What was Once Foul...Royal Yacht

[Steddy]

Another lesson in keeping an open mind (but not so open it falls out).
Two months ago I cracked the seal on a tin of Royal Yacht and was met with a tin note of WOW. It smelled like a new pack of camels in an alternate universe. Exotic but familiar. Really good. I then smoked a bowl of noxious weed. The flavors of harsh cigarette tobacco with a strange chemical aftertaste left me wondering what all the fuss was about.

Being the relentless and persistent type, I smoked three or four more bowls and ended up at camp Royal Yuck. However, I'll be damned if I haven't learned from lurking here that you shouldn't give up on a blend that easy.

I still craved it even though it was repulsive. Was it the voluminous smoke? The fantastic tin note? The nic hit which I sometimes craves? Who cares, I wanted to smoke more of it. Two months in and it is tasting sweeter, fuller, and a little strange. I do think this is turning into a gateway tobacco for more Virginias. I see a large sampler order of GL Pease Fog City Selections in my near future.

Has Royal Yacht joined the list of things once considered foul turned cherished? Is it in the same company as blue cheese, anchovies, and fish sauce?

I don't know but I'll keep an open mind until time and experience let me know, unless my mind falls out before then.

 

[kcghost]

It will always be Royal Yuck to me.

 

[Grangerous]

I still craved it even though it was repulsive.

Are you trying to put Marriage Counselors out of business?

 

[workman]

Only the worthy get to sail the Royal Yacht to the undying lands.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I suspect some of the strange chemicals you first tasted gassed off over those couple of months

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I could only tolerate trying a bowl of this evil weed. It was some of the foulest tasting stuff I ever smoked.

 

[Inspired Idler]

I had a similar experience. My initial impression of the yacht was not favorable. It grew on me one year during a blizzard and is now my go to "blizzard blend" when the snow is coming down heavy.

 

[mso489]

Some years ago, I kept a sealed tin of Dunhill RY for several years, until I mentioned it in a post on Forums, whereupon everyone proclaimed I should try it, both its fans and detractors. I expected the worst, and maybe that caused me to be pleasantly surprised. The flavoring is a little undefined, though I hear it is plum, and it is the only Virginia blend that tastes, to me, significantly like burley. But I still smoke it, the Peterson version, and I think I may have a well-aged Dunhill tin buried somewhere in my stash. For better or worse, I like it well.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have posted passing thoughts, assumptions, and comparisons of pipes and tobaccos on here, only to have experts come on and curb stomp me for them, haha. So, this may just be one of those things. So before anyone gets their panties in a wad, this is just my assumption.

But, having smoked more than a dozen tins of this, along with some of the Brigham replacements from back when Dunhill blends first went offline, Yacht Club and Hudson Bay. I also have not tasted the Peterson version yet, so... On the Dunhill versions the topping comes across as chemical. It is supposed to be a plum, but tastes more like an artificial plum. This was first released in 1912, and it has a stronger nicotine kick than any other Virginia based blend I have ever had. So, I wonder whether by Virginia, they are referring to those imperial Virginias, which may have long ago changed flavors as tobaccos usually do over time, or have lost access to, or no longer produced. Maybe, this was a Vaper that had a natural plumness to it, but the blender offset the loss of a component, replaced it with an artificial plum flavor, which today remains a favorite to it's fans, so they continue to produce it that way.

But, these are passing thoughts I have while smoking this one. I find it enjoyable somewhat, more intriguing than pleasing to the palate. It's like the topping conflicts with the blended leaf. Probably a smarter man would have just made a BLECH face and moved on, but ha ha I just kept on smoking and contemplating. It's not repulsive to me. Maybe intriguing is a better term.

It may be a while before I get to the Peterson version, as I still have six tins of the Dunhill left and a few more of the Brigham versions. And, I have to be in a mood to want to try it. Definitely letting it gas off some of those chemicals helps.

 

[Infantry23]

I was in a similar boat that I had heard the good and the bad and was braced for the worst when I tried it for the first time last year. Like @cosmicfolklore said, intriguing is a good description to me. I liked the sweetness and plumy flavor of it, it had a bigger nicotine hit than I was used to, but it was certainly NOT repulsive to my palate.
I recall liking it right out of the gate but haven't revisited it in a little while. Perhaps this weekend is a good time to go sailing again!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Like @cosmicfolklore said, intriguing is a good description to me.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we could readily access the original release of some of these blends? Or, at least have access to the thoughts of these blenders over the years? I just find it hard to believe that Royal Yacht started off just like it is now. I can't imagine someone saying, "hey try this? Should I produce it just like this?" without someone saying that it needed a little more tweeking to become a HIT tobacco.

 

[Reggie]

I absolutely love THE Royal Yacht! I also was a bit put-off by the chem/plum taste in the beginning but now I rarely place an order without a couple of tins. It is my near daily smoke. It is funny how much palates differ and change.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I absolutely love THE Royal Yacht! I also was a bit put-off by the chem/plum taste in the beginning but now I rarely place an order without a couple of tins. It is my near daily smoke. It is funny how much palates differ and change.

Is the Peterson branded ones exactly like the Dunhill ones?

 

[Inspired Idler]

I absolutely love THE Royal Yacht! I also was a bit put-off by the chem/plum taste in the beginning but now I rarely place an order without a couple of tins. It is my near daily smoke. It is funny how much palates differ and change.

I remember a previous thread where you referred to it as THE Royal Yacht and I got a chuckle. I will thus reference it as THE Royal Yacht moving forward.

 

[karam]

Is the Peterson branded ones exactly like the Dunhill ones?

Nightcap and DLNRs for sure, the other blends like EMP, Elizabethan, 962 or whatever the number is O don’t know well enough to comment, but the consensus was same recipe, same factory, different lavel, same taste.
I haven’t found RY in my sources, but would get it if i could.

 

[danish]

I am a little late to trying Royal Yacht and guess the mentioning of the plum topping kept me away for so many years, since I usually stay away from 'aromatics'. Now I am half way through a tin of Peterson RY and I must say I really like Royal Yacht. With coffee, tea or redwine and in various favorite briars. A high quality and satisfying tobacco in line with the other old Dunhill recipe tobaccos. I do not find the topping over the top. To the contrary, it just reminds me of a good Amarone wine on top of a darker, deep, strong and easy to smoke blend. The satisfying strength and consistency in taste through the bowl, even after relighting, also makes it perfect for the shorter smokes, outdoor or indoor.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am a little late to trying Royal Yacht and guess the mentioning of the plum topping kept me away for so many years, since I usually stay away from 'aromatics'. Now I am half way through a tin of Peterson RY and I must say I really like Royal Yacht. With coffee, tea or redwine and in various favorite briars. A high quality and satisfying tobacco in line with the other old Dunhill recipe tobaccos. I do not find the topping over the top. To the contrary, it just reminds me of a good Amarone wine on top of a darker, deep, strong and easy to smoke blend. The satisfying strength and consistency in taste through the bowl, even after relighting, also makes it perfect for the shorter smokes, outdoor or indoor.

See, I keep reading so many rave reviews of people who have fallen in love with the Peterson RY that I have to wonder if it’s different, ha ha. Not that I hated the old, but that so many did hate the old.

 

[Reggie]

I remember a previous thread where you referred to it as THE Royal Yacht and I got a chuckle. I will thus reference it as THE Royal Yacht moving forward.

Saaaaaaaalute!

 

[Reggie]

Is the Peterson branded ones exactly like the Dunhill ones?

I honestly would not know.

 

[condorlover1]

I have made the odd comment on here about Royal Yuck!