Dunhill Ready Rubbed (re-release)

Tin description from old Dunhill catalog: Virginia Ready Rubbed (1979): [A gently flavoured blend of Virginia tobaccos, hard pressed for several days to release the natural aromas then rubbed out, a light subtle flavour has been added-1985].

Actually, it is not an aromatic blend but a Virginia based mixture with subtle fruity topping.

Grassy and citrus fruity with rather earthy and woody taste ( like a Burley earthy or Burley woody). No bite.

Not bad. Two and a half stars.

It seems this tobacco was produced by different blenders in the past and seems to have changed quite a bit if I compare it to the tin that I purchased here in Germany. First, the version I own was not produced by STG - they confirmed to me upon request that they stopped producing Dunhill blends already a few years ago. I assume that this tobacco is now produced by Kohlhase & Kopp and that version is the one I'll be reviewing. It consists of some brighter and some darker virginias and also some burley tobaccos. Also, there is no top-flavouring whatsoever to this blend - at least that's what they told me at K&K.

Tin Note: slight hay note, very fruity and citrusy, maybe a little nuttiness already.

Packing / Handling: As easy as it gets. Perfect Dunhill style ribbons, ready to be smoked right from the tin. Packs easy, no relights required and (if smoked with care) does not burn too hot. When smoked faster I find it gets hot quickly and loses much of his flavour.

Taste: This is a rather light blend and totally suitable for a "first pipe of the day", both, taste and nicotine wise. At first I get a nice plain virgina taste, rather on the citrusy side with some fruit (maybe raisins and garden fruits) and a decent natural sweetness. After a while, the burley comes out more providing a little darker, richer and nuttier taste. Still, the virginia is the protagonist of this blend and plays its role from the beginning until the end where only a very fine ash is left of the tobacco. The burley just adds so much extra flavour to make the virgina shine a little brighter and delivers some deepness and complexity.

Room Note: Rather light, and nothing too special. While it doesn't smell as nice as some other blends it should at least not disturb anyone.

The Virginia and light fruit topping combine for a citrusy, sweet, and zesty taste. The Orietals, which are more prominent to my taste than they seem to be to other reviewers, accentuate the zestiness of the blend. The Orientals also offer some spice as well as a light, pleasing sourness that manages to stand out from the other flavors. How it stands out I do not know, but my taste buds and nose pick it up as distinct from the topping. I did not detect the Burley that other reviewers note.

This blend burns well and cool, with fewer relights than my high average. I experience no tongue bite with this tobacco. In terms of nicotine content, this blend's strength is mild. Taste is somewhat nearer medium than mild due to the Orientals and synergy between the Virginias and topping. For me this is a three-star tobacco, though I can see it being a favorite for some.

NOTE: One of the factors that keeps this from getting a fourth star from me is that the constellations of flavors in this blend sometimes align such that it tastes like a lemony kitchen cleaner smells. That said, I have only experienced this unhappy taste when drinking coffee while smoking this blend. As always, your mileage may vary.

This IS Orlik Golden Sliced rubbed out. It is the same blend. I love OGS, and it is the one blend I smoke everyday. I don't know what the old Dunhill RR was like, but this is OGS, no doubt about it.

A nice all day smoke. Lits well, burns well, no tounge bite, clean dry smoke. Fine, sweet taste of natural Virginia. Worth to try it. recommend.

Little bit better than Three Year Matured Viginia, but still the same mistakes. Ready Rubbed has too preservative, lukewarm and tedious taste. Next to 3YMV that's another proof, that Dunhill should stick to their specials - latakia mixtures and stop making disillusions of other tobaccos.

Classic-elegant tin label. Tin nose is mainly bread and yeast. I cannot smell any Oriental. Neatly and evenly presented Ready Rubbed tobacco, almost like a medium-fine Ribbon Cut. Gorgeous golden colour. A feast for your eyes. All high Dunhill standard. The moisture out of the tin is ok for me. Since our American pipe friends usually prefer drier tobacco than Europeans, you may allow a short drying time.

Excellent smoking conditions. But mind you: neither draw to eagerly, nor smoke too hot, or the moment of revenge has come, in the form of harsh-acrid tastes and the well-known Virginia bite. Otherwise it is a mild, rather pleasurable and tasty smoke.

To me this new release of DUNHILL READY RUBBED is a straight Virginia Blend, not an Aromatic like the original one definitely was. Although I cannot single-out the Orientals, they may certainly be there and provide some hidden spice and enhance the mixture’s taste. As far as I am concerned it’s all about Virginias and some topping. The added flavours are gentle and marry up really well with the Virginias. It’s a kind of fruity casing, which I am not able to specify. They did a good job on this, because I am normally scared off by artificial flavourings.

I have never been a fan of straight Virginia blends, even less, when flavoured. I prefer heavy English, Balkan and Perique mixtures. But, DRR is somewhat recommendable as a light all-day smoke.

Never had original. Smoke a full tin here. Bright Virginia leaves. More body than straight Virginia. Can't taste Turkish, but that must be involved in the added strength. Orange and honey sweet but not near the top. Not wet or hot. Not as sweet to me as Capstan.

A Little too spicy for a quiet English-aromatic. Enjoyable on occasion for mild-medium sweet smoke with some extra body. Quality leaves and mix.

I’ll start by saying that if I had to base my rating on just one bowl I probably would have given this three stars. But over time, as the top note has faded, some issues with the underlying tobaccos have become apparent. So, firstly, the added flavoring. I’m fairly certain this is the same sauce used in the Three Year Matured, only here it is about three times as strong. Specifically, the apricot note, which jumps out right when you first pop the tin. No, I wouldn’t call this a full-blown aromatic, that is evident if you compare it directly against a true aromatic, like I did with East India Officer’s Club. So yeah, this is definitely more in the semi-aromatic category, where one can still discern natural tobacco.

Unfortunately, the natural tobacco tastes I discern, sourced from Africa, India, Indonesia, are not of the highest quality. This is probably why they went so heavy with the fruit topping, to hide what lies underneath. When fresh, these faults were not as apparent and I got flavors of light brown bread, and a suggestion that a liquefied concoction of anisette and toasted poppy seed may have be used in the tempering sauce (aside from the added apricot flavoring). At this point just a mildly boring blend suitable for a quiet Sunday morning. But this honeymoon, unexciting as it was, didn’t last long. Although the apricot never completely fades away, more of what lurks underneath comes to the surface: really strongly grassy chlorophyll and a faint vegetal bitterness that I finally pinned down to fennel seed and radish. As I said: substandard leaf.