Dunhill Night Cap: Your opinion.

[cesconable]

I ordered a tin of it not knowing what it was blend wise...(I know..stupid on my end) I just heard so many great sentiments towards it I could't help myself.
Well..as some of you who read my new pipe post know...I received it today. Took me a while to open it up...I didn't realize tins were so difficult to open, but when I did get it open....whew...
I was immediately turned off by the pungent aroma...is this an English blend? Does it taste better than it smells? My wife was not a fan either. I had read a lot of people loved the tin note.
I have yet to smoke a bowl of it...but I think I'll wait until monday. For now I'll be smoking Prince Walter Raleigh (which smells amazing) out of my new pipe.
That actually brings up another question....
When I do decide to indulge in the Dunhill NightCap will I have a hard time smoking anything else out of it? Will there be a strong ghost in my new pipe? Should I dedicate another pipe to it?

 

[pentangle]

excellent, nothing more nothing less.Sadly is unavailable here in Italy by now

Maurizio

 

[thesmokindragon]

Love the stuff, smoke it all the time. I dedicate most pipes to a type

of blend , IMO works best; English, Vs and Va/Pers and Aros. Also

some special blends have their own pipes as well...

 

[hnryclay]

Agreed very good blend.

 

[kamikazesasquatch]

If you've never had anything with latakia in it then it might be a bit overwhelming. It won't taste like it smells though (few things do IMHO). I'm finding myself liking lat more and more the more I try it. Might be best to start with something like Frog Morton and ease your way into it.

 

[bigvan]

Night Cap and Sir Walter are on exact OPPOSITE ends of the spectrum.

 

[nemrod]

Sadly is unavailable here in Italy by now

Can't you order from, say, www.tecon-gmbh.de? I do all the time since much is unavailable here in Sweden.
What I remember from Nightcap (was a couple of months ago last) it tasted quite nice for an English (I'm more of a VaPer person), but the nicotine is quite overwhelming and so I stopped smoking it after a dozen or so bowls.
If it's your first English give it a smoke and see if you like it. The most prominent character is the latakia, if you don't like it you likely won't like any English, but if you do you'll most likely quite enjoy Nightcap.
Be wary of the nicotine if you're not used to it, smoke slowly and carefully on a full stomach to avoid getting hit.
I find blends with orientals tend to linger longer in pipes, but unless you smoke a lot of it in a single pipe and nothing else it won't ghost it too much.

 

[baronsamedi]

English blends tend to be leathery and fungal smelling. It's one thing I like about them. The smoke tastes much different than the tin note so I say dive right in. if you don't like it, seal it in a jar and come back to it later. Eventually, most people grow to like them.

 

[spartan]

I like smooth and/or creamy english blends right now. I tried nightcap and EMP from dunhill and didn't enjoy them. The taste was ok, but a little harsh for me. Nothing smooth about it. Very full flavor though. I enjoyed it but it overwhelmed me.
But most english pipers seem to love the stuff so I am in the minority. I will revisit in a year or two for sure.

 

[tab812]

The stuff is sublime!!!!

I often wonder just how good the Murray's era Night Cap was in comparison?

One day I am going to break down and spend a Benjamin on a tin.

 

[jcsnaps]

I think I remember Nightcap referred to as "the velvet hammer" on another thread a while back. The first time I tried it it did sneak up and whack me a good one. I have grown very fond of it over time. And I agree with the others that have stated it is at the other end of what you are now smoking. Good luck, I hope you enjoy, but I might add the wife may never embrace the room note.

 

[judcole]

Nightcap is a very full English blend. Lots of latakia, orientals, and a bit of perique tossed in for good measure. If you usually smoke aros or drugstore burleys, it is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I would not recommend it to anyone for a first latakia blend, unless perhaps you smoked fairly full cigars. Lovely stuff, though. :puffpipe:

 

[romanza10]

Just like every one else, I've only got good things to say about NC. It was my first English as well, and I fell in love with. It is strong with vitamin-N which is deal breaker for some, but I love it. Being that I started the pipe to stop smoking cigarette vitamin-N was a welcome trait of NC. You'll never know if you like it, if you don't try it.

 

[hnryclay]

Not to mention maybe the best looking tin of any of the Dunhills, a real classic!

 

[cesconable]

It's great to hear all the positive opinions you guys have for the NC. To clarify, I didn't order the SWR, it came with the "gift pack add on" from P&C.
Also Captain Black is the only other baccy I've tried so far.
I haven't had the oppurtunity to try either yet but I will let you know how I feel on both.
I have to agree the presentation of the NC impressed me. This Tin will definitely be a keeper.
@Maurizio. Next time I place an order for tobacco I'll order you a tin and send it out to you. This will most likely happen around the beginning of next month. I'll PM you then.

 

[theray]

The tin is cool, but honestly nightcap is overrated. Smoke it with an open mind and form your own opinion. Two tobaccos that I enjoy are Peterson's Irish Flake and Ashtons Artisans Blend. Let us know what you think and as always ENJOY.

 

[loborx]

Nightcap is... absolute bliss in a tin. I have to admit, I prefer the Murray's incarnation to the current Orlik offering but this tobacco holds such a fond spot in my memory, that I was almost giddy when it returned. It was the first English Blend I ever smoked. I bought a tin of it and a pouch of CBW. When I cracked the tin, I thought the tobacco had rotted in the tin from the stench of it but I pressed on and I was rewarded with a pipe smoking experience that bordered on the sublime. On the other hand, I think I still have that first pouch of CBW somewhere. And it's probably still moist!
Don't be too put off by NC's stink. Stuff it in the pipe, light it up and you will be rewarded with a journey to the Dark Side. It won't be your last.

 

[jpberg]

I smoked a lot of it in the late eighties/early nineties, it was cheap and available. When I branched out a bit and found P&W 400 and some of the Smokers Haven blends, the NC went by the wayside.

 

[juvat270]

Nightcap was the very first English blend I ever tried. Upon opening the tin, my reaction was much the same as yours. I remember thinking "WTF?" But, I packed a bowl and lit up. I didn't dislike that first bowl, but I didnt think it would be something that I would continue to buy. Funny how things change. I actually find Nightcap to be very mild now and am constantly searching for some of the strongest English blends on the market. I salivate just thinking about those tasty English blends!
Oh I guess more to the point of this thread. Yes, I do like Nightcap. It was my first and while it may not be as strong as that first time, I still think its one of the best English blends on the market. As for the nicotine, I couldn't tell you if its strong in nicotine or not. It didn't seem any better or worse than any of the other blends I have smoked over the years. ::

Not to mention maybe the best looking tin of any of the Dunhills, a real classic!

The tin label is exactly why it was my first English blend. I just thought the tin label looked cool. Childish perhaps, but I'm not ashamed to admit it! :P

 

[lestrout]

NC, pre-Murray, was the blend that first taught me what The Zone was all about. I still remember opening the tin I got from Leavitt & Pierce in Harvard Square, popping the tin on the MTA (now MBTA) bus, loading it into a Cake Box full bent, and WOW. But as NC transitioned to Murray, I got disenchanted (very slightly) and started looking around. Right now I prefer the current Orlik to the older Murrays I have, but quite a few Latbombs from Pease, Hermit, Park Lance, H&H, Peretti, Grant's, McClelland, C&D and Dan have lowered NC's station in my Top100 Cellar. But it is still indeed a benchmark.
hp

les