Cigar: Petit Panatelas (5.5/10)

The Petit Panatela cigars, by Occidental Cigars Santiago are hand made in the Dominican Republic with long filler, both traits that make the cigars much nicer (long filler is full tobacco leaf filler, rather than shreds and stems). These cigars didn't have any particular or unique flavour, they just feature a light, simple and pleasantly enjoyable smoke. They also have very little tar, which happily does not dry out the smoke, unlike many smaller cigars and cigarillos in which either they are tarry with sweet smoke, or tar-less with incredibly smoke.

We recommend giving these Panatelas a try; they cost about £2 each. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a humidor, we suggest buying a pack of these to lay down in your humidor (for most tobacconists will give you a discount if you purchase a pack or box) for occasions when company is around, but you don't want to invest a considerable length of time smoking a churchill...

• Smoking time: 12-18 minutes
  
• Flavour: 4/10
  
• Smoke Sweetness: 3/10
  
• Tar (1=very wet, 10=very dry): 8/10
  
• Value for Money: 7/10
  
• Indulgence Factor: 2/10
  
• Overall Rating: 5.5/10

Pipe Tobacco: Brown Twist (4/10)

The Brown Twist is tobacco- pure and simple... The makers Gawith and Hoggarth advertise that the Brown Twist is the most natural of all pipe tobaccos, free from additives. So, if you are looking for something similar to what the Native Americans passed around in the peace pipe- this is it.

Having said that, I cannot say that I am a fan. The Brown Twist is alright, but if I want tobacco in a pure form, I definitely prefer a fine Cuban cigar. The Brown Twist features a very earthy flavour, and is incredibly dry. This is not due to the tobacco itself being dry- in fact the shreds I was given were quite moist and well-kept, but nevertheless, produced a very dry smoke. Definitely keep a drink to hand! In addition, the Brown Twist produces a fairly light smoke that is not particularly strong, and is quite difficult to keep lit- I had to relight several times. Give it a try if you want, but it's certainly not a favourite for me.

• Flavour: 3/10
• Smoke Sweetness: 2/10
• Tar (1=wet, 10=dry): 9/10
• Value for Money: 4/10
• Indulgence Factor: 3/10
• Overall Rating: 4/10

Cigarillo: Cohiba Mini (4/10)

Hecho en Cubano... what more can we say? Actually, if you're looking for the Cuban cigar (or cigarillo experience) I don't recommend these, for I have tasted considerably nicer Cubans in my lifetime. However, as cigarillos go, these are not bad.

They are distinctly Cuban in flavour, but are also quite dry (we would suggest keeping them in a humidor) and packed a bit more loosely than expected. However, the filler was a hybrid (meaning both short edge trimmings, but also leaves) and perhaps had these been better kept, they might have scored a bit higher, so bear that in mind. Certainly, if you are looking for a cigarillo to offer to someone else without seeming cheap or ignorant, these will work... but to be honest, if you can get ahold of the Montecristo Minis, go for those instead. If not, these will cost you around £5.50 for a pack of 10.

• Smoking time: 4-8 minutes
• Flavour: 4/10
• Smoke Sweetness: 4/10
• Tar (1=very wet, 10=very dry): 7/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Indulgence Factor: 4/10
• Overall Rating: 4/10

Rollie Tobacco: Black Cherry (6/10)

The Black Cherry rollie tobacco by Gawith and Hoggarth is quite probably the most popular of all the bulk handrolling tobaccos down at the market, and is certainly one of the most popular in the world. Now, my experience has been that nearly everyone who smokes rollies buys that prepackaged stuff- Drum, Golden Virgina etc. but certainly, the flavours of the bulk tobacco cannot be beat.

I am not one who necessarily enjoys sweeter tobaccos, but I enjoyed the black cherry considerably- primarily because it is not nearly as sweet as one might suppose. However, it does have more tar than a plain rollie tobacco like the Burley Flake- about halfway through my rollie, the white paper had turned quite brown. Do not let this put you off though, it didn't taste any more tarry than other rollie tobaccos I have tried. I definitely recommend giving this tobacco a try. First, it's cheaper than Drum and Golden Virgina and all those other prepackaged tobaccos, and has more flavour. Second, non-smokers around whom I was smoking the Black Cherry enjoyed the smell. Don't be the average person who smokes average prepackaged tobaccos- get something new and exiting- it might lead to a conversation with a hottie who likes the smell.

• Flavour: 6/10
• Sweetness: 6/10
• Tar (1=wet, 10=dry): 4/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Indulgence Factor: 4/10
• Overall Rating: 6/10

Cigarillo: Hamlet Fine Aroma (3.5/10)

Hamlet is a well known brand among smoking aficionados- indeed nearly everyone who regularly smokes cigarillos has at least tried a Hamlet... some like them, some do not. Speaking as someone who is not a huge fan of regular Hamlets (actually I did smoke them regularly for about a month before I realised I preferred rollies without filters to Hamlets), I would recommend trying the Hamlet Fine Aroma.

The Hamlet Fine Aroma is aromatic, unlike its more familiar cousin, and we found this helps subdue the dryness that one would expect of a regular Hamlet. Of course, when something is aromatic, there are additives which are most certainly less good for you than pure tobacco. Although it had a slightly sweeter and more flavoursome smoke, featuring vanilla tones, the cigarillos were still quite brittle and dry, due to being a medium-loose pack of short filler.

Give them a try- at least they are quite cheap!

• Smoking time: 4-8 minutes
• Flavour: 3/10
• Smoke Sweetness: 5/10
• Tar (1=very wet, 10=very dry): 6/10
• Value for Money: 4/10
• Indulgence Factor: 3/10
• Overall Rating: 3.5/10

Cigarillo: Supreme Dutch Cigars (1/10)

Terrible, absolutely terrible! Just completely, entirely and utterly not worth smoking. Okay, perhaps I am being a little harsh, but so were the Dutch Supremes in the mouth. Perhaps the ones we tried had not been kept properly, but they had a very dry smoke, virtually no tar, were loosely packed and brittle. Unless you like the sort of smoke that brings to mind a scorching Sahara in your mouth, we certainly do not recommend these cigarillos.

• Smoking time: 4-8 minutes
• Flavour: 1/10
• Smoke Sweetness: 1/10
• Tar (1=very wet, 10=very dry): 9/10
• Value for Money: 1/10
• Indulgence Factor: 1/10
• Overall Rating: 1/10

Pipe Tobacco: American Whiskey (9/10)

I must say that I was slightly skeptical when purchasing this particular tobacco- it was indicated to me that although it had a few dedicated followers, it was not the best selling tobacco that Jim had in the market. In addition, I tend to vie away from anything that has American in the name, or worse still, with the spelling of Whisky with an 'e'. Everyone knows Scotch Whisky is far superior to any 'Whiskey.' My fears immediately disappeared when I took my first puff of this delectable tobacco.

The American Whiskey, by makers Gawith and Hoggarth, features a thick smoke, slightly sweet but incredibly flavourful. I detected the slightest hints of vanilla and almond, and of course, whisk(e)y tones that were quite delightful. It almost tasted buttery to me, but in a smooth and mellow way. The tobacco did feature quite a lot of tar, but it did not hurt the aroma in any way as some tars do. I certainly recommend that every pipe smoker try this particular tobacco. It is certainly a contender for my favourite- up there with the Coniston Cut Plug.

• Flavour: 9/10
• Smoke Sweetness: 6/10
• Tar (1=wet, 10=dry): 3/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Indulgence Factor: 9/10
• Overall Rating: 9/10