About this List
The following is a list of what I am calling "tobacco touchstones" - blends that meet some combination of the following criteria:
the blend may be one of the gold standards, or benchmarks, of its style
the blend might be of exceedingly high quality, as apparent in the leaf itself, or by the craftsmanship of the blender
the blend may be an exceedingly unique example for its style
the blend could have a considerable reputation among connoisseurs of the style
the blend might be highly recommended for its accessibility to smokers exploring the style
Note that it's very hard for a tobacco to meet all these criteria, especially both "unique" and "definitive". And so, some amount of subjective evaluation is required. In some cases, a tobacco will make it onto the list on the strength of how well they do in one category, but in general, a blend needs to be strong in several categories to make it onto the list.
A great many excellent blends available today exist outside this list, and a world-class blend's absence is no indictment. Please don't be upset if your personal favorite isn't on the list! Consider how it matches the criteria above before sending me hate mail.
The idea behind this list is to give the intermediate pipe smoker a specific and convenient list of blends to try, in order to broaden one's tastes and establish greater common ground with one's fellow pipesmokers.
Notes:
The numbers in parenthesees are mentions in Tobacco Reviews postings, as an attempt to scope how commonly a blend is used as a comparison. These numbers were generated by Googling with the following types of query: BLENDNAME -"browse by rating" -"reviewer detail" -"update blend" -"blend index" -"brand detail" site:tobaccoreviews.com ...This is a bit of an experiment!
Blends presented in italics are not currently being produced, as far as I know.
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Straight Virginias
The straight, non-flake, virginia is an ancient and beloved category of tobacco, and it is fitting to begin our list of touchstones with them.
(132) Bulk No. 5100 Red Cake by McClelland
(129) Old Belt Ready Rubbed by W.O. Larsen
(155) Old Gowrie by Charles Rattray
(25) Red Ribbon by McCranie
(50) Virginia No. 1 by Mac Baren
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Virginia Flakes, Light
In compiling this list, it became clear that a single list for all flakes would swell beyond a manageable size. Here are those of a light-to-medium character.
(61) Bulk No. 2010 Classic Virginia by McClelland
(36) Capstan Medium Navy Cut by Imperial
(41) Cut Virginia Plug by Fribourg & Treyer
(71) Hamborger Veermaster by Dan Tobacco
(107) Light Flake by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlikin 2005; new recipe suspect)
(15) No. 109 Medium Flake by Astley's
(13) Virginia No. 24 by McClelland
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Virginia Flakes, Full
...And here are those Virginia flakes of medium-to-full flavor.
(77) Best Brown Flake by Samuel Gawith
(93) Blackwoods Flake by McClelland
(162) Dark Star by McClelland
(233) Full Virginia Flake by Samuel Gawith
(106) Hal O' the Wynd by Charles Rattray
(228) Marlin Flake by Charles Rattray
(30) Red Flake by McCranie
(53) Scottish Flake by Robert McConnell
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Virginia/Perique Blends
Perhaps no group of tobaccos has more zealous adherents than the famed Virginia/Perique mixtures. Don your robes, chant the oaths, and join the cult of Vapers...
(102) 633 by Solani
(35) Bayou Morning by Cornell & Diehl
(166) Bulk No. 2015 Virginia Flake by McClelland
(101) Elizabethan Mixture by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
(222) Escudo by A&C Petersen
(193) Haddo's Delight by GL Pease
(42) Luxury Navy Flake by Peter Stokkebye
(64) St. James Woods by McClelland
(190) Three Nuns (original) by Bell's (Unavailable for many years, but legendary!)
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Virginia/Burley Blends
It became clear that a single group for Burley would not contain that beloved tobacco's various manifestations. This group pertains to blends in which both burley and virginia tobaccos share center stage.
(111) Brown Flake by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
(86) Cumberland by GL Pease
(83) Long Golden Flake by Reiner
(115) Golden Sliced by Orlik Tobacco
(69) University Flake by Peterson
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English Blends
The hallmark English tobaccos are the ultimate in civilized tradition. And they're stunningly popular. Look at these numbers!
