James Fox Campanile

Review of red tinned, Peterson & Sorensen blend bought from Germany Jan 2011.

This tobacco comes packed in plastic, a la Prespytarien. Aroma is that of a good Va mixture with the presence of Oriental also detected, but predominently Va. Appearance is of a ribbon cut blend of Va tobaccos and a small amount of darker tobaccos which after smoking, I believe to be that of a (Va) Cavendish rather than that of Latakia.

Campanile may have undergone some variation during its transformation from a James Fox blend to that of its present German blenders. But as we know, this period can sometimes lead to blends losing its original identity if the blenders do not stick rigidly to the original source and recipes. My current tin however is representative of everything the makers say it is. An English Oriental with no black tobacco other than what I take to be that of a Va cavendish. Certainly I detect no latakia present in this blend

Moisture is fine and the tobacco packs and lights very easily. I was impressed with the Va blends which are the dominant flavours of this smoke, although as the smoke progresses, the spicy almost peppery flavours of the orient leaf become more apparant. I find this blend to be an easy smoking, slightly bland English oriental, not great, but also not bad at all. For the smoker who likes English blends but is not over fond of latakia I would recommend Campanile in its present manifestation. Medium in both taste and strength with a substantial Va body and peppery Turkish undertones, This blend shouldnt dissappoint, its not meant to be a strong latakia English blend, more of a slightly spicy English Oriental. On the value for money scale I would say that Campanile does itself justice and represents good value with good quality leaf providing a mellow yet slightly spicy and rewarding smoke. Recommended

This is for the white tin version. There is definitely black leaf in it, but I suspect it's cavendish since I didn't notice any latakia. This is a very clean tasting blend, sweet from the virginia and slightly spicy and almost floral from the turkish. It reminds me a bit of McConnell's Oriental (a favorite) but without the latakia, however I found myself really missing the latakia. Campanile is rather like a nice cup of light tea in the morning; it's just not really my cup of tea. Still, it's a very well constructed blend, perfect for those who enjoy orientals but dislike latakia that usually.

Recommended for thee but not for mee.

Exquisite mixture of matured, mostly red Virginias with superb Smyrna (or at least it tastes like it). A sweet, mellow and tasteful smoke which burns cool with no tongue bite. No Latakia here, this is a plain Oriental mixture.

I always try to provide comparisons for the reader to know what to expect. This is a tough one, but the closest I can think of is Davidoff Royalty, without the top-dressing (Campanile is unflavored, as far as I can discern).

I sure am glad I recently went back to this blend after a several year separation. It seems the leaf now employed is a bit more aged (as am I), but unlike me, the new maturity has produced a better product.

Campanile is soft and subtly sweet in a way one would expect from a Virginia/Oriental combination. Yet the exotic companion to the Virginia here is a cut above many other similar blends that I have tried. And, the room note is "to die for."

As one of the previous reviewers noted; a minor drawback to this blend is that is does have a tendency to heat up a bit. Puff slowly and surely you will be rewarded with as rich and creamy an Oriental taste as there is.

Good burning blend. That's where the goods end. I guess you could use this one as a base for home-blending tests, because smoked alone it's totally insignificant. If you're a cigarette smoker who wants to switch to the pipe, try out this mixture: the flavour is the same.

I hate that I could not like this blend, as I am generally a Turkish fan. This however is not a good showcase of Turkish potential. Aperitif, Red Raparee, Cairo; these show of the best qualities of the Turkish leaf. This is nothing more than a Camel in pipe tobacco form, an absolute dearth of depth. The overall taste was too dry and without siqnificant character in the Turkish and Virginia componenets, much like a Toast sandwich (a slice of toast sandwiched between two pieces of toast). I gave my tin away. Try something else.

I remember ordering a tin of this back around 2010 after reading Pipestud's review but my tin was the newer one which had the white label attached. This was back when I began sampling many different blends to determine which types that suited my palate and specific desires for various Nicotine strengths. I found this blend a little lacking in Vitamin N content to suit me. 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 very mild, smoke. It lacked the strength I was seeking & 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 good 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 strong Burley or Picayune... 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 stature & lack of strength.

This must have been a mixture of mainly ''Orientals" & maybe a mild strain of Virginia which lacked strength & possesses only a minor amount of Nicotine. This was almost like smoking plain air. Not for me. I respect those who like this however but not my type. Three stars for the flavor & mild smoking characteristic & two stars for lack of strength which leaves us with only; please wait while I get my calculator... two & one half stars.

To be sure - a nice, smooth, flavoursome experience. Perhaps somewhat lacking in identity of its own among many similar mixtures...

However, after reading many reviews distinguishing between the "old" one and some "new" versions, I checked the tin (which otherwise looks the exact copy of what is displayed here...) only to notice that it bears a "Petersen & Sorensen" logo (???). Anyone can tell me - am I missing something here?

Update 08/10/08 After the third K&K thin I have to downgrade this. Not a great smoke anymore, a classic is gone. Maybe I will even downgrade this further in future. What a pity.

Delicious, rich and creamy oriental taste. Contrary to the description there is obviously some very dark tobacco in the K&K version (the original Fox version had no black tobacco indeed). However, taste is still great!