Winfield – Red

Now i used to smoke Winfield Cigarettes 9/10 years ago, when you could still get them in the UK. At the time many saw them as a cheap and nasty brand. While i cant really remember that well, i did used to enjoy them. 5 years ago while on holiday in the South of France, i went a little crazy (for a change) in a Tobacconist. Among the many Rolling Tobaccos i purchased, Winfield Red was one of them. I did enjoy the tobacco, but not as much as the Amsterdama Vanilla though.

So when Tom (Tor Rep) came in and said he was off to the land of Oz to watch the ashes, i couldn’t help but ask if he could grab me a pack. I do this to everyone i know who goes abroad, “GET ME SOMTHING NOT FOUND IN THE UK!”. When he came back after his month in the sun, he had got me an outer of 50g Winfield-Red. (Thanks again mate, i would have happy with one, but 5 cheers). The packaging has changed a lot since i last saw it, the old pack was Red with an Australian road sign.

The differences didnt stop with the pack either. I remember this blend being mainly fine cut Virginias with a few bits of stem knocking about. Now the tobacco resembles a 50/50 mix of Fine Cut Virginia with a typical Dutch style blend. The blend looks as if it is made from a number of fine & shag cut, from gold too mixed too dark. Im guessing there is some Gold & Fire cured Virginia, Kentucky, Burely and (maybe)Oriental. Why it looked Dutch, i doesn’t have that Aroma you find with them (Drum, Samson, Old Holborn or Lookout etc).

If you didnt look at the tobacco and only smelt it, you would think its a mainly Dark Virginia & Kentucky blend. The rich aroma of Nutts and Earthy tobacco, so i was expecting a lung buster. It rolls well, the stems and shag strands dont get in the way. The tobacco is damp, this combined with the dark leaf was a little off putting.

The light was easy, thanks to the Medium weight papers. The tobacco smokes really well, the dark tobaccos really come through. Its cool and very easy to smoke, the moisture helped with the cool smoke. I do enjoy this tobacco, its tasty enough without being too heavy on the chest. If you like a good medium-strong but dislike the Dutch style, then Winfield is a great choice. I will be smoking this neat for a while, then cut it with some Turkish and aromatic Virginias (Dark).

Thanks again Tom.