Fusiler's Ration Special Reserve

I wasn’t sure what to think about this blend at first. I like English blends but I have never tasted anything quite like this. First impression was forest fire with tires added. As I smoked it I started seeing what the fuss was about. Deep flavors. Cocoa, smokey, pine needle. It was very good. Take your time with this one. It has to be smoked slow for maximum enjoyment.

This tobacco is fantastic! Russ has outdone himself with his version of Bengal Slices. The moisture level is perfect right out of the gate, and the flavor is outstanding from char light to the bottom of the bowl. I love that the folks at Pipes and Cigars offer this in bulk, too.

A very one of a kind taste that has become a staple in my top 5 rotation of blends

As primarily an aromatic smoker, this is one of the few non-aromatic blends that I find to be an absolute pleasure to smoke. Absolutely superb.

I bought a pound of Fusilers Ration two years ago, and I liked it so much, that I bought three more pounds of the stuff. A pound of the "biscuits" fits nicely into a quart mason jar, with one biscuit left over (those four biscuits were the benchmark, that I finished about six months ago. I opened one of the quart jars a week ago, and the aroma was outstanding. Musty, dark, and a little bit sweet. The cake crumbles very easily, and I find that it smokes best when it is very dry.. The first light in, one of my Calabash gourd pipes, reveals the slight topping, it's floral, and somewhat ineffable (difficult to describe), but it rapidly diminishes, and sits in the background, where it adds something to the overall mix of flavors. Aging for two years has it sweetened significantly., and improved it all the way around. It's richer in flavor than I remember, and it's extremely enjoyable. It burns very cool and slow, with very few relights. My Calabash has a very large bowl, so it only required a relight after I set it down for a rest. Very clean and smooth finish, with white ash. Two things you own to yourself 1) buy some Fusilers Ration asap and 2) investigate buying a Calabash gourd pipe. They deliver a rich room temperature smoke, and I have never ever ever gotten tongue bite from a Calabash gourd pipe!

By chance, I had just finished enjoying a bowl of 8 year old Penzance, a difficult to acquire and highly coveted blend. An hour later, I broke into the FR Special Reserve and thought I'd give it a try. I was immediately struck by the remarkable likeness to Penzance; the VA was exceptionally high-quality, and the sweetness and composition of components were very similar. It's a little lighter in body, but tastes VERY similar. The toppings; vanilla, brandy (I'm getting oak and dark fruit - not a linear plum)... perhaps clove, is what sets this apart. For the life of me I can't place the toppings. But those toppings, and their expert application, places this above Penzance. That little aromatic 'flare', is what really elevates this. They are very natural and compliment the various leaf so well. Hot pressing has caused the latakia, VA and Sun Cured to mellow in flavor and become silky, while the Black Cavendish fills the mouth and spreads the various flavors of composition on the palate. It's sweet, earthy, dark, deep and richly-flavored. Forget Penzance. This is perhaps the best I've had in my 26 years of piping... this is the one. I just hope that the quality of leaf and production process is consistent going forward.

The matured Virginias really smooth out the rough edges of the Latakia. Burns exceptionally cool, stays smokey throughout the bowl. Thick, creamy smoke with a nice aftertaste. An upgrade from regular Fusilier's Ration, but somewhat of a different flavor. Recommended!

Giving this a 5star,came very firm,a little dry,but gently rubbed out to find it similar in character to blends like Plum Pudding,..very well behaved components,smoky,Virginia sweet,sour,tangy,dark,toasty,musty..it is satisfying smoked slowly to enjoy the complexity...if u like Balkans, English Orientals,etc you'll enjoy this blend..good value..burns cool and completely...definitely worth a try if you're thinking about it.

Glorious! This is as good a tobacco as I have ever found. It is a step up from the tinned FS except for the topping being less present. Other than that, this is simply fantastic. I've tried many of the H&H blends and this is by far my favorite.

I purchased 16ozs of this tobacco. It arrived timely and it was very well packaged. It was delivered in nice sized cakes. It was a a little bit dry, so I rehumidified it by putting one of those round cigar humidor humidifiers in the bag for 12 hours. The result was perfectly humidified cakes, that I immediately placed in pint sized mason jars. The cakes are very tightly pressed, and came apart in pretty big chunks. I found it best to load in with BB sized chunks, rather than rubbing it out. I smoked several bowls full over the next couple of days in various pipes. I found the best performance in a V (cone) shaped bowl, rather than a U shaped bowl. It was sweeter in the V shaped bowl. The tobacco burned cool and evenly, with no gurgling or moisture build up. I did find that in both the V and the U shaped bowls, it was better to dump the ash and stir up the last quarter of the bowl to keep it burning. This was not the result of my humidifying the cakes, because I smoked a bowl beforehand and had the same issue. This is a delightful tobacco blend, both sweet and spicy. The flavor is rich and full, with a moderate nicotine content. It won't overwhelm you, but it does pack a little punch. It lasts a long time, an hour and a half in the medium size bowl I used. My hats off to Russ on this blend, it smokes devin and has an outstanding presentation in these beautiful crumble cakes. Stock up on this one if you can, it's well worth getting a pound or two, and stashing some back.

