The Great Best of the Best of the Best Aromatic Project

Brothers of Briar

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I'm betting BH won't ever touch another aro after this experiment. :lol:
 
Simple Man":5y0hyjk1 said:
I'm betting BH won't ever touch another aro after this experiment. :lol:
I agree, that much sugary stuff all at once, maybe someone should send a dose of insulin with one of the packages......


BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!

(cough, cough...............)
 
Oh boy. I'm in trouble now. I just discovered that Peretti's has FINALLY gone to an online cart and payment system. I used to avoid calling them cause they were always so dang rude. Now...funds are no longer safe. AND you can opt to ship via 1st class!

So, due to the above I have added a number of Peretti blends to the "Trial Pile".

Boston's Best Cavendish
Ebony (got a double of this one...stellar)
Black Virginia
No Name
Blend 1072
Blend DD

These run the gamut of styles from Lakeland-esque to Old American...and all represent the highest quality ingredients available. Other places might equal Peretti blends re this or that but IMHO no one surpasses them.

Really looking forward to these.
 
Today's blend...Milan Reflections in an Alpha Handmade Briar full bent Freehand.

Amid the mix of blends in this March of insanity there are sweet Aros, semi Aros, non Aros (no top dressing)...this one is a no apologies full bore sweet aromatic. Milan described it as having vanilla, caramel, sweet cream, nutmeg, and gentle spice. I won't disagree with any one of those.

It's doesn't have enough sugar to stick together when pinched, and it packs and lights very easily right out of the bag. I get some mild cocoa aromas from it...but that could be the vanilla and spice mix. Whatever it is, it's very, very pleasant. This is what an Aromatic should be call about... Easy & Delicious. Not a long slow burn, but not hot and Bitey either. Seems fair.

Perhaps the name comes from the fact that it's so easy that it allows reflection.

It's a very smooth and delightful blend.
 
Blackhorse":6ax8eq33 said:
Today's blend...Milan Reflections in an Alpha Handmade Briar full bent Freehand.

Amid the mix of blends in this March of insanity there are sweet Aros, semi Aros, non Aros (no top dressing)...this one is a no apologies full bore sweet aromatic. Milan described it as having vanilla, caramel, sweet cream, nutmeg, and gentle spice. I won't disagree with any one of those.

It's doesn't have enough sugar to stick together when pinched, and it packs and lights very easily right out of the bag. I get some mild cocoa aromas from it...but that could be the vanilla and spice mix. Whatever it is, it's very, very pleasant. This is what an Aromatic should be call about... Easy & Delicious. Not a long slow burn, but not hot and Bitey either. Seems fair.

Perhaps the name comes from the fact that it's so easy that it allows reflection.

It's a very smooth and delightful blend.
Glad to hear it! I actually have an ounce or two arriving this week with two other Milan blends. This sound like something I will be enjoying for sure.
 
And the excellent flavors lasted ALL the way down the bowl!

Note: two big boxes found their way to my porch today.the Lane Aromatics listed on top here hit home. How fun.

Gee! These dang things really DO smell good, eh?
 
Today's tasting will be Lane RLP-6.

Some initial reviews...

Pipestud from 2010: A solid four stars on the aromatic chart for me. RLP-6 is called Ram at my local tobacco shop and is the shop's number two seller. It produces a nice sweet taste (chocolate/vanilla), and absolutely will not bite. A slow smoke produces little dottle. Rev up your smoking cadence and you will need to swab the lower deck with a paper towel once the tobacco has been consumed. The cut is rather thick (broad cut), but it burns very evenly and stays lit extremely well for an aromatic blend. If your veins hunger for nicotine you'll starve them with this blend.

Drums & Beer, 2014: RLP-6 is a solid all-purpose aromatic, and one that I have come to appreciate even more as a mild cool-burning, sweet summer-smoke. Not only is it enjoyable by itself, it’s also a very flexible mixer. The flavor hints at raisins, vanilla and just a touch of chocolate. At the core is a mellow uncomplicated tobacco flavor. RLP-6 is sweet but it’s not cloying or overwhelming. Simple, but good.

