[all tobaccos reviewed have been smoked by the author]

[*house blends, **tins only]

DUNHILL.

A much milder 965-type, Nightcap has a rich, almost creamy quality; it is very smooth for an English blend. As the name implies, a nice late-evening smoke and good first English.

Medium English**

Somewhere in-between the two above, it also makes a good first English blend. For the true English fan, it may not be spicy enough.

Sweet Fragrant**

A light honey-like cavendish with apple flavoring. The apple, however, is not pronounced and the blend itself is not overly sweet. A fairly dry smoke.

High Society**

Similar to Sweet Fragrant with a much more obvious apple aroma. Not too sweet, as cherries and berry flavors almost always are, but definitely apple nonetheless.

McCLELLAND.

Stoved Virginia #5120

A soft, dry Virginia with little flavor of its own, this makes a fine mixing tobacco. Smoked by itself it is pleasant and mild.

Another tobacco used mostly as a mixer, this is excellent for "cutting down" strongly flavored blends, or for softening a strong English blend.

The closest thing to real almond when smelled in the pouch, the flavor is much more subtle in the smoking. It is nonetheless a pleasant smoke, though slightly wet.

Mocha Black #620

A real coffee flavor. Many blends claim this distinction, but few deliver. Rich and flavorful, with a tendency to be quite wet. A day of outdoor air drying is recommended.

Chocolate Mint #105

Neither chocolatey nor minty in any obvious way, this is a truly delicious blend; mild, lightly sweet, and only slightly wet--a wonderful after dinner smoke. Possibly the smoothest, coolest cavendish around.

Colombian Coffee #710

A very rich coffee and chocolate blend, giving equal emphasis to both. Another good desert smoke, it is mild but a little wet.

(Sweet) Latakia

A wonderful light Latakia and the perfect introduction to the "English Experience." May be smoked straight or mixed; create your own English blend with this as a base.

Just what the name implies, this is a mild, nutty flavor, though one could not say what kind of nut. A soft, honey and vanilla-like fragrance is never overwhelming. Dry and cool, a great late day smoke.

With a flavor like baking cookies, this tobacco delights even those who avoid the lightest aromatic. A very slight bite for the occasional smoker only. A kind of Virginia-Cavendish hybrid, it copies no other tobacco.

Marinated in plum juice, this is the highest quality Perique. It is neither strong nor harsh and may be smoked straight or used to enhance and/or intensify other flavors in a blend. Whatever you’ve heard about Perique, this tobacco does not fit the mold of the overpowering blend of legend. Mild and sweet, it is an excellent smoke.

Not an English blend, this tobacco duplicates that spicy quality without Latakia. Rich and flavorful but not tiring to the palate. A slight clove-like aroma seems to wander around the fringes of its flavorful smoke.

This is almost exclusively a mixing tobacco; it may be smoked straight but the "dusty" quality can be overwhelming. Best as a foundation for English blends.

PCCA-McCLELLAND.

A kind of hybrid English blend, this tobacco is quite peppery but not overwhelmingly so. It has properties of English and Cavendish blends and has a real personality of its own, easily distinguishable from mixtures like Dunhill 965, for instance.

Port of Dumphries**

An interesting citrus and golden cavendish-like quality, make his an unusual blend. It is sweet, but not too sweet, and none of the flavor constituents dominate.

STOKKEBE.

A good introduction to the English blend, though the Oriental properties are kept modest here. A kind of Danish-English hybrid that makes a pleasant smoking experience.

Golden Dawn**

One of those Danish tobaccos that has little personality. It’s all right, one thinks, but nothing special. Dry and cool.

A favorite with many, this blend has a Lane 1Q quality, with a bit more bite. A dry smoke, with honey and vanilla-like properties.

LANE.

A honey cavendish (BCA is black), 1Q is also known by a myriad of names. Cool and fairly dry it has a subtle aroma enjoyed by smoker and bystander alike.

A very light tobacco indeed and ideal for mixing, yet smoked straight by many. Cool, light, dry, and slow burning it makes a great change of pace. This is the tobacco I use as a "starter," that is, no matter what I’ve filled the bowl with, I top it off with a bit of ground Burley Light. It lights with ease and doesn’t flavor the other tobacco.

Most smokers have tried Captain Black, at least during novice smoker days. It’s one of the better "drugstore" tobaccos with lots of flavor. So buy it without the preservatives and chemicals from a tobacconist, and save money buying in bulk.

TINDER BOX.

One of the mildest tobacco Tinder Box sells, it is a favorite with many. It is a rich dark cavendish with a great vanilla smell. A slight amount of drying may be needed.

One of the most flavorful tobaccos I’ve ever encountered, this blend is no longer made, although it can be found in small quantities around the US. It has a wonderful almond-like smell, but is a rather strong tobacco and probably not for the novice. It can bite and needs some drying out.

A Danish blend, with a fair amount of spiciness, yet an aroma that is quite understated. One of the dryer tobaccos.

A dark tobacco with similarities to Crown Royale. Fragrant, mild, and slow burning, but with a somewhat oily quality.

CONSOLIDATED.

Few tobaccos claiming to smell like almond do, and this is no exception. A mild aromatic smoke, which may bite newcomers, it is flavorful but not really almond-like.

More cocoa, or chocolate-like than most, it makes a better mixer because of its bite. Good with BCA or McClelland’s coffee.

Even more bite, although rather worth it: a wonderful light toffee-like blend which never overwhelms. It is quite dry, so why it bites is anyone’s guess.

Like Seabreeze (see below) it is quite fruity in the pouch, but not in the smoke, though more pronounced than Seabreeze. Berries of some kind, but understated.

MISC.

Three Nuns (Bell)**

Despite its fame and loyal following, a Plain Jane of blends, with little flavor or taste. It might make a good change of pace for the English smoker, but not for aromatic fans.

Irish Oak (Peterson)**

Another blend which is not very distinctive. A dry, cool smoke, but not one likely to attract those who like a definite flavor.

McArris (McCranie’s*)

An absolutely delightful Virginia-Burley mix, created by Tom McCranie himself. Mild, sweet, and cool, this tobacco’s fragrance will delight everyone.

Black Frigate (Cornell & Diehl)**

"Not for the faint-hearted" the tin states, yet this tobacco is quite tolerable, except for those who are aromatics-only smokers. Rich and spicy, but not overbearing.

Red Virginia (Robt. McConnell)**

A Plain Jane among Virginias, it is even plainer than McClelland’s Virginia mixer. If you like plain tobacco--neither English or aromatic--this may please you.

Premier (Wessex)**

One of those rare black cavendish blends that has little fragrance or taste. A rich, dark smoke, only a little wet, there was no discernable aroma.

Seabreeze (Uptowns*)

A tobacco with a rich, fruity aroma in the pouch (or jar) that might put off those who avoid such flavors, it smokes much lighter and leaves a nice tobacco smell in the room.

Black Cavendish (Charatan)**

A black Cavendish with a definite blackberry--or perhaps boysenberry--flavor, and a bit too much of whichever it is. You might finish the tin, but you won’t buy another.