Ilsted Own Mixture No.55

Ahh,, looking for diamonds in the rough I tried this blend knowing nothing of it. I was not disappointed. I have come to realize that I rate tobaccos based first and foremost on simply this - "Did I like it or not" that simple.

Now, the nuances of flavor that we all like to mention with pleasure, or to criticize, I think are based on "did I like it?" This tobacco is hard to find but worth the effort. It is a medium VA - almost straight VA.

Don't let the tin description listed here mislead you with Cavendish being listed first. It is a minor component, with light brown to blond VA being the dominant ingredient. 90% I estimate.

Opening the tin I was greeted by a light fruit note and an immediate nose of quality VA. The flavoring is just light enough to tell one that this is quality pipe tobacco.

This tin was well aged as I could tell from the scuff marks, dents, and staining of the internal paper. (no date or numbers of any kind on the tin)

Packing was as usual - as good as the packer - and lighting brought out the light fruit essence with classic VA tang/tingle - wonderful! Perfect moisture content helped in this regard. Just moist enough to be pliable - great.

An overly dry VA (in my experience) is a deadly blow-torch bite, which this blend was not!

As the bowl progressed, I tasted the light fruity VA with sweet flower notes occasionally. The flavouring dissipated somewhat but I was not disappointed. The straight VA flavour began to dominate the with baked cookies notes and noticeable satisfying tobacco taste.

I have never liked the dottle (bottom of the bowl etc.) in any blend and don't smoke it. I find it bitter, strong and anticlimactic - in short, it gets dumped. Period. My palate doesn't agree with it - ever. On a side note, I just purchased a "Senior Pipe Reamer" - this is the best pipe tool I have ever used, I highly recommend picking one up to clean your pipes. Excellent!!

VA lovers, this is worth a try, at least once if you can find it.

A medium to mild VA that could be an all-day-smoke. Ilsted is apparently a renound Danish pipe-maker who had this line made for him, not unlike Erik Nording's line by McClelland etc.

I have the feeling that this mixture no longer in production, but who knows?

Recommended!

Good draw to you, Sincerely Ethan "Glorfindel" Dickey

Ilsted - Own Fresh Mixture 55.

What a fabulous smell from the mix! Sometimes the descriptions for aromatics can be misleading, I read in a few places how this can smell like fruit cake, I thought "ah, whatever, the usual generic description" but upon opening mine and taking a smell I discovered it doesn't smell 'like' a fruitcake but EXACTLY the same! A rich, fruity, sweet and nutty smell. The quantity of water is maybe a little too much, it only needs a short amount of time to air some as it's not soaked so I leave a bowls worth in the open before smoking it.

I get mine lit and straight away it's an "oh wow" blend for me! Lets begin with the actual lighting, it only needs minimal time with the flame to initiate a good burn. The next positive is the temperature, it's a really cool smoke which remains bite free. Inhaling the smoke is incredibly simple, quite a good feature as it's fairly mild with N so I have to gulp down a big puff! The flavour is superb, the vanilla and plum are pretty even in weight with a nuttiness (which probably hales from the Burley) rounding off the taste brilliantly. If I leave the room and then re-enter (my usual trick for ascertaining room note) I don't really get that much fruit cake quality as I do in the taste, it's not a bad note but a little overshadowed by the fantastic taste! Despite the fact it has a good casing I get very little gurgle from it, only a slight amount towards the end.

On my first puff I felt this would be a four star blend and a few bowls only attest that thought!

Four stars.

Poul Ilsted is one heck of a great pipe maker. As a tobacco with his name on it, My Own Mixture #55, well... not as impressive as Poul's pipes. I love Vanilla flavored black Cav, but this one tasted bland and flat. I tasted the vanilla, but the tobacco was too tender and juicy to be considered very puffable. I quit after half a bowl. Couldn't keep it lit and it took awhile to get the goo out of my pipe.

cool light and full of flavour just like a Danish should be. I get an amaretto type taste that never gets over the top, sweet fruity zing. I just wish it was a bit higher in the N stakes. Overall a very very good aromatic tobacco indeed.

My last review for an Ilsted blend. Again, not much difference with this one and Nos. 77 & 100. A mild vanilla tin scent as opposed to plum or raisin. The vanilla taste was minimal throughout the smoke. I could not honestly detect any fruit or nut flavoring as is described in the above tin description, nor are they listed on the K&K web page description for this blend.

Out of the 4 Ilsted blends I reviewed, my opinion is that No. 100 was the better of the lot. Next follows Nos. 77 & 55. Due to the Latakia content, No. 88 has to be judged in its own league. One good thing about the brand was the much cheaper price of their offerings as compared to other Kohlhase & Kopp blends.

Interestingly, in the tin they are all very similar in appearance. Same leaf content, color (100 is a bit darker), cut, and minimal tin aroma (with the exception of the Latakia in No. 88). Although I have ranked these blends in the order of my preference, I like them all well enough to include them in my weekly rotation. I have enough favorites that I can't do justice by saying "daily rotation." I usually concentrate on at least 2 favorites a day.

Do be forewarned. The 4 Ilsted blends I have tried all have a minimally present cigarette ash room note upon re-entering a room where they were smoked. Not like some other brands I have experienced, but present nonetheless. This sometimes translates into the taste while smoking. It is however minimal enough for me to tolerate.

This for me is what I would consider a perfect aromatic. They usually bite me and cloy halfway through the bowl, causing me to dump them out. This one has just enough fruity/nutty flavor not to overwhelm the good tobacco in the blend. I am a beer drinker, and like a fine ale with straight virginia, but this is the tin I bring out of my antique smoker's cabinet when I drink hard cider (Woodchuck is my favorite brand) as I am doing tonight. I won the tin on Ebay and am about halfway through it, since I don't smoke it every day. I would certainly buy more or try other Ilsted blends (though not by the pound) if I see them.