Jim's Latest Wilke Reviews.

I like it when you give stars.

I don't think you're appreciated enough. Thanks for all the effort you put in to these.

I thank you folks for the very kind words. They mean a lot to me.

Btw, I will soon get samples of a couple new Wilke products and will review them here and at TR.com when I do.

To anybody who smokes 'em ..... any reviews of Wilke's revered, "HIGH HAT" and "10 DOWNING STREET" coming? Interesting reading.

Thanks for all your efforts and dedication to our pipe-smoking avocation.



Frank
NYC

It does. Your work is tremendous and I for one appreciate the time you take to share your opinions.

Like I said in another thread, when I noticed you were in this forum I felt like I was in the presence of a celebrity... Certainly in the pipe world.

You have me blushing, but I'm just one of the guys here. It's more fun that way.

You left the stars off the second review. I wish you could be consistent. Are you trying to confuse me on purpose?
Wilke = Good. I see stars.

Ratings are the one thing I dislike doing. I only do it because TR.com insists on it. I did find a way to make my ratings as objective as I could, but I would greatly prefer that the reviews stand for themselves without the ratings in order for the reader to make up his/her own mind without further influence from me. So, I generally leave them out when I post on forums.

For those who don't know, here is how I rate:

I rate blends against other blends in their respective genres, e.g., peach blends against other peach blends, cherry blends against other cherry blends. I rate mild Englishes against other mild Englishes, heavy English against heavy Englishes, etc. It's unfair to rate, say, Penzance against a lighter mixture such as Dunhill London Mixture. It's also unfair to rate peach versus cherry blends. I do the same for straight Va.s, VaBurs, VaPers, etc. Since I have to rate blends, I had to figure out a way to reduce as much as possible any subjective opinion I might have.

Many thanks for the specific review of Wilke's "High Hat".

I remember first sniffing this blend's room note, years ago, at one of the meetings of the New York Pipe Club....and the aroma was notable, and very different from other typical Englishy-type blends. My "stink threshold" is very low...and I quickly move away from those smoking the burnt-leather Lat-bombs....but the fragrance coming from "High Hat" was wonderful to sniff.

But, I digress....again, thanks for the critique(s).


Frank
NYC

Every time I look up a tobacco at tobaccoreviews.com I see that you have already reviewed it in depth. While I enjoy and appreciate the reviews immensely, I wonder if you are not actually some ageless, near extinct, strange tobacco smoking creature with multiple orifices and pipes of all shapes and sizes sticking out of each one.

Here are my latest Wilke reviews:

Wilke Champlain:
The main component is black cavendish, which is moderately brown sugar sweet, and rather toasty. The grassy, mildly citrusy, bready, lightly honey-like Virginia cavendish is in the background. The vanilla topping has a little richness, but it is lightly applied, and doesn’t sublimate the tobaccos much. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a consistently, mildly toasty sweet flavor. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and needs just a few relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. An all day work and play smoke.

Wilke Churchill:
The smoky, woody, lightly floral, semi-sweet rich Connecticut cigar leaf is the base of the blend, and most obvious component. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian latakia is an important secondary player. Competing with it is the nutty, earthy, woody, molasses sweet burley. Sometimes, the two swap positions. The lightly floral, dry, woody, slightly buttery sweet Oriental is a condiment. The grassy, citrusy Virginia is essentially in the background, A few dabs of sugary black cavendish smoothes out potential rough edges. The strength is medium, while the taste just passes that mark. Both start out at little lesser levels, and each gain a couple steps as you go along. The nic-hit is closer to medium than it is to mild. Won’t bite, and has no harsh notes. Well blended with a little nuance, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a fairly consistent flavor that translates to the lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke depending on your proclivity for cigar blends. Three and a half stars.

Wilke Commander:
The nutty, molasses and sugary sweet, earthy, woody Tennessee burley has some richness and is the lead component, but barely so. The brown sugary, lightly toasty black cavendish is a close second. The grassy, citrusy, lightly dark fruity and earthy Virginia is a secondary player. The smoky, woody, sweet Cyprian latakia is just above being a condiment. The strength is just past the mild level, while the taste is a tad stronger. The nic-hit is mild. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no roughness. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a slightly more than moderate pace with a very consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. An all day, comfortable smoke.

Wilke Royal Cherry:
The cherry is a little mild, but had a little depth. The lightly grassy, citrusy, dark fruity, earthy Virginia cavendish is more obvious than the sugary black cavendish, but both are in the background due to the cherry topping. The strength is mild, while the taste is a couple steps past that level as it falls short of the center of mild to medium. The nicotine is very mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean, and slightly slow as the tobacco is a tad moist, but I felt no need to dry it. Has a very sweetly consistent flavor all the way to the end. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs a few more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste. An all day smoke that will hold the attention of cherry aro smokers.

