Robert Lewis Orcilla Mixture

After an exhausting morning spent shopping for brass collar stiffeners on Jermyn St, and in need of some restoration I bobbed around the corner to James Fox, one of the finest examples of a Tobacconists one can ever hope to encounter within these glorious isles.

Looking for something oriental, the Wise Old Sage recommended Orcilla Mixture, a long-standing best seller, and seeing no reason to argue, I handed over the necessary doubloons and followed the well-worn rabbit trail to Green Park to enjoy the horticulture.

There is nothing quite like popping a fresh tin of tobacco. The satisfying rush of air as the seal is broken, the unveiling of the stained paper, the careful lifting of the card, followed by the plunging of the head deep into the leaf, like a pig snuffling for truffles. I know how Howard Carter must have felt when he opened Tutankhamun's tomb.

I didn't detect any latakia in the tin note, although I wouldn't have objected if I had. It's about as fine a smell as nature has to offer. The cut is more shag than ribbon, and maybe a little damp so would benefit from a few minutes drying and loose packing to avoid steam.

It does have a tendency to burn quickly, so not one to smoke outdoors on a windy day, but for my park bench in a green oasis in the metrop on a still early-autumn day, it was the snake's eyebrows.

A mixed shag cut which is predominantly of a rich milk chocolate brown color with a smattering of dirty tan and black ribbons. Not very well sorted, stems and rough cut chucks can be found throughout. The tin nose is fragrant and sweet with a very slight woody smokiness in the background. Packed moist and laden with sticky humectants, once sufficiently dried the fine cut allows for easy packing and lighting although it can grow hot rather quickly if puffed too aggressively.

Light in body and rather subtle in overall effect, Orcilla Mixture offers pleasant though somewhat airy notes of lemonade, white wine, roasted pumpkin seed, and black pepper. The Virginias are mildly sweet and slightly tart with the Oriental component(s) adding a bit of sour spice. Apt to bite the impatient, the finish is lightly spicy and lingering.

A mild Oriental mixture in a solid Virginia base, the version of Orcilla Mixture on which this review is based is certainly not the best of class. At the same time, however, one could do worse. Even so, in this reviewer's opinion it is not worth cellaring given the superiority of several available alternatives. This review is based on the German produced version coming from a tin which dates to approximately 2006.

The Robert Lewis mixtures are a recent discovery of mine, and I'm happy to have found them having lost several of my favourite Dunhill mixtures. Orcilla is a lovely light blend with Orientals taking centre stage and the merest hint of Latakia. The Perique is barely detectable.

On opening the tin a lovely Marzipan sweet smell rises to greet you - entirely natural, there's no topping. There's spice, yeast fresh bread, malt, horse food, and some oriental funk. The tobacco is a fine ribbon cut, mostly bright and light browns, with a few flecks of black leaf. It's on the drier side, and packs and lights perfectly.

The flavour has from the first light a delicate sweetness, with a light oriental spice. It's bready, lightly toasty at times and slightly astringent. If you search, you'll detect a hint of smoke, like the hint of a faraway campfire over the hills, but that's all the latakia offers. Centre stage are the glorious orientals, at times slightly sour and always astringent like a cup of black tea. Think of a cup of Turkish style black tea with sugar, and that'll give you an idea, I think the sweetness is provided here by the Virginias. The Perique seems to contribute to the subtle sour character of the Turkish, but it's the merest hint of a seasoning here.

It'll burn fairly completely, doesn't need an excessive number of relights, and responds well to "breath smoking" really gently to bring out the best flavour. If you puff a little harder it produces magnificent plumes of smoke but the flavour suffers a little.

This is a fine morning pipe, ideally on a lazy morning with time to appreciate it fully. It's not very strong, so feel free to load up a large pipe and really take some time over it. You can have it ticking over in the background while doing something else, but it deserves your attention from time to time.

This tobacco really is splendid, I've already bought more in fear of it too disappearing. It's not a substitute for my dear Durbar, it's different and unique, as have all the Robert Lewis mixtures been that I've tried so far. It's comparable to Early Morning Pipe in strength and light character, perhaps just a shade richer but with considerably more Oriental flavour.

I'm currently smoking some roughly 3.5 year old Orcilla Mixture, so I'm basing this review mostly on that... with some memories of fresh Orcilla.

