As with all my reviews, the opinions expressed are 100% my own and your mileage may vary. The tobacco being reviewed has been purchase by myself and I’ve personally smoked several bowls, in various pipes before writing this review. I’ve also linked the TobaccoReviews.com review for your cross reference.
Pipes Used: Briar, Cob
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: TobaccoPipes.com
Strength – Mild
Taste – Mild
Flavoring – Medium
Room Note – Very Pleasant
Tin Note – A Berry Melody
Rating – ****
Cellared – Yes
My Review
I first learned about Ole Shenandoah Summer Berry Brandy (formerly known as Ole Shenandoah Appalachian Berry) a few weeks ago. At the time, it wasn’t available at any of the online tobacconists I purchase from but I was recently notified it was back in stock, so I placed my order for a single tin along with a few additional items.
While my preference is typically a vanilla aromatic, I’ve been looking for a quality alternative and one that would go well with a glass of wine. In addition, I also wanted something to classify as seasonal and well…”Summer Berry Brandy” does tick all the boxes.
Upon receiving the tin of tobacco, I grabbed the first coin I could find to pop the seal and twist open the lid. I gave it the nose test and was greeted with a nice aroma of berries. I couldn’t pick out a specific berry smell, but rather what I’ll refer to as a “Berry Melody” which I think is certainly the intended result. I immediately transferred the tobacco into a clean Mason jar and proceeded to the deck for my first smoke of the day.
As some heavily aromatic blends have been a wet, sticky mess right out of the tin this was not the case with Ole Shenandoah Summer Berry Brandy. I pinched out a few grams from the jar and placed it on my leather tobacco mat. I soon realized it was pretty much ready to smoke right out of the tin and would require no drying time.
After packing my pipe with the Shenandoah Summer Berry Brandy tobacco, I performed the charring light followed by a light tamping then the true light. I had no problems keeping the pipe lit and it was a pleasant smoke all the way to the end. Over the next few days, I enjoyed Shenandoah Summer Berry Brandy in both my briar and cob variety of pipes and enjoyed each and every puff.
The strength and taste of the tobacco was mild and the overall taste of the berries was subtle. Even after I had finished smoking the first bowl, I could faintly smell the berries but didn’t have the after-taste left in my mouth. According to my wife, the room note is one of the nicest of my collection of tobaccos.
In my opinion, this is a “Berry” Good Tobacco and has certainly earned a place in my summer season rotation of tobaccos. If you care to read through and compare the reviews for this tobacco on TobaccoReviews.com, a link has been provided below.
TobaccoReviews.com
https://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/10751/ole-shenandoah-summer-brandy-berry-appalachian-berry
Thank you for taking the time to read this review. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this particular tobacco. Please leave me a comment below.
Until next time…
Happy Smoking!
Jerry
