Initial Thoughts on Wilke Pipe Blends

[badbriar]

After reading something here about Wilke pipe blends, I became curious and ordered five blends to sample their offerings.
I first sent an email to John Brandt for recommendations on a couple of English / latakia blends and he replied in short order with his suggestions. I went with those, along with a couple others. I received these five; Lizzie Blood Red English, Crystal Palace, Wilke 436, 400 and High Hat. I believe that is the order of strength in the blends.
I'm through the first three and am well pleased with what I have found. Lizzie and CP are lighter fare, working well as breakfast and all day blends. Lizzie is a 'crossover English' and is mild with a Blood Red Orange topping that is mild, but still present and allows the taste of the various tobaccos to come through. Crystal Palace is a bit stronger, but still mild-medium in strength. IMHO, all the tobaccos included can be identified, but still makes a harmonious blend. 436 is my favorite. It has a slight bit more latakia presence, but is still rather subdued and plays well with the other leaves in the blend. 436 is smoooooth! Short, clean finish and requires few re-lights. In sum, all are quality blends that are worthy of looking into. I will move onto the other blends I received and will be ordering more to try.
I have to say thanks to John for his advice and great customer service! Wilke has proven to be a great find for me!
Please forgive the typos, misspellings, bad grammar, etc. I am neither a typist nor an educator.
RR

 

[Bbailey324]

I haven't tried any of the Wilke blends but have read good reviews. Some of the ones you mention sound like things I would like. More for the list.

 

[Auxsender]

There are Wilke blends in JimInks regular rotation. That’s a fairly solid endorsement.

After trying probably 20 of their blends, my favorites were 400, 72, and High Hat. Smoky Chocolate gets a very honorable mention.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

A reminder I need to call! First tobacco I purchased was No. 515. I was further encouraged by @JimInks and have tried several Wilke blends and enjoy them. John is aces.

 

[kcghost]

Wilke generally gets good reviews from reviewers and from people on this forum.

 

[Bright Orange Red]

I really like all of the Wilke blends I've tried. I'm not a huge aromatic smoker, but I do enjoy them from time to time, especially Wilke Smoky Chocolate, 515 Double Shot, Maple Plum Spice, and the Peanut Butter.

 

[driftedshank1]

For those who enjoy aromatics Wilke 191 is quite good in my opinion. It's one of those aromatics that are not goopy and have a real tobacco taste along with a distinct flavoring. Also Wilke 72 falls into a category I'd call an American English. I recall that blends of this type were very popular years ago. In addition to Wilke, shops like Barclay Rex, Peretti, Ehrlich and many others throughout the country had their own versions of this style. 72 has burley, latakia and virginia in the blend and some very light flavoring. An excellent all day smoke. I don't see these two talked about much these days but I think they are worth a try.

 

[BriarBrook]

If you like latakia and also some aro, the Sweet and Smoky Chocolate is really good.

 

[badbriar]

So, I am onto another Wilke blend that is fast becoming a favorite of mine - High Hat.
This one hits on all cylinders for me - good latakia presence that is not overbearing, a bit of sweet, mildly tart, smooth, creamy, rich and full taste with lots of smoke. Burns cool if sipped lightly and few relights.
High Hat burns easily down to a fine ash. IMHO, the burley with no orientals seems to yield a unique and complex taste that does not disappoint.
HH is a very good blend that I will be reordering much more of.