James Fox Campanile

Pretty big hit of turkish in here, and the result is a somewhat "Camel" ish smoke.

Astringent but flavorful.

I think a better bet is McClelland 221b Arcadia or Presbyterian Mixture. These are both better balanced for contemplative smoking.

All the same, this is top quality stuff, and worth a run. It blends very nicely with softer Virginias, like HH MAture from Mac Baren.

I purchased a tin of this several months ago while on a quest for a good oriental mix. I found what I sought in several others (Robert McConnell's Oriental, for one) and never really got back to this. It is certainly a quality tobacco, but I concur with other reviewers about its initial harshness. This seems its only drawback. I too enjoy Turkish tobacco and its smoke aroma, even going so far as to smoke Camel unfiltereds in my youth. This is the pipe tobacco equivalent of Camels, which may or may not be a complement.

A petty quibble with the description above, apparently formerly from the tin: even in sunlight, my mixture clearly contains a small percentage of black tobacco. What it is, I neither know nor care. If it is latakia, it is barely detectable. Also, the sweetness I associate with oriental and Virginia tobaccos is muted to barely perceptable; a dry smoke, like cabernet is to wine.

I prefer many others, especially considering the premium price of Campanile. Nonetheless, it is a quality smoke, deserving of a recommendation to those who like dark Virginia and Turkish tobaccos.

This is an intriguing blend, composed plainly of Virginias but I would guess predominantly Oriental tobaccos. On first light is a bit harsh, but as the bowl burns down it becomes mellower and more balanced. It makes me think of a balkan blend that has left out the Latakia. The tobaccos seem to be of first quality. As an occasional smoke I like this very much. But, for day to day smoking I would reccomend Cairo more highly.