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.

[BryGuySC]

Sangria
I can taste a bit more burley in this one.
There is a fruit flavoring that is hard to pin down, and a general sweetness; like a sweet and sour thing going on(but not actually sour. I just can't pin it down) Definite hint of pineapple flavor, maybe cherry in the retrohale.
Hard puffing does not produce a bite, but does turn it harsh.
This is a pleasant, unoffending, light fruit-punch blend.

[Haebar]

I didn't know this was going on, or I'd have signed up, though I have smoked at least a couple of the blends. Good to see more reviews though.

Jim, PM me your address and I'll send you half of mine.

[Haebar]

Milan Tobacconists Cherry Velvet:

This blend has a solid foundation of burley, bright Virginias and Cavendish and you can really taste the tobacco, not just the topping. It is light-medium in the nicotine department. The good tobacco flavor and cherry taste stayed consistently enjoyable even smoking down at the heel of the bowl. The quality of the components is apparent upon close examination and results in a smoke that is mellow and smooth with no rough edges.

[Lostmason]

Tobacco: My Finest Kind (Milan Tobacconists)
Pipe: Brigham slightly bent apple billard and
1950's Monterey straight billard
Prep:none to about 30 minutes dry time
Pouch note:To me this has a heavy cocao and rum
aroma
Room note: pleasant vanilla scent
Light: Without drying in the apple billard lighting
was a bit difficult,the moisture was a bit
high.In the Moterey with some drying it lit
easily and didn't require a re-light until
the finish
Taste: My Finest Kind started with a slight sweet flavor with a hint of vanilla
at the back of the palette,around the mid point there was a coppery=
chemicle tast that lasted for about ten minutes and then setteled into
an airy maple like very faint but enjoyable.The key is to push past the
mid point.I didn't suffer any bite nor notice a gurgle.I did have to
swab out the shank once,but that was to be expected.

[cpmcdill]

Here's #3 of 5

Blend: Anniversary by Milan Tobacconists
Pipe: Vintage Dr. Grabow Golden Duke rusticated straight pot with Adjustomatic Stem (no filter)
Packing method: Codger stuff
Appearance: A ribbon cut mix of yellow, brown and black, in seemingly equal ratios.
Pouch Note: To my nose, it's most redolent of vanilla and a honeyed cavendish, though it's described as containing a chocolate topping as well. Maybe that will be more evident in the room note.

On first lighting and taking a few puffs, surprisingly the chocolate comes through in the flavor more than the vanilla. Then I set the pipe down a few minutes to pour myself a beer (Flying Dog Brewery's Double Dog IPA, a hoppy monster with 11% ABV, delightfully rough and bitter).

Then on relight, I proceeded to smoke it, with no further relights needed. At a slow to medium tempo, the tobacco continues to taste a little sweet, but the toppings fade from the flavor and continue on mostly in the room note. This tobacco blend seems pretty balanced, and seems like a good mix for aro smokers who like some flavor, however mild. From the first quarter to the end, the taste of it stayed pretty consistent, and it burned down to ash with little dottle remaining, and no goop or moisture remaining in the pipe. No wetness or gurgle in the stem, and no tongue burn. A lingering sweetness in the mouth. I conclude that this is a well made light aromatic.

[droy1958]

Website: Wall Street (Aromatic) Pipe Tobacco
A mild Burley blend with a mixture of Virginias and aged Maduro Cavendish. Subtle notes of chocolate covered hazelnuts and a hint of cream make for a sweet finish.
----------
Pipe was my aromatic nose warmer
This is a kind of gooey type so I set some out to dry, but I got impatient and loaded up the bowl after 15 minutes. Bowl packs easy enough along with the charring light. The first thought is semi sweet dark chocolate. After a few puffs I picked up chocolate covered cherries, with the cherries way in the background. It didn't change much from there, which was fine as I liked the flavor. When I got down to the last third of the bowl, the smoke started getting a little steamy on the tongue so I set it down. That's when I wished I would've let it dry a proper amount of time. Never picked up hazelnuts like the website said, but hey, we're all different. I figured when I cleaned the pipe I would have a gooey mess, but I was surprised how clean the pipe was for this type of tobacco. If you like chocolate, you may like this one....

