Rattray Black Mallory

Black Mallory is a sublime Scottish blend. The Latakia and a good dose of black Cavendish and Virginias combine to provide a smoke that is very smooth and mild, yet rich and savory. It has a luscious burning aroma.

The blend does come a bit damp in the tin so I dried the leaf until it was perfect for smoking. The short-cut ribbons make for an easy 3-part firm pack. Burns fairly cool to a powdery fine white ash and it leaves a lingering Latakia aftertaste.

After 5 or 6 months in the jar, Black Mallory becomes even more savory. The rich Latakia, black Cavendish and VAs further meld to make a rich, satisfying smoke without overwhelming nicotine. And, after smoking a fair amount of Picadilly Circus lately, I'd say Black Mallory is less Latakia forward and the sweetness is a bit more noticeable. Black Mallory is definitely a milder and sweeter blend than Picadilly Circus but it does seem to have more nicotine than Picadilly Circus (and it burns a bit warmer due to the increased VA content).

At the end of the day Black Mallory is a genuine classic and it's my favorite Scottish mixture.

It came ready to smoke, but I gave it 30 minutes air as well. This is my second 50 gram tin of BM.

The tin note is dominated by the Latakia, and the appearance of the ribbon cut mirrors that. Predominantly dark tobaccos, certainly darker than Red Rapparee, its Rattray's sibling. It lit well, and only needed one relight near the end of the bowl. A little tamping helped it along. Not over generous with its smoke initially, this changed as the bowl wore on.

Scottish mixtures are my preferred blends, that is Latakia/Orientals/Virginias with the addition of some English style Cavendish. You might say that makes me biased but I have recently reviewed Charatan's Four Leaf, and St James Park by Robert McConnell and marked them down despite their falling into the same Scottish category. The Latakia and Orientals are forward, particularly the Latakia, with the sweetness of the Virginias and the smoothing effect of the Cavendish very much in the background.

It is a rich, smoky, smooth experience, burning cool without any hint of bite. It is less spicy/complex than Red Rapparee but stronger in nicotine without being anything to be afraid of. It burns down to ash without any dottle, all in all a very satisfactory smoke, without asking as many questions of your palate as does RR. IMHO you can't smoke the same blend all the time, otherwise you forget what makes it special, familiarity breeds contempt etc etc so BM will take its place in my rotation. I won't smoke it every day but it will get a weekly airing at least. The only blend I smoke every day is Red Rapparee.

If you are coming into English/Scottish mixtures from VaBurs I would recommend BM, if you're coming from VaPers then Red Rapparee would probably be a better option. I would not recommend this to smokers of aromatics who want to try their first taste of Latakia, something like Early Morning Pipe might be more suitable. I award it 3 stars, but would give it an extra half star above that if it were possible.

This is to me a sweet English blend "Scottish" the flavor profile is nice and for a crossover blend type its great. However i am not a fan due to the lack of latakia power that it has. This to me would be a good blend for someone to try that is in the process from making the switch from Aero's to English blends. Hope this helps.

My local tobacconist (Cigar and Tabac in Overland Park, Ks - a great place!) was out of my beloved Red Rapparee; so I opted for a tin of the Black Mallory. It has been quite a number of years since this concoction graced any of my pipes and I thought it would provide a good enough standby. Sometimes we are disappointed, chagrined, and sadly mistaken. Black Mallory had too much of something, and though the first few smokes were okey dokey, after consuming most of the 100 gram tin it became overbearing and downright bitter. In a mild panic, I thought maybe all my pipes had suddenly turned bitter. Using a different tobacco, Dunhill's Standard, I loaded my beautiful Preben Holm freehanded creation to test out that horrible theory. The night before the Preben Holm had provided a bitter experience with the Black Mallory and I conjectured this would be an extreme test. The first few draws of the Standard Mixture were a little bitter but when it hit the zone the smoke was citrusy sweet and nutty. So I won't be sucking any more Black Mallory because - it sucks.

This is the tobacco that helped increase my understanding of the different types of leaf in a blend. I found that in Black Mallory, the Virginians and Orientals take the center stage, with Latakia playing a supporting role and the Black Cav. barely noticeable.

I wouldn't call this a Full English; not enough Latakia for that, but rather a milder Medium blend. As far as the smoking of Black Mallory goes, it's very smooth and you can tell the sweetness of the Orientals, as they really tame the Virginians in this mix. The spice of the Latikia is present, but isn't overwhelming in any way.

The smoke is a bit thinner than I like, and doesn't have the creaminess that I enjoy with a fuller Latakia blend. However, this is a personal preference only. The smoke is enjoyable and I found the sweetness of the Orientals really plays out well. In fact, the oddity of the Orientals (in that this is my first mixture that had them) threw me off for a few bowls. I couldn't tell what it was that I was smoking at first.

I think this is a blend for those who would like to experience what an English mixture is. It seems a bit more on the Oriental side than the Latakia, and produces a smooth, sweet smoke with a hint of spice.

I've found through smoking this and other mixtures that I enjoy LOTS of Latakia and that Orientals tame the smoke down too much for me. It's still a great blend for smoking, despite my personal preference. I'd recommend others give it a try. It certainly has a large following and a great reputation.

