Ashton Consummate Gentleman or Comoy English Blend? (And other questions.)

[darryl]

I would like some advice and recommendations. I am looking for a good Latakia blend to try, but finding any is proving difficult. (I tried Mac Baren Plumcake, which I understand contains some Latakia, many years ago, but I didn't really like it.) I especially want to try Peterson Old Dublin and Frog Morton, but I can't find them in New Zealand. I have also been recommended Dunhill Early Morning Pipe and My Mixture 965, but they aren't currently available here either (although I am told I will be able to get some Dunhill blends later in the year).
Very few shops in my town sell pipe tobacco, the range is limited (Erinmore, Borkum Riff and Amphora Red). And while I have found some better options in the nearest city, the only Latakia blends I have found so far are Ashton Consummate Gentleman and Comoy English Blend.
So, my main request is for comments on and comparisons between Ashton Consummate Gentleman and Comoy English Blend.
Also, although not a Latakia Blend, I was quite intrigued by the Mac Baren Dark Twist Roll Cake I saw in one shop. The only Mac Baren blend I have ever tried was Plumcake, some 29 years ago. (As noted above, I was not overly impressed, but I had not been smoking for long, and it was only about the fourth tobacco I ever tried.) What do people think of Mac Baren Dark Twist Roll Cake?
While I have seen a few other quality blends, including Ashton Guilty Pleasure, Davidoff Danish Mixture and Peterson Sweet Killarney, they all sound a bit too 'aromatic' to be what I am looking for. When I first started smoking, I mainly went for aromatics, like Troost Aromatic, Borkum Riff Ultra Light (now called Borkum Riff Original) and various Skandinavik blends, but I would like to think I have a more discerning palate these days and (no offence intended to aromatic smokers out there), I want to smoke a blend because it tastes good to me, and not because it can double as incense.
I can also get Peterson Sherlock Holmes, as well as Condor Original, but I'm a bit wary of Condor, as I have read you either love it or hate it and I don't want to risk buying something I don't like, especially given the prices in my country. Plus I have only recently returned to the Brotherhood of the Briar after a long absence and I have only smoked Erinmore Mixture in that time.
So, while I am mainly seeking comments on and comparisons between Ashton Consummate Gentleman and Comoy English Blend, if anyone has any positive recommendation to offer for any other blend I have mentioned, especially Mac Baren Dark Twist Roll Cake and Peterson Sherlock Holmes, even Condor Original, I would love to know.
Kind regards
Darryl

 

[judcole]

I am quite fond of Peterson Sherlock Holmes. A good,solid Va/Burley blend. MacBaren Dark Twist I have not tried, but want to.
I have tried Consummate Gentleman and didn't care for it much - I smoked the tin but don't intend to try it aain. I have not tried the Comoy you mention. If you can find Ashton Artisan, grab it = lots of lovely Syrian latakia.
Hope this helps. ::

 

[darryl]

Thank you, Jud. Tobacco is ridiculously expensive here. A tin of Erinmore can be anywhere between about $54 and $65, while other brands go up to $80 or more, so I need to be careful in my choice. I'll certainly look out for Ashton Artisan though.
I have heard Sherlock Holmes is quite nice, so that could be another option.
Making my selction will be interesting though. A new law has come into effect today that forbids tobacco products being on display in shops.

 

[judcole]

Is ordering online an option for you?

 

[darryl]

That's something I am investigating... our country is pretty strict when it comes to tobacco repression.
I am currently preparing to attempt to grow my own, but even if I am successful, I won't have anything ready to smoke until next year.
In the mean time, I just want something to smoke until next time a friend travels and can bring some tobacco back for me.

 

[dhizzy]

I feel terrible for you darryl. I fear that the usa is headed in the same direction as New Zealand. I have tried and enjoyed Mac baren Dark Twist. It is a good tobacco with a very strong straightforward virginia taste. It does bite if you push it though. It has a subtle sweetness that reminds me of molasses.

