I’ve taken my interest of getting off my beaten path of aromatic pipe tobaccos seriously. I still order some to sample and see what is out there, but lately what I have purchased has been the majority non-aromatics. Although I’m still attempting to get the nuances of Virginia non-aro blends down, I’ve noticed my palate is adjusting well to the ‘English’ or latakia-based blends…to the point of this style being a predominant fixture in my tobacco cabinet.
Due to multiple suggestions, Dunhill’s Early Morning Pipe is one of those blends that has been loaded heavily into my pipes. The tin note is lightly smoky and not overpowering (unlike some latakia blends I have purchased). The tobacco itself it just about right direct from the tin, but as always I prefer mine a bit more dry. My preference, however, only requires 10-15 minutes worth of air time.
The tobacco takes to light well and after the false light I don’t find myself having to fish for my Zippo or matches any time soon (unless, of course, I get distracted and have to put the pipe down).
The smoke is light and airy, which I love. It’s not overly dosed in latakia, and I find it has enough to spice things up and tickle the nostrils rather than take your breath away. I will say that it’s not an overly complicated smoke. The latakia is prevalent more so in the beginning of the bowl and I find it all mellows out about 1/3 to 1/2 the way through.
Initially, this started out as a blend I kept to my Nording Point Clear Freehand. The big chamber of this pipe gave me more than enough time to enjoy the taste and let the it roll around a bit. However, I actually found it smoked well from my Amadeus #61 (the design/finish of which I believe is amongst there Dark Smooth line). It’s a smaller-chambered bent egg-shaped pipe.
Keep in mind that this particular pipe and I have a long history of hatred and loathing. I picked it up roughly eight years ago from a local B & M shop (which is, unfortunately, no longer around). At the time I had a hankering for Peterson pipes, but the shop owner steered me towards his collection of Amadeus pipes he had recently started carrying. The maker is based out of Greece. At the time, I had no clue about the makers of pipes, nor what constituted as a good choice. I decided to give it a go and for $40-$50 I wouldn’t be out much if I didn’t care for it.
Needless to say…I didn’t care for it. I’ve attempted to smoke it off and on over the years and the pipe and I just never seemed to hit it off. The mechanics of the pipe are downright horrid. It cannot pass a pipe cleaner from mouthpiece to bowl, the draught hole is, in my opinion, raised just a smidgen too high from the bottom of the chamber and the looks of the pipe bothered me as it’s riddled with fills. The pipe was never able to be finished to the bottom in part due to my puffing habits and in part due to design.
Something, however, spoke to me about this blend and this pipe. I decided to dig it out of my stash of castaways and give it a good cleaning as best as possible. A couple of days later, Early Morning Pipe found its way into the bowl and since then I have enjoyed both the pipe and blend immensely. I found that this tobacco smoked better in this little pipe than it did in my Nording. The small nuances played on my palate and I could taste the tobacco a little bit more ‘clean.’ It could be due to the shorter length of the pipe or the small bowl. In truth, I don’t know, but I can’t get enough of this blend.
In both cases, it smoked well all the way to the bottom. At the times I did find myself having to relight, the taste was pleasant and didn’t change much. One thing I noted is that when the tobacco did have to be relit, the latakia came out more for a few puffs and I found this quite nice, especially as the bowl went on and the latakia mellowed out. Sometimes, I’ve even purposely let the pipe go out just to relight and spice things up when I felt the need.
All-in-all, I’d say give this blend a go. I’ve heard more experienced smokers say this blend is pretty mild, but I’ve also noticed the same individuals prefer truer ‘English’ blends with a heavier latakia content. I personally find it has just enough of everything to get my day going in terms of my palate and will continue to keep it in my rotation.
The Rustic Briar 