East India Trading Co. Royal Challenge
(2.64)
Royal Challenge is a blend of red and golden Virginias with smooth black cavendish with a delightful rum flavor that's enhanced by sweet spices. An all day type of mixture. Royal Challenge is an especially good partner with an early morning cup of coffee.
Notes: Introduced by K. Hansotia & Co. (which makes Gurkha cigars) in 2015.
Details
| Brand | East India Trading Co. |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | K. Hansotia & Co. |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Rum, Spices |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.64 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 14 of 14 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
This blend is very tasty. Spiced rum comes to mind when opening the tin. It is less moist than either Officer's Club or Cellar Reserve. I smoke this mornings and it goes well with my coffee. At times it is an after dinner smoke as well. All of East India's blends are very good, this being my second favorite of the three. It lights easily and burns evenly to a nice ash. The taste of rum and spice is present throughout. It has a very pleasant room note. It is a cool smoke if sipped, but like many aromatics it can bite when smoked quickly. I recommend this for those who like a great flavored aromatic.
Pipe Used:
Various briars
PurchasedFrom:
P&C
Age When Smoked:
New from the tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2015 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
I REALLY like this tobacco. I am an aro kinda guy. I am also a Mild-Medium kinda guy with Medium about as strong as I like. I like rum, chocolate, vanilla, and cherry, not necessarily all mixed together. I'll agree with another reviewer and say that I pickup some creme brûlée. The rum isn't fake-ish rum "flavoring" but tastes like dark rum was added at some point and the alcohol gassed off until it was JUST RIGHT! Packs nice, after the charring light it stay lit even freshly opened.
Pipe Used:
Briar
PurchasedFrom:
P&C
Age When Smoked:
Freshly opened
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 08, 2015 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Having an itch for rum pipe tobacco, I recently ordered the Rum Punch sampler from pipesandcigars.com. I have to say that this has been an evenly balanced and mellow smoke from light to finish. Upon opening, my girlfriend detected scents of apple, cherry, and vanilla. To me, it has a creme brulee aroma. I should mention that it arrived rather moist and that I had to let it dry for about 15-30 minutes. Cavendish is present throughout. When the gold and red Virginias do come through, they provide a nice balance. Will update in the next couple of weeks for further remarks.
Pipe Used:
Design Berlin Sandblasted Pipe
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
New, fresh out of tin, no aging
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 27, 2023 | Mild | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
When fresh I enjoyed this and Officer’s Club about equally, but this one has definitely aged better. When I first popped the tin the aroma was like Irish coffee (coffee, Bailey’s Cream, and a shot of rum for good measure). Flavors followed the aroma – coffee, cream, dark rum - with maybe a touch of caramel. I never really noticed any cinnamon or nutmeg, but there’s already enough going on. I found it a bit rich to actually enjoy with my morning coffee, but had no problem with it as an after lunch treat. Moisture content was high, but not ridiculous like Officer’s Club, which was one of the wettest I’ve ever had. Both are obviously loaded with PG, but other than create a little more effort to get the burn rate going, I can’t taste any negative chemical flavors. After that initial flush of discovery, I set the jar aside and explored other blends. At one time I had 504 mason jars of tobacco in my cabinets!
Fast forward to just this week, four year later. In that time Officer’s Club completely fell apart, stewing in its own unctuous flavorings and PG juices. But for some reason Royal Challenge survived, and to my taste, may be slightly better now! Some of the really over-the-top richness has now been moderated. I can now enjoy with morning coffee, since in cold months I tend to add a little creamer anyway. Flavorwise this falls into the same family as my favorite 4-star Rivendell (from Country Squire) but without any natural tobacco coming through. This is a full-blown aromatic, stays quite moist, but tastes ‘clean’ at least, and I’m fairly critical of chemical tastes.
This is a fine effort in this genre by Russ Oullette, and it reminds me a little of another of his that I like: “Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.”
Fast forward to just this week, four year later. In that time Officer’s Club completely fell apart, stewing in its own unctuous flavorings and PG juices. But for some reason Royal Challenge survived, and to my taste, may be slightly better now! Some of the really over-the-top richness has now been moderated. I can now enjoy with morning coffee, since in cold months I tend to add a little creamer anyway. Flavorwise this falls into the same family as my favorite 4-star Rivendell (from Country Squire) but without any natural tobacco coming through. This is a full-blown aromatic, stays quite moist, but tastes ‘clean’ at least, and I’m fairly critical of chemical tastes.
This is a fine effort in this genre by Russ Oullette, and it reminds me a little of another of his that I like: “Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.”
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