War Horse War Horse Ready Cut
(2.92)
Notes: Warhorse, last sold in the UK in the early 1980’s, is a robust “everyman’s” pipe tobacco, consisting of earthy, hearty burley, ripe red Virginias, a good share of smoky, spicy dark fired Kentucky and a bit of perique for a hint of sweetness. It has a very light top-note that helps to smooth out the flavor. This is a bold smoke, best enjoyed after a nice meal with a nice libation.
War Horse was a popular brand of pipe tobacco in Ireland, and it gained a following throughout the UK, as well. It was known for being a stout blend of tobaccos with an earthy, spicy flavor and full body. The War Horse Ready-Cut was made until the thirties but disappeared. The Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania acquired the brand with the intention of bringing it to a new generation of pipe enthusiasts.
Details
| Brand | War Horse |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Lane, Ltd. |
| Blend Type | Burley Based |
| Contents | Burley, Kentucky, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Other / Misc |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.92 / 4
|
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2015 | Medium to Strong | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
The burley is woody, toasty, and a little nutty with a strong, bold earthiness. The burley is a little sweet, though I don’t notice that particular sweetness as much after a few puffs. The rest of the time you’ll discern the other aspects of the burley that I mentioned. It's one of the major components, although the spicy, woody, smoky, floral, herbal, vegetative, mildly sour, nutty dark-fired Kentucky kicks in from the start, and you’ll taste it all the way through as it grabs your attention a little more than the burley does. It does seem to recede a little in the last quarter of the smoke. The red Virginias are tangy dried dark fruit sweet with some wood, bread and earth in an important support role as it provides a bit of sweetness, which I seem to observe more after the half way point, though it’s always there. The perique isn’t always as obvious as it plays a minor part in the proceedings. More often than not, its spicy quality is mildly sublimated by that of the dark-fired. The plum, fig, and date notes it provides are more noticeable to me. The sweet topping, which seems to be licorice, competes with the red Virginia in the taste department in the first half, and though the topping weakens just a little after that, it will remain to the end. Overall, the topping mildly tones down the tobaccos at its height. The blend’s strength is a step over the medium threshold, while the taste is almost full. The nic-hit is medium. Dry out of the tin, it burns at a reasonable rate: clean, cool, fairly smooth, spicy, sweet, lightly dry and sour, and a little creamy with a complex, nuanced flavor. A little hydration brings out the flavors more, especially the perique. I suggest a moderate puffing cadence, and a wide bowl to heighten the experience. Requires an average number of relights. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, produces lots of smoke, and the sweet, spicy after taste pleasantly lingers as it leaves nothing but burnt ash at the finish. The room note is a tad more potent. Despite its strength, it’s almost an all day smoke, and long time smokers may consider it to be one.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
War horse is such a fantastic smoke. I have been very fortunate to sample this blend and also distribute samples for my local pipe club as well as local B&M. Needless to say I haven't got to spend too much time with this blend until now to do a review. The tobacco is presented in a loose cut form but a plug is in the works. The bag note is almost a robust vinegary note in my opinion. The tobacco is in my opinion just right for smoking not too wet or too dry. This made it easy to pack as well as keeping lit. The initial taste I got on this blend was the robust taste it gives you. It's a blend that makes you feel manly when you smoke it. The red Virginias are a base leaf used and the dark fired Kentucky's and perique give this blend that nice robust spice to it, and the burley gives this a nice comfortable nicotine hit. I really feel that the Kentucky and perique steal the show in this and I enjoyed that. War horse is a robust mans man tobacco. The tobacco burned really well into a nice gray ash, I did not need to relight at all. Unfortunately I have never smoked gallahers war horse to compare but I imagine this is fairly close to the original with some age. Overall I really would recommend this blend to smokers who enjoy a nice robust evening smoke. A key factor for me is this got me pretty relaxed I can totally smoke this with a nice glass of scotch. So I'm sold on this one I will be buying a pound of this in the near future. Good stuff
Pipe Used:
Viprati bull dog
PurchasedFrom:
Gifted from Dan at the standard tobacco company of Pennsylvania
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2016 | Strong | Extremely Mild | Full | Very Pleasant |
I don't remember ever smoking the original Gallaher blend, nor seeing it for sale any where, nor seeing some other smoker lighting it up. So, I have to go with the blend at hand as it is being presented. I knew as soon as I lit it that it was at least a three star blend - rich, strong and nutty from the Burley content. As an English smoker I was concerned that it would leave me wanting more taste and aroma. Not so; it is a very satisfying smoke that I always look forward to smoking and that made me add another star to my rating. I agree with reviewer Autumn Joy 2015-10-16 that this is a man's type of tobacco. I also agree with reviewer Doc's Pipe 2016-02-08 that there is a top note in the tin aroma that is citrusy and apricot -like. Although some of us detected this note through most of the bowl, I couldn't find it in the smoking aroma. I let the tobacco sit open to the air on a piece of paper about 30 minutes before loading up and that must have evaporated it. Now, just how good is this blend? It is as good a non-English blend as Davidoff Flake Medallions, which I also rated as four stars. And then there's this: a long-time smoking buddy of mine and I were enjoying some Warhorse when he said that he wanted to buy more of it. I asked him how much do you want to get (thinking that we would order a few tins together) and was taken aback at his answer - 5 pounds! We guys like this tobacco - four stars.
Pipe Used:
Ashton Dublin Quaint
PurchasedFrom:
pipes and cigars
Age When Smoked:
current
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 18, 2016 | Medium to Strong | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Too busy enjoying this to review it. Rather puff than type it. Well into my second tin in a row. Broke in three pipes with dozens of smokes. Best in Charatan Supreme of old. Very good in Wilke natural (by Nachwalter). Also excellent in Ferndown root (25 year old briar) but required 7+ bowls to get going as good as others. Great now. But this is not a pipe review; just showing slightly different tobacco behavior in different quality pipes.
