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Westminster Abbey is an elegant blend of Virginia, burley, and hand-rubbed Virginia flake with a bit of black cavendish, topped with delicious cream caramel flavor.
Favorite Of 1 Users
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JimInks (3022) |   |
Mild to Medium | Strong | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
The grassy, citrusy, mildly dark fruity, earthy, woody Virginias are the lead component. The very nutty, earthy, woody, slightly spicy, moderately molasses sweet burleys compete with the sugary black cavendish for attention. The rich cream, caramel toppings sublimate the tobaccos quite a lot, but they don’t completely drown them out. No chemical or alcohol notes are present. The strength threshold is two steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste is just reaches the medium mark. The nic-hit is almost as potent as the strength level. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent, creamy sweet flavor that also sports a touch of savoriness. The burley is responsible for that latter aspect. Leaves little moisture in the bowl and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. Not quite an all day smoke, but it’s close enough that the veteran aromatic smoker may consider it to be one.
-JimInks
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| StevieB (2076) | |
Mild to Medium | Strong | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Rattray - Westminister Abbey. One for the lovers of sweet blends!
I was a little confused when I first cracked open the tin; ribbons? As well as the ribbons my tin has a few wholesome broken flakes included in the blend, there's one that's about 3x2 cm's in fact! I don't see this negatively though, I think it gives the blend some character.
There's no missing the caramel in the tins scent. This comes over with a formidable force! Again, that's not meant negatively; it about makes me want to eat it!
As the moisture's good I can fill and light immediately, straight away I can see how this could be a bit of a 'love it or hate it' blend. The smoke is very thick and exceedingly sweet; the sweetness, however, seems a little nebulous as to what it comes from; it could be honey, caramel, maple or molasses. Whichever it comes from it's still a remarkably sweet taste!
Heavy aromatics often cause me huge tongue bite, this on the other hand doesn't. The smoke is cool and comfortable right the way through the bowl.
As I said, this has a heavy topping; it pretty much eradicates any of the natural idiosyncrasies from the tobacco's....100% false!!
A love it or hate it blend? If that's the case I'm well in the 'love it' camp! This is perfect for when I have yearning for something really sweet.
I'll have to stand out from the crowd. Four stars!
Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Enricoro Big Freehand
Age When Smoked: 2 Months
Purchased From: My Smoking Shop
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Ducksbreath (125) | |
Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The only thing wrong with this tobacco is that my wife does not like the smell, so what is the point of an aro if your wife doesn't like how it smells ?
Otherwise, it gets high marks. 1) It is has decent strength (this is coming from an English smoker). 2) It has a decent amount of real tobacco flavor, partially mixed with the added scents. 3) It is not goopy or PG laden like a bulk aro.
This is fairly robust, as has been noted, and is not a light bulk type soggy aro. I like just about everything about it. However, since my signficant other doesn't mind me smoking Dunhill London Mixture or SWRA in her presence I doubt I'll be smoking much of this alone in my smoking area, where I take the Nightcap, Royal Yacht and other such blends.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't try it, however.
Pipe Used: Il Ceppo
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipesmoking101 (63) | |
Mild to Medium | Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
In the pouch (I received this as a 20 gram sample), this tobacco has an interesting aroma, hints of caramel, sure - but also a smell of fruity notes, which I assume is delivered by the tobacco, which would indicate that the flavouring is not there to mask the tobacco & should be somewhat muted and interplay with the tobacco without dominating it (this is not entirely the case).
The appearance of the tobacco is very pleasing to my eye, consisting of Bright Virginias, Dark Cavendish & Burley.
The mixture pack well, although some of the Cavendish is a bit clumpy so may need to be separated out before loading the pipe. Despite that characteristic within this tobacco, the moisture doesn't seem to be too high, and the tobacco is also not 'gloopy' in any way.
This blend burns well, with occasional sips it should need few - if any - relights.
The room note is quite delightful, full of the caramel top note that was scented in the pouch. It's smoke is fairly copious, so it can become a bit sickly if a whole bowlful is smoked in a small room.