(61) Commonwealth Mixture by Samuel Gawith
(129) Frog Morton on the Town by McClelland
(182) London Mixture by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
(120) Margate by Esoterica Tobacciana
(423) My Mixture 965 by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
(333) Nightcap by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
(248) Penzance by Esoterica Tobacciana
(196) Renaissance by GL Pease (Unavailable since late 2004)
(64) Standard Mixture Medium by Dunhill (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
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Balkan Blends
When Latakia and Oriental share center stage, we are in geography of the Balkans.
(307) 759 by Balkan Sobranie (Unavailable for many years, but legendary!)
(40) Abingdon by GL Pease
(14) Balkan Sasieni by Sasieni
(62) Blackpoint by GL Pease
(41) Bohemian Scandal by GL Pease (Unavailable since late 2004)
(109) Caravan by GL Pease
(79) Charing Cross by GL Pease
(111) Odyssey by GL Pease
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Oriental Blends
The spice and fragrance of Oriental tobaccos have the spotlight in these blends. With a few notable exceptions, this isn't a very popular grouping at this moment in history.
(28) Bulk No. 2045 Oriental Mixture by McClelland
(103) Cairo by GL Pease
(25) Campanile by James Fox
(134) Durbar by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
(299) Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlik in 2005; new recipe suspect)
(9) Oriental by Robert McConnell
(13) Oriental No. 14 by McClelland
(9) Oriental No. 40 by Peretti
(221) Squadron Leader by Samuel Gawith
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Burley Blends
These modern tobaccos tend to be more creative and sophisticated in their handling of the tobacco than typically seen in years' past.
(150) Barbary Coast by GL Pease
(50) Burley London Blend by Mac Baren
(28) Haunted Bookshop by Cornell & Diehl
(73) Morley's Best by Cornell & Diehl
(124) Navy Flake by Mac Baren
(29) Old Joe Krantz by Cornell & Diehl
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Traditional American
This is that style of blend which had its heyday in the United States decades ago, smoked by the fathers and grandfathers of today's American smokers. Generally, these tobaccos are straight-forward, sweet, and nutty.
(44) Barking Dog by House of Windsor
(41) Bourbon Street by House of Windsor
(61) Carter Hall by John Middleton
(100) Edgeworth Slices by Edgeworth (Unavailable since late 2005)
(66) Half & Half by Pinkerton Tobacco
(62) Nut Brown Burley by Pipeworks & Wilke
(151) Prince Albert by John Middleton
(90) Revelation by House of Windsor
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Lakeland Style, Unscented
Blends produced in the Lakeland district of England which tend to share a certain flavor profile.
(77) Best Brown Flake by Samuel Gawith
(34) Broken Scotch Cake by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
(33) Dark Birdseye by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
Lakeland Style, Scented
The unique flavoring style used by tobacco makers in this region sets this group apart from both the unflavored Lakelands and the general "flavored" group, below.
(63) Bob's Chocolate Flake by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
(54) Ennerdale Flake by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
(60) Rum Flake by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
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Ropes and Plugs
"Block" tobaccos -- in rope or plug form -- are a class unto themselves. They are colloquially referred to as "nicotine bombs", for reasons which are obvious to anyone who has tried the stronger examples of this group of tobaccos.
(23) Black Irish Twist by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
(12) Black XX Rope by Samuel Gawith
(6) Black XXX Rope by Samuel Gawith
(46) Brown Rope No. 4 by Samuel Gawith
(19) Coniston Cut Plug by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
(15) Kendal Plug by Samuel Gawith
(7) Sweet Rum Twist by Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.
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Flavored Tobaccos
These are tobaccos which have more than a slight topping, ranging from the tastefully flavored to outright saucy.
(88) 1-Q by Lane Limited
(155) 1792 Flake by Samuel Gawith
(30) Autumn Evening by Cornell & Diehl
(138) Blue Note by Dan Tobacco
(33) Cross-Eyed Cricket by Cornell & Diehl
(30) Dark Twist by Mac Baren
(50) Erinmore Flake by Murray Sons & Co.
(225) Frog Morton by McClelland
(41) Royal Yacht by Dunhill (Murray's) (Changed blending houses to Orlikin 2005; new recipe suspect)
(41) St. Bruno Flake by Imperial
(55) Sweet Vanilla Honeydew by Dan Tobacco
