Eileen’s Dream – Short & Sweet Review
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Kevin Godbee - Jun 17, 2014
- 4 min read
E. Roberts
Okay, I admit it: I have a sweet tooth. I was the kid that ate dessert before dinner, spent his lunch money on cupcakes, and considered a box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs a balanced breakfast. Now that I’m all growed up (well, mostly), and have doctors harping at me about "Middle-Age Health Concerns" and pants that fit a bit tighter than I remember when I bought them, I look to satisfy that craving in adult enjoyments that don’t have such an impact on my waistline. Fortunately, I love aromatic tobaccos, and CAO’s offerings are among my favorites.
I’ve waxed poetic about another CAO marque, Cherry Bomb, in the past. It still holds as my favored cherry aromatic, and I’m reasonably sure I’ve tried every single one of them out there, including the new Captain Black premium line, Red Sky. Eileen’s Dream has a way of ending up in my cellar with some regularity as well, though not as often as others in the CAO Flavours line. Every now and then, though, it scratches that sweet-tooth itch that nothing else will, and it’s a great tin to bring to a party of mixed company if you want to be asked what you’re smoking every few minutes. It’s a mild and subtle aromatic, more defined in the room note than the smoke itself, recommending it as a definite crowd-pleaser.
Tin: The tin note and presentation, like others in the CAO lineup, is where the blend easily scores high marks. A bold graphic of a clover hints at the Irish cream flavor, as does the name itself—it doesn’t get more Irish than "Eileen", does it? Happily, Eileen is dreaming of white chocolate truffles, and believe it or not they’re in there, though faint and fleeting. I wasn’t actually aware of the list of ingredients that went into the flavoring until I started writing this review, and will admit to a eureka moment upon discovering that coconut milk was listed; now that I’ve made the connection, my palate can discern it clearly. A smorgasbord of confections rounds out the flavoring list: frothed cream, hazelnuts and almonds, cocoa and vanilla, white chocolate and whiskey. There’s a lot of flavor packed into the Black Cavendish strands that glisten in the freshly-opened tin.
A wee pipe for a sweet smoke.
Char: While slightly moist in the tin, it dries quickly and easily—it’s not a humectant-laden blend, just liberally topped. It lights easily and stays lit, and is flexible with bowl size, though I prefer it in smallish straight pipes.
Top: The room note blossoms immediately with the promised Irish cream of the tin description, and the taste is sweet from the top through the bottom. Unfortunately, the flavor doesn’t translate as directly as the room note does. It is a very enjoyable and satisfying sweetness, but lacks the definition of individual flavors in the smoke stream.
Mid: Properly packed, and smoked slowly—very, very slowly—one can tease out the threads of the ingredients’ flavors: here a wisp of white chocolate, there a glimmer of hazelnut, and hints of the coconut milk now and again. Overall it’s a mild and very enjoyable sweetness, it just lacks focus. Mid-bowl is where the blend is best, and if one can pace their smoking to keep heat at a minimum, there is ample reward in flavor.
Very Black Cavendish & threads of Virginia
Finish: With a little air-drying, Eileen’s Dream burns readily, with minimal moisture and relights. Have no fear, this will not leave a goopy mess of dottle in your bowl; it’s actually quite benign. Those who enjoy mild aromatic blends will find a smoke of interest here, as the palate feel and aftertaste are classic Cavendish. And again, it makes a great choice to smoke around others: a light, sweet taste for the smoker and an ambrosial cloud for the bystanders.
Room Note: The room note is marvelous, actually outshining the direct smoke. Exhibiting much more of the profile of the flavoring ingredients, the aroma is delectably sweet, intriguing to those who try to parse it out.
Rating: 78
Presentation score: 14 points—eye-catching tin art, quality leaf and heady aroma.
Draw & burn score: 29 points—dries easily, not loaded with humectant, but can damage the flavor experience by burning a bit hot.
Flavor + aroma score: 35 points—this one is all about the aroma, which surpasses 98% of all aromatics in loveliness; unfortunately the flavor doesn’t keep pace, but still a nice sweet smoke.
Cellar or Smoke?
Looking through my notes and comparing tin dates, I find much more to enjoy in the year-old or younger tins as opposed to a four-year-old tin. Like a Beaujolais nouveau, this is made to be enjoyed fresh.
Brand: CAO
Blender: Scandinavian Tobacco Group
Type: Aromatic
Country: Denmark
Cut: Coarse & ribbon
Tobaccos: Black Cavendish, Virginia
Strength: Mild
Room Note: Medium-quite sweet
Tin Size: 50g
Tin Description–
Eileen’s Dream offers a combination of Irish cream and white chocolate truffles. Fine Irish whiskey, frothed cream, and coconut milk make up the Irish cream, and the white chocolate truffle is derived from a mixture of hazelnut paste, white chocolate, ground almonds, cocoa, and vanilla extracts. Truly a dream to smoke.
