Sharing Some Dunhill Ultra Mild Tobacco with You

[lazar]

Received mine today, thanks @Cosmic. It may be a week or so before I can try it, though. Got a cold or flu. :crying:

 

[ashdigger]

Received my sample. It was a nice surprise to come to after being on the road. It looks fantastic! It, to me, looks like some of it was presses before shredding. It has a great tobacco smell and the Virginia's give that citrusy smell and the burley gives that leathery vibe. It like it.
I loaded up a Ryan Alden Canadian and let er rip. It smokes easy with just a little drying time needed. It packed just fine and took the lighter with ease. It really is a mild smoke. It could be an all day type of burner. I've had issues with some burleys in the past but so far this doesn't make my tongue scream for the ice water.
The flavor is a mix of Dunhill Flake and Prince Albert.....Albert Dunhill?...how's that for new phraseology?
I still have more left so I'll update my review, but so far I'm really glad, and very appreciative for Cosmic and Quint's generosity.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Awesome reviews. I have had some tropical storm prep to get done, before I could set down and give a blend my devout attention. Every time I hear "tropical storm" I think of it coming with pineapples and bananas, spinning like Carmen Miranda.

That said, predictions are a tad off. I'm setting on the porch watching it rain with my Becker Scoop, which has a shallow but wide conical bowl, great for tasting Virginias in a range from wide to narrow in one pipe, plus it's strawberry wood, so it imparts very little briar aroma. (run on sentence much?) I do get the impression that it is a pressed and chopped blend. Right off, I get that mild Dunhill Flake aroma. It's very bright, but not acidic at all. It may have some very mild burley in there, but the flavor is Virginia-ish. I'm so ruined by my expectations for McClelland Virginias. I don't get any of that Prince Albert aromatic-ness. It may be similar to the leaf in it though. It's been a while since I've tried any PA. Just an ultr-mild flavor, until it reaches the bottom of the bowl, then it gets more interesting. I find myself chasing the flavor down to the bottom. Very good.

I could probably smoke this one all day, no problem. In fact, it would be a great replacement for Astleys 109 (round tin version). With a couple of years, I could see the tins getting a stewed fruit like aroma.

Thanks Quint. if this one was available, I'd set aside at least twenty tins to smoke occasionally as it ages over the ten years or so... more, if I had the funds.

 

[davek]

I got the Dunhill Ultra mild last Friday and have smoked a small bowl. I felt a bit guilty for getting on the send list as I am not sure my palate is refined. I have been smoking cigar leaf from leafonly.com mostly as well as some codger and English blends. I could speak to the difference in taste between Nicaraguan and Honduran leaf but not so much differentiate more refined pipe tobacco. (Honduran has that tasty Nicaraguan tang but blended with and mellowed by something like the dusty mellow taste of some American cigar tobacco like Pennsylvanian)
Anyway, I'll smoke some more this weekend but first tasting indeed brought Virginia (which I smoked years ago) to mind. Maybe some more casing than I would expect from a Virginia. Kind of a Half And Half, Virginia hybrid. I could see the Prince Albert/Virginia flake Ashdigger saw in it.
Would it be heresy to parfait with a stronger tobacco? I used to do that with Virginias as they get better at the bottom of the bowl and thus seem to add a nice finish parfaited.

 

[lazar]

Just finished my first bowl of this (in a little MM Eaton), and boy I have to say - this stuff is just not for me.
I think the other guys are spot-on: this tastes and smokes exactly like rubbed-out Dunhill Flake mixed with Burley. The closest I can think of would be C&D Pegasus. Basically, it's a posh version of Half and Half. If that sounds like it's up your alley, you will probably love this. But for me, it ain't Ultra Mild at all - it's an Ultra Harsh crumpled cigarette in a pipe! But that is definitely a body chemistry thing, and is not reflection on the blend itself. When I signed up I had no idea what the blends was, and had I known it was a VaBur I would have passed. I just don't tolerate Burley unless it's in very small quantities and heavily buried by latakia and/or aro goop. So I'm definitely the wrong guy to be reviewing this.
So.... at risk of appearing a an ingrate, let's add an extra reviewer to this thread: first person to pm me gets the rest of my sample (a good 2-3 bowls).
In any case - thanks for the opportunity, @quint and @Cosmic! It's always nice to try something new, and to revisit blend types in case tastes have changed.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It's ok not to like it. At least you've tried something new.

I'm smoking the last of my sample, and it seems to have more nicotine than I would have guessed. It's not a hard hitter, but I was imagining with a name like Ultra-Mild, that it would be devoid of any. But, I'm pleasantly surprised.

 

[lazar]

So did my review put everyone off, or is nobody paying attention?
I said: "let's add an extra reviewer to this thread: first person to pm me gets the rest of my sample (a good 2-3 bowls)." A free sample of a Dunhill blend not available in the U.S.? Nobody besides the original 6 wants to try it? Really? :crazy:

 

[uperepik]

Ok, I received my brown envelope 2 days ago but haven't tried it until today. On opening up the bag I got a definite burley smell, bready sweet. Looks like a ready rub but very separated, just a few small still pressed pieces. A few stems which is on par for dunhill. Slightly moist but not wet. I went straight to the Savinelli 504, no dry time. Had no problems lighting it and no re-lights. immediately noticed the burley taste along with the smell. Light chocolate and graham sweetness, not a deep earthy taste but more like BLWB but less topping. Got hints of grassy Virginia but the burley took the lead. I felt like this was more mild to medium strength myself. I thought it was a tasty blend, just not anything complex or hard hitting. It burned fairly fast. This would be a great all day smoke and Or between blends. I would get some if it were available. I really didn't consider it ultra mild, but it is very smooth.
Thanks again to Cosmic and Quint for the opportunity, every one else can send me what's left in your dime bags, lol

 

[uperepik]

And I'll change not earthy to slightly earthy.

