James Fox Campanile
(2.88)
A blend of Virginian and flavoured with pure Turkish leaf. It embodies absolutely no black tobaccos and is a blend which is delightfully smooth and sweet down to the last shred.
Details
| Brand | James Fox |
| Blended By | Kohlhase & Kopp |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Virginia Based |
| Contents | Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.88 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 11 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 08, 2008 | Extremely Mild | None Detected | Very Mild | Tolerable |
(Original review: 03/04/2003):
This is the second Fox I have tried, and just as with Provost, this one has instantly become a favourite of mine. If anything, this tobacco proves that Orientals need not be harsh or rasping to provide a very tasty, refined and subtle flavour, and when skilfully combined with the proper Virginias, produce something very close to an all day smoke.
Campanile (an Italian word meaning bell tower, the one in the bright red tin depicting that of Trinity College, Dublin) is an apparently simple mixture of mild Virginias and Oriental leaf, mainly Turkish, with no Latakia or dark Cavendish. The quality of the Virginian leaf used here is quite similar to the ones used in some Dunhill mixtures (especially in Standard Mixture Medium and London Mixture), which means that their sweetness is not sugary, but more natural and subtle. In turn, the Turkish provides a very tangy and slightly sour undertone which, combined with other condimental leaf, produce a mellow yet flavoursome smoke, similar to Early Morning or Skiff, without the Latakia.
However, as you indulge in the fresh tartness of this blend, the interplay between Orientals and Virginias gathers strength, and becomes a livelier tobacco than the other two. It burns cool and clean, and the natural taste of the leaf pleasantly lingers on for a while. IMO this an excellent tobacco to start the day with, especially if planning to carry on smoking stronger Orientals later on. It is great with a cup of black coffee, just after breakfast, and prepares the scenario, and the mood, for more adventurous English blends. As with Provost, my only objection to this blend is the high degree of moisture in the tin. But airing for a couple of days solves the problem.
UPADTE:
I regret to inform on the demise of the much beloved Campanile. Gone is the distinguished bright-red covered tin, and gone is that exquisite and delicate blend of Virginias and Orientals. What we are now being offered is a very bland and innocuous blend.
It is so similar to the current version of Early Morning Pipe, that I?d swear it is now being produced by Orlik. I recently ordered some from Martin MacGahey, in Exeter, G.B., thinking I would still find some last tins of the original Fox. When I wrote to him afterwards, he told me he thought Campanile is now being produced by Kohlhase and Kopp, in Germany.
It may be. But if so, this stuff has NOTHING to do with the previous version. It?s not that this blend is bad, but it simply isn?t Campanile.
This is the second Fox I have tried, and just as with Provost, this one has instantly become a favourite of mine. If anything, this tobacco proves that Orientals need not be harsh or rasping to provide a very tasty, refined and subtle flavour, and when skilfully combined with the proper Virginias, produce something very close to an all day smoke.
Campanile (an Italian word meaning bell tower, the one in the bright red tin depicting that of Trinity College, Dublin) is an apparently simple mixture of mild Virginias and Oriental leaf, mainly Turkish, with no Latakia or dark Cavendish. The quality of the Virginian leaf used here is quite similar to the ones used in some Dunhill mixtures (especially in Standard Mixture Medium and London Mixture), which means that their sweetness is not sugary, but more natural and subtle. In turn, the Turkish provides a very tangy and slightly sour undertone which, combined with other condimental leaf, produce a mellow yet flavoursome smoke, similar to Early Morning or Skiff, without the Latakia.
However, as you indulge in the fresh tartness of this blend, the interplay between Orientals and Virginias gathers strength, and becomes a livelier tobacco than the other two. It burns cool and clean, and the natural taste of the leaf pleasantly lingers on for a while. IMO this an excellent tobacco to start the day with, especially if planning to carry on smoking stronger Orientals later on. It is great with a cup of black coffee, just after breakfast, and prepares the scenario, and the mood, for more adventurous English blends. As with Provost, my only objection to this blend is the high degree of moisture in the tin. But airing for a couple of days solves the problem.
UPADTE:
I regret to inform on the demise of the much beloved Campanile. Gone is the distinguished bright-red covered tin, and gone is that exquisite and delicate blend of Virginias and Orientals. What we are now being offered is a very bland and innocuous blend.
It is so similar to the current version of Early Morning Pipe, that I?d swear it is now being produced by Orlik. I recently ordered some from Martin MacGahey, in Exeter, G.B., thinking I would still find some last tins of the original Fox. When I wrote to him afterwards, he told me he thought Campanile is now being produced by Kohlhase and Kopp, in Germany.
It may be. But if so, this stuff has NOTHING to do with the previous version. It?s not that this blend is bad, but it simply isn?t Campanile.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2014 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Until about 15 years ago Campanile was one of my go-to blends. A remarkable and delicious concoction of turkish and virginia, it delivered every bowl and was tasty at any time of day or night. I have just opened a tin from the '90's and enjoyed a wave of nostalgia at the familiar whif of the sweetly sour leaf, the sourness of fermentation (!), an honest smell that is almost impossible to find these days. The mixed ribbon cut burned beautifully, relatively quickly yet cool and without bite, delectable from tin aroma to grey ash. This Campanile has gone the way of the many. If you are looking for something similar today, try Compton's Reserve No. 21. Although it has a smidgen of Latakia it is an excellent alternative and, even fresh out of the pouch, may be better than this well aged classic. The original Campanile: four stars (plus). The current version: two.
Age When Smoked:
ca. 15 years, maybe more
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2015 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The Virginias are grassy with a touch of earth, and light tart and tangy citrus, woody notes. The Turkish is woody, earthy, herbal, vegetative, a little smoky, with a hint of butter and sourness as a strong competitive player. I detect a hint of smoky, woody, earthy Cyprian Latakia. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are mild. Won't bite, and will smoke slightly warm only if you're puffing your brains out. Has a few small rough edges. A mildly creamy smooth smoke that burns at a moderate pace, clean and cool with a mostly consistent flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste, and lightly stronger room note. Produces a good volume of smoke, though I don't recommend puffing like a steam engine. At times, it reminds me a little of Turkish cigarettes I have smoked, though I would not say this is cigarettish. An all day smoke that does well enough, but doesn't have a range of flavor or body to make the "must have" list.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 03, 2010 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
White tinned version. There is definitely a small amount of black tobacco in this, which tastes and smells like latakia. Or maybe it's the type of latakia that supposedly isn't in Presbyterian Mixture - a sort of non-latakia latakia. All I know is that both blends taste faintly of latakia and leave a room note of latakia, not to mention the tin aroma. So if it's not latakia, it's doing a very believable impersonation.
I found this tobacco unmemorable. The virginias seemed moderately interesting and there was a wisp of muted orientals that showed up from time to time but the predominate flavor was latakia... not that it was very prominent at all. The trouble with this blend is that there was not much flavor at all. It was mainly the proverbial "warm air" smoke. I never got to smoke the original but I'm guessing it was a richer blend in the past. This is forgettable, and I intend to forget it now that I finished about 2/3 of the tin. The room note was decent but nothing to get excited over. Admittedly, I overpuffed a few bowls to get some flavor to develop and paid the price with a bit of tongue burn. When I puffed normally, there was very little flavor to be discerned. Recommended only to those who like very light-flavored tobaccos with no complexity or "color" to them. Not a bad tobacco by any means but certainly nothing I'd care to repeat when there are so many other more deserving blends.
I found this tobacco unmemorable. The virginias seemed moderately interesting and there was a wisp of muted orientals that showed up from time to time but the predominate flavor was latakia... not that it was very prominent at all. The trouble with this blend is that there was not much flavor at all. It was mainly the proverbial "warm air" smoke. I never got to smoke the original but I'm guessing it was a richer blend in the past. This is forgettable, and I intend to forget it now that I finished about 2/3 of the tin. The room note was decent but nothing to get excited over. Admittedly, I overpuffed a few bowls to get some flavor to develop and paid the price with a bit of tongue burn. When I puffed normally, there was very little flavor to be discerned. Recommended only to those who like very light-flavored tobaccos with no complexity or "color" to them. Not a bad tobacco by any means but certainly nothing I'd care to repeat when there are so many other more deserving blends.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 02, 2009 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Sadly, J.J. Fox in St James's London, my local tobacconist, now only appear to have four tobaccos that they still blend themselves; the remainder have been handed over to Kohlhase, Kopp.
