Rattray's Exotic Passion Pipe Tobacco

Yes, this is an aromatic. It’s extremely aromatic. It will potentially ghost any pipe it enters. It’s amazingly delicious! This is a singular tobacco that actually tastes EXACTLY as it smells. It smells like the essence of orange peels in their full citrus splendor. It’s not an everyday smoke, but even if you’re into stuffy English blends, you should try this wonderful aromatic on occasion.

A blind squirrel found an abundance of nuts and is set for the winter! The entire galaxy paused just to make it so! Thank you T.P. for what your team does best! Happy puffing fellow puffers!

Rattray’s Exotic Orange review- First, I got really lucky in finding this tobacco. I was looking at pricing and availability of Rattray’s Old Gowrie. Suddenly, the clouds parted above my house, and I could hear the voices of angels accompanied by the sound of harps as I noticed Exotic Orange was “IN STOCK.” I took my glasses off, rubbed my blurry eyes, packed my pipe with some Peterson’s 3p’s, giving my brain a moment to determine that I was not seeing an illusion on the screen before me. At that moment my cat Mr. Tucker jumped up into my lap and pawed at the key board. He obviously knew something special was happening, as he began to purr when I hit the purchase button for 5 tins. For me to blindly order 5 tins of an unknown tobacco is unheard of, especially an aromatic. I’m very selective on aromatics in general and find that for me, many just fall short for my palate. The tin is not vacuum sealed. There is a description card inside the tin in multiple languages and say the tobacco is Exotic Passion. This is a change in name due to the EU and UK tobacco regulations. The tin is simply a metal box with a top lid and bottom without a hinge. The tin for the United States is still currently the original Exotic Orange tin with the original name and the oranges in the art work still being orange. The Exotic Passion tins have the new name and the oranges are no longer colored orange and instead are gold like the rest of three in the artwork. I think the old style is nicer looking and hope we keep getting this version here in the United States. The tobacco is in a nice bag, and logoed Rattray’s plastic similar to what many boutique chocolate companies use for candies. The top of the pouch is folded over and has a tape tab closure. The tape ripped on this example when I tried to peal it back and may be a tamper evidence feature since the tin is not sealed. The tin note is a nice balance of a more natural fresh orange as you peel the fruit back and it squirts a little as the pockets of juice pop, with a hint of mango, and sweat orange blossom. I could not detect the specific note of maple. I was sweet, but very faint vanilla came to mind more than maple. The light and dark tobaccos contrast nicely against one another. It was difficult to focus on my task of soaking it all in because I had a wet cat nose pressing against my cheek as Mr. Tucker was also trying to get his fill of aroma. The tobacco is probably ready for many to smoke right out of the tin, I’m a wet smoker, so I dry everything and let this air for about 30 minutes before loading a bowl. I loaded my bowl with a moderate tamp, took a long pause, and gave it a char lite. The initial burst of flavor was surprisingly mellow. The char lite gave off of mellow orange up front and a very subtle sweetness a the back side. I thought this is interesting, but I’m not sure if I’m going to enjoy this bowl because I had already predetermined that I’m not a citrus fan. I looked over at my companion, Mr. Tucker, and he gave me a left eye wink. Weird, he never does one-eyed winks. Then he starts sniffing upward, getting his nose twitching trying to get the room notes. I light the bowl and get the cherry going. Take a few draws and the mellow orange is up front again, the mango is a minor player just smoothing the orange, and then the mild sweetness at the back end. As I smoked the bowl down I noticed a very slight spice now and again or what some might call orange peel, not in a harsh way. I also noticed a very orange blossom or a little like a rose bloom note when I would either retro-hale or French inhale (I want to change this to Freedom inhale, but I digress.) The balance and complexity of this smoke is fantastic and never got boring through the bowl. I am genuinely impressed by this tobacco. Mr. Tucker sat with me the whole bowl, and when I put my pipe down he got up stretched and when off to torment our dogs. I did not have any tongue bite, I did relight a couple of times, that isn’t unusual for me, very little moisture in the finished bowl upon clearing of the ash and doddle. My wife, Michele, found the room note to be very pleasant. For her, the room note was orange, vanilla, and orange blossom or floral. She gave me two thumbs up for room note. So, I have a new tobacco for my rotation that I didn’t expect to find let alone enjoy. I probably just screwed myself with this review, but I hope I have enough in the cellar to carry me along until I get lucky enough to find some more down the road. Every once in a while, even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

Exotic Orange is a great tobacco...well defined and put-together, wonderful aroma and room note...a first class pipe tobacco...