Dunhill Ready Rubbed (re-release)

Ready Rubbed by Dunhill is a really nice smoke, but for reasons that I will explain shortly, it's praises are unsung. One of those reasons is a misunderstanding and I think the other is slight shortcoming...but the latter is just a matter of perspective and expectations.

First, I'll be the first to admit that I like the tin art. It shouldn't matter, but it does and I like it. If you like the way something looks or feels, you more likely to enjoy and use it. We all have our preferences and I like it. I can see myself looking at one of these tins ten years from now and thinking, "Man, this is nice looking", reminding me of days when smoking a pipe was an art. Already, tins are changing and coming with all sorts of crazy labels with horrid warnings, etc. So, yeah, I like the tin art.

From there, cracking the tin is wonderful. The first time I opened one, I thought to myself this aroma is amazing! This is what I like from a Virginia. I must get more! And I did. It has a nice tea-like smell, but it's heightened by the sweet fruit topping. Lovely. The two smell so good together. Others have said that they could smell the Turkish from the aroma. I couldn't. I just smelled the sweet, tea Virginias and the fruit topping. Again, great.

The ribbons inside are a uniformed, light golden brown. Again, leading folks to think of this as a wonderful Virginia tobacco. When you light up the bowl, which I pack lightly, you are greeted with the sweetness of the Virginia and the topping. It's sweet, tart and tasty. Before, I said I couldn't smell the Turkish in the tin aroma, but I could definitely taste it in the smoke. First, it started off by just being able to pick it up in the scent of the smoke. Then you could definitely taste it on the palate. Tastes to me of straight Smyrna. Plays in and out nicely with the Virginias and the topping. A nice, sour element added to the sweetness.

By about half-way through the bowl, the Turkish part of the blend really starts to take over and dominate the flavor. I think this is where the misunderstanding comes in. First, from appearances and smell upon opening the tin, you'd think this was mostly all Virginia. But maybe because the topping begins to wear off or the Turkish just begins to assert itself more, the Turkish does do that. I like it. One of the reasons I wanted to buy Ready Rubbed. It promised Virginia and Turkish, both of which I like very much. So there it was.

But I think if you were expecting it to be "Virginia based" and to stay that way, it would then take you by surprise. It becomes more of a sour, musty Turkish experience. Again, something I enjoy, but most folks would want that to be a condiment and not the main star. But there it is. Then the Virginias play a supporting role and add sweetness to the sourness. This is also why I think some say it takes on a cigarette-like taste. I disagree with that and think that it's mistaken simply for the shift to the Turkish portion of the blend. Still, very nice.

My shortcoming with this blend, and for me what keeps this from being a full 4-star blend, is that it lacks a bit in the nicotine department. It's there, just very mild. That's a preference of mine. Not a preference of all and yours may vary. But I like a little bit of hit in this department. This could have been by strict design since Dunhill has quite a few heavy hitters in this department. This could have been there way of having a nice, light Virginia based blend that can be enjoyed throughout the day. That's OK, I'd just like a bit more. I like the taste of this blend very much. I like it far better than Royal Yacht. I do think, though, that it could benefit from a bit more punch. Perhaps a pinch or two of Five Brothers. I haven't tried that because I don't want to change the flavor too much, but at the same time, when I am done with the bowl, I feel like I want something else to finish it. That's the preference part.

So I think that this is a really nice blend that suffers a bit from a misunderstanding and a shortcoming. But that's just me. Others may look at it and say it's perfect as billed...and they would be right too.

Either way, I am happy to have several tins of this and I am looking forward to them aging and cracking them open years from now too. A solid three and half stars.

Enjoy!