Tobaccos HU Tobacco - Dockworker (United Passion)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2014-05-06		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The mildly spicy Malawi burley is top notch, and is chocolatey and slightly nutty with some earth and wood. It is the dominant tobacco. There's more spice from the buttery, woody, earthy, floral, vegetative, lightly sour Orientals that amps up the flavor with a touch of dry, woody, earthy, floral, herbal, sour Turkish lingering in the back ground. The Virginia plays a back up role with a hint of tart, acidic citrus, tangy dark fruit, earth, wood and grass. The description claims there's no topping, but I taste a mild and rich berry and fruit along with the chocolate. They mildly sublimate the tobaccos. The strength is medium, while the taste level is a step past that mark. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. The flake breaks apart rather easily, burns slow, cool, clean and even with not many relights, and as is the case with most HU blends, leaves almost no moisture in the bowl. The flavor is very consistent from start to finish without weakening. Has no harsh spots, and won't bite even if pushed. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. Not quite an all day smoke due to the level of sweetness, which is what pushed the taste level just past medium.

-JimInks

41 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Industro (2)	2013-05-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is simply a work of genius. I love all the different leaves, but Burley and Oriental the most. Still, I wouldn´t have thought someone could come up with the idea of mixing them in such high proportions, and that the result would be this great. The Malawi is chocolaty to a degree, that one could argue, whether there´s casing involved or not. But it just tastes that natural, that I´d like to believe the blender, Hans. There´s a lot of complexity during the smoke, which lasts qite a while, but all the time it´s absolutely delicious. Easily an all day smoke, but I can very well understand why some pipe brothers want to spare it for special occasions. Where my former go to Burley blend (London BB by Mac Baren) forced me to smoke cautiously, the Dockworker is pure tongue balm, even if pushed. Not that it´s negative, but the flakes need a bit drying prior to smoking, out of the tin doesn´t work. Room note´s not great, but who cares?

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2018-01-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Dockworker is some heavenly weed! First off: Hans said this flake has a fruity-CASING before they press the flakes - which I find easily detectable, yet it really just flatters the notes of the Orientals, giving the blend 'that certain something'..

Lovely flakes, easy to pack, light and keep lit, just a tad too moist for my gusto. Others may find the moisture perfect, as I like my tobacco on the dry side.

This is a Burley/Orient Flake to me, with the Virginias just rounding the edges! Or shall I say "Burliental"?! Ok, I'll leave the pun-making to others. Lots of Burley goodness, richly earthy, decently nutty, pleasantly tart and a little chocolaty, as well as a distinctive Oriental aroma of ethereal and floral notes, nutty and woodsy-dry aroma. The fruity casing flatters the character of the Orientals very well and isn't always noticeable - in fact some don't taste it at all, as it's hard to say if it's the casing or the combination of Orient+Virginia leafs. I find that wide(r) bowls give me the best smoke with this blend. Fine Burley leaf used here, mainly earthy and woodsy with mild notes its signature nut and chocolate - most natural!

Burley-Aficionados will love this just as Oriental-Fans may do, I think. Has some boldness to it, but not overly strong. Satisfying, decently complex and rounded smoke! 4-stars! Update: I went through my first tin like a bush-fire and instantly re-ordered 2 more tins... a very high ranking favorite of mine, Top-5 tobacco blends material here for my palate!

Update2: 1 1/2 years later I come back to this an love it just as much, if not more - it ages wonderfully! The casing dissapears noticeably to my palate and the nutty and chocolaty notes of the burley become more rich, which I love and the orientals still shine as on day one! This is perfection!

Pipe Used: Clays, Cobs, Briars, Mortas

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2014-01-03		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was gifted about an ounce or so after expressing an interest in this stuff. Wasn't really sure what to expect from it so it was a complete blank slate to me.

The tin aroma is one of tropical fruits, can't really pin it down, is it mango? Pineapple perhaps? Either way or both, it's a very nice smell. Rubbing out and packing are easy, the flakes don't give any resistance and the lighting is easy. The fruitiness carries over into the smoke, it's mild, possibly delicate might be a good adjective, but still nice. It fades towards the bottom of the bowl, giving way to something slightly caramel-like and maybe a little earthy. There's no tonguebite either, another plus.

