Drew Estate Central Park Stroll

There seems to be a mindset that one must choose aromatics OR English, and that the former evolves to the latter. I consider such logic a form of bovine colonic effluvia. Smoke what you like. I'm omnivorous, myself, and go back and forth without inhibition. A pipesmoking nudist, so to speak. I do keep separate sets of pipes, though. CPS was an unexpected joy from the Drew Estate lineup. It surpassed easily Sam Gawith's Chocolate Flake as my favorite chocolate scented smoke. It strikes me as a product to be smoked in a hookah because of its sweetness and intensity. Make no mistake, this is an after dinner smoke. While many aromatics can be off-putting with over-the-top flavorings, CPS gets away with it. Two caveats: pipe choice and loading. With my habits, I find that I have to pack unusually loosely unless I use a vintage Kaywoodie pipe with a hole (carburettor) in the base of the bowl. The product is moist and I believe is best smoked that way to convey the flavor. Good ventilation keeps the pipe lit. You will struggle to keep it lit otherwise, and drying loses essences you want to retain. Vanilla is unfortunately ubiquitous as a flavoring in aromatics, yet I don't notice it in this one. I agree with other reviewers: chocolate liquor cake. Perhaps rum. Perhaps a bit of coffee. No fruit. I smoke this indoors in the presence of a chocolate loving woman who adores the aroma and requests me to light this up. She's a keeper, so is this. It doesn't bite, smokes cool, and a medium sized bowl lasts an hour with careful puffing. 4 stars for those of you who like aromatics, 0 for those whose tastes are restricted to English only.

Fantastic smoke. Manly taste and aroma. Not too fruity or perfume ridden tobacco. Seem to taste a hint of Figs or something. A great overall smoke with no complaints at all other than the price. Fantastic!

Much like what you read in other reviews, the tin really did smell like a pastry bakery upon opening. Dark, dark tobacco and very moist when it arrived. Compared to the Lane HG-2000 i've been smoking, I found this to be much better but that fact also turned out to be my downfall. The great taste caused me to puff a little too often and I became really dizzy and nauseous for around 40 minutes. I don't consider myself a lightweight because I used to be into cigars too. This was a much stronger tobacco (nicotine content) than I've had so far into my foray with pipe smoking. I think drew estate is trying to get their new fan base efficiently hooked. Despite making me "green behind the gills," this is something I think most would be able to smoke all day long if they have the stomach for it. Very, very tasty.

This is good stuff. I buy off the internet and my favorite retailer sent me 3 tins instead of the 1 tin I ordered. I was going to fuss about the 2 extra tins that was sent by mistake (I paid paid for them) until I tried the smoke. FANTASTIC! This is a very dark black cavendish, very smooooooooth. Wife loves the room note, I like everything about it. It is not a complex smoke and stays pretty consistent thoroughout the bowl. I smoke it in a cob and in burns to a nice silver ash - no waste. This is a good everyday - all day smoke.

**UPDATE** I really liked this when I first posted this review, and I had stocked up on it. I'm happy I did since it's no longer in production and having cellared it, it only got better with time. The tobaccos and flavoring have married together and produced just a very fine, mellow, tasteful smoke.

Being a cigar guy (as well as pipe guy) who does like Drew Estate blends including the ACID line, I had no doubt they would come up with great tobacco blends for pipes. Central Park Stroll is "a grand walk" indeed. Very pleasant tobacco, no bite, and finishes very well on the palate. This is a early evening blend for me that fits the bill perfectly.

An Excellent tobacco. mild, great tasting, no bite, great smell. A good all day smoke. The taste comes through and it burns slow with no great amount of moisture in the bottom of the bowl.

This tobacco is a dark black chocolate color. The tin note is like fresh fudge so much so that I had the urge to taste it! It is packed in the tin beautifully and looks like Devils food cake. It is moist but it should be to enhance the effect of the superb casing drew estate has imbued to this cavendish blend. Packed loosely It lights nicely and the early part of the bowl is very mild. I felt myself pulling to get as much of the aromatic flavor as I could. As I smoked down I found a rhythm and savored the vanilla and chocolate notes of Central Park stroll. Although moist in the tin the blend smoked well. No bite whatsoever which was pleasant especially when considering the obvious heavy casing added to this blend. Smoked fine to the bottom of the bowl with no dottle. A pleasant aromatic blend without a lot of complexity that can be enjoyed like an old friend.

A culinary tobacco if there ever was one. Dark, wet (a little too wet) tobacco that reminds you of a chocolate shop the minute you open it. Excellent tin note with hints of vanilla and caramel as well. Smokes well after a little drying. Solid nicotine level with thick rich and creamy smoke. The chocolate stays in the forefront, with vanilla and caramel coming in at the last third of the bowl. A great tobacco for after dinner.

A lot of times, I shy away from Cavendish blends, as so many of them seem to bite on my taste buds. I found this to be a very mild and pleasurable. The chocolate flavor is there in the proper proportion. The room sent is very nice. The smoke is smooth, with the flavors rich and balanced. For those who like aromatics blends, this is very good.