[Tobacco Blends] Sutliff Private Stock: Man’s Best Friend

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.

[Tobacco Blends] CAO: Eileen’s Dream

Occasionally when I hear of something reminiscent of things past, I tend to pass a little judgement. Whether that be a yay or a nay…or even, in this case, a particular taste and aroma. So, naturally, when I saw that CAO had a blend of pipe tobacco out that was named after one of my favorite tinned petite cigars, Eileen’s Dream…well…let’s just say that I was both ecstatic and already certain of how it would taste.

When the tin arrived, I popped it open without hesitation. My nostrils were hit with a delicious aroma. Hints of a light chocolate and vanilla were prevalent…almost creamy in nature. The tobacco itself wasn’t too moist nor too dry. As is my normal regime, I let some sit out for a bit to get a bit more to my liking. It didn’t take long…possibly 20 minutes at most.

I loaded up my Peterson Aran 268, a ‘Zulu’ shaped pipe, licking my lips in anticipation. With a flick of a match, we were off. It took to light with relative ease and after the false light, there was no turning back.

Like I stated earlier…I had a very particular taste in mind. This was supposed to be Eileen’s Dream  after all. However…this blend…is not the Eileen’s Dream that I remember. In fact, it is almost entirely something different. Instead it was a little something familiar, but a totally new take and it was surprisingly wonderful!

I could pick up the irish cream well enough while the vanilla and (white) chocolate played on my tongue. Unlike most aromatics that I’ve tried in the past, this was a relatively light smoke. It wasn’t thick and ‘chewy,’ but rather airy instead. It also stayed lit with little hassle so I was able to sip and enjoy the taste rather than struggle with keeping the bowl going. The tobacco did burn a little on the warm side, but not once did it get too hot. With a little self control I was able to slow down my puffing as to not be quite so greedy.

The smoke itself was cool and not once did I suffer from the dreaded tongue bite! It was great. Flavorful without being too over-the-top. The casings used in this blend play well off one another, and although not complex in the normal sense of the word, it was still enjoyable attempting to discern the additives as they were sipped.

All-in-all, if you’re a fan of vanilla and the different variations thereof, this blend should be enough to sate your appetite. Again, it was a pleasant surprise and although not everyone has tasted their cigarillos of the same name, this version of Eileen’s Dream is bound to be a favorite. I know I’ll most likely keep some around, although not in a regular rotation. This is, however, a pleasant aromatic for those new, or newer, to the hobby to their feet wet and enjoy a delightful smoke.

[Tobacco Blends] Cornell & Diehl: Autumn Evening

Where to begin with Cornell & Diehl’s Autumn Evening blend…

I’ve been trying to find an aromatic that both tastes great…or at least tastes good enough…that also fills the room with a pleasant aroma. Digging through multiple sites, Autumn Evening read well. Supposedly heavily cased in maple flavor and a lovely maple aroma. Some reviews even made mention of maple drenched pancakes. Naturally, I was sold.

Upon popping the tin, it smells amazing. It definitely has a maple aroma. This had me a little giddy, as I love the flavor and was expecting something amazing.

Right out of the tin, it was a little moist. I sat out some to dry for about 20-25 minutes. Again, I prefer my tobacco a bit on the dryer side. While I waited, I emptied out the tin into one of my jelly mason jars for storage. Then, I went about my ritual of loading my first bowl. I decided upon my Peterson St. Patrick’s Day 2006 B10.

It took to light easy enough, with the char light taking one match and one more to get things goings.

The flavor…was not anything I was expecting. I tasted no maple. There was a hint of brown sugar somewhere underneath a horrible burned/charred taste. Somewhere in there, there might have been a smidgen of expired and crusty molasses…the type that no one wanted and has sat in the fridge for generations.

I attempted to work my way through the bowl. Both puffing and sipping. It was a struggle. The aftertaste was all but unbearable. Again, no maple…and rolling my tongue around all I could get was that horrid charred taste left to remind me of what I stuffed into my bowl.

The tobacco itself burnt well. In fact, for an aromatic, it burned to the bottom well enough that I only had to tamper, rather than relight.

Thinking perhaps there was something ghosting this particular pipe, after it cooled I went about cleaning it out with some moonshine and left it to dry.

