James Fox The Banker's Mixture

I allowed my tin of The Bankers to age nine months before I opened it for the first time. It is a very pleasant tobacco to look at and sniff while in the tin. I wonder what the original J. J. Fox blend was like, as I was not overly thrilled with the Kohlhass & Kopp version once I packed my pipe(s) and lit up. Don't get me wrong, The Bankers is a decent smoke, but I believe there are better blends for the price. I picked up very subtle, very occasional hints of Cuban leaf, but for the most part the smoke was a one-dimensional very very mild English. It smokes smoothly, doesn't bite and was quite mild from first light to the light fluffly ash left in the bottom of my pipe. My wife does not/did not care for the room note and remarked that it was quite acrid. (This is really the only tobacco which she has criticized; she generally enjoys the room notes of most of which I smoke.) I have tried The Bankers in a number of different sized pipes (from Petersons 317 to an Ardor Ninfea of about group 5 to a big big Cavicchi). It behaved about the same in all pipes. My other complaint was that while I am a pretty slow puffer, The Bankers sure seemed to burn quickly... I've noticed others have had the exact opposite experience and wonder again whether the original blend by Fox burned slower. I enjoyed my tin, but not enough to buy another as it is rather expensive.

I agree with others that this is a very subdued English blend in all respects: it is a most gentle, exceedingly smooth, sweet and mild English yet largely one-dimensional. Regardless, I found it different than many other English blends I have smoked that are all too similar. I will call The Bankers a ?unique? English blend. The Havana leaf in this blend must be in the most, minute proportion as there are several other 'cigar' blends that present more cigar notes than The Bankers. Although hard to detect, I have no doubt that the presence of the Havana leaf is what makes this English blend unique. I also swear that this blend actually ?soothes? the tongue making it an ideal end of the day smoke that will cure ?tongue weariness.' ?CHECK' it out! BANK a few tins of this in your tobacco VAULT!

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this blend 8.8 out of 10.

Considering this "cigar blend" is the most expensive blend in my current "pantry", I have to come down harsh on it just a little. It is a standard English at its core with just a hint of something more underneath. It lights well, burns moderately well once dried, and gives an ok room note. It has a pleasant complexity to it, nothing too suprising after the first few puffs. It smokes slow enough for a long and enjoyable session, only bites the tongue a little, and relaxes more than kicks.

The problem I have with it is the fact that the Havana blend-in is too subtle. Occasionally I would pick up a hint of it on the tongue throughout the longest portion of the smoke, but generally the flavor was dominated by what I would assume to be Perique but is possibly the Havana interacting with the Latakia. I could sort of pick it up in the room. Once, in the middle of the bowl, it intensified for a few puffs before dropping back down, and that was the best part of the experience.

Without a stronger presence, it is not worth the (slightly) steeper price tag. It will cost you a good three to five dollars more than the tin sitting next to it, and will not distinguish itself enough to justify it.

Not sure about this one yet - pleasant but bit bland with a hint of bite - sounds contradictory I know. It could be that I haven't quite got it yet. Also am smoking in a pipe that is not yet fully broken in yet (in the same pipe Provost is superb). However, I don't get the feeling it is a cigar substitute. A nice if bland smoke - nothing special - unless it is dramatically different in one of my other pipes not one to repeat. Smokes cool with a slightly nutty flavour- burns to a fine ash. Would rate it 2.5 stars - nothing wrong with it but not enough to make me come back for more. Will update soon.

Well I think I get this tobacco now - rich and creamy with a slightly nutty or woody flavour - there is more to it than that but I can't quite describe what. There is the mildest of mild hints of a cigar but not a full blown havana. I smoked it in a properly broken in pipe and it was a different beast altogether from my intital reaction - nice and cool. So why not four stars, well I think it does not quite have the depth of the Dorisco and Provost and it is a bit high in nicotine for me although it tastes quite mild it packs a punch. Enjoyable - will definitely revisit it on occasion but not every day - more of an evening smoke with a bottle of beer.

I must assume I bought the made in Germany version as it was not like I thought it would be. I like a good cigar. No where in this blend was there the suggestion of a good cigar. An O.K. medium English blend. Two and one-half stars.

Although I normally smoke VA flakes, this was an enjoyable change for me. The tin aroma is strong and gives more than a hint of Latakia. This fades somewhat after the tin is opened and the tobacco dries some. I also obtained more consistent packing and therefore smoking after drying but this may be more a matter of personal taste. The nicely prepared wide ribbons range from light brown to deep black. Smaller amounts of greenish/grey Havana cigar leaf are also present but don't overpower the taste or room aroma. If you're seeking more of a cigar influence, go with Mogano. There is no question that you are smoking high quality pipe tobacco. Overall, the taste is rich but creamy, cool and smooth and the various components complement each other very well and were masterfully blended. Although the taste and nicotine content are greater than my choice for an all day smoke and I miss the natural sweetness of my favorite VAs, after a meal, this blend is fantastic. However, the room aroma is strong and was disliked by non-smoking family and friends. But they don't like cigar smoke either.

Ireally enjoy this blend. I liek the occasional cigar so I picked htis up to see if I could get some cigar influance. Good choice.

It did get a little flat near the end.IMO

This is a wonderful blend which I've just recently discovered, devouring a tin in less than a week.

It is a medium English mixture, with a decent but not large amount of Latakia and a very nice VA base to which real Havana tobacco is added. I don't know for sure but all my taste detectors tell me this is the genunine thing, not chopped up White Owls or shredded Garcia Vegas; there is the unmistakable taste of the world's finest (cigar) leaf, albeit probably floor sweepings. I've had a Cuban cigarette before and it had the same taste component as I find here, but in an artfully made pipe tobacco it tastes much better of course.

It is not like smoking a Cohiba at all, not as heavy, though smoking in a larger diameter bowl will increase the body a bit and intensify the experience. Rather this is an incredibly smooth English mixture (one of the smoothest I've had) with an extra component of creaminess and strength from the cigar leaf. So this provides a good kick for those who look for such things.

I haven't had the orginal so I have nothing to complain about. I don't detect any humectant, my tin dried out nicely (drying is needed otherwise it does taste bland. The proper amount of drying will change the strength from med to med-full imho). The cons: it's expensive and not available everywhere.

This is a truly excellent blend. I echo all above, adding only that The Bankers is very fine from match to dottle, developing nicely but not getting too acrid or sour near the bottom of the bowl. It is smooth, full but not at all overwhelming.

One curious detail is that I've had my current tin open for 3 months or so, and it shows absolutely no sign of drying out, leading me to wonder if there is some type of casing or humectant in there somewhere ... but no matter. And besides, I find it a bit annoying to rehydrate a tin, that's just a quirk of mine. Now granted, I do keep my tins (most of the time) sealed in relatively airtight sandwich baggies, but even with that treatment an opened tin will dry out over time.

About a year ago, I embarked on a search for a pipe blend containing cigar leaf. After a few duds (Dunhill's "Cuba" should probably remain in Cuba, or in London at the very least), I found and settled upon Fox's 'The Bankers'--perfect for those moments that cry out for the subtle orchestration of a fine English blend combined with the bold edge of cigar leaf--or just about anytime a bold-yet-smooth smoke is desired.