Vincent Manil Pure Semois: A Perfection

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Dec 4, 2014

• #1

Vincent Manil Pure Semois, the burley from Belgium, now widely available:

This has advanced from a unique adventure to an all-time favorite in short order.

Admittedly, I "inherited" a sample and then a full package from Forums members,

one of whom tried it and found it really awful. It's burley, all burley, and nothing

but burley, and of a unique kind. Fortunately, I have found a large canning jar just

the right size to preserve -- I don't know what, it's slight moisture or absolute dryness.

I am presently enjoying a bowl in my 30-plus year old Savenelli zulu 404. It has levels

and complexity, all within a straightforward burley frame. What do I want from a

tobacco? There it is. I have a pretty wide array of tobacco blends and single leaf that

I enjoy immensely, and will continue to do so. But Vincent Manil Pure Semois is

what Granger wants to be all these years. The voice of the leaf, right from the soil.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer

Apr 5, 2014

4,043

24

Missouri

• Dec 4, 2014

• #2

Mso is there more than one blend of semois? I like a strong full flavor but not so sure about semois.

 

peckinpahhombre

Lifer

Dec 24, 2012

7,195

456

• Dec 4, 2014

• #3

Glad you like it - more power to you.

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Dec 4, 2014

• #4

I think there is a "perfumed" aromatic version, something like Fleur de Semois, that isn't available in the U.S.

The version I have is non-aromatic burley. It is not like Lanes Burley Without Bite, or any of various

Cornell & Diehl burleys, like Dark Burley, all of which I enjoy. I think you have to evaluate this one on its

own merits. Like burley in general, it may be polarizing. Some people really don't taste burley of any kind.

Others taste it and dislike it in general. All people who enjoy burley may not like this one. So I may be on

the end of the bell curve of those who like Semois in a big way. The Forums member who disliked it in the

extreme is an experienced pipe smoker with a spectacular stable of pipes, so it wasn't a newbie or only

somewhat experienced pipe person.

 

twoonefive

Starting to Get Obsessed

Jan 6, 2014

293

696

Willow Grove, PA

pipesandpens.com

• Dec 4, 2014

• #5

I'm a big fan as well. Thanks for posting!

 

cobguy

Lifer

Oct 18, 2013

3,742

15

• Dec 4, 2014

• #6

Fleur de Semois is not an aromatic version only a thinner cut.
As I understand it Brumeuse is the thick cut, Fleur de Semois a fine cut and Reserve du Patron in the middle.
Also, it's technically not Burley but rather a close relative that is a unique variant.
My initial response to this was not that great but it has grown on me.

Semois is earthy, musty, floral, has a barnyard essence (not in a bad way) and goes great with coffee.

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Dec 4, 2014

• #7

Semois also goes with P&G Tips black tea.
Cobguy, thanks for the clarification. I didn't think it tasted exactly like burley, so the

variant leaf makes sense. Changing flavor with various cuts is another new one on me.

This is why I keep reading Forums!

 

weezell

Lifer

Oct 12, 2011

13,653

49,165

• Dec 4, 2014

• #8

How does it compare with 5 Bros?...

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Dec 4, 2014

• #9

I like Five Brothers, but Five Brothers is rough and ready burley. Like Semois, it comes

very dry and is meant to smoke that way. For me, 5 Bros burns faster, has a higher

nicotine kick, but doesn't have the smooth, multi-layered complexity of Semois. Perhaps

Semois has a more limited range than a fine English blend, but to me, it has all of the

nuance and development within the bowl as some of the most subtle English blends.

 

melvinsunsmokedcastello

Can't Leave

Oct 12, 2014

328

21

• Dec 5, 2014

• #10

" it has all of the nuance and development within the bowl"
Especially if smoked very slowly. Its is very good stuff.

 

yaboofive

Starting to Get Obsessed

Jan 28, 2010

184

9

• Dec 5, 2014

• #11

I had the good fortune to get some of this tobacco recently and I can say that I am hooked. There is something about the simplicity of the tobacco that I find refreshing.

 

melvinsunsmokedcastello

Can't Leave

Oct 12, 2014

328

21

• Dec 5, 2014

• #12

Does anyone know where to buy the other cuts in the US? I have the Vincent Manil Semois La Brumeuse I buy at P&C but I have never seen the other types..would love to try them. Big fan of this stuff..

 

skaukatt

Can't Leave

May 9, 2009

391

23

63

Queens, NYC

newyorkpipeclub.clubexpress.com

• Dec 5, 2014

• #13

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/brand/874/tabac-manil
That link should help.
I hear many mixed reviews about Semois and in my estimation you either like it or not. I fall into the "like very much" camp and found that Semois is a perfect companion for a meerschaum.

 

skaukatt

Can't Leave

May 9, 2009

391

23

63

Queens, NYC

newyorkpipeclub.clubexpress.com

• Dec 5, 2014

• #14

I believe it was this past Chicago Show that "The Pipe Guys", along with samples of the semois,also had samples of the "Bouchons de la Semois" which are what I call the "plugs" that are inserted into the top of the bowl of the pipe and can be seen here: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.tabac-semois.com/&prev=search
I do not see them available on their site or anywhere else for that matter.
http://thepipeguys.com/product-category/pipe-tobacco/tabac-manil-pipe-tobacco/