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Soon now, supposedly, our neighborhoods will shift from grinning pumpkins, skeletons in various assortments, and zombies dashing about to pretty reindeer, angels, and flashing lights illuminating homes with sparkling stars and laughing, scurrying Santas. But, lest we forget, there is the turkey season, fancy pie aromas wafting from kitchens, and a national pardon of a big Tom Turkey. Remember, now, that only one of these holiday personalities is a pipe smoker. And that is the hefty, bearded fellow in a bright red suit sitting in a sleigh with a herd of deer hitched up and ready to streak across the globe, bringing tidings of joy and many presents. Ok, the scene is set for the next couple of months, right? So, before we get too far off the beaten path, let’s just take a deep breath of fresh autumn air, shall we? Ahh. That’s better, isn’t it? What’s got the Pundit in a snit is not all the Halloween spooks who came a-jostling for candy. 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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 633. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about what’s new at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss tobacco growing, what happens to the leaf, and provide updated information on where tobacco is being gown today. Tobacco production originated in the United States and we were once the #1 producer. It’s quite different now.
Well there’s nothing like a touch of the plague to usher in the changing season. Leaving the airport just when the first advertisements for all things pumpkin spice began to appear—lattes, muffins, shampoos, trash bags, and myriad other concoctions—so, too, my ability to breathe freely disappeared. The unfortunate side effect of losing one’s sense of taste and smell for weeks is the utter inability to enjoy tobacco. Not that I consider myself an expert on anything but my own tastes, but be forewarned that this review was made with mildly impugned sensory equipment. Just when a comforting pipe was most needed, its comfort was denied. Be that as it may, the road to recovery found me limping along on one lung this past month, trying to wrest the particulars of two blends on offer from Sutliff: the latest 175th Anniversary blend, Silver Quarter, as well as their spooky seasonal Maple Shadows II. Silver Quarter is a new style on offer from Sutliff, their first coin-cut blend. 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Great review. Sounds good enough to buy 100 pounds and make tobacco angels for hours. Having tried to work through a tin of the highest rated CAO blend, Moontrance, and not getting along at all, I think I would have to pass on purchasing Eileen’s Dream. A gifted bowl, maybe, but too many other aromatics that I know I enjoy to waste what little pipe smoking time I have on a brand that has left me less than satisfied with an unusual chemical taste. If it were not for that previous disappointment, this review would have me adding Eileen’s Dream to my next shipment.
This is a really good tobacco in my opinion, but my dad’s love for it is unreal. I bought a tin of this a little while back and smoked maybe three bowls of it before my dad tried it, he ended up finishing that tin and is working on another tin of Eileen’s Dream he got with a pipe for Fathers Day.
Many thanks for the review.
I’ve had a few tins of it. Good smoke. The flavoring is noticeable but not over powering. It comes at a decent moisture level. Packs well and burns nicely. I didn’t get any tongue bite from it. Has a nice room note as well. If you’re looking for a blend to have when you’re out and about and don’t want people running for the hills because of a Latakia blend then definitely check it out.
Really like cao black lock forward to this one, top shelf aromatics
I tried this a few years ago when I was a full-on, nothing-but aromatic smoker. (Now, I’m more into burley-forward blends.) I found Eileen’s Dream extremely light and lacking in any significant tobacco taste. Reminded me of the difference between whole milk and skim, with this blend being the skim. Not terrible, but even back then I was not interested in purchasing a second tin.
When I first started with the pipe on the advice of my teacher, I was steered toward the JR forum; so duly I went and quickly learned that aromatics were “sissy” tobaccos, and rather than rely on chemicals to make my bowls memorable, if I knew what was good for me, I’d stick to untopped/uncased tobacco. I was told that there is a world of tobacco flavor available in straight tobacco.
Along the way I’ve smoked a few cased tobaccos, most notably 1792, which I’ve never regarded as cased even though it is. My mind at times has reminded me of this, but I’ve ignored this and happily loaded the next bowl. And I’ve long ago accommodated to the fact that if not cased, most tobacco is topped. And although I sometimes intentionally breath the smoke, I don’t demand that appreciable tobacco enjoyment be thus elicited. As that is the case I have reassured myself that I’m not an aromatic smoker.
But lately I’ve begun thinking about trying one. But as I shudder to think putting aromatic tobacco in my briars, perhaps if I do take the plunge I will stick to the “good” aromatics like Reiner Professional.
But wait! I’ve read many accounts about how they leave a substantial ghost and leave chemical goop in the pipe. Saved!
My first “tin” tobacco was their “Moontrance” which is very good. Kind of funny, I like the CAO pipe tobaccos but their cigars I find horrible. Is this just me?