This is a cracking flake, not wildly exciting but it has a gorgeous, mild and mellow flavour that pleases and soothes in the nicest of fashions. Ergo, four stars has it.

Pipe Used: Portland Miniweight Billiard

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gifted

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-01-30		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

I'm from the States and this is just to confirm what the other reviewers have said. I was gifted a tin of this rarity, and completely astonished by it. Its "umami" is unique and unforgettable--like RRR or Balkan Sobranie or Penzance, it is simply sui generis. My buddy Sensei RaiKo was able to procure an additional 3 tins of this for me, but I'll be saving each bowl for a special occasion. I've never enjoyed burley in a tobacco--until now. My usual preferences run to VaPers, Dark Star, and the English / Balkans I've mentioned. I can only hope someone here in the U.S. will take notice and make it possible for us to get this in the U.S. on a regular basis.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Käpt`n Cook (17)	2012-12-06		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The new flake of Hu Tobacco is really a special blend. I feel like Smoky and Weisenheimer and can not say much different.Personally I am fascinated of the wonderful spiciness of this blend. The strong Malawi Burley brings nice chocolaty tones and the Orient leafe brings the beautiful spiciness. This combination is really genial. 4 stars for this innovative flake

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MikeHaggarKJ (22)	2018-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Robust, dark and powerful pure tobacco flavour. Earthy, bold, and it just has SO much flavour, never gets boring. Great dark chocolate, cigar and spice notes, perfectly balanced for my palate. Burley is top notch, never gets bitter nor are there any hints off cardboard flavour. Not alot off sweetness from the virginia here, just a tad. The slight addition off Virginia keeps the flavour from being too dry and adds some body and feel to the smoke. Burns well. Will only become harsh and cigarette-esque if you REALLY provoke it, no risk at a normal or even above normal smoking pace. An absolute masterpiece. I'm starting to beleive Malawi Burley is the greatest tobacco in existence (this isn't the only blend that convinces me)

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-02-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a fine flake tobacco. The Burley shares the same rich chocolatey note as many Burley blends but with some added spice. The Orientals are spicy and woody. The exotic Virginias are subtle, grassy, earthy, and sweet. There are occasional fruit-like flavors but nothing that seems artificial. Overall the flavor profile is spicy which isn't too common for a Burley blend and it works tremendously. I am a fan of Solani's Aged Burley Flake but I would definitively reach for this over ABF. This offers significantly more complexity. My sample will soon run out and I'll be wishing it was available in the U.S. !

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2014-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

ORIGINAL REVIEW 10/14/2014

This is a pretty good blend. I am not sure how much the orientals played on my tastebuds as it seemed like a straight up vabur flake to me. I can only assume that their presence in this blend is light. It is a hard one to peg down for me and my sample was rather small from which to form a proper opinion. I had about a bowl left and decided to give it to someone else who wanted to try it.

I do know that if this was a four star blend, there is no way I would have had one bowl left to give. I will give it the benefit of the doubt and leave it at three stars for now.

UPDATE 1/3/2019

I just finished my first tin proper of this and I did really enjoy it, but it never really did rise to the level of a four star blend to me, but easily remains at 3 stars. I did pick up more on the orientals in this one than I previously did. I think the orientals and the spiciness they bring is what keeps me from awarding this a fourth star.

Another thing I noticed this time around that was not apparent with my previous attempt was that this seemed to leave the back of my throat a little drier than most blends do and tended to itch it a bit causing an eye watering cough here and there. Not a big deal as I always have something to drink on hand which ameliorates this effect in a jiffy.

For the most part, this is a well done VaBur with a little too much spice from the orientals for my palate. I still have another tin aging that I will get to one day, so I may revisit this review again.

Purchased From: HU

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Weisenheimer (19)	2012-11-25		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

From the choice of leaf and its various origin, this is a blend which ultimately stands for its own!