I've always really liked Orcilla Mixture, but I haven't bought a tin in almost a year. The tin I'm smoking from now was actually one from my cellar that I forgot about. And I have to admit, It ages *beautifully*. Fresh Orcilla has a tin note of very faint fruit/figs, Oriental sharpness, and a slight bit of hay. Tin note of this 3 year old batch is much sweeter and more raisiny/figgy. The Oriental tobacco scent is there, but it's less sharp and more subtle/complex. And the hay is gone, replaced with something that is more like vanilla. There isn't any real discernible latakia scent in either. First few puffs of the aged Orcilla... *very* smooth. So much smoother than I remember fresh Orcilla being. It's sweeter, less sharp, and more complex than fresh. The Oriental "dryness" in the fresh is replaced by a more complex buttery-ness in the aged. Both are quite rich. Orcilla has a unique flavor even when smoked fresh, which is a big part of why I like it so much. The Orientals have this really nice, lemony, almost floral note that I haven't tasted in any other blend. That flavor is still there in the aged version.

Bottom line: I really like Orcilla Mixture. When smoked fresh, I consider it a great blend, but aged at least a few years, it's phenomenal.

Incendio sent me a couple of bowlsful to sample, which I did in a small egg and in an Oom Paul. Orcilla ranks among the SMOOTHEST blends I have tried; not a hint of harshness. Wonderfully aged Virginias and a hint of Latakia. Sweet and slightly grassy. Smoked easily to the bottom of both bowls. Not one puff was distasteful. I'm going out and buying some as soon as I finish this review.

The reviews and the header description suggest there is some confusion about the component tobaccos used in this mixture.

A mostly golden shag tobacco. The tin note has an aroma that I have never properly identified, but is common enough: a vanilla and malt scent that I think is supposed to be whisky. This topping fooled me into thinking that Orcilla Mixture was a straight Va, since there is little Oriental on the tin nose.

This deception is immediately ripped away at first light and the oriental aromas, spicy and sour and somewhat peppery, burst into life. This is a very bright and lively tobacco and wonderfully refreshing.

No latakia that I could detect either by sight or smell.

Burns beautifully and completely, but is finished in a trice. A winner for me.

...as stated, this mixture is "old school" in nature and has been around over 100 years...My first introduction to this mixture was in the early 1960's and was primarily responsible for my developing taste of Oriental tobaccos.

While there has been changes in how this mixture is processed, it still has very strong ties to what I smoked from the 60's to the late 80's.

I find the overall aroma and taste of this mixture mild and yet tasty...and while not overly complex, flavor variations throughout the bowl are wonderful. Recently re-kindling my interest in finding some of the "old" tobaccos I smoked, it has been a pleasure to find a few of those I am fond of.

This wouldn't be an all-day smoke for many but for those of us who truly enjoy Oriental tobaccos, this fits the bill nicely.

I normally smoke this in a group 4-5 size pipe and keep it moist as it controls burn rate better. It is shag cut but not a fine or "eye lash" cut. If you favor Oriental mixtures...Orcilla may be a good choice.

...a pipe is to be savored...

Not bad but nothing exciting. Cut remind me of Dunhill blends , Royal Yacht comes to mind for flavor. Wife did not care for this scent.

agree with reviewer "NEWMAN 10/23/2003 "

I was looking for a tobacco that was different. This is certainly different.

Tin aroma is amazing figs/raisins. The cut is, as many have commented, more a shag cut than the usual ribbon cut of most tobaccos. Soft and nicely moist.

Therefore a light hand is required when filling, although I suspect you might get away with a good old stuff and see.

After the initial tin fragrance I thought, this is going to stink the house out. It didn't and (somewhat disappointingly, as my stepson has given up cigarettes) I have had no comment whatsoever.

The same is true of a pipe ; you'd think with that this tobacco would ghost your best, but it doesn't. It doesn't bite either.

Of course, being such a fine cut it likes a big pipe for maximum enjoyment and burns through very quickly. Demon puffers would be loading pipe after pipe with this one. So, as some reviewers have suggested, this would serve well as an all day smoke.

It's a easy, pleasant enough smoke with some of the nuances already noted. Ultimately I suspect, it could end up becoming bland and boring as the contents of the tin diminish.

Can't say I'd be busting a gut to land another tin in a hurry when this has gone but an interesting blend nonetheless and worth trying if you want something a little different.