Blakeney’s Best Acadian Ribbon is in a word, "Tangy". In two words, it is "Tangy & Sweet" I like it. I’m not sure why it doesn’t say so on the tin, but this tobacco blend is from McClelland. I have heard many people describing different McClelland blends as having a "ketchup" tin aroma, and a few of them even saying that it translated to the smoking taste. I have not experienced that, but if I really try hard to think of ketchup when I take a whiff of the tin, I can somewhat see where this comes from. Ketchup is tangy and sweet. So is Blakeney’s Best Acadian Ribbon. Although I do not really get ketchup from this blend, if you have picked it up in other McClelland blends, you might get it here too. If so, maybe you should try it with a burger and fries!

Captain Black has got to be one of the best mass-market distributed pipe tobaccos out there. If you like Cavendish tobaccos, then you must read on. I recently smoked 3 of the 5 versions and enjoyed them all immensely. I smoked Captain Black Regular (white package), Captain Black Gold (gold package) and Captain Black Royal (dark blue package). The other two versions that I didn’t smoke are Captain Black Light (light blue package) and Captain Black Cherry (red package). You usually find Captain Black at various chain stores that sell pipe tobacco such as CVS Drug Stores, Walmart and other chains. Don’t let the chosen distribution chain for Captain Black fool you. It is just as good, and even better than some specialty tinned pipe tobaccos.

I want to thank the guy that gave me some Maltese Falcon to try at the 2009 Chicago Pipe Show. I don’t remember his name, but Maltese Falcon has become one of my favorite pipe tobacco blends. I have been smoking it for the last three days straight and I am not tired of it yet. I have had it in the morning, afternoon and night. It is tasty and delightful at anytime of day. To describe this tobacco in a word, I would say "Flavorful". It’s like a rich strong dark coffee with a little bit of milk and sugar added to tame any sharp bite you might get.

Samuel Gawith Bracken Flake may have ruined me for all other pipe tobaccos. You better make sure you are sitting down when you smoke this one! You can even catch a buzz just from the tin aroma. The tin aroma reminds me of Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Tequila. It is a rich sipping Extra-Añejo tequila aged in oak barrels. The tequila has a full, mellow flavor that combines floral, agave, vanilla and Cognac-like flavors. You can take this not only as a recommendation for the tequila, but for SG Bracken Flake too. Opening a tin of Bracken Flake and taking a whiff gives me the same experience as opening a bottle of Cuervo Reserva de la Familia and doing the same. Bracken Flake smells like it has this fine liquor in it.

I’ve heard of aged tobacco, but 200 years old is really getting up there. Ok, the tobacco isn’t really that old, but Samuel Gawith’s Commonwealth Mixture is a Bicentenarian - meaning this pipe tobacco blend has been around for 200 years. I’m not surprised it’s lasted that long as it is one of the best pipe tobaccos I have ever tasted. SG Commonwealth Mixture was recommended to me by PipesMagazine.com member John Gioannetti, aka  "mate". I think I will take all of his recommendations from now on.

I was already anticipating something good when seeing the tin saying, "Full Strength Mixture", and I wasn’t let down.

Upon opening the tin, you see and smell a dark, smoky mixture. The tobacco in my tin was rather moist, but I just filled up a bowl and lit it up.

Even though it seemed too moist, I had no trouble lighting and keeping lit.