When I read "Burley", this often reminds me to a blend which might taste quite "cigarish" and somewhat harsh. This is absolutely not the case for Hans Wiedemann's quite innovative creation.

Whatever 'Dockworker' stands for, this tobacco is an almost sweetish blend, full and deep in flavour an coming along with a pleasant cocoa and somewhat "nuttily" taste, which makes it a wonderful creamy and surprisingly pleasant blend, with a nice play in the taste notes, never boring. No tongue bite, and the room note qualified as being "spouse-friendly", Dockworker has earned one of the best pipes you proudly own.

In short: A full pleasure to smoke - for all involved ! Swell ! Ready to take off ?

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theocharis (38)	2019-01-14		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice quality blend from hu tobacco. Upon opening the tin you are welcomed by a very enticing fruity aroma. Perfect! It says that it has no added flavoring, but I believe this simply cannot be true. Not that this is a problem. On the contrary. The taste is fruity without compromising the natural taste of tobacco. Medium strength and pleasant feeling overall. Worth a try, especially for lovers of oriental tobaccos.

Pipe Used: Briar

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-04-04		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dockworker smells appetizing like hay and grass with creamy tobacco sweetness out of the tin. The moisture is ready for smoking; the small flakes feel spongy and almost fall apart when I take them out. I´d love to have this one as a crumble cake.

Full, pleasing tobacco taste, not complex but nicely balanced with high quality components contributing to the mix. I find it tangy-sweet with additional notes of hay, grass and earth. Its strength is a bit over medium to me, but the nicotine only kicks in after about half the bowl. Dockworker feels so buttery smooth on the tongue that I have to consciously limit my cadence. Funny to experience how fragrant pipe tobacco can be without any toppings.

I highly recommend this creation to anyone who likes tobacco hands down. Maybe I should add that this doesn’t feel like a German blend but more like a C&D to me.

Pipe Used: Various with and without filter

Similar Blends: C&D Sunset Harbor Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2019-11-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Seldom have I come across such a blend that I enjoy so much . This is truly a master blend . The tin note is inviting and curious making the smoker eager to get started . The flake is a little rigid and some care must be taken in rubbing it out . The moisture is a little south of the equator so I dry it out for about an hout before smoking . The char lite is enough to tell you that this is exceptional . A combination of burley , orientals and Empire virginia that will simply knock your sox off . The burley provides that chocolaty hint . The orientals give it some spice while the three types of Virginia are heavenly . Little moisture and no bite at all, Dockworker can be smoked down to the dottle and leave just a nice white ash at the end . After sampling over 40 HU tobaccos I am not shocked that Hans can create a blend like this . As a lifetime smoker of Virginia flakes I have not seen it's equal . This is the tobacco you take to the desert island when you are marooned .

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2019-09-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Tin note is very tangy with a fruity aroma which reminds me of pineapple or even blood orange. Nowhere near being an aromatic though, the aroma either is natural or very congruent to the tobacco. I’m sure I’ve encountered this aroma before, was it in G.L. Pease’s Temple Bar, I can’t really remember. The flakes are thin and break very easily not need to rub out. The moisture is just about right to smoke straight out of the tin but there’s room to dry further if one wishes to.

Easy to light, the smoke is a little sharp, not particularly bity though. The taste is quite citrucy especially in the beggining, with orientals adding perfume. Dockworker is a quite juicy tobacco, if that makes sense, it has a lot of flavour. Taste quickly moves from fruity to tangier and woodsier Burley flavours with fair complexity and a nice interplay between the bitterness of the Burley and the sweet flavours from the Virginias and the Orientals.

Strength is medium or a little past it. It’s better sipped as it might get hot. Does not really need many relights and smokes to the end. Overall Dockworker is a really nice tobacco, not very smooth as I said but that is should not be considered necessarily as a minus – goes well with strong beer (IPA).

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2018-07-26		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The tin note is reminiscent of chocolate morsels. The flakes are unusually wide and slightly damp. They can be smoked as is, but I sometimes set them aside to dry. I usually fold and stuff, but rubbing out works well too.

