Tobacco Question: Peterson's Dunhill English Blends Seem Sweet; Hal O The Wynd Seems "English"

[Pipelady20]

Hello Gemtlemen (and Ladies),

I find that I really like English blends. I have tasted a few of the Peterson English blends and there's a sweetness in the flavor (MM965, EMP, BB1938,
Nightcap.) When I smoke Rattray's Hal O the Wynd it's more of what I think a basic English blend would taste like. Can someone enlighten me? Is it how it's mixed more so than contents? For example, i believe Nightcap and HOTW both have the same components. The differences are enjoyed, just curious.

 

[logs]

Yeah you won't get much sweet from Rattrays in my experience. Gawith blends tend towards sweet. Hearth & Home Blackhouse is definitely sweet for a Balkan. What causes them to be sweet I can't say. Perhaps the casing or the type of leaf they use.

 

[BROBS]

Hello Gemtlemen (and Ladies),

I find that I really like English blends. I have tasted a few of the Peterson English blends and there's a sweetness in the flavor (MM965, EMP, BB1938,
Nightcap.) When I smoke Rattray's Hal O the Wynd it's more of what I think a basic English blend would taste like. Can someone enlighten me? Is it how it's mixed more so than contents? For example, i believe Nightcap and HOTW both have the same components. The differences are enjoyed, just curious.

HOTW doesn't have any Latakia..
so I'm a bit confused by your posting.

 

[logs]

Brobs is right. Hal O the Wynd isn't an English mixture but I think it's far to compare the VA flavors between Rattrays and Dunhill/Peterson. Probably easier done with Hal O The Wynd vs Peterson Flake rather than 965. Truthfully I don't find either companies VA's to be sweet. But Rattray's VAs are exceptionally dry on the sweetness scale.

 

[BROBS]

HOTW would be a closer comparison to MacBaren Mixture or Mixture flake.

 

[logs]

Is that so? Jesus.. I need to try some Mixture flake then.

 

[Pipelady20]

HOTW doesn't have any Latakia..
so I'm a bit confused by your posting.

Ok so Latakia makes an English blend? I must have mixed up the blends. Thanks, learning something new.

 

[logs]

Yes, VA and prominent Latikia are requirements for English (at least the way most people use the term). With a classic English like Commonwealth Mixture that's all there is. Dunhill blends typically add orientals as well. From there the sky's the limit... leading to crazy blends like Potlatch that seem to have every leaf possible but somehow still gets categorized as a type of English.

 

[BROBS]

It’s also confusing because people will classify a Germain or Gawith VA as an English style flake but they mean it in a different way.

when most people on here talk about “English” they mean a blend including Latakia... and a Balkan will be basically an English with orientals.

 

[Pipelady20]

It’s also confusing because people will classify a Germain or Gawith VA as an English style flake but they mean it in a different way.

when most people on here talk about “English” they mean a blend including Latakia... and a Balkan will be basically an English with orientals.

Didn't know that Balkans had to have orientals, good to know.

Correction made: sentence structure, clarity

 

[workman]

Have any of you guys ever actually smoked Hal o' The Wynd?

 

[BROBS]

Have any of you guys ever actually smoked Hal o' The Wynd?

Yes... ?

 

[workman]

I mean, seriously, I can hardly think of two blends that are less similar than HoTW and Nightcap. Mixture Scottish Blend is vastly different from both of those. I'm just a little baffled.
One blend that does compare to HoTW is McConnell's Scottish Flake. You didn't mix up the McConnell and the Mac Baren, did you?

 

[logs]

Think about the style of VA Rattrays uses and think about the style of VA Dunhill uses, then compare. That's all I was getting at. If there's sweetness to be found in any Balkan, English or VaBur it originates from the base VA.

 

[BROBS]

I mean, seriously, I can hardly think of two blends that are less similar than HoTW and Nightcap. Mixture Scottish Blend is vastly different from both of those. I'm just a little baffled.
One blend that does compare to HoTW is McConnell's Scottish Flake. You didn't mix up the McConnell and the Mac Baren, did you?

the components of MacBaren Mixture and Flake Scottish are very similar to HOTW. They do however taste better. McConnell Scottish flake is very similar to HOTW as is Folded Flake.
There are all sorts I was just throwing 2 widely available blends out there with similar ingredients.

 

[saltedplug]

A definition I learned long ago was that English and Balkans contain VA, Oriental and latakia. However an English contains more VA than Orirental while a Balkan has the reverse. Both styles contain latakia.

A VA such as HOTW, by taste, is entirely dissimilar. When you're new there's a lot to learn, so be patient, but if the pipe pleases you, persist. The pipe is a noble calling.

 

[python]

Here are a couple of articles that I wrote that may help:

English Blends and Latakia Blends – One and the Same?

By Bob Tate Some of you may know from reading my articles, reviews, and from discussions in our forums, that I normally use the term ‘Latakia Blend(s)’ and not […]

pipesmagazine.com

The Mystery of Balkan Blends

By Bob Tate Balkan Blend. That term is very mysterious. Is there really such a thing? If there is, what is it? What distinguishes a blend as a Balkan Blend? These and many other questions arise from the mysterious term of Balkan Blend. This is one of the most debated and discussed subjects...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[ofafeather]

Here are a couple of articles that I wrote that may help:

These are great articles, Bob. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ofafeather]

Also, to get back to the OP's original question, to me, some tobaccos are naturally sweeter or "dryer" (in the sense of lacking sweetness) than other others of the same varietal. I find Dunhill/Peterson Latakia/Orientals to be somewhat sweet. It's not usually the very forward sweetness that can come with some VAs but a more subtle and lingering sweetness. Likewise, other blends may have orientals that are more acrid, sour and occasionally slightly bitter. Not everyone experiences taste the same way so I'm not sure how this is for others.

 

[rushx9]

The term "English Blend" generally signifies a blend that contains latakia, but this gets confusing when referring to brands originally produced in England (or Scotland) that don't contain latakia. The style we think of as VA Flake or Navy Flake is also a traditional English style. English blends by any definition can contain sweeteners and flavorings, just not artificial chemicals. The old English purity law stated that flavorings had to be natural and dissolvable in ethanol.