It is pretty obvious from reading the reviews here that either people have really, really different palates (quite possible) or this blend has changed its character of the past few years (another VERY likely possibility). This review is of a the bulk blend.

Is it an English tobacco? I think so - it tastes only of Virginias, Latakia and maybe some Orientals. I cannot detect much in the way of casings - MAYBE there is a smidgen of Cavendish in this, but it's merely a pinch. The Latakia is used sparingly, but is definitely there.

Is it a "full' English? No. Its a mild-tasting blend. You actually can taste food after smoking this tobacco. The Virginias seem more predominant than in a typical English-style perhaps. It reminds me a little bit of GLP Blackpoint - only without the Perique, sweeter and with more nicotine.

This could be good morning smoke or even an all-day English for some. I would second the opinion here that BM would also be appropriate for aromatic smokers moving to English since it does have SLIGHT sweetness to it.

It won't have you waning on about its complexity but BM is well blended, tasty, easy to smoke without biting and won't dominate your taste buds for the rest of the day/evening with the lingering flavor of Latakia.

Like all the K & K Rattray's this is very moist in the tin and needs drying. What do they add to these blends ? Maybe just water as it dries quickly. It's very rich, smokey with an overall sweetness. Like most Rattray's it's very hot unless dried and smoked gently. However, I can say that about most tobaccos. This is a rich after dinner tobacco for me. Dunhill's Aperitif is similar to but much smoother with less bite, and tastes like a more natural tobacco. Update: 2007-Nov

I've just finished another 50g tin of this blend, much of it smoked quite dry. Without the heat from excess moisture this tobacco has been so complex, layered and flavorful that I have purchased a few more tins. The virginia tobacco and the black cavendish gives this a dark sweetness. Balanced against this, however, the orientals are sharp. I could never smoke this every night.

I'm sure it's different than the original but we are fortunate that someone is still blending this classic. Unique!

Black Mallory! I've smoked the bulk version only, so I suspect it's different than the tin version, but anyhow, I shall review all the same.

Black Mallory sure wears its name good: it's very black! Not much golden or brown leaves in there. Strong smell of Latakia, as a matter of fact, pretty much the only smell I could detect. Almost addictive... Nice long cut with some short cut leaves.

Filling is easy, lighting takes a bit but when it's started, it's all latakia, strong, robust, with a wooden -leather sort of touch.

As this was my first venture in the full english ( I'd say, this was about 12 years ago, lads), I made sure to be able to keep up by fixing myself some martinis. It worked, the smoke mellowed down after a while.

Strong tasting 'till the end, leaves a nice gray, dry ash. I bought a couple more pouches after but never really came back to it on a regular basis. i wouldn't recommend it as a morning smoke...

But still, a nice bakkie, when you want a real kick!

I found Rattray's Black Mallory to be a fine blend for those who like a Latakia blend, in moderation. Latakaniacs will most likely find this blend a bit lacking, but, for those who enjoy a slightly more medium to medium-strong English blend, and for we who occasionally shift from smoking predominantly Virginias and Virginia/Periques to English and Balkan blends, often in Autumn, and sometime crave a taste of the East, Black Mallory is a very nice mix, and has become one of those staples, along with Cornell & Diehl's Star of the East, (a stoved red Virginia, Turkish blend with 50% Cyprian Latakia), I keep in the back of the pantry for this purpose.

It is a little deceptive in presentation. Its Oriental bent is obvious upon opening the tin, but the bright browns with the black strands and the aroma from the tin seem to suggest a milder English than it actually is.

During the first bowl, the Cyprian Latakia seemed to strengthen through the bowl, but never overpowered. The second and third bowls revealed its character more homogeneously through the bowl as compared to the first. While the Orientals never overwhelm the Virginia, they subtly give it a fuller body, and certainly don't hide, offering a nice Eastern spice. The flavour notes don't quite resolve into a chord, rather giving it an interesting arpeggiated profile.

Although the flavours seem to keep their distinct notes, they are all in the same key, offering a nice complexity, and the blend is a full, smooth, interesting English smoke.

I found the fully rubbed out chopped and ribbon cut easy to pack, and smoked from the tin more easily than a lot of strong English blends; smooth with a light Virginia sweetness, though not at all cloying, and remained cool and dry throughout. Not having tried its sibling blend, Rattray's Red Rapparee, I can't offer any comparisons, but I enjoy the Mallory well enough to want to try the Rapparee. It does remind me of a slightly fuller, more English version of Sobranie Balkan, or a lighter C&D Star of the East.

All in all, a fine smoke for those times when one wants a stronger flavour that doesn't force itself upon one, but will still make itself known, now and again. Very nice for a rainy afternoon with a book or enjoying the remains of the day on the veranda, and a great 'early in the day' pipe for the confirmed Latakia lover.

I quite like the blend, and intend to put some away. I have a feeling that allowing the Virginia to age a bit will add a new note to the mix, and I'd be interested to see if the blend marries more fully, to resolve the flavour notes. I feel Rattrays Black Mallory could be an even smoother, full bodied medium-strong English with, possibly, a finer character after aging a year or three.