Then, second times the charm, right? I figured it was a fluke. The next day opening up the jar with reservation, it was that intoxicating smell that got my hopes up. Loading up the bowl I set my expectations high once more, giving the benefit of the doubt. I was disappointed. There was no improvement, and giving that what I had been smoking in the bowl prior too had been sweet, there shouldn’t have been too much tainted flavor.

Whatever Autumn Evening was meant to be…I don’t know. I could have simply gotten a bad batch (manufacturing date on the bottom of the tin reads 2013-12-12), but there was nothing pleasant about this blend. As I sit here writing this, I’m still cringing at the taste left in my mouth.

Usually, I will give a blend a fighting chance and won’t pass judgement until several bowls have been given a go. In this case…I think I will simply cut my losses. As this is my first sampling of what Cornell & Diehl have to offer I just hope whatever I try of theirs in the future gives me a better impression.

That being said…I will let what I do have age a bit and give it another bowl or two. If there is a noted improvement I’ll most definitely be writing up another tasting. If there isn’t…well, It’ll never again see the light of day. As it stands, however, Autumn Evening is not one I’ll recommend…ever.

[Tobacco Blends] McClelland Craftsbury: Frog Morton’s Cellar

As mentioned previously, I’ve been an aromatic, and strictly aromatic, smoker since I first picked up a pipe. It’s wasn’t for lack of wanting to try different variations of pipe tobacco, but rather a safety net of sorts. I had never tried anything other and I was a skeptic as to branching out, fearful it’d ruin things for me.

Recently, however, I became motived to seek something new. I read through various reviews of different blends, as well as lurked through the forums over at Pipes Magazine. There were plenty of suggestions and offered advice for one such as myself (i.e. wanting to step outside of the box) and one name that kept cropping up was that of McClelland’s Frog Morton line.

After a little more digging, I hunkered down and decided to give Frog Morton’s Cellar a go. For one, it seems to be the more popular of the line’s blends currently on the market. For another, I’m a sucker for whiskey and as the tobacco blend is aged with stave cubes (chunks of cask from whiskey barrels) it naturally piqued my interest.

I have to say, I’m glad I took that leap of faith!

Once my package arrived, I greedily tore into it, popping the tin with eagerness. The first thing I noticed is the campfire-like smell with a hint of whiskey and sweetness underneath. I had ordered the 100g tin, and in order to preserve some in case I didn’t particularly care for it I broke it up into two different mason jars; one to tuck away for a while and another to take from. One thing I found to be a surprising novelty is the inclusion of an actual stave cube in the 100g tins, keeping that whiskey-ness along for the ride.

The tobacco was all but ready to go right from the tin. I let it dry for 20-25 minutes before loading up my bowl, letting that aroma waft around me in the interim. Upon setting flame to leaf, an earthy and smoky, yet spicy, flavor hit my palate with eye-opening interest. Although smoking aromatics had me searching for the different flavorings this was something totally different. Although a reportedly mild blend for “English” offerings, being new to this side of the fence offered me a completely new experience.

The smoke was relatively light but husky. A hint of whiskey was present in the background but not prevalent. It was somewhat ‘meaty’ in taste…like that charred crust sitting on top of a steak on the grill. With the inclusion of latakia for the first time in my smoking experience, I found it added a little extra kick to take it up a notch and gave my palate something new to toy with.

As the bowl smoked down, I found the blend to become a bit thicker in consistency, mellowing out as it went along allowing the Virginian leaves to come more to the forefront with their sweet taste.

The tobacco itself burns relatively cool and took to flame easily. My first smoke of this blend was in a fresh Nording Clear Point Freehand and after several days of smoking and letting the briar pick up some of that latakia more of its essence became prevalent in each bowl. Going out on a limb and deciding to dedicate the new pipe to latakia-based blends I found to be an enhancing experience and from what I understand tend to ghost bowls for those who shuffle between tobaccos with other varieties of leaf.

All-in-all, after the Frog Morton line being hailed as “cross-over” blends for aromatic smokers wanting to try “English” blends, I can understand what they mean. Frog Morton Cellar has enough kick to shock the aromatic smoker’s palate with its inclusion of latakia. Enough latakia, in my opinion, for someone to decide if the “English” blends would be something worth delving deeper into. For me, I can’t get enough.

After several bowls now, I’m ready to try other latakia-laced blends and those fruity, casing-heavy blends are looking to be the occasional ‘treat.’ If you’re wanting for something new as an aro smoker, give it a whirl, you just might enjoy it…I know I did!