Upon lighting, I sense cocoa, nuts, wood, and some darkish fruit. The cocoa is savoury and ever present, as is the peppery spiciness. They both get bolder with quick puffing.

It’s medium in body, while the nicotine level is just shy of medium. It’s burns at a moderate pace, and is never harsh. It smokes well in briars and cobs.

This is another winner from HU. I really enjoy smoking this blend. I’m not sure it will appeal to most burley smokers. It’s made with Oriental and Turkish tobaccos, which are not common in burley blends.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipeliner (13)	2012-12-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Dockworker is a medium bodied virginia flake mixed with orient and malawi burley. A very nice combination with a spicy and lovely taste. The virginia tobaccos are sweet enough to give this flake in combination with the orient and the burley tobaccos a creamy taste without any tounge bite. Burley is often a bit harsh and cigarish but not in this blend. The Dockworker is totally uncomplicated and burns very well. Very nice for every time of the day and of course also the night. A very well made and wonderful flake

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-12-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Dockworker - a new flake blended by Hu-Tobacco. Orient and Malawi Burley is the message of this wonderfully flake. This combination is very unusual and personally I never smoked before. But let me say, it`s a great combination. Different virginia tobaccos form the base of the dockworker, mixed with 12% orient leaf and 20 % chocolaty burley grades from Malawi. I can not describe the result exactly. I taste chocolaty notes, ethereally and spicy notes but also a hint vanille. But do not misunderstand, this flavors are not chemical. This notes of taste are the result of the wonderfully tobacco combination. No tongue bite, no bitter notes and no boredom. A great characterfully tobacco. Highly recommended

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2022-04-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

There must be something in the water that folks at my pipe club are drinking as quite a few folks are apparently going to the dark side and are on a Burley kick. This is a nice straight forward Burley smoke using Malawi Burley from Africa. A lot of blends are made using this type of leaf. It is one of the world’s largest produces of Burley. Not sure if this blend is dark fired or air cured but the smoke tis very well balanced, producing a lot of smoke and has a medium to strong flavor profile. I actually found this one to taste better as I progressed toward the end smoking this in a corn cob. Thanks “M” for letting try some of this good leaf.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (223)	2021-07-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

HU Tobacco Dockworker- Expertly blended mix of Virginias with Malawi burley and Oriental tobaccos . The Virginias are always there in the background with hay ,grassy citrus tang . The Burley and Turkish take turns on the lead flavor . I bought this because of the Malawi Burley included in the blend and I am not disappointed. Nutty cocoa with a bit of savory tartness . The Turkish- Orientals are spicy and buttery with a vegetal , herbal sweet tang and nutty . Great summer smoke . I agree with another reviewer here that Malawi Burley may be the best tobacco out there . This is one to cellar for sure . My only complaint would be the tobaccos were very dry from both tins I bought . It wasn’t crispy or anything as I was able to rehydrate. Love this blend and It gets all 4 stars !

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2021-02-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A nice take on a Burley flake with the additions of orientals that add their own sour (in a good way) taste to the mix. Tim note..nice and tobacco-y Easy to fill and light. Stays lit without much fuss. The Burley is definitely the lead with a nice spicy character. Hard to get these days. I last ordered mine from Germany about two years ago and still have a sealed tin. A nice change of pace tobacco for when I want something different..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pfeifenkopp (25)	2021-02-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this tobacco as a lighter and easier flake than the Flanagan Flake from the same series which is one of my favorites but especially in summer I find it too strong. Already the tin note proofed me that I was wrong. It is very fruity, some grass and light chocolate. But in taste I found some of the qualities of Flanagan, but with other tobaccos in focus. The orientals are more notable with a sour, spicy, dry, woody and even buttery taste. The Virginias are sweet, citrusy, grassy and earthy. The Burly shows up with some distinct nuts and chocolate. All tobaccos are as always in HU Tobacco of the highest quality. But there is some fruity aroma in this blend. Something that I cannot ascribe to any tobacco, maybe it’s some casing. The fruity aroma reminds me of dried forest berries. Maybe it is red currant. This fruity aroma makes it more special, so it isn’t just a lighter and easier Flanagan – it’s something new, which really surprised me in a positive way.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Karam (59)	2020-07-27		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have now finished the tin and decided it's time to review this blend.

