My New Kaywoodie Redroot Is Haunted By The Ghosts Of Sutliff Mixture 79
ghostsofpompeii
Master
I've bought several Estate pipes over the past year or so and none have been ghosted. But my latest Kaywoodie acquisition has the distinct floral ghost of Sutliff Mixture 79 pretty well ingrained in it. I smoked two bowls of different highly aromatic and sweet flavorful blends (Boswell Christmas Cookie and Sutliff Chocolate Mousse) but that floral potpourri flavor wormed it's way through just enough to spoil the smoke. Normally flavor combinations are no problem because I tend to mix blends and stack them for a more flavorful smoking experience. But Mixture 79 would never be my choice when mixing blends. I have one pouch of the stuff I've been working on for about a year and have about 3/4 of the pouch remaining. I've barely made any headway because I can tolerate it under special conditions - but it's not something I'd ever make part of my normal rotation. That Lakeland floral taste can be pretty off-putting if you're not in the right mood. Or not expecting it.
This particular Kaywoodie is from the later period and not of the highly collectible variety, manufactured sometime in the 80s' when their reputation was more of a drug store pipe. And I would venture to guess that the former owner was hardly a connoisseur of fine tobacco, and more than likely a no frills one blend smoker. And Mixture 79 was clearly his or her blend of choice.
I've since given the pipe stem and bowl an additional cleaning with a combination of both Decatur Briar-Fresh Airway Cleaner and Cinnamon Whiskey and hope that does the trick. If not I'll do the salt treatment. I can understand a smoky Latakia blend ghosting a pipe, but didn't think something like Mixture 79 could do it as well. I guess if it had been a vanilla, chocolate or maple ghost I wouldn't have minded so much. But drawing in a mouthful of rose petals when you're expecting the taste of a Christmas cookie or chocolate brownie can be a rancid jolt to the taste buds.
Comments
Mixture 79 is strong. PappyJoe's Damp coffee grounds did a great job on a strongly ghosted Meerschaum lined IRS Bulldog.
I tried the Salt and Alcohol, washing, etc., I did the Coffee method on it and it worked. Give that a try.
If you were ever curious enough to wonder what it would be like to smoke a urinal cake, here you go.
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UPDATE: Mixture No. 79 has taught me to question the integrity of Tobacco Reviews itself. The almost comical hatred toward this tobacco is quite clearly bogus most of the time. It is very obvious that many of the people who have reviewed this tobacco have not tried it. ..... It's one thing to not like a tobacco, it's quite another to pretend to not like it because that seems like the thing to do. .... The tobaccos to take note of on this site are the polarizing ones, the ones with nearly equal amounts of love and hate. Those are the ones with real interest. Having smoked a whole pouch of Mixture No. 79, now, I'm upping my review to four stars.
ORIGINAL: .... dashed into my tobacco shop to grab a pop. Lo and behold what do I see--Mixture No. 79. .... it's a modern tobacco shop, meaning it's a cigarette/cigar shop that sells Captain Black and Prince Albert. They also have a selection of horrifying plastic pipes from China. I was pretty surprised to see Mixture No. 79 there. I've always wanted to try it, just to say I did. ..... Mixture No. 79 is or was the blend of choice for millionaire pornographer and creepy old man, Hugh Hefner. .... I removed the cellophane and a very strong aroma of anise or licorice filled the air. ....The tobacco itself doesn't have such a strong licorice smell, thank goodness. Kinda fruity or something. Hard to place. .... Cut is a shag or a chop (or both). Pretty random-looking. Color is mottled, various shades of brown, some blonds, some blacks. Also random-looking. PG is present in the leaf. I can feel it with my fingers, but it doesn't seem to be overdone. Taste is...wait for it...quite nice. I am enjoying this. No licorice at all translates. YAY! for that. An American attempt at a Lakeland, perhaps? There is a perfumey quality to it I like. Smoke is cool...not cool as in temp, but like a menthol cigarette, yet without the menthol. I am sipping this but I could see how it would bite if I started puffing away at it. I like how the strange licorice-y root beer-y smell of the tobacco itself is not present at all in the smoking. It has a flavor unlike anything I've ever smoked. It's uniqueness is what calls to mind Lakelands, but it is not like a Lakeland (if that makes any sense, haha). Probably won't repurchase, but I can say the seven bucks wasn't wasted.
@motie2 The Sutliff Rum and Maple and Maple Walnut are excellent and very flavorful. I bought them both at the same time and I think the Rum And Maple may be the best of the two. But the very next time I pull out the Maple Walnut I think it's the best. So I'd suggest buying a few ounces of each and decide for yourself ... or better still, mix them. Then you're in Maple Heaven. I have a tin of Maple Street and the two bulk blends are so much better - and cheaper. I think if you're like me once you buy either of those two blends you'll have found that maple flavor you're looking for and will look no further. And if you're looking to cross-off rum flavored tobacco from your 'searching for the perfect blends list' then I HIGHLY recommend ... HIGHLY recommend ... India Trading Company "Officer's Club". My search ended the second I cracked open the tin and was engulfed by that wonderful aroma. I swear the moment I took a whiff of the tin note the Heaven's opened and I could hear angles sing. And way off in the distance I could hear my dead Grandfather say ... "Has anyone seen my slippers?"
The other two blends from India Trading Company are excellent as well both Cellar Reserve (with Perique) and Royal Challenge (with more spices like nutmeg and cinnamon). But for that special jolt of aroma and flavor nothing beats Officer's Club. Lately I'm been smoking more of the Royal Challenge, and that's because I didn't want to use up all my Officer's Club. And the more I smoke the Royal Challenge the more I like it. As for Cellar Reserve the touch of Perique gives it a more peppery flavor and nice plumes of white smoke. But I'm something of a light-weight and get a bit of a nic-hit when smoking Royal Challenge. It's probably a mental thing from all those experiments I did with Blending Perique several months ago. I ruined more batches of tobacco trying to blend Perique with other flavored tobaccos.
So I think if you add either Rum and Maple or Maple Walnut and a Officer's Club to your existing rotation you've pretty well covered that flavor profile. Now it's on to a search for the best fruit flavored tobaccos.
https://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/disappointment-and-redemption/