The taste is not what I had expected from the pouch note. The tobacco only makes very fleeting appearances, and is dominated by the topping. The topping does have some caramel note to it (can't taste any cream, though). Unfortunately, however, the taste is rather synthetic & doesn't carry the promise of the pouch or room note up the pipe. I also suspect that they perhaps overused the Burley, which, whilst ensuring a good burn rate means that without a goodly measure of caution this can get devilishly hot & can also bite the tongue.
Overall, I'll give this two stars, it is an attractive tobacco with a good room note & burns well. It's also possible that some aromatic devotees will love it, but for me (not an aromatic expert/lover), it certainly isn't calling me back, and when this sample is finished, my one experience with this tobacco is likely to be my last - in other words, if you really like & know your aromatics, go ahead and buy some, it might be your thing, otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
Pipe Used: Dr. Plum short billiard
Age When Smoked: unknown (but quite new I think)
Purchased From: sample from a friend
Similar Blends: None that I have tried.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| DennisTheMenace (2) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
I did not care for this blend. The carmel flavoring was strong but pleasant when the pipe was first lit. But as the smoke continued the tobacco had an unpleasant flavor, burned very hot, and had a bite. I like Rattray very much, and I smoke Jockey's Mixture and 7 Reserve regularly. But this blend was a disappointment. On the container Rattray says "Westminster Abbey is far from being religious - this blend is truly a sin!". He got that right!
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An update: I emptied the container into a tobacco jar which was old - it doesn't really keep the tobacco moist, and if you have a wet tobacco it is a good means for slowly drying it. I let it dry for a couple of weeks. And following the advice of a previous commenter, I took care not to draw on the pipe as often as I normally would. This kept the tobacco from overheating the pipe, and cut way back on the bite. It was a fairly pleasant smoke, I'll probably be able to eventually work my way through the container, but wouldn't buy it again.
Age When Smoked: New
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| renwardhoop (177) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A very fine aromatic blend from Rattray's.
It's not the cheapest out there, but if you enjoy quality aromatic tobaccos then you will enjoy this. If you don't then just stay well clear.
The scent from the tin is amazing. Not quite as good as Davidoff's Blue or Danish, but well worthy of comparison with Larson's best aromatics.
It is sweet, yes, but not sickly. I am two thirds into the tin and you can tell it's quality as it delivers the same soft sweet smoke every bowl. The scent is, as the previous reviewer noted, not altogether identifiable. I am not coinvinced I am tasting anything like caramel cream either, it's a little more floral than that, but not like the dreadful Samuel Gawith's nail polish blends.
This burns nicely oh, and very quickly, especially in a meerschaum, because lets face it, you aren't going to let your best briars anywhere near this.
If I can't get Larson's selection of aromatics then this is a fine subsititute, although not particualry unique. Definitely one for the aromatic afficionado.
Pipe Used: Meerschaums only
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: SK
Similar Blends: Larson's Belle epoque, Ashston's Rainy day, Davidoff's Danish..
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Hans and Franz (11) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is my least favorite of the Rattray’s aromatics I’ve tried so far. Upon first opening the tin, the aroma was that of movie theater popcorn. No caramel whatsoever. It was intriguing but not what I was expecting.
For me the flavoring is very mild, it’s just a very subtly sweet tobacco flavor. Only occasionally do I get a fleeting whiff of caramel, but it’s more of a suggestion of a flavor rather than overt caramel. I can see many people enjoying this as a mildly aromatic smoke, but those looking for a more intense experience might enjoy Rattray’s Buckingham better, though that one is still somewhat mild compared to others.
Burns well and I got no bite. Recommended to those seeking a mildly aromatic blend.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Appalachian Chef (52) | |
Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
Not bad, but not excellent. Shaggy ribbon cut with a few flakes of Cavendish. Easy to light and burns well. Flavor is not as strong as the tin note, but several layers of caramel and vanilla do come through. Burns to fine dottle. Easy to like but not easy to love.
