. The pouch aroma matches the taste. The taste matches the room note. While there is very little tobacco flavor to this blend, the blackberry topping really shines and makes this an excellent alternative to dessert. I did not pick up on the brandy in either the pouch or in the bowl.

The tobacco is fairly dry and is not sticky to the touch. It burns fairly well with surprisingly few relights. There are hints of vanilla that seem to echo the blackberry, and there was a delicious caramel sweetness on the finish.

Manufactured by Mac Baren for Villiger, I believe, the Newminster brand No. 23 BlackBerry Brandy offers a sweet, spicy aromatic folly of deeply dark Mexican Burley and matured Red Virginia from the Americas thoughtfully spritzed with posh blackberry and mild tempered brandy top-coatings. It is my opinion that the Burley primarily host the featured berry flavoring and the Virginia contains the alcohol based upon what I eventually was reading within the separate mutterings. I do also feel that some honey casing has been applied to the Virginian as that particular registration came through as a subtle accenting note with the smoking.

A mixed bag of stouthearted tobaccos comprised of course cut, ribbon and seedy chunks/flecks of plug cut morsels makes for a striking introduction. The bulk No. 23 Blackberry Brandy is exceptionally husky and singular in composure. Principally, the pouched visage presents a portrait of choice lustful varietals, leaning a tad wayward on the rougher side of attractiveness.

Conversely, the immediate pouched fragrance of the essentially dry tobacco is rather gracious in demeanor, imagine that. With the projection of a foremost tartness, colorfully sour/woody native spice, delicately sweet of berried goodness and softer alcohol accent, the mix presents an alluring perfume. A congenial appeasement given the blend’s toothy appearance.

Although this mixture is comparatively simple and unassuming in constitution, it did present me with a minor challenge fingering some of the native taste profiling. As a consequence, I probably was into my third bowl before I came to recognize the pattern. First and importantly, the additives are effortlessly discernable as they do occupy considerable space within the bolus of the flavor experience. Overall No.23 endows a light-hearted toasty, smokey feel in pursuit.

With respect to those coatings, the lead feature is largely formed by the sweet, tarty blackberry tastefulness. Crisp, sumptuously thick, and jam-like in magnitude this sugary attribute remains consistently throughout the bowl session. If you are like me with a fondness of blackberries, the contentment is undeniable. The brandy note characterized as somewhat reserved as to intensity and charted bit elusive at times. Nevertheless, the boozy coating manifests its presence by inserting a comfortably spiced dry fruity, oaky alcohol refrain.

Regarding the native Burley and Virginia components, let me say on this particular blend they do show some distinguished prominence. My conclusion is that the blending presents a fairly even balance of the two. Yet if I were to be persuaded, in the end the Burley endows the greater thrust of taste truth be known.

Namely the lead chair occupancy moves around as each strain takes turn as the prima donna performer. Specifically, as the Virginia draws center stage the Burley shadows in complement and then their relative positions switch, multiple times. With the Virginia, a tangy citrus grass moves outward from base bringing a bit of piney affluence with it as it enfolds the brandy push and traces of honey. The Mexican Burley entertains with a dominant buttery zest and darkly seasoned cedar note. A passive highlight of nuttiness and toasty molasses softens the bold Burley remarking. The confluence of these two streams rounds out the flavor as they intertwine with the berry/brandy pronouncement.

Production of thick plumy clouds of dense grey smoke is integral to this blend. The room note provided is agreeably delightful as a ripe berry. Sugary fruity tartness is bolstered by the spice of citrus and seasoned wood. The lingering of this aroma makes for a pleasant shading of the immediate smoking area. No. 23 is gentle on the palate and makes for a mellowing dessert-like undertaking. Successive bowls might be a stretch to the enjoyment but as a one-off pampering, as one would imagine it capped off my noted craving nicely. Per chance, the blend would also suffice as a nice mixer with a pinch of Sutliff Vanilla Custard or bawdy Burley like Five Brothers for another interesting twist of flavor.