Wilke 8th:
The nutty, earthy, woody, molasses sweet burley is the lead component. The sugary, vanilla black cavendish also has a light toasted quality to it in a strong support role. The vanilla is very light. The grassy, citrus Virginia is way in the background. The raspberry is very mild, but has a little richness just the same. It mildly tones down the tobaccos. The strength is a step past the mild level, while the taste is a step past that. The nic-hit is very mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a regular rate with a very consistent flavor that extended to pleasantly mildly sweet, short lived after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. An all day smoke.

Wilke No. 24:
The very nutty, earthy, woody, molasses sweet, slightly spicy matured burley is the lead component. The granulated and cavendish style Virginias offer a bit of citrus, some grass, and a little dark fruit and earth as a secondary player. The smoky, woody, musty sweet Cyprian latakia is a tad more obvious than the Virginias. The raisiny, plumy spicy perique is an important condiment. The hint of the aromatic Royal Scot does not tone down the tobaccos; it compliments them. The strength is around the center of mild to medium, while the taste barely reaches the medium threshold. The nic-hit is a step past mild. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no rough edges. A fairly well balanced blend that burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a sweet and slightly campfire spicy and savory, mostly consistent flavor that translates to the lightly lingering after taste. Requires an average number of relights. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. An all day smoke.

Wilke No.192:
The burleys provide a bit of nuttiness, wood, earth, some molasses, and hints of floral, spice, and cocoa. They dominate the blend. The toasty aromatic black cavendish has a light touch of vanilla along with a little sugar and and a toasty quality. The strength is mild, while the taste and nic-hit are a step past that level. Won’t bite, but it does have a small rough edge here and there, which aged burleys often do. Burns cool and clean at slightly less than a moderate pace with very consistent flavor all the way to the finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly, short lived after taste. An easy dealt with all day smoke.

Wilke No.622:
The smoky, woody, musty, leathery, sweet Cyprian latakia is the star component and ventures toward lat-bomb territory without hitting that mark. The citrusy, tangy dark fruity, earthy, grassy Virginias play a secondary role. The raisiny, plummy, spicy perique is a lightly more obvious than the Virginias. The strength level is medium, while the taste is in the center of medium and full. The nic-hit is almost medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but it does have a rough edge or two, which is not atypical of blends with this much latakia. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a deeply rich, very consistent, creamy sweet, campfire flavor that extends to the lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable. Not for the novice.

Much appreciated!

Here's my latest Wilke reviews:

Wilke Belmont:
The very nutty, earthy, woody, lightly molasses sweet Tennessee burley is the main component. The smoky, woody, earthy sweet Cyprian latakia is an important condiment. The brown sugary black cavendish also has a touch of toast, and plays just below the level of the latakia. The strength is a step past the mild level,while the taste falls just short of the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is mild, No chance of bite or harshness, and has a light rough edge here and there. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with very consistent nutty sweet and mildly smoky, campfire flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste. An easily repeatable all day smoke.

Wilke No. 1:
The brown sugary, lightly toasty black cavendish is the major component. The nutty, earthy, mildly woody, bready burley black and royal scot toppings are mostly condiments. The strength is mild, while the taste is just a step past that level. Has a very mild nic-hit. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a mostly consistent flavor all the way to the finish line. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. An all day, easy going work and play smoke.

Wilke No. 178:
The very nutty, earthy, woody, lightly molasses sweet Tennessee burley is the star here. The brown sugary black cavendish is a background player. The strength is a step past the center of mild to medium, while the taste is just short of the medium threshold. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite, but has a couple rough edges. Burns fairly cool and clean at a moderate rate with a very consistent, mostly one dimensional, no-nonsense flavor. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste. An all day smoke.

Wilke Safari:
The smoky, woody, earthy, mildly musty, floral. sweet Cyprian latakia takes the lead with able assistance from the other tobaccos. The very nutty, earthy, woody, lightly molasses sweet, lightly dry and sharp burleys are supporting players. The grassy, citrusy, hay-like Virginia plays just below the level of the burleys. The strength and taste levels are a step or so below medium. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but has a rough edge at times, though not enough to be off-putting. That mainly comes from the burleys.Burns fairly cool and clean at the modernte pace with a very consistent, nutty, woody, smoky, campfire flavor that translates to lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and certainly repeatable any time of day for smokers.