Branzig Reviews: Devil's Holiday

Tobacco: Dan's Tobacco Devil's Holiday

Pipe: An Old Dr. Grabow Duke

Prequel: Recently I have decided to go back and give aromatic tobacco's another try. Years ago when I started smoking a pipe, I hated just about every aro I had come in contact with. The ones that I did try all just tasted like hot air to me, and really turned me off to anything that was mentioned as "aro." Going straight from cigars to pipes meant that logically I would prefer the big tobacco flavors of English, burley, and Va blends over anything sweet and chemical. Now reading about so called "quality" aros that don't goop and ruin every pipe they come in contact with, I have decided to give them another go...

Tin Note: You know what cherry Kool-Aid smells like in the tub? Well that sums up Devil's Holiday in a nut shell. STRONG notes of cherry and berry. Little to no tobacco scent at all. Being a huge fan of berry flavors, I was both excited and afraid to try this one out from the get go.

The Smoke: This tobacco comes a little wet for my liking out of the tin. After about 5 bowls, I have discovered that letting it sit out for around 40 minutes removes the perfect amount of moisture. Once dried, the tobacco lights up with ease and burns well. A couple re-lights will be needed here and there though. This stuff produces big, huge, chewy mouthfuls of smoke. The tobacco burns down into a clumpy white ash and does leave a little bit of sticky residue on your pipe bowl, so best to run a pipe cleaner in the bowl after smoking and to dedicate a pipe to this blend.

Flavors: The first thing that hits you on the char light is how smooth this blend is. Not harsh at all and greets you with some tasty berry flavors right from the start. After getting it warmed up, the berry flavors grab you and don't let go. Thick and creamy smoke with lots of cherry and raspberry flavors all the way down to the middle of the bowl. The sweet cavendish is very obvious throughout this smoke as well. If you don't like berry and if you don't like sweet, then this tobacco is going to be very off-putting to you. After the half way point, the berry flavor really starts to dye off and the cavendish takes hold. Little hints of berry hits here and there, but overall the last 1/3 or so of the bowl is just nice, sweet black cavendish with some hints of tobacco flavor here and there. A total and full aromatic to the very end.

Conclusion: Well, what can I say? This blend has changed my whole perspective of what an aro is and can be. The attention to detail in this blend is really great, and you can tell that only quality tobacco is used. It isn't going to be for everybody, but for lovers of berries and creamy textures, I don't know how you could go wrong. You do have to take care not to puff this blend too hot however, because like any aro, it can bite and turn bitter quickly. Treat it like a Virginia though, and get ready for berry-heaven.