Thomas Radford Sunday's Fantasy

I would say the blend is based on 70% black cavendish, 20% virginia, 10% burley. Burns somewhat weird to me because of the wild cut. I smoked it straight when I opened the pouch, and when it aged like 5 months. I didn't mean to age it, but since the tobacco was staying on my shelf for months, I gave another try, for few bowls. It still remains "insignificant" for me, somehow undistinguishable from other cavendish based aromatic blends. One may notice the weak citrus as you go beyond the half bowl.

But hey, Missouri corn cob gave me a little more pleasant smoke than other briar pipes. Anyway, still not recommended.

Sunday Fantasy was a tobacco I was really looking forward to as it is supposed to be a “high end” aromatic. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a nice, colorful paper lid with the tobacco wrapped in cellophane underneath. The tin scent is that of a higher quality aromatic as there wasn't any artificial or chemical smell to the blend. The “wild” cut of the tobacco wasn't the easiest to work with. Unlike many aromatics, SF was also fairly dry and pipe ready. SF is medium in sweetness and it does burn cleanly. I simply didn't think that the flavor warranted the reputation. When I do smoke an aromatic, I want to satisfy a sweet tooth or a desire for a dessert tobacco. SF didn't fill the bill for me on either count. However, I do think that if a tin can be found that many will like this blend, as it could be an all day smoke for the aromatic fan. It just wasn't for me.

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.

This tobacco is quite attractive to the eye, the wild cut of brown shades & black makes it very appealing to me.

he pouch-note is very strong, the fruit/citrus notes do come through. There is a brandy/sherry like sweetness to it, which makes me think it may have been stoved in barrels or perhaps had alcohol added at some point in its production.

The tobacco loads easily & takes the light well. It is worth bearing in mind that I received mine as a sample from a friend, so I cannot comment on how it burns straight from the tin, although mine was in no way dried out, so I think it was quite fresh. Required few relights.

The room note is fairly pleasant, fruity and mildly spiced.

The taste is okay, and what I expected it to be from the pouch note, fruity & rich, and also quite overpowering. The tobacco doesn't particularly shine, but I don't know if this is just due to too much topping, or the topping combining with weak flavourless tobaccos. Given the strength of the added topping, though, I suspect the former. Towards the end of the bowl, when the topping has largely burned off, the tobacco can be tasted, but it's really too little, too late for me.

No tongue bite was received from this tobacco. Thus ends my short foray into the word of aromatics, I'm going to be sticking mostly to English blends & Virginias from now on, I think. I may sample some other aromatics at some point in the future, but was not particularly excited by any of them (apart from Clementines Nip from GQ - an outstanding smoke). I'll give this two stars, wasn't terrible, but not something that made the Earth move, not by a long shot.

When you open the tin you’re invaded by an astonishing flavor of chocolate and fruit but, when you smoke it, the flavor is less pungent. It gives its top flavor in corn cob pipe, it’s a good beginner tobacco but there are better tobaccos around.

A nice and easy smoke. Aroma/incense with a very mild taste. Ashy at some point. Reminds of England.

Quite pleasant as sweet cavenish aromatics go. The cut is bizarre and defies classification, and it takes a little getting used to. However, once you get it sussed it works quite well, burns evenly and with minimal relights.

The aroma is predominantly vanilla, but with a generous shot of fruit as well, different to most other armatics in this style. People comment how pleasant it smells, so it's doing something right.

Taste is mild, mostly pleasant, but becomes a little hot and steamy at the end. I find this with most cavendish aromatics. Smoked gently it is quite enjoyable, and I occasionally buy it again.

Marketed as a stronly flavoured and fruity-vanilla scent, it does live up to its expectations even after just moments of opening and after 2 months drying. Smells like a southern fruit bouquet to me, mostly mango and vanilla. If I wanted to say something non-tobacco, it is like a kind, sweet rum, Bumbu would be the most similar.

The texture is strange, kinda like flaky, has a lot of longer, bigger parts/cuts, but it has smaller flakes as well. If you are using the gravity fill method, I would put these flakes on the middle/upper section (of a bigger pipe) as they should not be discarded. It is really wet and needs to be rubbed, but when left to dry, still manages to retain a good structure and smell.

As summer came fast I did light up some cigars and went out a lot, sor a cheap, unnamed pipe was used for this, and was left for a long sime in my bag, of course after 1.5 months it was dry. Even when dry it smoked and tasted well, of course, you smnoke a dry tobacco diffferently, not to bite etc., but I liked it.

I give it 2, because it is not a bad tobacco, the room note is real nice, everyone near me approved of the sweet smoke and scent left behind.

Personal opinion: The rating is "low" because in my opinion there are better aromatics on the market and for better price (even in hungary), like the Peterson Aran. I thought it would be a similar blend, but the aroma is different, nevertheless, they can easily be compared.

The pouch smell remind of fruity-flavored tea and the taste is pretty consistent with the smell: kind of nectarine/apricot sweetness and citrusy tangy, a bit of grassiness as well from Virginias. It’s a rather pleasant aromatic with a decent Virginia base but too acidic for my taste, recommended for those looking for a fruity aromatic Virginia and don’t care too much for a stubborn ghost in the bowl.