 

[darryl]

Thank you for the tip, Dhizzy.
I am making a trip into the city tomorrow morning (it is 11.10 pm over here) and I want to pick myself up a little something while I am there.
Given our horrendous prices, you will understand why I am reluctant to try anything new, and also why I am venturing into home growing.
So while recommendations on this forum will be factors I will consider tomorrow, there is a reasonable chance I will end up with tried-and-true Erinmore, because it is significantly cheaper than the others, and I know I like it.

 

[dhizzy]

Cant blame you there. Btw, there used to be a member on here frequently by the name os seanz. He was also from New Zealand and from what I understand, grew his own tobacco. Maybe you can locate him but I haven't seen him on here for awhile.

 

[darryl]

I would prefer to get something a bit less 'aromatic' than Erinmore, but I don't want to make an expensive mistake. It wasn't so bad back when tobacco cost around $3.
Back in my earlier pipe smoking days, I mainly went for 'aromatics', and the only non 'aromatics' I can recall smoking were Ogden Gold Block and Dunhill Flake. I found Gold Block pretty insipid, but Dunhill Flake was lovely. But it is not currently available, and neither is EMP, which I just know I would like.
I will see if I can track down os seanz. I was a moonshiner for many years (New Zealand may have strict tobbaco laws, but home distilling is legal!), and I currently roast and blend my own coffee, so home tobacco production will be a natural progression for me.

 

[papipeguy]

darryl, perhaps these will help you with your research.
http://tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=C&TID=2543
http://tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=E&TID=1732
Welcome to the forum. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[judcole]

Dunhill Flake is lovely stuff,for sure. Too bad you can't get it.

 

[darryl]

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice.
I have already checked out the tobacco reviews, and noted the variance of opinions.
I think it will largely come down to price. If these blends are around $80, I'll probably pass, but if they are closer in price to Erinmore, I might just take a punt, depending on how I feel.

 

[darryl]

This is how bad things have got in my country.
A new law came into effect yesterday forbidding tobacco products from being displayed in shops. All cigarettes, cigars and tobacco must now be locked in cabinets.
I went into the best shop in town for pipes and accessories during my visit to the city today, and I tried to enquire about prices for some of the blends I was considering trying. I was told that my questions could not be answered. All I could do was ask for a product, and I would be sold it. Shops are allowed to have a pricelist they can show customers, but they can't give any advice, and this shop did not yet have a list ready yet. (The owner was away. She knows me, so we would have probably found a solution within the law if she had been there, even if it had meant her writing a makeshift pricelist. But I digress.) The person looking after the shop told me she risked a $10,000 fine if she breached these draconian restrictions.
The only other reasonably stocked tobacconist in the inner city had prepared pricelists for cigarettes and cigars, but had not yet prepared one for pipe tobacco.
I left in total confusion without buying anything. I was on my way to a job interview and I didn't want to stress myself.
I have not had a smoke for about a month and I was really looking forward to having one tomorrow. It looks like it might have to be a tin of Erinmore Mixture from a local convenience store after all.
This is what the war on smokers has become.
As I remarked to the second tobacconist, buying tobacco has become like buying pornography.
Next on the agenda for us is plain packaging. Presumably, a description of the contents of a blend will not be allowed.
You have all been warned.

 

[auspipe]

You should be able to import. There are a few NZ pipe smokers on youtube who have ordered online. If it does get taxed, it still ends up cheaper than buying locally and you get much more choice. Check out smokingpipes.com and 4noggins.

 

[darryl]

That is an option I am really going to have to investigate to keep me stocked until my first crop is ready.

 

[darryl]

ERRATUM: I have checked the implementation guidelines, and a retailer may still use spoken words to convey prices. The shop assistant was erring on the side of caution - and who can blame her?
But, "Any other information about tobacco products, unless explicitly allowed by the Act or regulations, could be deemed to be a breach of the tobacco product advertisement provisions".

 

[darryl]

I have just checked out the rules for importing tobacco.
Yes, I can do it. But I would have to pay excise duty of NZ$629.99 per kg of tobacco. That would be NZ$31.50 for a 50 gram tin.
Plus 15% Goods and Services tax on top of that.