So having ingested this “super blend” did I feel mentally sharper, less sickly, slimmer, or hear the beckoning call of mother nature, well no not really but I was quite pacified after all. For the record this is the third Newminster blend sampling I’ve tried and must say I’m impressed by the quality of the blending and most definitely by the modest pricing of these mixtures. In hindsight it is along the lines of The Country Squire’s Blue Ribbon, yet another blackberry aromatic that begs notoriety. So, if fruity liquor excursions are your thing, then I suggest you give this one a try. No need for the massive Bavarian supper, Blackberry Brandy is a tasty course in itself as you will discover. 3.0 Pipes

A simple sweet aromatic at a budget price. Not a complex smoke at all as the main flavor is the blackberry with a slight tartness. The burleys do have a slight nuttiness and the Virginia's have a slight citrus flavor that shine through occasionally. Didn't bite me even when pushed. Could easily be an all day smoke for someone who enjoys a simple aromatic with not a lot of complexity.

This is not my favorite blackberry brandy aromatic on the market. It is just fine.

The Virginia leaf are bright, grassy, and slightly acrid. The burley tobacco is mellow and does not add much body or flavor to the smoke. The casing is tasty but not scrumptious, though I wish there was more of it.

Has a very unpleasant start. It bites and has a nasty wet feel. It has a very strong grape soda smell and taste. As you smoke it down the grape soda taste mixes with some very strong tobaccos, perhaps it's the burley. As far as aromatics go I don't personally like it. But if you want to try strong fruit-flavoured tobacco with what I thought was a strong nic-hit, this is it.

I bought this blend to see if it could match the goodness that is Firedance Flake. It didn't; the two aren't very similar. It shines on its own though. The blackberry is most prominent. It isn't overly sweet, thanks to the brandy. It does have a level of natural sweetness that one would expect a blackberry to have, however. The brandy flavour stays a little ways off in the background. It isn't always detectable, but when it is it adds a nice depth to the flavour. The blackberry and brandy work together in a very interesting way that can really make you think about the blend. At the same time, if you just want to turn your brain off and not think this blend is great for that too. You don't have to think very hard to appreciate the wonderful blackberry. 8.9/10

I have never tried anything from Newminster, nor Blackberry Brandy before, so I was not sure what to expect here. Well... the topping was so strong I grabbed an old pipe out of fear of some serious ghosting, the Mrs. however loved the smell of the pouch and it reminded her of some part of childhood, I was more skeptical and worried about a headache afterwards.

I was expecting something quite sticky in the bag to warrant the intense (almost medical) berry smell, yet the thinly shredded cut was not overly damp. It did pack down far denser than it's bouncy nature led on. Once lit, the flavor stayed true to the blackberry aroma, though of course less intense.

The blackberry taste reminded me of a drink I enjoy that combines black currant syrup and Guiness; it is tangy sweet with the bitterness of a stout. I prefered this fruit topping to any cherry nonsense so commonly found in tobaccos. The taste stayed on in the saliva for awhile, so I imagine my ghosting fears may be well founded.

The room note did not carry the flavor, to whom it may concern.

The blend never came across as cheap, yet the candy-ish nature of it, made it something to only smoke once-in-awhile, which is what held it back from a full 3 stars for me.

So when I switched from primarily cigars to the pipe this was included in an aro sampler I ordered from P&C. The first couple of smokes really weren't to my liking, there was a bit of bite and aftertaste that I found off putting. I know now that I was burning it too hot and puffing way to fast. I pulled it out this morning to try again and the experience was much different. There's definitely an earthy note to this tobacco and the topping gives it almost a tanginess that mimics a fruit brandy. The cavendish and burley definitely come to the front on the last third and there's a definite nicotine hit that is not present in a lot of Aro's. It definitely can be an all day smoke but not necessarily for the new pipe smoker.

Very interesting blend, the obvious quality of the tobacco comes through with the initial light. The Virginia takes the forefront on the tobacco side, while the sweet/sour blackberry and citrus also emerge. This is not a subdued aromatic but it is not overwhelming either. Taste of the topping goes well with the tobacco. About mid way through the bowl you can tell the burley is there from the mouth feel alone. The taste becomes spicy, nutty, and sweet. Found the moisture to be good, as well as the burn rate. This can be a younger torches if you puff to hard, slow and steady is advised. All in all a good aromatic. Can be an all day smoke for the aromatic lover. For me it is an occasional foray into the aromatic genre.