Jimlnks, 2014: You've read this before, but I'll write it again: this is not Captain Black White. The vanilla is a little less pronounced here, and this is much fruitier than CBW. The honey (which I just notice in CBW) comes from the gold cavendish, though it may be aided by some from the toppings, too. The burley is molasses sweet with a very few nutty notes. The nougat is obvious all the time, more so than in CBW. The gold Virginia isn't that noticeable, but I do get a sense of grass and citrus from it. The chocolate is light, much lighter than CBW. Unlike CBW, this burns cool and doesn't bite, nor does it have any of the harshness associated with CBW. The flavor is consistent throughout the smoke, and it leaves just a slight bit of moisture at the finish, but it's not goopy. There is a little PG in here despite what is claimed, but it doesn't get in the way of the flavor or how it performs in your pipe. A very pleasant all day smoke in any type of weather.

So, now that I know all about it, why smoke it myself? Cause I WANT to! Of all the bags in my growing hoard of aromatics...this stuff smells the best. More soon.
 
Lane RLP-6. It has a really excellent pouch aroma. I wish that carried over more into the smoke. I give this a 'good' rating...3-4 out of 5 stars. Great pouch aroma, easy to pack and light and burn. Good manners. Doesn't smoke wet. Doesn't smoke hot. Nice and smoky. If it just didn't smell so good in the pouch I wouldn't be disappointed. But I am, just only in that regard.

The Milan Reflections had all the same mechanics going for it PLUS the flavors carried right on through to the end of the bowl...therefore quite superior.
 
And now...Scottie's Butternut Burley.

Moist and fluffy in the pouch. Packs and lights easily.

Pipestud: The mostly ribbon cut Burley leaf was not goopy when I gathered up the tobacco to put into my pipe. The smell from the bag was of butterscotch. That smell transformed into a butterscotch flavor on my tongue, but what impressed me was the fact that it also tasted like a quality Burley tobacco and had a pleasant hit of nicotine. The blend does get a tad bitter toward the bottom of the bowl, but it smoked dry all the way down. For lovers of this type of aromatic, it's a 4-star bell ringer.

Jimlnks: It's a little sweeter than I generally prefer, but from time to time, I need that in my smoking life. The earlier comparisons to 1Q and old sweaters are rather appropriate. I like it better in a cob than in a briar; I taste the sweet, nutty burley a little more that way. The honey topping is very complimentary. A very good all day smoke for your sweet tooth. It has a pleasant room note and after taste. Burns well, but leaves some moisture at the finish.

strongrish: I have been smoking the blend off and on for about 18 months. I finally decided to review it. First off, I think one has to like aromatics to like this blend, just being a burley smoker is not enough as it is very mild and has a definite butter pecan tsste. This could easily be an all day blend and can't and won't wear out the tongue. It is what it is and that's a mild aromatic that does not have tongue bite, it smokes clean, has a great flavor and aroma and makes a great blender. This tobacco comes in bulk and when opening the bag it has a scent of Simores. It smells good enough to eat. It is a somewhat moist blend and has a mixed coloring from light to very dark in a rough cut ribbon. It does have a little stickyness to the touch but it packs easily in the pipe and it lights and stays burning very well. It emits a nice, very creamy cool smoke, not overpowering nor cloying at all, just the good butter pecan flavor and wonderful room aroma. It burns down to a nice grey ash with very little dottle and does not leave a bunch of moisture in the bottom of the pipe in spite of it being a moist tobacco. This is not one I want to smoke all day but it could easily be for some, but I do find myself reaching for it a lot with a cup of coffee. I also smoke it when around people as they tend to like the aroma. This would be a great blend for new smokers as it won't bite their tongue and it tastes good. I highly recommend this but not to purists. One must like an aromatic to enjoy this blend or at least be open to them.

BH - I smoked this in a MM cob General. Good Match. This can get hot if puffed aggressively. Be ware! Great candidate for a churchwarden with a full sized bowl. Thinking that the mid sized MM Cobbit pipes. The Elf & Hobbit sizes, would be excellent. Good B Scotch flavors, clouds of thick smoke, no bite. Other than that, my experience matched those above. Very, very good and well loved blend. Many stars, esp to a Burley lover.
 
I received my Milan order today with an ounce of Reflection... "an ounce of reflection", I like that. Anyway, it really smells good! I can't wait to give it a try later based on your observations. While you're doing the aromatic testing, it would be great if you could sample some of The Country Squire's aros. I'd really be interested in your thoughts on them. I've only tried Parson's Blend so far, but it is one of the nicest aros I've had. I'd be happy to send you a sample, but I'm rather low at the time.
 
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