Bengal Slices Bengal Slices (re-release)

I rubbed this one out and smoked it in a GBD pot initially. This pipe seemed to work very well for this blend, and so I dedicated the pipe to it for the sample.

The crumble cake is more firmly pressed than some, and there were hard bits of broken flake in the mix. It smells of latakia and has a slightly sour smell from the orientals. The flakes are mostly black with a slightly mottled appearance from bits of Virginia.

Smoked, this is very good. There is the woodsy latakia, some sour and spice from the orientals and some sweet from the Virginia and black cavendish. It is heavy on the latakia, and there is a creamy thick quality to the smoke. I could not identify grassy or citrus in the Virginia, so it is under a few layers, but there is a slight fruit in the sweet, and it may be contributing there, and I think there is a very mild topping as part of this flavor.

This was a very pleasant smoke. I mostly codger scooped from my palm after rubbing it out, so it was somewhat loosely packed. It stayed lit and was cool burning. It was a fairly "full" flavor combo, and it was medium strength. One of those interesting things is that when you rub it out in your palms, it leaves a slightly tarry residue.

I highly recommend this if any of my description sounds appealing. I enjoyed it.

The “new Bengal Slices” has a wonderful tin note that I find very inviting. Compared to similar crumble cakes, this has less moisture content and I think that’s a good thing as it will be “pipe ready” for most smokers. I have been fortunate enough to still possess most of the earlier production blends that the Standard Tobacco Company is now producing with the Russ Ouellette. I don’t think that the topping on the older tins held up very well so it’s tough to make any comparisons. Although there seems to be less Latakia in the new version, but that simply could be a result of the way the older tins aged. The flavor is much “brighter” too. Either way, I find this to be far tastier than the last iteration of Bengal Slices and tastier than Russ’s Fusiler’s Ration. The topping is sweet, but I can’t put my finger on what it is comprised of, but it is different than Fusiler’s and it doesn’t have a tendency to burn hot when pushed like Fusiler’s does. There is plenty of Latakia to satisfy, but there is room for the other tobacco as well. I was never a big fan of the Danish made Bengal Slices because the last half of the bowl was heavily dominated by the Latakia drowning out everything else. That isn’t the case here. I find the strength, meaning the nic hit, to be only mild to medium. Those that loved the Latakia heavy version may pull back a bit on the new one. For me, the new Bengal Slices is a wonderful, dry burning, sweet, smoky English that holds its flavor to the wonderful end. Well done!

This is my first review, so I will give it a shot. I should start out by saying I do not like LAT Bombs. Bengal Slices may be fairly characterized so. This stuff, however, is amazing. First, it is very smooth. I mean good scotch smooth, not harsh at all. Second, It tastes, to me, a little sweet, and weirdly, it tastes sweeter the longer you smoke it. It tastes very full, very complex. There is an incense quality topnote with a soft creamy background, if that makes any sense. You can smell heavy latakia in the tin, a kind of thick meaty smell. It is a crumble cake, which I love. It exhibits a dark brown/black color with mottled VA. It has left of moderate nicotine, which is perfect for me. I give this 4 stars. I do not think it's an everyday smoke, but a very special treat. Thank you Standard Tobacco Company!

Bengal slices was for myself a nice treat. I spent a good bit of time on this blend prior to writing this review. The tobacco is presented as a krumble kake and I immediately think of a blend that is super hard to find. Yeah you know what blend I am talking about. The scent of the tobacco is a nice smoky scent that I personally just love. So ten points to Russ on that. I found the tobacco was easy to work with and packed very nicely. Now to the smoke, I found the latakia in this is noticeable but not a forefront lat bomb. The oriental used in this does give some uniqueness and keeps the smoke interesting. Now the best part of this reproduction is the black Cavendish it gives this a nice sweetness to the tobacco and really left me craving more of it. Overall no relighting needed the tobacco was perfect for smoking not to dry or wet. I would say this blend is a good alternative to penzance and if not just as good. I found this blend to be very enjoyable and will highly recommend this to any smoker out there that enjoys a good English oriental.

Bengal Slices.

Note: I posted this in the wrong place so copied and pasted!

In the tin there's 5 thin Krumble Kakes, of quite good moistness. The tin-note implies a more formidable English flavour than what I actually get.