Expectations are funny things, they can really make or break an experience. It'd be good to try new things with an open, and more importantly unprejudiced mind.

Burley and oriental is an unusual combination, so let's see what it's like.

Smell from the tin is mildly fruity, sour, with a hint of sweetness, and this sets the stage for the smoke. Flakes are nice and easy to break apart or fold and stuff, both methods work, with the folding of course giving a longer smoke, but perhaps slightly less intense flavour than rubbing out.

Initially I found this blend somewhat weak, certainly weaker than my usual smokes, and the taste threw me. Sweet and sour is not my thing, I need either or, not both together. Well, in time this blend grew on me, there's an underlying sweetness, and a hint of some fruit topping, but the main taste is sour/bitter/herbal. The whole thing is very nicely crafted and works as it's well-balanced. Finishing the tin I know I enjoyed it, but won't be missing it or buying it again - I know the point of the blend is to showcase this contradiction which is inherent in Oriental tobacco varieties, and it succeeds very well, which for me justifies 3 stars, although for me it is a 2 star blend. Edit: downgrading to 2 stars as I know I wouldn't buy it again.

Purchased From: Estervals pipe house

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Madox07 (43)	2020-02-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my first experience with HU tobacco, and I must say it has been a pleasant one. What we have here is a rather maneuverable flake that can be easily broken down, actually if you rub it between the palm of your hands just like you would a stick to light a fire it breaks down so nicely that you cannot even say it was a flake to start with. A tad moist out of the tin, but just he way I like it. The overall taste is citrus in nature, more sower than acidic, with a tad of hay and a tad less of earthy hints. It burns well, slow, no gurgle, no bite, and a nic hit somewhat above mild. I don't believe it's too complex in nature, although I do find it very pleasant. The slow pace of burning may give you a long lasting smoke, so depending on how much time you have on hand I do recommend some bowl size pondering. Even a shallow bowl gives one a good hour of this fine balanced smoke.

Pipe Used: Rossi 320 Vulcano, angello shallow bowl

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2019-12-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is another delicious Burley from Hans. If this was available in the States I don't think you'd see a recommendation for Solani ABF or Wessex Burley Slices ever again.

I get a little cocoa from this one. The Malawi Burley here makes itself known. Honestly this tobacco makes me think if GH produced a Burley flake that was more American in its flavor profile, you'd have this. The Burley here reminds me of GH. The flake is a similar moisture level and consistency to Germain Brown Flake. There is more strength here than the other Burley flakes, and a hint of bitterness. Every now and then I smoke a bowl of this and get an absolutely rich, cocoa-y Burley that makes me want to go order as many tins as they'll send me, but consistently I get better smokes from Makhuwa. As Burley flakes go, I find HH Burley Flake more accessible and consistent, and that is my go to for a Burley flake. No denying the quality here however, and every Burley lover should get their hands on a tin of this.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grimbart (2)	2022-07-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I'm smoking this tobacco for a few years on a regular base now. Luckily nothing has changed about it, except the size of the tin. There's not really anything to add to the other four-star reviews. This blend is unique, the taste is full, nutty and chocolaty (one could say that theres added flavour, but I doubt it) and it burns quite well after a litte time to dry out. Never had any tongue bite. I prefer to smoke this tobacco mostly in spring and autumn and i cant really say why. The taste doesn't really fit to hot temperatures imo but even better to a cloudy and humid day when I'm walking the dog in the fields.

Pipe Used: Svendborg Inka

Age When Smoked: fresh out of the tin & bit aged

Purchased From: several over the last few years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot (33)	2021-07-13		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This one is wonderful. First half of the bowl is dominated by the spiciness (from orientals?). And then it comes! That irresistible sweetness of chocolate complemented with moderate spiciness. Something like chilly chocolate. But better!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2023-03-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm testing a few HU mixes and so far Dockworker easily takes first place as it's the type of tobacco I enjoy the most.

