James Fox Campanile

I normally prefer flake tobaccos vs. this, a ribbon cut, but gave it a try based on the high marks of others. The tin aroma is certainly Turkish and took me back to my early days of Gauloises cigarettes. However, the room aroma from this pipe tobacco is much better. Easy packing resulted in an effortless smoke without bite, condensation or hotness as long as puffed slowly. Although it has a clean taste, I found the Turkish influenece very intense, initally harsh and missed the normal sweetness of my regular VAs. However if you enjoy oriental smokes, this is worth a try.

Nunca había fumado Campanile. Siguiendo las reseñas pensé encontrarme con algo parecido al Elizabhetan pero sin perique. Grande fue mi sorpresa cuando abrí la lata que compré hace unos meses. Tal vez tenga el paladar atrofiado pero lo que encontré es un mezcla inglesa suave, de esas que llamamos "orientales", como standard o presbiteriana. Los típicas hojas verdosas del tabaco oriental brillan por su ausencia y en contrapartida veo si, las carteristicas hebras negras de latakia que supuestamente no debiera tener. Moraleja, no digo que sea malo, digo que no es lo que dice ser.

Nice enough blend but not for me. I enjoyed it initially, but quickly grew tired of it. Very little sweetness, leathery at first then sour notes predominate, and a bit too mild in nicotine for my liking

Towards the end of the tin I've been mixing it with latakia and cigar leaf to try and make it a bit more interesting and motivate me to finish it.

I don't usually smoke blends of this type, but when I do, Embarcadero is the standard by which I judge them and this falls way short of that in my opinion. As I said, not bad but not for me. I won't buy again.

James Fox - Campanile.

Hmmmm., confusing. Because, it isn't exactly congruent with the description! C'est la vies!

I'm unsure about my tin's age as there's no date stamp but because the paper lining and cap are well stained with oils I prejudicate it has a good few years on it! 'Absolutely NO black tobaccos'? Well, that's quite a specious description seeing as mine contains a few black pieces! The aroma's musty, indicative of Orientals and Latakia, and the hydration's perfect.

I note this gets a lot of different reactions and ratings, that might depend on newer or older version? Either way, I find it pleasant. I find the smoke has a fairly formidable hit of Turkish. This Turkish isn't overly floral or perfume like, but more rustic and a little butyraceous. The Virginias account for the base of the blend, but other than a mild hay flavour I don't get much more; it isn't awash with 'zingy' citrus, or succulent fruit. Again, the flavour doesn't go along with the 'NO black tobaccos'; the smoke is definitely reminiscent of a snifter of smoky Latakia being included! On the low side mine can burn slightly fast, albeit not warm and without bite.

Nicotine: medium at a push. Room-note: pretty nice.

Campanile? Although it's had a decent amount of low ratings I like it. I guess this proves we all perceive things differently and have to form our own views! To me, the factor which diminishes the rating is the speed of the burn. So, I'll give it three stars:

Recommended.

I'm currently on a 'Virginia-Oriental' kick.

That's what this blend once was, apparently. I suppose it's unfair to rate this blend on what it is (or was) "supposed to be," so I'll increase the rating from 2 to 2½ stars. However it's important that you be informed (before purchasing it) that this is in fact a mild English mixture and not a bona fide 'Virginia-Oriental.'

My guess is that the manufacturers opted to improve the aromatic qualities of the mixture by supplementing it with a minuscule amount of Latakia rather than investing in higher-quality Orientals. Unfortunately the mixture is left somewhat like a tripod without a third leg: Virginia, an unremarkable Oriental, and a remedial amount of Latakia.

It's an appealing mild English mixture, however since it's lacking in significant body or depth, I would relegate it to more workaday uses or as a contemplative early morning smoke. I somehow envision this mixture as the base to which the manufacturer might add other ingredients to make the desired final product

As a fan of the sour/sweet/fermented McClelland Oriental No. 6 VaOri, I took a colleague's recommend and tried this blend. I'm disappointed. I was hoping for the sweet sourness of No. 6 but this tobacco didn't produce the desired result.

In fact, it tastes like it has a hint of Latakia in it, such that you leave the smoke with more of a sense of perfume than you do of the citrusy fermentation you'd expect out of a VaOri.

I couldn't pick up any hints of Virginia. The Orientals were there, but overwhelmingly so.

I feel like this tobacco is labeled as a VaOri as an aspiration and not a reality.

I remember ordering a tin of this back around 2010 when I began sampling many different blends to determine which type of blends that suited my palate and craving for a Vitamin N treatment. I found this blend totally lacking in strength. However, it did possess a good flavor & the tin aroma was awesome.

This didn't smoke like the tin aroma suggested. It was a little harsh initially but soon subsided into a fairly mild, "wimpy" smoke... lacking in strength & didn't possess the flavor I was anticipating from the tin aroma. It seemed to be very suitable to some pipers but I don't favor such mild blends lacking a true tobacco kick.

As to the recommendation of a few pipers, I can't agree. I didn't finish the tin but should have mixed it with some stronger tobacco... didn't think of this idea at the time. I was just tossing out the trash that I didn't prefer and this was one of them. I have no need or desire to purchase another due to its wimpy nature & lack of strength. This must have been a mixture of mainly ''Orientals" which lacked flavor & strength. This was almost like smoking plain air. Not for me. I respect those who like this however but not my type... I want more strength & tobacco flavor which was lacking in this mixture.

This is a review of the currently available version:

The Virginias are sweet and a bit earthy. The Turkish component is woody and dry. Neither component shines brightly, but to my palate, the Virginias dominate, and the Turkish plays a backup role. This blend was supposed to be Oriental forward in a past life, but what is currently blended fails in that regard.

This is a subtle blend that some call flat. I don’t think this blend is flat, but it’s not a powerhouse of flavor or nicotine. You can smoke it on autopilot and have a pleasant experience, or you can sit and contemplate the components and find just enough there to keep your attention. I find the last half of the bowl better than the first half.

The tin note is nice. The ribbons pack and burn readily. The room note is not offensive. It is a well-behaved tobacco and would be perfect for breaking in new pipes if not for the cost.

The paper of the tin was stained by tobacco oils and the inside of the rim has signs of rust, so there must be some age to this tin. Unsmoke it is quite fragrant. It is woody with a hint of smoke and it is seems to be minimally topped with a beautiful fruity/flowery fragrance which reminds me of the tin note of Rober McConnell's Original Oriental. The tobacco is almost shag cut and contains a few shades of brown leafs mixed with a few black shags presumably from Latakia (there are indeed a few bits of black tobacco despite the advertisement, if it’s Latakia or another fire cured leaf I cannot tell).

Packs and lights easily and produces a delectable sweet and sour fragrant smoke with notes of wood and exotic spice where the Orientals have the lead role while Latakia although present is almost imperceptible. Has an easy draw, if one is careful to unclog the shag before packing, and it is of mild to medium strength but full of flavor. It is very soft, round and supple, but it burns quick – this is a minus - to a fluffy white ash.

Overall is an excellent Oriental forward mixture even more so than Robert McConnell’s Original Oriental which has more Latakia. It has less Oriental tanginess than El Rincon de la Pipa another favourite Oriental forward blend and I think it’s much more flavorful than Early Morning Pipe. Easily an all-day smoke.

Highly recommended for those who like Oriental blends with minimal or no Latakia. The only minus is that it burns quick.