Bengal Slices Bengal Slices (re-release)
(3.33)
A unique Latakia based crumble cake made with yellow and black Virginias, some of the most delectable Orientals available and a touch of unflavored black cavendish.
Notes: A recreation of the original Bengal Slices.
Details
| Brand | Bengal Slices |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Licorice |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
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
|
3.33 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 31 - 40 of 72 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 07, 2016 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
I rarely jump on the new tobacco band wagon and generally don't buy what the websites and mags pimp as the new thing. However Bengal Slices peaked my interest as it sounded like what I was looking for. It turned out to match exactly what I was hoping for.
I'm impressed with the quality and smoke of this blend. It's most delightful! To the easily packing crumble cake to the smell of those orientals and the smokey latakia. Wonderful room note. However, I MUST WARN about the over the top and extreme nicotine contained in this blend. For the recored, I'm far removed from a newbie and consider myself a veteran smoker. I enjoy the heavy hitting nicotine baccas like Royal Yacht, Irish Flake and even exhausted rooster... however Bengal slices are in a class by themselves!
The rub is this... the blend is actually mild and a so called "all day smoke" so there were times I stepped on the gas in attempt to blow past the mildness in search of more flavor. Big mistake, the Bengal pounced!
I felt as though my heart would burst! Ever had a hard jolt of adrenaline or Espresso high? Multiply that by 10 and you get the feeling I had. I bet I looked ridiculous but I had to walk around the outside of my house at a quick pace to get out the energy. I felt like I was going to explode! I didn't realize it was Bengal Slices and thought it was a new med.
Later that night I had to run an errand and like all true pipers, I grabbed my "traveling to the store pipe" and packed it with Bengal Slices. Down the road that feeling from earlier began to come back. I could feel a huge rush of anxiety and my heart felt like it was coming out of my chest. I thought oh my! It's this new tobacco not the meds! HOLY SMOKES this is a strong nicotine rush. Be careful this blend is not a lamb, it's a Bengal Tiger!
I do recommend this great blend but use caution. Best smoked in small bowls, sipped and enjoyed causally.
I'm impressed with the quality and smoke of this blend. It's most delightful! To the easily packing crumble cake to the smell of those orientals and the smokey latakia. Wonderful room note. However, I MUST WARN about the over the top and extreme nicotine contained in this blend. For the recored, I'm far removed from a newbie and consider myself a veteran smoker. I enjoy the heavy hitting nicotine baccas like Royal Yacht, Irish Flake and even exhausted rooster... however Bengal slices are in a class by themselves!
The rub is this... the blend is actually mild and a so called "all day smoke" so there were times I stepped on the gas in attempt to blow past the mildness in search of more flavor. Big mistake, the Bengal pounced!
I felt as though my heart would burst! Ever had a hard jolt of adrenaline or Espresso high? Multiply that by 10 and you get the feeling I had. I bet I looked ridiculous but I had to walk around the outside of my house at a quick pace to get out the energy. I felt like I was going to explode! I didn't realize it was Bengal Slices and thought it was a new med.
Later that night I had to run an errand and like all true pipers, I grabbed my "traveling to the store pipe" and packed it with Bengal Slices. Down the road that feeling from earlier began to come back. I could feel a huge rush of anxiety and my heart felt like it was coming out of my chest. I thought oh my! It's this new tobacco not the meds! HOLY SMOKES this is a strong nicotine rush. Be careful this blend is not a lamb, it's a Bengal Tiger!
I do recommend this great blend but use caution. Best smoked in small bowls, sipped and enjoyed causally.
Pipe Used:
Peterson xL305, Peterson 4s DeLuxe
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
winter 2016
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2019 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
I don't like comparing tobacco blends, and here is why. My last review was of Samuel Gawith's Squadron Leader, billed as a medium-bodied English. Bengal Slices is also billed as an English blend. As of this review, Squadron Leader has a 3.4 rating, and Bengal Slices also has a 3.4 rating. And that is really where the similarity ends between these two English blends.
Side-by-side, The jar note of Squadron Leader is that of a lovely medium-bodied English. The jar note of Bengal Slices, well -- the Cavendish really jumps out of the jar. Bengal Slices is a krumble kake, and the slices are relatively thick -- identical to the Sutliff Va, English and VaPer krumble slices -- but much drier, and much firmer (that is, not as moist, soft and crumbly as the aforementioned Sutliff krumbles).
The Cavendish provides a nice brown sugar sweetness (Squadron Leader has no Cavendish), and the Latakia is much more pronounced in Bengal Slices (than, say it is in Squadron Leader). I couldn't detect any licorice in the top note (but I suffer from hyposmia resulting from a TBI 30-years-ago -- and that hyposmia is one of the reasons I so relish smoking/enjoying pipe tobaccos in the first place -- aroma therapy: I love to smell the smells).
Again I count myself fortunate to have never sampled the original version of this blend (so that I am not burdened by fuzzy olfactory phantasms from decades past). This is wonderful stuff Russ has put together (re-created). A much more full-bodied English, much more to my liking (than, say, Squadron Leader). I gave Squadron Leader 4-stars (for truth-in-advertising). I'm giving Bengal Slices 4-stars (for personal preference). When I open my cellar, and I see Bengal Slices next to a jar of Squadron Leader, I'm choosing Bengal Slices 99-times-out-of-100.