The blend can be crumbled into rather chunky pieces: this gives an incredibly cool smoke. Igniting B.S. is, due to the moisture, is easy peasy. And then the flavour of the smoke is a very 'smooth' English one. Forgetting the Black Cavendish for one second, the Latakia, Oriental, and Virginia taste as would be expected for this type of blend: smoky, woody, with a slight grass quality. The black Cavendish is what totally adjusts the scenario: this gives a nice vanilla-cream attribute and changes the smoke quite a lot in comparison to the normal English blends.

The nicotine's not much higher than mild: to become anywhere near medium it needs a big puff, and to be honest the room-note's about the only thing I'm not a fan of: pleasant to tolerable at best.

This is a definite four star blend:

Highly recommended.

Mmmm… The tin note is smoky, sweet and sour like Hickory smoked brisket with a thin barbecue sauce.

The tin presentation is crumble cake, thick sliced flakes about 3 mm thick. I rub a few out and am left with – well - crumbs. I can see this is good stuff. I choose a medium Stanwell freehand and a light pack. The initial charring light doesn’t take, so I proceed with another. The flavor is exquisite, silky, feels like marbles on the tongue. Sipping, the mouth feel is peppery and sweet, delicious.

Halfway through the flavor has not changed. Each puff brings forth and explosion of fine silky spices. At the end of the bowl, I am left with ash a little liquid. This is not surprising since I am outside and it is raining…

My wife tells me I smell like a campfire, I think she likes it.

Overall, an excellent blend, well-conceived and executed. Kudos to Russ Ouellette and the Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania. Four stars!

Is this the holy grail? I think so. The tin aroma is so perfect, that I often waste a portion of my time to smoke just breathing it in.

The smoky Latakia, the sweetness of the Black Cavendish, the fullness of everything coming together.

Right from opening tin it was a good moisture level, but a week or so later it was better. I noticed right away the unique qualities of the Crumble Cake. I break it up quite lightly, letting the larger pieces sit at the bottom while I lightly pack any spare crumbling on the top. Lighting was easy, though I did require a few relights. I did avoid that a little better when I broke up the cake a little more thoroughly, but I'm not bothered by relights unless it becomes excessive.

The flavor is out of this world. The only tobacco I remember enjoying this much was Solani Gold. I could barely resist breathing it in my nose, or directly inhaling it. I'm sitting here writing this review one day after I smoked my last bowl on hand, and my chest is buzzing with anticipation of smoking it again. I've just placed an order for 2 more tins from Tobacco Pipes.com

Do yourself a favor and try this tobacco. It has brought family together as the first English my Brother truly loved, and my brother in law who previously would only smoke Aro's said "This is the best tobacco I have ever had."

Actually, a favor is too light a calling. Do the solemn duty of smoking this heavenly tobacco. That you, and your family, to the third generation may reap the benefits.

EDIT: Having gone back now to Solani Gold, I can say with surety that this is a more approchable smoke. I love the former as I used to, but don't find it as smooth. Perhaps that is the addition of Cavendish to Bengal Slices, or maybe there is a light casing. If there is a casing, it is undetectable to me, but I am no expert. This is the Holy Grail

Never tried the original but I can say this, Wow! What a blend I've read some negative stuff but I urge those who have offered those opinions to give Bengal Slices another shot. This blend needs to be smoked slowly to get the full benefits it has to offer. I am an English / Balkan smoker and this is one you want in your rotation. This is a blend that is not to be missed.

3rdguy.

Beautiful crumble cake with a pleasant tin note. Top note is not an issue unless you are sensitive to them...very subtle. Also the cavendish plays a back of the bus addition but it is there, which is a good thing in this blend. Latakia is the star but the orientals are right there as well. Very tasty blend as you slowly work it. Gets better throughout the bowl.

Really interested in letting some of this age. I am in the camp that all tobaccos benefit with age. Some more then others but they all will improve with the blending of flavors, the rounding off of high notes and the such. Something with this blend leans me to a nice surprise in a year or so.

No one has included the video yet of Russ Ouellette describing his incredible effort into recreating this blend so I am adding it at the end.

Highly recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8_g27h78U0