 

[quint]

Ok, I received my brown envelope 2 days ago but haven't tried it until today. On opening up the bag I got a definite burley smell, bready sweet. Looks like a ready rub but very separated, just a few small still pressed pieces. A few stems which is on par for dunhill. Slightly moist but not wet. I went straight to the Savinelli 504, no dry time. Had no problems lighting it and no re-lights. immediately noticed the burley taste along with the smell. Light chocolate and graham sweetness, not a deep earthy taste but more like BLWB but less topping. Got hints of grassy Virginia but the burley took the lead. I felt like this was more mild to medium strength myself. I thought it was a tasty blend, just not anything complex or hard hitting. It burned fairly fast. This would be a great all day smoke and Or between blends. I would get some if it were available. I really didn't consider it ultra mild, but it is very smooth.
Thanks again to Cosmic and Quint for the opportunity, every one else can send me what's left in your dime bags, lol

Woohoo! Someone finally liked it. :wink:
But seriously... Nice review, Uperepik. I think if anyone tries it expecting something sophisticated and complex like an English or Balkan blend, they will be disappointed. Just think of Ultra Mild as a smooth and simple all-day blend that burns well and won't bite, kind of like the cheaper and more common Prince Albert or Carter Hall, but with more nicotine kick.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I hate that I gave the impression that I didn't like it. I did, and I hated to load the last bowl, knowing that I'd probably never see any more again. I appreciate the opportunity. I think that if you liked DUL then you'd probably like Astleys 109. It's not exact, but it gave me that impression.

 

[uperepik]

I agree totally with what you said about the nicotine Cosmic, it was hard but it definitely wasn't ultra mild either. I thought it was a happy medium.

 

[quint]

I hate that I gave the impression that I didn't like it. I did, and I hated to load the last bowl, knowing that I'd probably never see any more again. I appreciate the opportunity. I think that if you liked DUL then you'd probably like Astleys 109. It's not exact, but it gave me that impression.

No problem, Cosmic. I was just joking. I could tell from your review that you liked it fairly well. But if others didn't like it, no problem. I'm not offended. Either way, it was fun sharing with members here. ::

 

[quint]

I agree totally with what you said about the nicotine Cosmic, it was hard but it definitely wasn't ultra mild either. I thought it was a happy medium.

I agree. A few weeks ago I smoked three medium-sized bowls of UM in a row, one after another. By the time I was halfway into the third bowl, it was really starting to affect me.

 

[lazar]

No problem, Cosmic. I was just joking. I could tell from your review that you liked it fairly well. But if others didn't like it, no problem. I'm not offended. Either way, it was fun sharing with members here. [::]

@quint, hey it was fun trying something new and unavailable even if I didn't click with it. So thanks again for your generosity!

 

[deathmetal]

A small sample of this came my way, and upon opening the bag, I was immediately awash in the scent of red Virginia with a bit of fermentation on it, lost in a backdrop of white Burley.
These two extremes, bonded through some bright Virginia which was apparently pressed into flake together with those other varieties and then partially rubbed out to make this blend, come together on their middle-of-the-road, slightly sweet flavor that channels the natural flavor of tobacco into a honey-and-oats flavor. The first light brings out the Virginias with a gentler version of the famous "ketchup" aroma of certain straight Virginia blends, but then the malty taste of the white Burley arises and mingles with the honey and caramel flavors. As with all Dunhill products, this tobacco is cut finely for easy burning, and so the bowl proceeds without any particular effort from the pipe smoker, progressing from a mixture of flavors to a chord of gentle flavors in which no part stands out from the whole as the blend caramelizes. A mild and slightly perfume-like topping has been lightly sprinkled among the leaf and serves as a midwife to the melding of the different flavors, then evaporates.
While this blend is deliberately mild in flavor and Nicotine alike, it burns easily and smokes gently with no acidity, much like a good after-dinner cigar which is designed for comfort and ease rather than intensity. This is a great blend that refuses to announce itself as such until the bowl is over, at which point you wish you had more of it.
Thanks to Pipes Magazine Forum members "Cosmic" and "quint" for this sample.

Delicious stuff. Lucky Japan!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm glad that sample made it to you. It stayed on my TV stand for a couple of months as I awaited Texas to drain a little before sending it to you, ha ha. Yeh, I would probably smoke more of this if it were available.

 

[deathmetal]

To drain Texas, you have to tip it to the side, and it all pours out the panhandle. Thank you for sending this sample. I would hunt this stuff down were it available and mix it with Five Brothers to bring it up to acceptable Nicotine levels. Very tasty. Very smooth.

 

[hawky454]

This is not a tobacco I would normally go for, however, I’m surprised to see some glowing reviews of it from people I trust on TR.com.