Robert Lewis Orcilla Mixture

I had some difficulty mastering the packing technique with this shag cut mix of yellow to red tobaccos especially with my larger bowled pipes. However, my hand is used to packing VA flakes so this blend, a much finer cut, was quite a change for me. My tin also had small amounts of jet black ribbons and a greenish/gray oriental add. The room aroma received no compliments from non-smokers but is rather typical of this type of blend or even turkish cigarettes. I thought that it smoked cool and found the taste uniform from start to finish. However, I feel that the orientals overpoweed the VAs and their normal sweetness and resulted in a rather spicey taste. Although I can enjoy this as a change of pace, I would not choose this blend as a steady smoke. This blend is accurately advertised as a "classical oriental blend". If that's your pleasure, you'll most likely enjoy the high quality tobaccos in this blend.

My tin had ten years of age on it when opened, and then another year in jar as I’ve finally come to the last bowl. Supposedly this is comprised of Virginias and Turkish varietals that were already well aged when put in the tin, so this may have already been past peak when I opened the tin last year. There is a pervasive dullness to the Virginias that remind me a little of Tilbury; that soft-focus kind of bready Virginia without a lot of depth. I’m sure the Black Cavendish has gone mute. The Turkish provide some mellow nuttiness. There is also a subtle earthiness like loamy soil, and at times even mild cigar leaf (Soukham?).

There is a subtle “flavor steering” from the casing. Upon first light I get a hint of something like Tonquin, which I don’t really care for (and which puts me off wanting to try a newer tin where this might be more pronounced). This quasi-Lakeland note subsides fairly quickly and it its place a tickle of piquant spices of anisette, fennel and white pepper enliven the retrohale. Overall, a rather subdued blend (at least with this kind of age on it) best reserved for a slow, contemplative sipping session, perhaps in the morning with some Earl Grey tea.

I’m not sure about the “ages stunningly” sales pitch. If you have an old tin in your cellar I’d say it’s time to open it and enjoy before it quietly fades into oblivion.

Due to being a shag cut this burns very quickly, however it doesn't burn hot and I do not get any tongue bite. It is very mild in terms of nicotine, and therefore there can be a tendency to puff too hard and fast if you are not too careful and it goes quickly (it's good for a quick outside smoke when in work therefore!), however if you can puff slowly this is a very interesting blend.

At the start of the bowl there is the right amount of refreshing Turkish in there (and a very nice tin smell), making it for me at least a good morning blend. But then things get very interesting as you get to the middle and then to the end of the bowl as a lovely spicey flavour comes to the fore. I would class it still as a mild flavour, but by no means a 'thin' one, and as others have said this would make a very good all day blend for those who smoke a lot of bowls.

Tin smells of fruit and good Virginia hay with subtle leathery notes. It's light and sweet at first when the virginias dominate, but the orientals quickly come into play and it gets quite spicy, almost peppery towards the end.

Nothing else like it on the market and deserves to be tried. It took me a while to get into this tobacco, and my tin has lasted me nearly a year, while countless other tin have been popped and smoked in the same time, but when I'm in the mood for it and it's subtleties, it's a damn fine blend and I'll revisiting it as long as it's available. And I have to agree with a previous reviewer and say that this is an excellent (fall) autumn tobacco. Try it!

This supremely elegant tobacco has a wonderfully delicate and understated quality. The sweet VA is beautifully tempered by the orientals, whilst the soft touch of cavendish has an almost wispy aromatic sweetness.

This is a very special blend, and I plan to stock up with a lifetime's worth.

The nicotine level is a little higher than the taste suggests.

It was brought to me for testing by my friend Dimitris or dm14 on the meeting of 20th February 2008. It is finely chopped.

Its color is orange and red. No black leaves. No artificial wrapping, only a little sweet Virginia aroma with a twist of Oriental. Virginia has probably matured nicely. Absolutely no taste or aroma of Latakia. It fills easily and evenly the bowl, leaving a white layer of ash in the end. If it had a little, only a little, smoked black Cavendish, it would reach perfection.

I will try it again, as well as the rest of the Robert Lewis series.

This is a very nice fall tobacco. Lots of Oriental, never bitter, nice mature Virginia. This is not a big smoke, not overwhelming, but pleasant with enough dimension to keep it interesting. Seems more rounded and a little less monochromatic compared to EMP. I also tried this along side of Campanile. It somehow just seems a bit more mature, a little more smooth. Smokes down to fine ash, pleasant all the way. An excellent fall walking trip tobacco.

Update June 2009. I found a can of this that had been opened but well kept for at least a year laying about. It is far more spicy and strong than I remember it being! Seems the orientals are reALLY coming out and there an almost perique like spiciness that takes over near the last third of the bowl. A little different than I remember it, but still a very good smoke.

This has become my Dunhill EMP. Its cut is almost shag and rather easy to pack in my opinion. It is a nice medium oriental blend. Its flavor is nutty, sweet, and slightly spicy, but never overbearing. It is somehow completely satisfying and incredibly modest. Its room note is a neutral, nutty aroma that I happen to like very much. It evolves little over the course of the bowl, but that is a quality I tend to like in this kind of tobacco. It is mild enough to be an all-day tobacco, but at the same time, its flavor is enough to be a great end to a good meal.

This light bodied blend is pleasing and somewhat wistful in temper. Complex yet soft spoken in nature, I would recommend smoking it indoors or you may miss some of the subtle nuances afforded the smoker. The presence of Perique tempers the bite of a Virginia that burns with a slightly acrid sweetness. The Oriental Leaf is in the background providing some moderation to what otherwise could be an unremarkable blend. The cut is fine and long, so you will have no trouble keeping it lit. If you pack it lightly, it will draw smoothly. As a diversion, I would recommend this blend as worthwhile in the assembly of light Oriental mixtures. This is a blend that can only improve with age as volatile Virginias often do.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a Yanik Daemon Skull