Thomas Radford Sunday's Fantasy

It is a good tobacco for beginners, easy to light, burns good, not wet at all, yet gets hot. Although it is an aromatic, I taste the tobacco and it makes me happy, maybe it's the sugar that someone mentioned earlier, maybe it is the pipe, whatever the reason, it is fun. If you just started smoking a pipe, you should try his one.

This aromatic is living proof that it is possible to blend a sweet aromatic that doesn't taste soapy or burn hot and wet, and frankly there aren't many out there that you can say that about. Sweet (not too sweet) peachy, vanilla with a delightful and mild flowery perfume. Presentation in the tin is 100%, wispy light golden and black 'corn flakes' of tobacco. Smokable straight from the tin, no drying required. I love the way the baccy is wrapped in plastic in the tin, sealing in all these warm aromas. I smoke this in a big Stanwell 9mm filter poker, puffing madly to see if I can get it to smoke hot or wet (I don't know what other reviewers are talking about!) it will not, it just plain refuses to. It just makes you wonder what all those other leading makers are doing so wrong. I have finally found a sweet, mild aromatic that can hold it's own against a strong English or a dark flake. Well done Pöschl, you've put the "I never smoke aromatics" snobs in their place with this one. Oh, if that isn't enough it's about 30% cheaper than 50grm tins by Peterson's, Solani, or Davidoff. TOP.

I'm not as ga-ga over this as Dub is, but he makes good points. Smoking this in a Savinelli Hercules, it burns nice and easy, no bite, no moisture buildup. Was ready to smoke out of the tin. Big chuncks of brown and black tobacco, reminded me of GLP Telegraph Hill in size, and packed just as easy.

I'm normally a Va/Per smoker about 90% of the time, for some reason felt like cracking a tin of something totally different while not making me gag down a heavy latakia blend. I also don't smoke aromatics much at all, maybe three bowls a year, and this will be my first of '08.

Not as nice as MacBaren Vanilla Cream in my books, less bitey though, and still a decent aromatic if you're in the mood for it and don't want to upset the neighbors with a foul smelling latakia blend.

This is a surprisingly dry tobacco right out of the tin. It is broad-cut with even mixture of light & dark flakes. It smells very fruity, like berries, fruit cake....very pleasant, right out of the tin. Upon lighting, it has a medium flavor/taste which I could not put my finger on (similar to tonquin in 1792).....But I believe Tantric has hit it...."nutmeg"....very distinctive taste. You could smoke this blindfolded and know which tobacco it was. Room note is also pleasant. I did have some difficulty keeping it lit due to the porous/coarse nature of the packing. It may benefit to rub some out and place sprinkles on top of the other flakes and to get a really good charring light. Pipesand Cigars.com has a really good price (5 tins for $12.500, making this a very nice tobacco:price ratio. The tin is also a collectible!! I would give it strong 3-stars.

IMO, this tobacco strongly suggests a nutmeg flavour with perhaps a hint of bergamot. However, I would not classify it as a syrupy drugstore blend. The tobacco comes, as most Radfords do, in a picturesque tin, depicting an early Nineteenth century gentleman on a stroll (probably a relative of Johnny Walker, or Johnny Walker himself!). Visually it is a very attractive tobacco: the wild cut texture conveys a rich and highly contrasting mixture, comprising toasted Black Cavendish, bright Virginias and I imagine a certain amount of Burley or some Kentucky leaf. It is relatively easy to pack, but rather difficult to light and keep lit.

When lighting, the first thing I noticed was a piquant mildness that, yes, eventually lead to a mild case of tongue bite. The rich flavour was also evident from the very beginning, and remained so for the rest of the smoke, lingering on the palate (and nostrils!) for quite some time. Yet it did not really burn hot (like many MacBarens). Very tasty and perfumed, it however managed to deliver enough tobacco taste to make it, IMO, worthwhile, though at one point I was not sure if I was smoking pipe tobacco or Earl Gray tea (nutmeg? bergamot?).

A very refined, but unnecessarily mild smoke, Sunday Fantasy is a unique tobacco. I would recommend it to those novice pipe smokers who are looking to move on from typical drugstore blends, or as a change of pace for more experienced smokers seeking to indulge, once in a very long while, in original cased flavours with a hint of tobacco.

