Peter Stokkebye English Luxury (No.17)

3rdguy

I only have had a sample of this. I would call it a light English. Not a lot of flavor to it.Retrohale is as exciting as a mouse fart. Burns easily. Smokes easily.Honestly it was a fairly boring experience. I guess if you wanted to try an English for the first timeI could recommend it but try it out in a small amount first. Too many fantastic English’s out there to put much stock in this one.

I remember this tobacco being better when fresh. I left about an ounce sitting in the cellar (a ball jar) for about a year and it aged horribly. Tastes like dust. I assume this is because of the burley/cavendish. I thought the Virginias would have aged the blend, but I could not detect them at all. The latakia was nonexistent. I remember liking this blend quite a lot at one point, so I would take this more as a caution against aging, rather than a real critique.

Peter Stokkebye - English Luxury (No.17).

The initial smell from the pouch suggests a casing/topping of some kind, vanilla seems the most probable suspect. It contains a higher proportion of lighter pieces in comparison to black ones: about a 65-35% split, roughly. The moistness was good when received.

If you're looking for a Lat-Bomb look elsewhere. A Lat-Bomb this is not, but it's quite a well rounded smoke. The Black Cavendish is at just the right weight to give a flavour, without making it seem like a sticky, gloopy, mess. To me the Latakia has an edge on the others, but that doesn't make it a bomb. The Lat' has a woody-smokiness, but is very well supported by the rest. The Burley seems to have been added in a larger amount compared to the Virginia: this is further down the pecking order. In the smoke, like I noted from the pouch-note, there's a sort of vanilla/custard flavour; it doesn't taste steadfastly aromatic, but is notable nevertheless. It's reliable with the burn, but unless taken carefully it can go too fast. Another problem's tongue bite, again, if I'm not careful it can nip.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: doesn't smell to bad but it fills the room with smoke.

English Luxury? I like the flavour so II'll be generous and forget the bite! Three stars:

Somewhat recommended.

"Luxury" -- ha! Ok, this is not a "luxury" tobacco, its not a "medium' english, and its not connoisseur smoke. I have low confidence that the tobaccos are of any particular quality (although it lights and burns fine, if a little quickly).

BUT, its really not bad. Imagine if Lane 1Q had a love child with Squadron Leader -- that's a fairly close approximation. Not as aro as 1Q, fine, and it's mainly cavendish with a dash of latakia and maybe a hint of the other components. Definitely on the sweet side, but not cloying or fundamentally aromatic.

Honestly, there's something charming and nostalgic about this smoke. It smells like something your grandfather may have pulled out of a pouch and smoked while sitting on a porch somewhere. I'm going to keep some around for when I want to have a smoke and smile at a simple life. Oh, and the aroma is great.

I'm gonna say 2 stars. I can't "recommend" it all that highly -- its not special or fancy or particularly great -- but I also don't dislike it at all. It's cheap and charming in its way.

For someone new to pipes, this would probably be an amazing intro. For seasoned smokers, put a couple ounces in a jar and smoke it for a grin sometimes. Don't come in with inflated expectations, and you'll leave happier than you planned.

An 'English' apparently without Orientals other than Latakia, which here is in small measure. Mostly Virginias, Burleys and Cavendish, the latter having a very sweet presence and a strange room note.

Burns easily and is mild with the occasional harsh note.

I admit that I don't understand this genre, which is a sort of American mild pseudo aromatic with Latakia. It is unsophisticated and easy and doubtless has a market, particularly at its low price. Not for me however.

While this baccy does not smoke hot or bite and leaves no bad taste or odor in the pipe or mouth, I can't find any redeeming quality that makes it desirable or a stand out. It packs OK and lights OK, but the smoking is extremely one dimensional, becomes quite harsh toward the end of the bowl, and lacks any real flavor that makes it likable. Also has a humectant added that makes it impossible to dry out to any appreciable degree. Will not become a staple in my lineup and will not be reordered. Also, would not recommend for newbies.

I like the balance on this American English mixture. A very consistent smoke from start to finish, the Latakia doesn't fade away towards the bottom of the bowl. Black Cavendish is not overwhelming and the burley has a very pleasant and subtle presence. Downside: tongue bite if not smoked very carefully.

Update: the flavoring has become too overwhelming for an English mixture. After this pouch, it's gone for good.

PS- Lux.English… First off, I personally view anything that attempts to over enhance the flavor/taste of my beloved Virginias or burleys blends unnecessary, and I smoke such blends, more or less as novelty or when I want change. When the flavor enhancer is a sweetener the blend is called an aromatic, where the enhancer is latakia it's called an English blend, same effect as I see it. For me, I personally prefer both enhancers kept to minimum, where they enhance the base tobaccos not bury them. Also IMO the latakia in this blend goes beyond the enhancement level, and is pretty much the major player in LE's taste and aroma. With that said, I do keep some LE on hand for those times when something different is called for, but if you prefer as I do, a dominant burly/Virginia taste and aroma, keep in mind that this tobacco (at least IMO) has a latakia dominant taste. Only somewhat recommended for those that prefer there tobacco blends more (USA) traditional.

I recommend this blend to smokers who are looking for an 'English-like' tobacco without the harshness of most English blends. I consider this to be a scaled-down version of 'Fox & Hound'. Not quite as strong as 'Fox & Hound', not quite the woodsy odor and aftertaste. The room note isn't great; burning cedar-like smell, but not a kick in the face like 'Fox & Hound'. More burleys and cavendish to help balance the smokey latakia.