My quality pipes are picky and I dare not break one in without confidence they are experiencing the best of the best. They will not forgive a rotten smoke.
Back to the baccy. This is an old time, burley blend. Not as strong now, per Russ, as the original years ago (plug may be, and it's coming). Good, as it is just north of medium IMO. Burley is nutty. The KFC kicks it up a notch and offers a little spice. Don't detect much Perique. Virginia restrains it some. Top note (coumarin?) is not real sweet but softens it out some more. No bite, but does burn quickly. Best not smoked in breeze I think.
The flavor is succulent and sort of chocolatey, with some spice in and out. Not mild; plenty rich to me. Not as strong as Bold Kentucky.
Recommended for burley puffers who want something past medium.
My quality pipes are picky and I dare not break one in without confidence they are experiencing the best of the best. They will not forgive a rotten smoke.
Back to the baccy. This is an old time, burley blend. Not as strong now, per Russ, as the original years ago (plug may be, and it's coming). Good, as it is just north of medium IMO. Burley is nutty. The KFC kicks it up a notch and offers a little spice. Don't detect much Perique. Virginia restrains it some. Top note (coumarin?) is not real sweet but softens it out some more. No bite, but does burn quickly. Best not smoked in breeze I think.
The flavor is succulent and sort of chocolatey, with some spice in and out. Not mild; plenty rich to me. Not as strong as Bold Kentucky.
Recommended for burley puffers who want something past medium.
Pipe Used:
Charatan, Ferndown, and Wilke
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes
Age When Smoked:
new tins
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 2017 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I ordered this after reading the reviews on it, thinking it was right up my alley. Boy was I right, Warhorse is medium in the vitamin N dept. and oh so smooth. The leaf seems to be of good quality, as with all of the other blends from SToP tobacco. It seems to have just the right amount of perique in it and the perique is a perfect balance between spicy and sweet. The burley gives a nutty and sometimes sweet flavor that melds perfectly with the musky smokiness of the DFK. This may have some type of sweet topping in it and it seems familiar to me, but it is so weak that I cannot discern exactly what it is. It burns without effort and requires few relights. The moisture content is perfect for packing and smoking right out of the tin. It is a flawless smoke for me and I always keep a tin in my rotation, in fact this is one that I'm cellaring.
Pipe Used:
Various
PurchasedFrom:
PipesandCigars.com
Age When Smoked:
1 Month
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 29, 2016 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
I almost hate to review this since it looks like it's going to be discontinued, but it's too good not to.
Earthy, nutty burley and a solid backing of Dark Fired are the main components. In particular, the smoky Dark Fired comes through loud an clear from start to finish just like I hoped it would. There seems to be a good bit of Virginia and Perique, as this blend has a decent amount of sweetness to it. Unlike a lot of your typical 'big Burley' blends which for me tend to be a bit sour sometimes. Full flavored and has good dose of nicotine, I like it first thing in the morning with my coffee but it could easily be an all day smoke for some.
Get some while you can; hopefully something will make these new FDA regs go away so STCoP can continue producing this gem.
Earthy, nutty burley and a solid backing of Dark Fired are the main components. In particular, the smoky Dark Fired comes through loud an clear from start to finish just like I hoped it would. There seems to be a good bit of Virginia and Perique, as this blend has a decent amount of sweetness to it. Unlike a lot of your typical 'big Burley' blends which for me tend to be a bit sour sometimes. Full flavored and has good dose of nicotine, I like it first thing in the morning with my coffee but it could easily be an all day smoke for some.
Get some while you can; hopefully something will make these new FDA regs go away so STCoP can continue producing this gem.
Pipe Used:
variety of cobs and briars
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
A month or so on the tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 01, 2020 | Medium to Strong | Mild | Full | Tolerable |
Presentation: Badass tin. Black label with red trim and a red horse on the front.
Cut: Comes in a chunky C&D style ribbon cut. Moisture level is acceptable.
Tin note: Smells floral like roses with a sweet raisiny, nutty note.
Tasting notes: All my favorite leaves in one blend! Smoky, floral like roses, grassy, has some good spice, nuttiness, and a sweet creamy taste. Also some earth on the finish.
Mechanics: This blend might need some dry time, don't smoke too fast or it might bite a little.
Extra Remarks: I've smoked this blend on and off for a couple years and I forgot how good this blend is. This blend is excellent. Complex with many flavors, while also being unique and full of flavor. What more could you ask for? I know some despise the lakeland essense floral topping put in some Gawith tobaccos, and this is somewhat similar with the rose taste. However if you don't mind that, you have to try this blend. 4 stars.
Cut: Comes in a chunky C&D style ribbon cut. Moisture level is acceptable.
Tin note: Smells floral like roses with a sweet raisiny, nutty note.
Tasting notes: All my favorite leaves in one blend! Smoky, floral like roses, grassy, has some good spice, nuttiness, and a sweet creamy taste. Also some earth on the finish.
Mechanics: This blend might need some dry time, don't smoke too fast or it might bite a little.
Extra Remarks: I've smoked this blend on and off for a couple years and I forgot how good this blend is. This blend is excellent. Complex with many flavors, while also being unique and full of flavor. What more could you ask for? I know some despise the lakeland essense floral topping put in some Gawith tobaccos, and this is somewhat similar with the rose taste. However if you don't mind that, you have to try this blend. 4 stars.
Pipe Used:
Many pipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from tin to 2 years
target="_blank"
