It’s not every day a company makes a ‘cross-over’ blend that can pique my interest smoke after smoke. Sutliff Tobacco Company, however, did just that in their blend entitled Man’s Best Friend. With a mix of burley, Virginia and latakia leaves topped with a mild casing of rum flavoring they managed to get things just right.
The tin note is rather pleasant with that every-familiar smokey smell thanks to the latakia as well as hints of sweet rum. The man behind the Sutliff Tobacco Company claims that all of their tobacco is ready to go right from the tin with no drying time needed. That being said, it is almost true of this blend. I do like my tobacco a little on the crispy side but I can load a bowl quickly when I’m in a hurry and have as of yet to suffer from what I feel is slightly moist leaves. Even so, my dry time only amounted to 10-15 minutes at most when I felt the need to enter my ritual of preparation for a smoke.
It takes to light easily. In fact, it keeps the cherry going from beginning to end. If for some reason the bowl snuffs out, a relight still tastes great and no ‘skunking’ near the end of the bowl is had. One thing to note is that I thought this blend to burn a little on the warm-to-hot side, especially if you’re a puffer like me. When smoking from smaller bowls I had to slow down…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it made me enjoy this tobacco even more so.
This particular blend is marketed as a non-aromatic with the inclusion of latakia rather than an English blend. However, even an English smoker will find some enjoyment here as there’s enough latakia to keep things a little spicy and a bit of burn to the ol’ nostrils. The rum flavoring is a nice touch and isn’t overpowering. It stays with the bowl as it burns, but smokes like a roller coaster ride, some parts of the bowl the casing being more prevalent than others.
The room note is, obviously, rum-infused as well. I actually found this blend to be a great outside or in the garage smoke, as the extra air movement only enhanced the outward note. It smells delicious.
My first few bowls were out of my dedicated latakia-based pipes (i.e. my Nording Point Clear Freehand and Amadeus #61). However, as the weather has begun to become pleasant here in Iowa, I started loading it up in on of my Missouri Meerschaum pipes so I can enjoy a smoke while I’m piddling around out in the yard. I found in my bigger-chambered MMs, the blend had room to mature as I puff.
All-in-all, this will be a blend I will most definitely reorder and keep around. It may not be one I smoke as part of my daily rotation, but instead will be one I keep for enjoying outdoors. Whether that means it’ll be one I smoke every few days during my “chores” or just on weekends as I work in the yard it’ll be a smoke I’ll look forward to each time.
The Rustic Briar 