Please bear in mind that my reviews are not based on wide variety of experience. With that in mind, I provide my comments on a first sampling of four aros I recently purchased from (Pipeworks & Wilke
I packed each bowl straight out of the plastic baggie - no pre-drying, just to see what the result might be, since I'd read conflicting reports on other tobaccos regarding this being necessary... so I decided to smoke each without drying as a first sampling.
Wilke #515
The first one I smoked in a Savinelli Deluxe Milano. This was Wilke #515, described on P & W thusly:
Given that, one who prefers English blends may prefer a more robust tobacco taste. #515 is very mild in that regard; I say this based on my own limited experince sampling Dunhill Flake and Mac Baren Navy Flake; Orlik's Golden Slices, and several Peterson blends that would probably lean toward the English camp. Its tobaccos seem to be of good quality, and I have found this true of all of master blender Carole Burns' recipes.
Wilke Cherry Cavendish
Also loaded my Sav Deluxe Milano for this tasting. It was described as:
For a daily or go-to smoke? Not IMO. Not goopy, but after smoking this, I could empathasize with those who don't want to smoke any cherry blends. They usually cite the goop in the bottom of the bowl. I did not find this true of P & W Cherry Cavendish, but the overall effect could cause you to make this a "once in a while" choice.
Wilke Vermont Maple Cavendish
Tried this one in an Ascorti Radice Caminetto Business.
Description:
Mettowee
This blend I smoked in an estate 301 Peterson System Standard.
Description:
Very mild smoke. Not overdone flavoring, but will satisfy the vanilla lover. Delightful room note. Needs some drying, very moist, so relights necessary if you have dried it. Think of it as a tolerable price to pay as you might smoking Molto Dolce, although Mettowee is not as wet a blend. This one I could smoke often.
In summary, these four blends affirmed my view of my earlier sampler pack from P & W. All great blends with nice smokeability and room note characteristics.
Hopefully, my observations will be of benefit to some of you who have not yet tried these blends.
I packed each bowl straight out of the plastic baggie - no pre-drying, just to see what the result might be, since I'd read conflicting reports on other tobaccos regarding this being necessary... so I decided to smoke each without drying as a first sampling.
Wilke #515
The first one I smoked in a Savinelli Deluxe Milano. This was Wilke #515, described on P & W thusly:
I thought it was a good smoke through the whole bowl. No bite, cool smoking, smoked well all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. My main thought was, of course, "How does it compare to its descendant - Rumcake - which was based on this original formula?" Personally, I think Rumcake is better. It seems to have more richness of flavor and a little nice room note; however, consider my opinion to be that of a smoker who leans toward aros rather than English blends.
Given that, one who prefers English blends may prefer a more robust tobacco taste. #515 is very mild in that regard; I say this based on my own limited experince sampling Dunhill Flake and Mac Baren Navy Flake; Orlik's Golden Slices, and several Peterson blends that would probably lean toward the English camp. Its tobaccos seem to be of good quality, and I have found this true of all of master blender Carole Burns' recipes.
Wilke Cherry Cavendish
Also loaded my Sav Deluxe Milano for this tasting. It was described as:
Without a doubt, you are smoking a cherry-flavored tobacco that won't be mistaken for anything else. Loaded with cherry flavor, it provided a surprisingly cool, non-biting, and pleasant smoke with a room note that would please non-smokers.
For a daily or go-to smoke? Not IMO. Not goopy, but after smoking this, I could empathasize with those who don't want to smoke any cherry blends. They usually cite the goop in the bottom of the bowl. I did not find this true of P & W Cherry Cavendish, but the overall effect could cause you to make this a "once in a while" choice.
Wilke Vermont Maple Cavendish
Tried this one in an Ascorti Radice Caminetto Business.
Description:
Other reviewers have noted the absence of any maple flavor, but I found that it's distinctly, although subtly there. The key is that it only reveals itself if you carefully follow the "sip, don't huff and puff" advisory commonly offered by many experienced members on these forums. I did find that I wanted to puff some just to verify that I actually did taste and smell the maple flavoring, so I had to slow down a few times and temper my gusto, since I have always liked pure Vermont maple syrup. Another rich smoke, it did tend to taste a bit ashy toward the last part of the bowl. Was it the pipe? Kind of doubt it, since the Caminettos I own have both been great smokers, but as a control measure, I guess my tests should have been spread out over a longer period and tried in the same pipe. Another thought: Was bowl size a factor?
Mettowee
This blend I smoked in an estate 301 Peterson System Standard.
Description:
Very mild smoke. Not overdone flavoring, but will satisfy the vanilla lover. Delightful room note. Needs some drying, very moist, so relights necessary if you have dried it. Think of it as a tolerable price to pay as you might smoking Molto Dolce, although Mettowee is not as wet a blend. This one I could smoke often.
In summary, these four blends affirmed my view of my earlier sampler pack from P & W. All great blends with nice smokeability and room note characteristics.
Hopefully, my observations will be of benefit to some of you who have not yet tried these blends.
