Newminster No. 23 Blackberry Brandy

I one of those guys that loves cheap blackberry brandy and Manischewitz blackberry wine. Especially in the fall. I also enjoy a solid aromatic as much as I like my Balkans. if it's quality, ill consume it!

I bought a 2oz pouch of this without reading any reviews prior. I knew this could go either way. Harsh, goopy and sickly sweet, cloying, or flavorful fruitiness with a touch of alcohol.

It arrived with about a dozen other blends, and this was one of the first I choose to start reviewing. I headed up to northern Michigan on a few hour road trip and packed my first bowl.

The pouch aroma smells more like grape bubble gum than blackberry to me. Its not sticky, nor does it smell overly artificial. It is a bit moist, which did require a few initial lights on the first few bowls.

The aroma doesn't transfer much to the smoke. It does have a slight sweetness, a touch of fruit, but unless you knew this was Blackberry Brandy, you would never be able to decipher what is was by the smoke alone. If has a slight sharp note, but it's not off putting. Nothing creamy about this blend. Burn rate and evenness is surprisingly great even with the fresh moisture content. It can have a minor harsh spot, and it does change significantly as it burns down, coming somewhat flat. It leaves an ashy aftertaste, but no tongue bite. I'll have no problem finishing the last few bowls of this 2oz. 2.5 stars for now.

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 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.