Fairly interesting blend. The first few rounds feel like hell, it bites, it burns hot, but as time passes one will learn the tricks to unleash it's full potential. As you open the pack, you'll face two facts. One, it is dry as hell and two, it's texture is very unique. It almost feels like packing cornflakes into your pipe. Pouch note is straightforward incredible, wild scents of fruit and hints of vanille and rum. The taste is not so fantastic as you'd expect, but is also okay, with tastes of mild fruits and freshly cut hay.

So, few tips for you. One, forget redamping, you'll never succeed. Two, learn to smoke slow but steady. This way, you'll be able to smoke a dry blend. Three, tamp it tight and do not let it loosen up. This'll help you maintain a nice smoke with light puffs.

Not bad, but there are way more "useful" aromatics, and they are also waaaaaay cheaper. 2,5 stars

If you aren’t a fan of aromatic tobacco, that is top heavy on the Cavendish, then you won’t be liking this, let alone leaving a favourable review. For those of us who are partial to sneaky bit of aromatic bliss then this is a fine example of the blenders art form.

There is a lovely smell of vanilla, apricot and plum straight out of the jar; more vanilla than the others and a most inviting aroma.

The mixture is heavy on the black Cavendish, with some golden rays of golden Virginia thrown in and it smokes fast, as most Cavendish’s do.

I personally like a Cavendish heavy blend when time is of the essence but I am appreciating them year but year and the more I smoke them.

This is scented but not sticky with scent; you actually get some of the scent through as flavour, especially in a cob.

The room note smells lovely but doesn’t out stay it’s welcome - this appears to be tolerated by the other half…at least she hasn’t said anything about it yet; long may that continue.

It does smoke quickly and a change in smoking pace is required to get the best from it; too quickly and it burns the bejesus out of the tongue I find, but slowed down and sipped it reminds me of a fine sherry.

I doubt I could smoke this everyday, let alone all day but it is lovely for a change of pace when the urge comes on me. It is one of the finer aromatics I think and well worth a try if aro’s are your thing.

It isn’t weak on the nic and gets the old ticker ticking so, perhaps oddly, I wouldn’t recommend it to a beginner but the taste is fab.

Oh, this is another step in time, to one of the first tobaccos I’ve smoked!

Tin note: Strong, boy! Strong! Leave this tin open and you’ll have your room scented for 3 days. Strong vanilla taste, some flower notes, just a little dry fruit and plums and just a little citrus. Very strong and sweet, almost to the extend of a woman’s perfume.

Cut: Coarse cut, large pieces of tobacco, but “mixture cut” would apply to this better. Equal amount of black and gold leaf. Very easy to pack.

Burn: Lights up perfectly. Burns excellent, doesn’t go off, doesn’t deliver hot smoke, doesn’t get the pipe hot, yet it might bite if not smoked carefully or if it’s too dry.

Taste/Aroma/Flavor: The first smokes deliver some dried fruit and plum notes, with some shy vanilla notes and it’s also a bit citrusy (lemons I detect). As you smoke, it gets lighter and smoother, delivering mostly vanilla and plum notes, but also a soapy taste. Has a cool smoke as well, won’t bite if smoked properly. The virginia can also be detected, even though it is dominated by the black cavendish. However, the soapy taste gets way too pronounced as you continue, and if you smoke from a P-lip the roof of your mouth will feel like you accidentally got some soap in it and will feel like it’s getting a thick layer on it. Retrohaling doesn’t give much. Use a fishtail stem for this one.

Conclusion: The tin smell and room note are good if you want to perfume your home or impress ladies. The burn is excellent. But the taste... maybe if it didn’t have that heavy soapy taste it would be better tolerated, but this is just too much, feels too chemical. I wouldn’t recommend it, unfortunately.

The tobacco itself smells very "peachy," especially just after opening the tin, but as I'm smoking it, I'm not finding a lot of that pleasant sweet peach aroma. In fact, the smoke tastes harsh and bitter - not pleasant at all. Also not used to the wild cut, maybe I'm not doing it properly but I find wild cuts to be more difficult to burn. Tried this for two smokes and decided to give up.