Jim's Latest Wilke Reviews.

Perfect way of stating it!

Here are my latest Wilke reviews.

Wilke 10 Downing Street:
The nutty, earthy, woody toasty dry burley is a team player that allows the other components to have their say, even though there’s more of it in this blend by percentage than the other varietals. The woody, earthy, musty, smoky, mildly sweet Cyprian latakia plays a supporting role. The fairly tingly, spicy, plumy perique takes the third position in the mix. The grassy, mildly citrusy Virginia flake just rises above being a condiment. The strength and taste levels are a step past the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is a hair below that center. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns fairly cool and very clean at a reasonable pace with a mildly smoky, savory and lightly sweet and spicy, consistent flavor from top to bottom. Hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke.

Wilke Chocolate:
The very nutty, toasty, roasted, earthy, woody burley is the star component. The grass and light citrus from the Virginia isn’t that noticeable. The rich chocolate topping sublimates the tobaccos to a fair degree, mostly drowning out the Virginia. The strength is just shy of the center of mild to medium, while the taste is just past that level. The nic-hit is a hair past being mild. No chance of bite or harshness. The interesting thing about this blend is the melding of the burley with the chocolate, which creates a consistent roasted, nutty chocolate flavor that doesn’t weaken. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a very pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. An all day aromatic with a little character. Three and a half stars out of four.

Wilke Lord Nelson:
The citrusy, grassy Virginia is the lead component. There’s a very small amount of sugary black cavendish far in the background. The vanilla topping is mild with a touch of richness, and doesn’t sublimate the tobaccos that much, but it does create an easy going consistent flavor from start to finish. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace. The strength is very mild, and the taste level is mild. Has little nicotine. Requires few relights, and hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. An all day smoke.

Wilke No. 44:
The floral, woody, earthy, lightly spicy and sweet and more sour yenidje shag also sports an “unflavored soda note” and is the lead component that also acts as a team player. The mildly sugary, lightly toasty black cavendish is in a secondary role. The spicy, plummy, lightly raisiny perique is just above being a condiment. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian latakia is mostly a condiment. The grassy, citrusy Virginia is in the background despite its percentage in the mix. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, and the taste is just short of medium. The nic-hit is almost as potent as the strength. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool and clean and slightly fast with a mostly consistent mildly sweet and a tad more savory flavor from top to bottom. However, it does lose a little strength toward the finish. Hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke.

Wilke No. 176:
The woody, earthy, dry, lightly buttery sweet, floral, mildly spicy Turkish shag takes a little of the lead. The smoky, woody, musty, earthy sweet Cyprian latakia is a team player that provides important support. The sweetened black cavendish offers some smoothing sugar in a secondary role. The citrusy, grassy bright Virginia is a condiment. The strength is a little closer to medium than it is to mild, and the taste is a step past, falling short of the medium level. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has no rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a semi-sweet and a little more savory, mostly consistent flavor all the way to the finish. Like most Wilke blends, it easily burns to ash. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste and decent room note. An all day smoke. Three and a half stars out of four.

Wilke No. 184:
The woody, earthy, floral, lightly spicy yenidje has a little sweetness along with some dry sourness. It is the dominant tobacco, and also sports a little of the “unflavored soda note” I often associate with yenidje. The brown sugary black cavendish is an important supporting player that offers some smoothness. Together, the two varietals create a very consistent mild sour and savory sweetness. The strength and nic-hit are in-between the center of mild to medium and medium. The taste level is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns fairly cool and very clean at a moderate pace. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, but it has just enough of a flavor punch that those not experienced with yenidje would likely consider it to be an occasional venture during their day. I recommend a small to medium bowl for this one. Three and a half stars out of four.

Wilke No. 187:
The nutty, earthy, woody, sugary sweet burley takes a lead over the other components. The sugary, lightly toasty black cavendish is mostly a secondary player by leaf percentage though its effect surpasses the grassy, citrusy Virginia by a few steps. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste level is a step past that. The nic-hit is mild. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent sweetness from beginning to end. Hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. The lightly lingering after taste is very pleasant as is the room note. An easy going all day smoke.

Wilke No. 193:
There’s a bit of team work going on here because none of the components dominate. The nutty, earthy, woody, toasty, dry burleys take the lead. The smoky, woody, earthy, lightly sweet Cyprian latakia and the spicy, plummy perique play for attention in supporting roles, though the taste of the latakia doesn’t spring out as much as expected. However, it occasionally is the second star in the firmament. The grassy, citrusy Virginias are mostly a condiment. The fermented black cavendish adds a sugary sweetness to the mix, and are more obvious than the Virginias. The strength is in the center of mild to medium while the taste is a step or so past that mark. The nic-hit is a little past mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a fairly consistent sweet and mildly savory flavor to the finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant lightly lingering after taste and room note. An all day smoke. Three and a half stars out of four.

Wilke Shipmate:
The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian latakia is the star component. The nutty, earthy, woody, lightly sweet Tennessee burley is a secondary player It also provides a touch of cocoa. The grassy, citrusy Virginia is a condiment. The floral, woody, earthy, dry and sour, lightly spicy Turkish lurks in the background, though you’ll notice it in most every puff. The strength is a couple of steps past medium, while the taste level is just past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but it does have a rough edge at times, which is typical for a blend that’s very close to the borderline of being a lat-bomb. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent, lightly sweet and very savory flavor that never weakens. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering campfire after taste and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke.

i'd like to beg forgiveness foremost for the question, if it seems intrusive.

does anyone know where Wilke sources their leaf?  i ask, without making any assumption whatsoever about Wilke's blends, because i recently purchased some house blends from a well-known tobacconist and it seems to me that they're built from a base of Sutliff blending leaf.  and it's unsurprising that many tobacconists rely on primarily one or two well-known sources for their leaf.

i was just curious whether Wilke might have something a little more "exotic" in the way of starting material.  cheers!