[Bruck]

Bruck's take on Irresistible Chocolate

Appearance: ribbon cut, mostly dark
Tin note: chocolaty
First light: very smooth, not much flavor yet; could hardly tell it was lit
Mid-bowl: flavor comes out, but not as chocolaty as it smells. Still very smooth, VA and burley are evident. Burns well.
No tongue bite to speak of. Mild nicotine.
Pipe: Cob

After my first bowl of Milan tobacco, I let the jars all sit open overnight to dry out a bit. Seemed to help - haven't had to relight this one, and it's not gurgling.

[cpmcdill]

Blend: Hazelnut by Milan Tobacconists (review #4 of 5)
Pipe: Vintage Dr. Grabow Golden Duke rusticated straight pot with Adjustomatic Stem (no filter)
Packing method: Codger stuff
Appearance: Ribbon cut yellow and dark brown, with the darker color somewhat dominating.
Pouch Note: Hazelnut and cavendish, with a subtle hint of Play-Doh.

Preamble: A reviewer I highly respect over at tobaccoreviews.com voiced a suspicion verging on certainty that this, rather than being a Milan house blend, is just Lane Limited's Hazelnut bulk blend. I have not had LL's Hazelnut, so I'll try to judge this on its own merits, whatever its source. A few years back I got myself in a bit of hot water with the proprietor of 4noggins when I speculated that their Three Blind Moose blend was Lane LL-7. Further scrutiny of those latter two confirmed to my senses that the 4noggins blend is superior, though similar.

It often happens on the charring light of aromatic tobaccos that I do get a strong hit of the flavors in the topping. In this case a big dose of hazelnut and possible some vanilla flavor, but little tobacco. Oddly this didn't go out after the initial light, and so I just kept puffing along. Some of the flavor is still coming through at the first quarter mark. Not sure if it's something in the tobacco, but I find myself salivating heavier than usual. Can't really clench this, or I'll drool all over myself.

I suspect what I'm puffing out is more steam than smoke. Yet halfway in, still no relight, tongue burn or gurgle, but the pipe is feeling really hot. The tobacco flavor seem mostly cavendish. Can't really distinguish any Va flavor. I like Nutella spread, but I never really cared for Hazelnut coffee. When it comes to eating actual nuts I like peanuts, almonds, cashews and sometimes Macadamia. So I have mixed feelings about the use of Hazelnut to flavor things.

At about the third quarter, the flavors goes off in a more sourish direction, and the flavor's getting more like some expired OTC pouch you buy from a gas station when you are travelling and can't find good tobacco. So at this point I'll just call it quits and clear the remainder out of my pipe. I'd say this is a perfect tobacco for those who enjoy goopy bulk one-note aromatics, and knowing that this category far outsells English, VaPers and Va Flakes combined, there will always be those who'll make Hazelnut their all-day staple.

[Lostmason]

Tobacco: Butter berry (Milan Tobacconists)
PipeG Lark,MM CG Cob,and Chateuax 3/4 bent briar with wind cap
Pouch note: Sweet Buttery cream
Room note: subtle butter rum
Taste:This is where I pick up the berry,just a slight citrusy sweet
flavor on the edges.I let this dry for 30 minutes,and about 45
for the DG Lark and then the cob.The flavors were much smoother
and pleasant in the cob,not sure why just were.Required a couple
of relights,but oherwise smoked to a fine grey ash with no dottle
or muck in the heel.I let the Chateuax sit loaded for a couple
hours before lighting,and it improves the burn nicely.No tongue
bite or gurgling and is a very relaxing smoke.I'm not big on fruity
flavors but I could see keeping this one around for those times
I want a smooth sweet smoke.