Milan Tobacconists House Blend Reviews

[cpmcdill]

Blend: Old Dominion by Milan Tobacconists
Pipe: Vintage Dr. Grabow Golden Duke rusticate straight pot with Adjustomatic Stem (no filter)
Packing method: Codger stuff
Appearance: Described as "rough cut" at tobaccoreviews.com, that's pretty much what it looks like in the pouch. Lots of small bits of various shapes and sizes, not like a standard ribbon. Color is various shades of brown. It is apparently an all-burley blend, and that's pretty much what it looks like.
Pouch note: Tobaccoreviews says it is a maple aro but my nose finds more of a sweet figgy note, somewhere in the ballpark of Carter Hall. My nose detects a cavendish note, so maybe the burley was steamed and pressed awhile?

I am using the same pipe as before (and may continue to use for these reviews) because it is a well-seasoned pipe that plays very well with aromatics and to some degree highlights their virtues.

Old Dominion is not on the Milan website for some reason (or if it is, I could not find it) so I wonder if it's something they only sell in the shop, or if they recently discontinued it.

Initial charring light, first puffs, and relight indicate to me that this is pretty much in the family of certain popular OTC burley pouch tobaccos, like Carter Hall, Granger or Velvet. I don't like Velvet, but I am partial to Granger and Carter Hall. The casing or topping didn't come through in the flavor, though it's in the room note. Nothing about it evokes maple, so I do suspect it's more like the Carter Hall topping, but more natural and a little sweeter. It demands a slower cadence than CH, but rewards with a better quality of flavor. The burley has that mild-neutral flavor that often goes with this genre, a sort that does little for the taste buds, but is pleasing on the retrohale.
I put the pipe down and left the room to do some things, then returned and found the lingering room note quite nice. The smell is natural and warm and pleasing. No odd chemical elements to it, like some OTCs seem to convey.
Getting toward the end, the sweetness tapers off, and the burley flavors pick up a little. I only re-lit twice, and that was due to putting the pipe down for a while each time.
No moisture or gurgle in this, and when I was finished there was mostly ash with a small amount of dottle.
Overall I'd recommend this to pipers who like their OTC burleys but want to upgrade to something of better quality. I liked this, and I have no reservations about finishing off the 2 ounce sample I was given. My first pipe tobaccos were OTCs and some Lane bulks, and though I've moved on, this touches a nostalgic note, of the enjoyment of those early times, but in a more refined way as the flavors of this blend are superior.

[cpmcdill]

Blend:Buttered Rum from Milan Tobacconists (review #5 of 5)
Pipe: Vintage Dr. Grabow Golden Duke rusticated straight pot with Adjustomatic Stem (no filter)
Packing method: Codger stuff
Appearance: Ribbon cut, a pretty even melange of medium brown and yellowish tobacco.
Pouch Note: A lovely smell. I guess this is sort of like a pipe version of a hot toddy. I once had a hot toddy during a week-long blizzard when all of the power had gone out and all that remained functional was the propane stove and the fireplace (well the water was still running and the pipes didn't freeze, so all good eh?), but only after finishing off the Bailey's so my recollection was kind of fuzzy.

Preamble. This is another blend my respected source says is probably a commercial bulk rather than a house blend. In this case Sutliff Buttered Rum (also one I have not personally tried), and I have to admit some of my early better experiences with Aromatics came from Sutliff blends, so I reckon I could be biased pro-Sutliff. We shall see.

Before smoking this, I needed to cleanse my palate from the previously reviewed Hazelnut blend. C&D Star of the East did the trick. Also had to rest and clean my poor abused Grabow pot. One of my oldest and trustiest smokers, I sometimes push it too hard. Some day I will give it a full Viking funeral.

Okay. Thank you Star of the East. My palate is now reconsecrated with your light and bliss. On to the last aromatic in my obligatory series of reviews. As a soundtrack to my smoking experience, I had some difficulty deciding between medieval lute music and dubstep. So I'll just alternate tracks in my media player. I don't have any rum, so this smoke will be accompanied by several fingers and a thumb of Old Crow.

Initial light gave me all the warning signs I need to keep a slow cadence. This is a potential tongue-biter. First impressions are of a vanilla-honey note with cavendish flavor. The pouch and probably the room note are not in the smoke. Feels pretty wet/steamy. I find it paradoxical that wet tobaccos like this often keep a light better than many drier, less cased blends.

Right around the bass drop of Matta's "Release the Freq" (1/3 into the bowl) I'm feeling a distinct tongue bite. Slowing down the cadence even further, surprised this stuff is still burning. Not a single relight yet. Getting some crackle and sizzle sounds in the bowl, so there's definitely some moisture accumulating.