Such was the destiny for Campanile. I must admit that the last time I smoked a tin was one I purchased in the shop in Grafton Street, Dublin; it was a red labeled tin. So when I purchased a few tins in London recently, without realising that Kohlhase had entered the arena, I was so dis-appointed that I brought back two un-opened tins for refund. Luckily, the manager happened to be in the shop at the time and as a long-standing customer, she spent an hour with me explaining the circumstances under which a complete transformation of their blends has been undertaken.
While I was reassured that the blending of my all-time favourite English oriental is still undertaken by them, and there are no plans, at present, to transfer blending to Kohlhase, there is a certain enevitably about the eventual loss of this great oriental that has been around since 1904.
today's Campinile is a different cut, a different aroma, a different flavour and an altogether different tobacco from the founding original: It is blended from medium cut virginian and Turkish leaf (no black at all); it's smooth and sweet to the last, but it lost its classic English character.
I reviewed as 'somewhat recommended' purely from a perspective that some, not familiar with the original blend, might still find it appealing, but be under no illusions - another classic English destined for the annals of history!
Such was the destiny for Campanile. I must admit that the last time I smoked a tin was one I purchased in the shop in Grafton Street, Dublin; it was a red labeled tin. So when I purchased a few tins in London recently, without realising that Kohlhase had entered the arena, I was so dis-appointed that I brought back two un-opened tins for refund. Luckily, the manager happened to be in the shop at the time and as a long-standing customer, she spent an hour with me explaining the circumstances under which a complete transformation of their blends has been undertaken.
While I was reassured that the blending of my all-time favourite English oriental is still undertaken by them, and there are no plans, at present, to transfer blending to Kohlhase, there is a certain enevitably about the eventual loss of this great oriental that has been around since 1904.
today's Campinile is a different cut, a different aroma, a different flavour and an altogether different tobacco from the founding original: It is blended from medium cut virginian and Turkish leaf (no black at all); it's smooth and sweet to the last, but it lost its classic English character.
I reviewed as 'somewhat recommended' purely from a perspective that some, not familiar with the original blend, might still find it appealing, but be under no illusions - another classic English destined for the annals of history!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 30, 2008 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
This was genuinely disappointing. I missed out on the original, red-tinned, black-tobacco-free version of Campanile, so I can't compare my white-tinned version to that old standard. But I can say that this white-tinned version is just plain dull.
When I first popped the tin, I was greeted by a briny, olive-like aroma and I thought I was going to be in for a great ride. But after that promising start, the tobacco turned into...well...tobacco--neutral, dull, uninspired. It's very clean tasting, I suppose. But if tobacco had its neutral midpoint--the equivalent of distilled water on the pH scale--it would be this stuff.
It's easy to pack, lights and burns well, smokes cool, and I suspect that it will become my go-to tobacco for breaking in new pipes. No ghosts here. That's the only reason it reaches the "Somewhat Recommended" level.
When I first popped the tin, I was greeted by a briny, olive-like aroma and I thought I was going to be in for a great ride. But after that promising start, the tobacco turned into...well...tobacco--neutral, dull, uninspired. It's very clean tasting, I suppose. But if tobacco had its neutral midpoint--the equivalent of distilled water on the pH scale--it would be this stuff.
It's easy to pack, lights and burns well, smokes cool, and I suspect that it will become my go-to tobacco for breaking in new pipes. No ghosts here. That's the only reason it reaches the "Somewhat Recommended" level.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2021 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Nunca habÃa fumado Campanile. Siguiendo las reseñas pensé encontrarme con algo parecido al Elizabhetan pero sin perique. Grande fue mi sorpresa cuando abrà 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 tÃpicas 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.
Pipe Used:
Bbb
PurchasedFrom:
2020
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2020 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Strong |
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.
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.
PurchasedFrom:
M Cahill & Sons - Limerick, Ireland
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 16, 2019 | Extremely Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant to Tolerable |
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 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.
Pipe Used:
Dunhill 2S Shell Briar
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked:
Fresh Tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 05, 2018 | Extremely Mild | None Detected | Very Mild | Pleasant |
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 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.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Aran 53
Age When Smoked:
New
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