Side-by-side, The jar note of Squadron Leader is that of a lovely medium-bodied English. The jar note of Bengal Slices, well -- the Cavendish really jumps out of the jar. Bengal Slices is a krumble kake, and the slices are relatively thick -- identical to the Sutliff Va, English and VaPer krumble slices -- but much drier, and much firmer (that is, not as moist, soft and crumbly as the aforementioned Sutliff krumbles).
The Cavendish provides a nice brown sugar sweetness (Squadron Leader has no Cavendish), and the Latakia is much more pronounced in Bengal Slices (than, say it is in Squadron Leader). I couldn't detect any licorice in the top note (but I suffer from hyposmia resulting from a TBI 30-years-ago -- and that hyposmia is one of the reasons I so relish smoking/enjoying pipe tobaccos in the first place -- aroma therapy: I love to smell the smells).
Again I count myself fortunate to have never sampled the original version of this blend (so that I am not burdened by fuzzy olfactory phantasms from decades past). This is wonderful stuff Russ has put together (re-created). A much more full-bodied English, much more to my liking (than, say, Squadron Leader). I gave Squadron Leader 4-stars (for truth-in-advertising). I'm giving Bengal Slices 4-stars (for personal preference). When I open my cellar, and I see Bengal Slices next to a jar of Squadron Leader, I'm choosing Bengal Slices 99-times-out-of-100.
Pipe Used:
Ashton billiard
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2018 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
I was very happy when my TinSociety.com box included a sample of Bengal Slices.
A dense crumble cake, it is very easy to break apart. I put a few larger "chunks" in the bottom of the pipe and sprinkled some rubbed out "crumbs" on the top to get it going like kindling.
The moisture content was good and it only required a charring light and a regular light to get going.
Taste: The latakia and orientals are the stars of the show with the cavendish staying in the background. A nice sweetness which I cannot completely tell if it is from the cavendish or a light topping?
This is one of those tobaccos I can understand the hype about. I'd love to make it a regular part of my rotation.
A dense crumble cake, it is very easy to break apart. I put a few larger "chunks" in the bottom of the pipe and sprinkled some rubbed out "crumbs" on the top to get it going like kindling.
The moisture content was good and it only required a charring light and a regular light to get going.
Taste: The latakia and orientals are the stars of the show with the cavendish staying in the background. A nice sweetness which I cannot completely tell if it is from the cavendish or a light topping?
This is one of those tobaccos I can understand the hype about. I'd love to make it a regular part of my rotation.
Pipe Used:
Chris Morgan Handmade
PurchasedFrom:
TinSociety.com Box
Age When Smoked:
unknown
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2018 | Mild | Mild | Full | Pleasant |
I don’t know why but this tobacco gives me the feel of the 1970’s. My tin had 3 little cakes stuck together. They are very compact but break up very easy. The tin note was definitely anise and a bit of something else I can’t put my finger on. Something sweet. Cut is exactly like Plum Pudding or Mississippi River. Burn is very slow. Kind of hard to keep lit, but not terrible. By mid bowl this is a full body English with some nice sweet and sour. Very enjoyable. The mild topping stays noticeable through the whole bowl but the Latakia takes over more toward the end. Doesn’t really want to smoke all the way to the bottom,even though it’s not really wet. It’s a must try imo. Probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it.
Pipe Used:
Briar
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 17, 2018 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Really REALLY good stuff!! I’m a frequent Balkan and English blend smoker and this is a top notch tobacco. Fantastic flavor. Great quality tobacco is evident and no bite, just a dry easy smoke.
Pipe Used:
Paul’s Cayuga Author
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes and Cigars
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 30, 2017 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Good stuff, Smokey and creamy a good amount of earthiness. A bit of citrus in there. Savory with depth of flavor. The orientals play off the Latakia very nicely and the cavendish is a good binder. Gets better as you smoke down the bowl.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 18, 2016 | Medium | Strong | Very Full | Very Strong |
This is a smoky latakia blend. The orientals are complex enough to add depth to the flvor. There seems to be some Samsun as well as some Yendige.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 07, 2016 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
Meh.....Not a lot going for me. Dry, grassy and not very complex. The room note is amazing. I wish the flavor came even a little close. Too many relights as well. I've given this several chances, hoping it would improve for me and it hasn't.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I have been smoking a pipe since 1981. I remember this blend quite fondly, it was one of my first. Not quite how I remember it. This tribute is an English with enough Cavendish to make it a Scottish. It also appears to be cased in wintergeen. Personally, I love the taste of this blend. Smoking it, however, is a bit problematic. It does not crumble properly, thus leaving one with pebble size hard unlightable pieces of tobacco. I find a small hand grinding mill to work quite excellent on this blend. It can also use a bit of drying time as it is heavily cased. Still a unique blend for its taste, and works lovely when blended into other Scottish blends. If you love the taste of wintergreen, as I do, then you have to give this blend a go. Cheers
Pipe Used:
Peterson's Calabash and German Black Clay
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 29, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Never tried the original Bengal slices,fusiliers ration nor the lancer slices. For what it is,this is a very good tobacco. I certainly would not mind the name. I smoke for the pleasure of pipesmoking and this one just happens to be very good.Highly recommend.
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