Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Villager 1888 Mid Day

"A mixture of double steamed black Cavendish, blended with Burley, Oriental, and light Virginia tobaccos.  A delightful aroma and top note vanilla and exotic fruit make this a mild and pleasant smoke in the early afternoon."
  If you were at the memorial day party at the ranch, This is what smelled so good.  Now you all know my secret. If you weren't there, if you didn't smell it, I'm not sure where to start describing it. That "exotic fruit" seems to be mostly coconut, and "mild and pleasant" pretty much nails the flavor. I actually had people yell at me because it smelled so good!  There's very little I can say about this besides how wonderful it is! If you're lucky enough to find it (a tin runs about $6.50. The cheapest tinned tobacco EVER) just buy one. I think the whole line of Villager is great, but this one takes the cake. That's why I saved it for last.  I'm not into the sugary sweet stuff as much any more, but this is so mild that it doesn't bug me enough to put me off. It's GREAT around other people, because everyone seems to like the smell. If you're not really a pipe smoker smoker, but WANT to look dignified, get yourself a glossy black pipe (always stylish) and a tin of this (tins just make you look classy) and light with a match. Within no time, people will be asking where you attended finishing school. Don't tell them the truth. As a matter of fact, fuck the truth. If wanted the truth they wouldn't have asked such a stupid question.
  Sorry. I'm a little off track. Got some bad medical news from my mechanic, and it has me in a mood. Guess WHICH mood, and win a prize! See y'all next time, when I may just admit I was way off about something I already reviewed.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Villager 1888 Late Night

It took me a while to figure this on out. It's a partial flake, made of Virginias and black cavendish, and flavored with Irish whiskey. It sounds good right? and it is, but only if you smoke it right. Flake tobaccos are unique in that they give the smoker a myriad of options for preparation. MOST flakes are best when worked to the level of fineness the smoker prefers, and then dried for an hour or so before loading the pipe. Not this one. In the spirit of convenience, they packed this in the tin at the optimal level of smokability . I tried working it to a finer consistency (which I usually prefer) and it was unpleasant. I let it dry for a while, and it burned too hot. Finally, I gave up the fancy stuff, retreating to a "Fold and Stuff" tactic, and presto! A wonderful smoke. It's surprisingly not as sweet as other Virginias, or cavendish, but mild and refined. The room note is pleasant and sweet, and also the only place one might detect any evidence of whiskey. I certainly couldn't TASTE whiskey. A good all day smoke, nothing extraordinary, but certainly not lacking anything either.

  Out of the three blends from Villager, this is the most mellow. Early Day is pungent and smokey (as an English blend should be) and Mid Day is.... well, I'll tell you about it next time.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Villager 1888 Early Day

First, let me apologize for taking SO long to get back to the keyboard. It's been a hell of a month. Second, let's jump right in. This is my first ever review of a tinned tobacco, Villager 1888 (by Peter Stokkebye) Early Day. This is an English blend, described on the tin as "Mature golden Virginias blended with oriental leaf and Latakias from the Balkan region. The rich share of Latakia makes this blend a true English classic with the characteristic smokey room note"
  The orientals are taste-ably present, but the latakia definitely dominates the blend.  The virginias do sweeten the blend, but cause it to burn a little hot for an english blend. The villager 1888 line is a good bang for the buck, being one of the cheapest tinned tobaccos around, but holding a flavor and quality of a premier blend. The early morning blend isn't AS fine as some other english blends I've smoked, but the convenience of the tin definitely balances that out.
  I've had to relight once or twice near the bottom of the bowl, but with minimal maintenance, it burns to a fine, white ash every time. I'd definitely  buy a tin of this for vacation, or when I know I won't be around the house for a few days, for the security of a well kept english I can pack anywhere, anytime, and enjoy well enough to sate my own spoiled tastes. A well done job for a nominal cost.
  Thanks for staying 'till the end! Hopefully, I'll be able to post once or twice a week for a while now, so stay tuned for the rest of the Villager 1888 line!