Have I been unfair to aros?

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JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,889
Here's my review of Halberg Green:

Presented within one of the classiest boxes ever designed for a tobacco product, it's mild with an extremely gentle, but full explosion of fruit flavor. The grassy Virginias, and toasted, nutty sweet burleys more or less take a back seat to the fruity, light citrus, and berry taste of this ribbon and cross-cut blend. The Virginias may add a little of the citrus, though I think it mainly comes more from the topping. An essence of cherry adds to the complex fruit profile, also including a bare hint of vanilla, and an occasional tart note. Smooth and creamy, burns cool, clean, even, and slow without a hint of a chemical taste and a very consistent flavor. Won't bite and has little nicotine. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Has a very pleasant after taste. In some ways, it's a better, more complex, deeper tasting, less floral, smoother version of Amphora Red.
You may also like Halberg Red:

The Virginias have a some citrus and dark fruit, and some earth and grass notes as the base of the blend. The toasted, nutty burley plays in the background. The black cavendish chips in with an very mild sugary vanilla that compliments the fruity sweet toppings, which sublimates the tobaccos to a fair extent. Has little nicotine. Moist, it's a ribbon cut with broken flake that burns smooth and creamy, cool, clean, and a little slow with a very creamy, consistent flavor. Won't bite or get harsh even if pushed. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Needs a few relights. Not one hint of a chemical taste exists here. Presented within one of the classiest boxes ever designed for a tobacco product, it's almost an all day smoke that doesn't wear out your tongue or senses with a full flavor that never quits. Has a great after taste and room note.

 

mackeson

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 29, 2016
758
2
Aros are good for me. That being said, I don't care for the heavily cased ones with no real tobacco flavor, except as blenders with Brown Bogie or a strong tobacco. I often enjoy a good tobacco with an aromatic component.

 

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
Thanks Jim - you're the only reason I identified that one! If you give it 4 stars I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it!

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,889
Thank you, Alex. You should know these blends are fairly strong and will likely ghost a briar, so use a meer or a cob.

 

madox07

Lifer
Dec 12, 2016
1,823
1,689
mso489 what you say makes perfect sense, from and economic stand point. I know some tobacco shops in Europe that only market aros - obviously the demand for aros is also pretty big, which makes us - forum members, a minority in the pipe smoking community. Personally, I always keep a jar of aromatics in rotation, 50 gr runs me 3 months. Sometimes I prefer an aromatic instead of desert, although after a rich dinner I like a nicotine heavy English blend. I am not a huge fan, but every so often I have an urge for aromatics...

 

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
Gawith Hoggarth - 6 or 8 blends. Any favorites with G&H? I saw I had Bob’s Chocolate Flake, Brown Flake Scented & Sweet Maple Twist - and don’t recall trying any of them.
-Chocolate Flake is not much of an aro, more of a latakia flake.
-Brown Flake scented is a more of a Lakeland blend--a different world than that of your traditional aromatics. Tread with caution--most people are turned off by Lakelands, but I think everyone should try one just in case you have a taste for it. I have a few I enjoy.
-Sweet Maple Twist is a fantastic tobacco with only the faintest hint of any flavoring. The overwhelming component is strong, high nicotine, tobacco. If you don't have much nicotine tolerance, be careful with this, as it may turn you green.

 
-Chocolate Flake is not much of an aro, more of a latakia flake.

Dadgum, I was kind of hoping that this was going to be some sort of unusual Lakeland with the chocolate flavoring coming from some strange swamp root that no one has ever heard of, but used in the cologne industry, ha ha.
Just a latakia blend? really? :::sigh::: Well, then I won't lose any sleep over not having tried it.
Thanks beast!

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
As with anything, each genre has its good and it's bad, it is up to you to find the good and discard the bad. In my opinion there are excellent aromatics on the market, Dan Tobacco Blue snore being one of them. I also love the GH&Co. aromatics as they tend to be strong in the nix dept as well. I prefer to have a lil bit of every genre in my rotation that way I never get bored with what I'm smoking
Oh and don't forget the king of aromatics... Condor! But blends like Molto Dolce & 1Q are absolutely garbage to me.

 

pipebeast

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 20, 2016
155
0
Dan Tobacco Blue snore being one of them.
I know it's a typo but it made me laugh. Dan Tobacco "Blue Snore" - vanilla so smooth it lulls you to sleep"

 

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
Beast - I tried the sweet maple twist today and did like it, though I was wondering where the maple was at. I didn't find it in the second bowl either - maybe just a hint here and there. But it's a smoke I will repeat. I kind of don't see how it's an aro.
and Hawky - I have an unopened Condor waiting! Not sure what to expect, I do like St Bruno - so maybe I can take it? Opinions seem pretty wide open, so I'm expecting to ruin a cob if I don't like it.

 

dcmacbean

Lurker
Mar 5, 2017
11
0
Alva, Oklahoma
There's nothing wrong with not liking something that others like. It's all about personal taste. I have not found an English blend that I like but my experience in that regard is limited. I'm sure that I'll find some that I like eventually. I tend to like aromatics especially if they are heavy on the Black Cavendish. It's just my preference. Such is life, or as the french say, "C'est La Vie" (which is also a really good vanilla aromatic).

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,088
6,406
Florida
Sure, I've smoked aros. I've enjoyed a few too. There are those that can be smoked cool, dry and flavorful rather than hot, wet, and yucky.

With a non aro, I can be confident that tobacco will be the primary flavor component, and I like the taste of tobacco.

 

ophiuchus

Lifer
Mar 25, 2016
1,557
2,052
:puffy:
Autumn can be about fallen leaves, cider and doughnuts, cool relief from a scorching summer, chalkboards and moldy books, mulch, the sharp sweetness of the first frost. A string of sentimental holidays all coming soon.
While putting the grill away and digging out the rake, my mouth and my nasal passages have been subject to a couple sweltering months' worth of Virginia Flakes and Virginia Perique rolls and I move onward to aromatics. All types, meaning blends with aromatic strains like Frog Morton On the Town (aromatic Orientals) and Mac Baren Club Blend (minimally cased Cavendish-informed Virginia) and flavor-cased blends like Cult Blood Red Moon (mmmm, cherry) and even Lane 1Q (yummy-smelling vanilla-Cav). Middleton Apple horns in on the rotation this time of year! Must be all that nostalgia associated with the season.
Then it gets colder and colder out, and the more desserty-aros get mixed with Halfzware ... then I move onward to those stinky English blends ...
It's all a mad cycle, I tell you. 8O

 
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