F & K Bat With A Hat

I would have never picked this up on my own, as the name itself was a bit annoying to me and struck me simply as a marketing gimmick. However, upon a solid recommendation from a local pipe store, I went ahead a took the plunge... and I'm glad I did. Very glad. A little moist at first, but still totally enjoyable right out of a fresh tin. Although the snooty english blend/aro-hater will condemn this blend, keep in mind... this is nothing more than a very nice aromatic. The tin note is outstanding with a light, barely noticeable hint of cinnamon and raisin. BwaH smoked cool...even when I puffed like a train. No single flavor was dominant. While in public settings, I only smoke aromatics to help with the perception of pipe smoking and this one received compliments from a stranger. Its a crowd-pleaser and an enjoyable, relaxing smoke.

let me start by saying to all new pipe smokers that this review is subjective and your taste is going vary to some degree due to your body chemistry. One final preliminary is I try whenever possible to test out new tobaccos with a new corn cob before smoking them out of a briar to get an idea of the flavor. That being said your experience might vary depending on your pipe. BWAT to me is a "soft" aromatic. That is to say, it stays fairly cool with not much tongue bite at all unless you really freight train it( constantly draw on your pipe). It seems to me that when you get a really cool smoking tobacco you are going to sacrifice some strength or flavor. BWAT seems to be a happy medium for me. The vanilla and caramel are the flavors that stand out to me.

The strength is mild 2 out of 10 unless you smoke it down through the heel which I did. Then it can get to a 3 perhaps 4. The same could be said for what some call the nic hit.

Flavor/taste It is a really nice "goldilocks" pipe tobacco. Not too strong, not too week, for me it is juuuust right. I would call it a 5 out of 10. keep in mind, in my book a 10 would be too strong and a 0 would have no flavor. I can taste the tobacco a little under the flavoring and I like the combination. It is worth mentioning for new pipe smokers that you need to develop a sipping draw to enjoy a lot of pipe tobaccos. Which some call a "breath" method. In order to taste the flavor. (do not inhale) if you push it through your nose occasionally you can smell/taste a sort of floral note. What some new to pipe smoking might call the “actual taste” is going to be like a swisher sw33t, only better.

Tin note Very pleasant vanilla…perhaps cookie scent. I can smell the tobacco under it (which I enjoy).

Room note Holy smoke. This is the first room note where I can smell what others are describing. The scent of baking cookies/cake is incredible.

If you like aromatics then I suspect you will really enjoy this. If you normally do not smoke aromatics regularly then this tobacco will probably come across different (perhaps a stronger vanilla/caramel flavor) but I think still enjoyable.

I have recently purchased approx. 12 different aromatic blends to sample and chose the best to add to my daily/weekly rotation. Needless to say, I just ordered 3 more cans of this.

Enjoy and God bless.

From beginning to end it's an enjoyable smoke. Mild yet satisfying. Easy to smoke, burns well and doesn't bite. Any fan of aros will be in for a treat. I've gone through 2 tins so far and it just gets better. Room note is girlfriend approved!

~(_8(|)

Bat with a Hat is a delicious, caramel/vanilla Aromatic that, as one reviewer suggested, is a deeper version of Lane's deservedly famous 1-Q. That said, Bat's feel is of greater burley but with good natural sugars from the Black Cavendish and the Virginias. It is one of the ten or so best Aromatic blends I smoke regularly -- not as good as, say, Evening Stroll from Milan, Autumn Evening from C&D, or Connoisseur's Choice from Peterson, but certainly on a par with 1-Q as mentioned, and either 7 Seas Black or Gold from MacBaren.