I haven't had regular Fusilier Ration to compare this to. However, I can tell you that I ordered this as part of the same order with Black House, which I expected to be the star of the order, but I enjoy the Fusilier SR just as much as Black House, it's an incredible blend.

Great deal, creamy, smooth, and delicious! I love to smoke on the porch and walk inside and come back out on the porch to smell the scent of this tobacco... I enjoy everything aboit this tobacco!

This is an awesome smokey blend with lots of flavor

Cool smoke. Slow burning. Plenty of flavor. Good dense cake.

WELL THEN - I am writing upon completion of a wonderful bowl of this wonderful tobacco First the mechanics. Pipe used: My virgin Don Warren morta I picked up at the Chicago pipe show this year. (Didn't want any ghost flavors to corrupt my impressions) I knew I was going to reserve this pipe for non-aero's. THIS is the tobacco I will now be using to season this fabulous new pipe. Preparation: Nice cake, perfect humidity right after rubbing, springy & packs well. Did not rub out hard mostly just spread out the ribbons, flakes, etc. as I did not want to powder too finely or bruise the blend. (Reserve any too small bits for top kindling) Upon first light I got a very creamy & full amount of smoke. Incense was right there, not overpowering, just present. Burns well, clean, & dry all the way down. Absolutely no gurgle or bite no matter how hard I greedily puffed (started out sipping,couldn't contain myself) Latakia definitely there, again not overpowering NOT a Lat bomb. I Paired with a cold double shot espresso with cream, no flavoring or sugar, which was quite complimentary. The aged Virginia's bright grassy & sweet & added just the right balance to the blend. Slight pepper taste on the tongue - NOT bite - there was no bite - slight pepper as in a nice new York strip with peppercorn crust. (Mmm this would be perfect after THAT meal) The Oriental's definitely add THAT floral note to the mélange could even think sandalwood. Not sure what that "Top Note" is but it definitely is Old School & just right. Nic kick is balanced, a slight heady feel & perfect cheek tingle. Smoked dry to the bottom, just fine ash no dottle and pipe cleaner came away clean of impurities, just ash. I could go on forever suffice to say THIS is the English blend I remember from my youth (no knock on my beloved White Knight Russ) This is a contemplative smoke perfect for that good book or porch stargazing. Can't wait to try in my dear old LARGE gourd calabash for a LOOONG smoke.

The only thing I have to compare this to is Bengal Slices which I thought were good, but this beats BS by a nose. The aged Virginia's added just an extra hint of sweetness this was an awesome smoke!

I liked this ok but not worth the price premium in my opinion.

A++++++++++

Fine blend. Tasty, long burning, complex flavors.

A special trear for sure! Just like its brother the tinned version except the latakia has mellowed slightly. Its still there but is better harmonized with the other leaves.

if you like heavy latakia this is for you, my preference is a bit less but this is a nice crumble cake and might be diluted by the skillful blender

Look, this isn’t “bad” tobacco. The problem is, there really isn’t anything special about it. Fusiliers ration is a fine tobacco in its own right. So is it’s insirpation, Bengal Slices, and the tobacco superior to them both in my opinion, Plum Pudding. When you slap “special reserve” on anything, it better not only be better than its parent, but markedly better. This is neither, and I really hoped otherwise.

very good ..... got mine in bulk and love it

… the well-aged Virginias do make a difference...well put together and a fine smoke...Recommended!

Good stuff...

This is my favorite H&H, and this batch kicks it up a notch. Really deep without harshness, foresty aromas, and a plumminess that’s delightful.

Really great. I have gotten away from latakia blends for a long time, but this really brought me back. Not the regular go to, but delivers what you have missed. Not overpowering, but sort of insense like they said. Only thing I can say is Delicious

This is one of the best mixtures I have ever smoked.

A discount that will turn heads??? I have never tried this and for $5 an ounce or probably never will. That is high as a giraffe's crotch.