The lute tune by Rolf Lislevand, "La Mascarade/Rondee" had such a mellow tempo that my cadence lowered enough to bring forth more flavors. Until the fire went out. At the 4th quarter I have to relight for the first time. I've managed to protect my tongue pretty will despite the dangers of this blend. Got it right down to a bit of ash and minimal dottle. I deserve a gold star.

At the end of my quest, I have still not found a new holy grail. I am not prejudiced against aromatics, and I am always open to trying new ones. For me, the best I have found always included some Latakia, like Frog Morton's Cellar, Moonshine Pipe Co XXX Blend, Two Friends English Chocolate, or GH Bob's Chocolate Flake. But it's just a matter of personal palates. I'm in the minority, and most pipers smoke aros so their wives will let them smoke indoors, or some such similar reason. These Milans were not bad, but I wish they'd also shared some of their non-aro and English blend to be reviewed.

[Tobias Lutz]

These Milans were not bad, but I wish they'd also shared some of their non-aro and English blend to be reviewed.

I totally understand not being of the aromatic persuasion, but your comment made me realize something needed to be clarified. Milan had nothing to do with this exercise, or I'm sure they would have offered up a different variety. I have always smoked their aromatics, and I purchased these bags from them without any mention of what they would be used for. I'm sorry if there had been an implication that they were somehow in on this as a promotional thing.

[cpmcdill]

I totally understand not being of the aromatic persuasion, but your comment made me realize something needed to be clarified. Milan had nothing to do with this exercise, or I'm sure they would have offered up a different variety. I have always smoked their aromatics, and I purchased these bags from them without any mention of what they would be used for. I'm sorry if there had been an implication that they were somehow in on this as a promotional thing.

Tobias, it appears I'm the one who owes an apology. I probably inferred that with very little basis in what you actually wrote. And with my own words I make myself seem ungrateful for this opportunity, which is really not the case. A big oops on my part, and sorry for the mix-up.

[Tobias Lutz]

Tobias, it appears I'm the one who owes an apology. I probably inferred that with very little basis in what you actually wrote. And with my own words I make myself seem ungrateful for this opportunity, which is really not the case. A big oops on my part, and sorry for the mix-up.

I certainly didn't take your comment as such. I just don't want you to think that the shop was somehow bias towards giving away samples of their aros and not other blends. I have only smoked a handful of their other house offerings, so I stuck with what I new. I really enjoyed your reviews, for the record

[droy1958]

Little did I know that I was saving the best two for last. I've been smoking these two for the last 3 days having 8 bowls in 5 different pipes to see how they were in different hardware. Both descriptions pretty much hit the nail on the head so there's not much I can add to it. I will say that all 5 of these tobaccos from Milan are the cleanest burning aros I've smoked, and with a little drying time burn exceptionally well.....

Last but not least, I want to thank @Tobias Lutz for taking his time and money to do this neat project. I would love to be involved in the next one if there's room. You've gone above and beyond.
Kindest Regards,
David
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Website:
Colonial Pastime (Aromatic) Pipe Tobacco
Burleys, Virginias, Black Cavendish and a touch of Latakia come together in perfect harmony to create this very unique mild- to medium-bodied blend. Subtleties of wild berries, rum, and hickory with a sweet spice on the finish remind us of days gone by when our forefathers cultivated and cured fine pipe tobaccos. The smoking qualities of Colonial Pastime are similar to that of an English pipe tobacco, but with the room note of an aromatic.

This one is the crown jewel of the bunch! My wife said the room note was great, and that she could smell what was pretty much in the description. Just a perfect blend of a hybrid aromatic/English blend. The touch of Latakia was nice. I smoked 6 bowls of this in 5 different pipes and all burned great. They have a winner with this one!....

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Website:
Poochie's Blend (Aromatic) Pipe Tobacco
A mixture of Virginia and Green River tobaccos blended with an extremely high quality Black Cavendish. This blend is smooth and mild with exceptional flavors of toasted marshmallow, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blended by and named after Poochie Preston who has been manning the tobacco bar at Milan Tobacconists for over 35 years, Poochie's Blend has been a very popular aromatic among our customers since its introduction in 2009.

This one is also very nice with the pouch and room note hitting the description well. It's a little sweet, but without going overboard. I smoked 2 bowls in 2 pipes and both burned down well....

In closing, I would like to say that if you're an aromatic smoker, you should try out these blends as I think you will be pleased with the choices!.......