The tobacco comes with the perfect humidity to load immediately. I would say for preservation it might be on the dry side. Once the pipe is lit, the tobacco is gentle but at the same time full of nuances, I suppose provided by the range of virginias from different parts of the world, to which burley is added and a bit of Turkish Oriental. The burley rounds out and enhances the virginias as I have not seen in another mixture. There seems to be some discussion about the occasional flavors coming out of the fruity kind, but they don't really seem to come from any coating being applied, they seem natural. After smoking a few pipes I was sorry I only bought one tin, so I quickly got a few more.

Dockworker has meant a great discovery for me, to the point that it has made me get serious for to write this review...

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	highwindows (8)	2022-10-04		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Dockworker is pretty aptly named. It's a stout, no-nonsense burley flake. It's not hard to imagine someone who actually works at a port smoking it. A burley for the burly. That sounds about right.

The tin note for Dockworker is not far from what you'd expect from a burley. There are aromas of raisins, cocoa, a slight mustiness that likely comes from the oriental leaf, and a smidgen of vinegar. There are no obvious toppings, so whatever humectant HU decided to use for this one is very subtle.

The smoke itself is a little different to its unburnt aroma. Dockworker has a rich, dark flavour, comparable to espresso or a maduro cigar. It's earthy, woody, dark, salty, and almost leathery, while at the same time being quite creamy (again, much like a cigar). This we can attribute to the Malawi burley, which takes centre stage for the duration of the smoke. However, there are also other flavours creeping around in the background. There is the tell-tale mustiness of oriental leaf that was heralded by the tin note. This gives the smoke a mildly funky, fragrant edge that complements the burley in a way that might not normally be expected. In a narrow bowl, the orientals have a heightened presence, and provide more competition for the burleys flavour-wise. In a regular or wider bowl, the orientals are more muted and condimental. There are also minor notes of black pepper, grassiness, and hay, the latter two likely coming from the virginia. These flavours come forward in the retrohale to accompany the general earthiness of the burley. Despite the addition of virginia leaf to this blend, there is no virginia sweetness to be found in the smoke. Its presence was likely added merely to soften and smooth out the strong burley flavour. If so, this was done successfully. Dockworker is dark, but not coarse.

As expected from the tin note, there is no obvious topping or flavouring detectable in Dockworker. Whatever casings were used, they are unnoticeable and do not intrude flavour-wise. It should be noted that Dockworker can develop an ashy bitterness if pushed too hard, though the blend does not require a great amount of discipline to properly enjoy.

I would not classify Dockworker as an all-day smoke. Truth be told, though I always have some jarred, I do not smoke it often. While the blend is not a nicotine powerhouse, it is still, as first mentioned, very stout in flavour, almost to the point of excess. While its tin note promises raisins and cocoa, in the bowl it is closer to soil. For the burleyphile, however, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2022-06-24		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

3rdGuy

No doubt the HU line are great tobaccos. This is my least favorite of the ones I have tried for 2 reasons. First was that I found it very light in the flavor department. Orientals a lot of the time seem to leave me wanting more but when they are working in a blend it is a special thing. I did not find it here. The 2nd problem was the humectant. It was a bit of a pain getting the bowl lit and it was every time. Too much work for little payoff in the end. My tin was from 2016 so with 5+ years of age I can say this blend just didnt do it for me. Hopefully it will for you because I would still recommend trying all of the HU blends.

Pipe Used: cobs and briar

Age When Smoked: 5 years

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lord Guyrox (24)	2021-06-20		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is another tobacco that has everything going for it but the quantity of humectant ruins it. Imagine opening a tin to be greeted by dry flakes that still have a pleasant Burley tin note. The flakes pack very well (I rub them out) but the problems start upon lighting up and continue throughout. The use of excessive humectant only contribute to building harshness and extra moisture in the pipe because it all narrows down to focusing on trying to light up, light up again, puff harder and more frequently in order to attempt keeping the darn thing lit. Your pipe gets hotter and the whole experience eventually sucks. This is never as bad as the Samuel Gawith tobaccos but I am not going to buy any other HU as they all turned out this way.

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