Pipe Used: Falcon Billiard
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: Smoking Pipes
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| raybrown55 (45) | |
Mild | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This tobacco is to me what Mac Baren Vanilla Cream should have been: I find the latter good, but quite bland, while Westminster shares with its Rattray's cousins (Buckingham and Bagpiper's Dream) a solid tobacco base and has a discreet, elegant but obvious and pleasant topping. A good aromatic, recommended.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Skoma (32) | |
Medium | Strong | Full | Pleasant |
I just became sick of this one! Usually i am very excited about Rattray´s mixtures but Westminster Abbey was a fail for me! At first it was way to moist and didn´t burn properly whilst after drying out it became bitey as hell. There´s no tobacco taste in it, just the caramell. From the beginning to the end in every pipe. This will only appeal to hardcore caramell lovers! Otherwise stay away from the abbey!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| TallPuffO'Burley (632) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
This is a fine representation of a European aromatic, a blend topped against a mostly strong virginia base. If it wasn't written above, I would doubt that there is any burley in this blend at all. There is little doubt though that this is topped with Caramel; it is written in the description and is boldly stated right on the front of the tin. I love caramel, it may be my favorite confection, but I am so poor at identifying aromatic toppings that I would have never guessed this as caramel if it wasn't clobbering me over the head with it in writing everywhere.
I think this is due to the interaction of the citrus rich virginia. The topping comes off as more fruity to me. I actually opened a jar of Three Blind Moose, which also has a caramel topping, but against a burley dominant base. With TBM, it was obvious that it was topped with caramel to my tastes, and it was only then when I smelled both the blends that I noticed the similarities in scent. What all this rambling represents, I guess, is that the Virginia in this blend strongly influences the overall flavor of the blend. This is typically a good thing for me. But in this case, I really did not like the topping and how it interacted with the virginia; as such, It is not something I would buy again, but it certainly was not repulsive by any means.
This one falls between two and three stars, but I will place it at two as I just feel the caramel as advertised just does not come off as very "caramel - y." If you do like the topping on this though, it may very well be a four star smoke for you as it is put against some great virginia leaf and performs well.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| KM Athens (5) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Full | Very Pleasant |
Not for regular daily smoking, rather for a desert on a lazy warm afternoon. Equally pleasant then for a smokers and for the company obliged to tolerate your little addiction. Good to have a can of this one in your inventory.
Pipe Used: Various briar type pipes, always with a filter
Age When Smoked: Fresh to a couple of months
Purchased From: Online shop in Germany
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Peace Piper (2) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I’m not particularly fond of aromatics - or so I thought - and so put off opening my tin of Rattrays Westminster Abbey but when I eventually popped the lid I have to say I found the tobacco inside to smell wonderful. Creamy sweet vanilla toffee aromas what’s not to like? And the mouth taste is equally pleasant. No tongue burn just a light sweet taste and creamy toffee nose. The flavour staying to the bottom of the bowl. I only needed the standard two lights straight from the tin. This has become a regular early evening smoke for me and might just persuade me to try a few more aromatic styles.
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Black Swan Shoppe
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| canvas (337) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
I was a bit hesitant ordering this one, and confused by it's relatively low rating here, as the few Rattray blends I've tried were quite exceptional. I mean how could something as delicious as Caramel not be anything but sublime?
The 'pringles' tin popped open to a mostly gold mix with a pungently sweet, fruity candy smell, more reminiscent of Pixie Stix sugar than anything Caramel. It wasn't off putting, just misleading. The ribbon had a good feel and moisture with some thicker bits; packing and lighting well. Puffing out a very sweet smoke akin to the initial aroma. A sweet, one dimensional, Aromatic to be sure that wasn't overly stewed or syrupy, but nowhere near as tasty as some other top end models (McClelland, or even other Rattrays). A small wisp of the Virginia nuttiness comes through, but really you are just smoking this one for the toppings, which unfortunately lacked Caramel.
The room note (I was told) was more of a cherry cigarette, so not as indulgent as the flavoring would imply. The quality of this imports guts is present, yet the presentation was a miss. I'll likely be mixing the rest of it with other products.
Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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