Vincent Manil Pure Semois. An In-Depth Tobacco Review

[hakchuma]

I like it. Alot.

 

[dottiewarden]

Great review. Concise to say the least!

 

[pruss]

I think it tastes like rancid gym socks smell.
YMMV
-- Pat

 

[mso489]

You love it or you hate it. In the package, it smells of horse stables. In the pipe, for me, a transcendent complexity of burley flavors orchestrated to a T. I received a sample from a Forums member, and then a full package from another member with a tin of Frog Morton and a Ferndown pipe. My associations with it are delightful. The member who sent me the package couldn't stand the stuff. Burley is tricky anyway, and this one in particular, but if you have the taste for it, your admiration (or at least mine) only grows.

 

[markus]

I like it. Alot.

You don't mince words do you?

 

[oldreddog]

You don't mince words do you?
No, he just minces :rofl:

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Mso489,How You would think what type of pipe suits best for these Semoins and another like tobacco,my understanding is than Belges and Frenchmen traditionally did prefer a smaller size pipes when theselike blends were more widely consumed back in those days.

 

[lasttango]

I smoke A LOT of semois... and I prefer a squater, shallower bowl. It tends to burn fast and I find this type of bowl to be the one that helps me keep it most evenly lit.
This would be my ideal pipe for it.. This Ashton pebble grain is described as a : "A Cooper come Rhodesian" by Maxim at pipes2smoke.

 

[lasttango]

I also like my inexpensive Mr. Brog "Motor" pipe a lot... I smoke my Semois in the 75% of the time.

 

[mso489]

I'll give the shallow wide bowl a try. I've been using mostly deep bowls with average diameter, thinking the dry leaf burns fairly fast, and this conserves the burn and gives a good supply to lengthen the smoke. But it's fun to try other things. With shallow wide bowls I'm usually after getting complex blends of five or more tobaccos to burn all at once and meld and harmonize. Probably different styles of smoking favor particular blends in different pipes. Semois comes across to me as a blend, though it's just one leaf -- it has that variety going, subtle but present.

 

[deathmetal]

Semois is great, if you like Burley and if you know how to pack it. Learning that took a bit of time on this end.

 

[lasttango]

Yeah, until you guys urged me to pack it tighter, I didn't enjoy it so much.
I must admit, I was a little disappointed by Le Petite Robin. I bought 8 bricks of it when it was available because I was afraid it might be a one-time release.
While Le Petite Robin isn't bad, I can barely taste the Semois in it. It tastes like really good RYO cigarette tobacco to me.
Do you guys have any suggestions for how I might smoke le Petite Robin so that I would enjoy it more?

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Interesting views,and food for thoughts,good I have 3 pipes that comes with shallow type bowls, yes and I like using with complex blends

and expesially with flakes ,

 

[mso489]

I like Le Petite Robin, a sample generously shared by a Forums member, but I don't like it as well as the thick and medium cut. Le Petite Robin is a shag cut blend, with other tobacco leaf besides the burley variant, I understand. So it is pleasant to me, but I like the single leaf version best.

 

[snowyowl]

I concur (w/mso489).

LePetit Robin is unmistakably from the Semois Valley. Even as a "condiment" this ingredient is clear as it is a lighter version representing the terroir from where it comes. As much as it is just fun to tease out this stuff... into whatever shaped vessel you choose.

 

[deathmetal]

I have not smoked Le Petit Robin because I cannot see how Semois could be improved upon. If it is a shag cut, my guess is to smoke it somewhat dry and pack it tight, plus use a wide shallow bowl. At least, that works for me best with Five Brothers.

 

[saltedplug]

Smoked La Brumeuse a week or so ago after 2.5 years in a jar, and unsure that I liked it as much as the fresh. Substantial melding.

 

[ophiuchus]

I want some. A lot.
:lol: