A little background info: I have always prefered to go between two types of blends, Black Cavendish (not heavily cased) and Latakia-heavy English blends (but NO Perique). A little while ago I decided to try something different, something more along the line of a "natural aromatic" so-to-speak. It seemed like Dunhill Royal Yacht would fit that bill.
My first impression of it upon opening the tin was one of great promise. It smells delicious. But once lit, my impression changed drastically for the worse. It was hard to light and keep lit. It burned hot and wet. It had very little taste other than a black-peppery hotness reminiscent of Perique which I dislike. It left an aftertaste in my mouth reminiscent of cigarettes, which I abhor. And halfway through the bowl it tasted ashy and foul. I was ready to chuck it, and regretted having bought 3 tins of it to save on shipping.
But rather than toss it, I decided to give it a fair shake.
The first thing I did was stop using the 3-stage packing method. I tried the Frank method and immediately found that it solved a few issues. Being used to coarser cuts, I was evidently packing it too tightly. Looser packing made it easy to light and keep lit, and counterintuitively as it seemed, it also burned cooler. Much cooler. That in turn helped it smoke dryer as well. And that in turn allowed the natural sweetness to come through.
Even with the Frank method, I still found that the packing was inconsistent. I would pack it either too loose or too tight, depending on whether I judged the right amount to include in the plug. Since I have many pipes of differing bowl capacity, that was a problem. So I tried the swirl method, and found that to be the most consistent way to get a good smoke from Royal Yacht. (Thank you, gentleman on YouTube with the nice Irish brogue )
Some people have brought up the subject of Royal Yacht's considerable nicotine content. It is by far the strongest tobacco nicotine-wise, that I have ever smoked. It makes Nightcap, my other Dunhill favorite, seem like pure air by comparison. I'm not an inhaler, but an accidental whiff upon lighting is enough to make my head spin. So for those who don't normally inhale, don't even think about inhaling RY. Even letting the smoke out my nose stings and makes my eyes water. For those who do inhale (why?), if you are used to typical aromatics, don't inhale Royal Yacht standing up, or on an empty stomach, especially in the beginning of the bowl, that big cloud of fresh smoke right after the true light Oddly, unlike many blends, I find that Royal Yacht has less of a nic kick the deeper into the bowl I get.
Another thing I find is that where Royal Yacht is concerned, less is more. I enjoy it most in a smaller pipe. I tried it in some of my many Ser Jacs and found that a large bowl of it is just too much of a good thing. A lesser quantity of it, packed loosely but consistently and smoked slowly, lets the natural sweetness come through all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It does need tamping more frequently, and the bowl is finished rather quickly compared to my Cavendish or Lat blends. But better to smoke a second small bowl than one large one.
Royal Yacht has quickly become my prefered smoke after a big meal. I wouldn't personally want to smoke it in the morning (but then I never smoke before dinner anyway). I was quite surprised that SWMBO commented that the room note is very pleasant. Unlike with my Cavendish, I really can't appreciate the room note while smoking Royal Yacht, but if she says it smells nice, who am I to argue or complain, right?
As I work my way into my third and last tin, I am about to order more. Perish the thought that I might run out of it! To think that just a short while ago I actually detested Royal Yacht, but now it has become a favorite. All because I took the time to discover the right way to smoke it. I would have to call Royal Yacht a blend for an experienced pipe smoker, because it isn't one you can just stuff and puff any old way in any old pipe. But with the care and attention such a venerable blend deserves, it will reward the smoker with one of the finest, most enjoyable smokes out there. It is a distinctive blend too, in fact I don't think there is any blend out there that is similar enough to call a substitute. I'm glad I persevered.
My first impression of it upon opening the tin was one of great promise. It smells delicious. But once lit, my impression changed drastically for the worse. It was hard to light and keep lit. It burned hot and wet. It had very little taste other than a black-peppery hotness reminiscent of Perique which I dislike. It left an aftertaste in my mouth reminiscent of cigarettes, which I abhor. And halfway through the bowl it tasted ashy and foul. I was ready to chuck it, and regretted having bought 3 tins of it to save on shipping.
But rather than toss it, I decided to give it a fair shake.
The first thing I did was stop using the 3-stage packing method. I tried the Frank method and immediately found that it solved a few issues. Being used to coarser cuts, I was evidently packing it too tightly. Looser packing made it easy to light and keep lit, and counterintuitively as it seemed, it also burned cooler. Much cooler. That in turn helped it smoke dryer as well. And that in turn allowed the natural sweetness to come through.
Even with the Frank method, I still found that the packing was inconsistent. I would pack it either too loose or too tight, depending on whether I judged the right amount to include in the plug. Since I have many pipes of differing bowl capacity, that was a problem. So I tried the swirl method, and found that to be the most consistent way to get a good smoke from Royal Yacht. (Thank you, gentleman on YouTube with the nice Irish brogue )
Some people have brought up the subject of Royal Yacht's considerable nicotine content. It is by far the strongest tobacco nicotine-wise, that I have ever smoked. It makes Nightcap, my other Dunhill favorite, seem like pure air by comparison. I'm not an inhaler, but an accidental whiff upon lighting is enough to make my head spin. So for those who don't normally inhale, don't even think about inhaling RY. Even letting the smoke out my nose stings and makes my eyes water. For those who do inhale (why?), if you are used to typical aromatics, don't inhale Royal Yacht standing up, or on an empty stomach, especially in the beginning of the bowl, that big cloud of fresh smoke right after the true light Oddly, unlike many blends, I find that Royal Yacht has less of a nic kick the deeper into the bowl I get.
Another thing I find is that where Royal Yacht is concerned, less is more. I enjoy it most in a smaller pipe. I tried it in some of my many Ser Jacs and found that a large bowl of it is just too much of a good thing. A lesser quantity of it, packed loosely but consistently and smoked slowly, lets the natural sweetness come through all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It does need tamping more frequently, and the bowl is finished rather quickly compared to my Cavendish or Lat blends. But better to smoke a second small bowl than one large one.
Royal Yacht has quickly become my prefered smoke after a big meal. I wouldn't personally want to smoke it in the morning (but then I never smoke before dinner anyway). I was quite surprised that SWMBO commented that the room note is very pleasant. Unlike with my Cavendish, I really can't appreciate the room note while smoking Royal Yacht, but if she says it smells nice, who am I to argue or complain, right?
As I work my way into my third and last tin, I am about to order more. Perish the thought that I might run out of it! To think that just a short while ago I actually detested Royal Yacht, but now it has become a favorite. All because I took the time to discover the right way to smoke it. I would have to call Royal Yacht a blend for an experienced pipe smoker, because it isn't one you can just stuff and puff any old way in any old pipe. But with the care and attention such a venerable blend deserves, it will reward the smoker with one of the finest, most enjoyable smokes out there. It is a distinctive blend too, in fact I don't think there is any blend out there that is similar enough to call a substitute. I'm glad I persevered.