@mapletop I understand it to be a "Penzance" alternative. quite a number of people claiming to actually be better... so I thought i'd try this since esoterica is so difficult to get ahold of.
My “self help” package for my TAD arrived today from SmokingPipes.com. Today we have. G.L.Pease “Regents Flake” and Vauen “Himalaya Blend No. 9”. Along with that, my PAD was appeased (for awhile anyway) with a couple of pipes. A Peterson Outdoor Natural Smooth #86 and a Missouri Meerschaum/Cornell & Diehl “Carolina Gent”.
@Oddjob27 If you'd like to try something similar to the Quiet Nights but more robust which has become a new favorite of mine, check out the the G.L.Please Gaslight
2 lbs of nightcap to add to the cellar. Managed to get up to about 15 lbs in jars and maybe 20 or so tins. Just in case the blend doesn't get sold I had to cellar as mush as I could. Several years of building and I think I am good for many years to come. Added some aperitif and ye olde sign for good measure
Having noticed the many members here on TPL who smoke and review the blends at the Country Squire, I took the plunge and ordered samples of their fare.
@ChaplainCorey I tried the Merriwether first which is a straight Virginia / burley blend, excellent flavor, the nuttyness of the burley shines on this one while the Virginia lends a slight sweetness, very smooth, just a great tobacco taste, burns very well.
Definitely one of the best tasting blends of this type I have ever tried, will be buying more.
@ChaplainCorey ; Regarding the County Squire's "Bagend" (a Scottish mixture) First I want to say that I like the bags the tobacco arrived in, they are heavy gauge, more substantial than most.
To be fair I have smoked three bowels of this tobacco in a couple of different pipes. The first thing I will say is that while the components of this blend would define it as a Scottish, for me it is just barely.
The virginia is the dominant flavor though it does not really sweeten it, the burley rounds out and mellows the flavor and the latakia, well its almost a stretch to describe it as continental as for the most part you may only notice it once or twice during a bowl.
I found it to be a decent smoke that burned well but on the whole unremarkable with one exception, this is a blend you can smoke to the bottom of the bowl with out is getting sour or overly burnt tasting.
In fact, I enjoyed the last 1/3 of the bowl the most. On a scale o 1-10 I would give it a 6.8. In a nutshell would I buy it again, maybe.
Took advantage of P&C sale and ordered another tin of Barbados Plantation. Also, for auld lang syne, I paid full freight for a tin of Molto Dolce, It was the first aromatic I tried after coming back from a three decade hiatus from pipe smoking. I recommend it as a starter tobacco for any newbie, or anyone who doesn't actually like the taste of tobacco, but wants to smoke a pipe. Does that make sense? No, but it's accurate.
@TaylorJDutton I tried the TCS Hunting Creek this afternoon and I have to say it was one of the best aromatics I have ever tried.
Now I need to put a qualifier in here, I am not a regular aromatic smoker, have tried maybe 30 or so over the years and I have 3 in the cellar, and I usually smoke 3-4 bowels a week.
That said, the first thing I noticed was it was not as wet as most aromatics tend to be. I usually end up drying them considerably before smoking or putting them in jars.
This was the first aromatic I have smoked that was a pseudo English blend, but I have to say that the flavor coupled with the base and latakia worked very well.
Also liked the course cut and texture of this tobacco as it smoked surprising well for an aromatic
Will be adding this one to my aromatic top 5 and stocking some in the future.
I know its silly but I am still working up the hootspa to try Barbados Plantation, having noted that several TPL vets notably Motie2 smoke the stuff.
Great reviews @mapletop. I won’t rush out to buy bag end. And I agree that hunting creek is fantastic. My only complaint is that I wish the room note was sweeter so that my wife would enjoy it more. But I’ll choose better flavor ten out of ten times.
@mapletop Although I admit to a certain nostalgic fondness for both LANE VBC and Sutliff's Molto Dolce, and desire a bowlful of one or the other occasionally, my all day smoke, (every day that I have the opportunity to smoke outside, of course, because of SWMBO) is Barbados Plantation. I used to be a English/Balkan fan, but Barbados Plantation is the one for me since Summer of 2016 when I resumed smoking a pipe after an almost thirty year hiatus.
HIGHLY recommended as a great smoking/tasting/smelling aromatic.
Nota bene: it's spelled chutzpah, and you're missusing the term in this instance.
@mapletop so glad you like it man! When i first smoked it i called in to the shop straight away, i had to tell them how good it was. I too am a fan of the English/aromatic idea. It works well for my palate.
The Country Squire order. And a couple of cobs that came today. Rivendell, Second Breakfast, Old Toby, Treasure Island, and Hunting Creek for the tobaccos. A country gentleman and shire cobbit for the MM cobs.
Comments
Today we have.
G.L.Pease “Regents Flake” and Vauen “Himalaya Blend No. 9”.
Along with that, my PAD was appeased (for awhile anyway) with a couple of pipes.
A Peterson Outdoor Natural Smooth #86 and a Missouri Meerschaum/Cornell & Diehl “Carolina Gent”.
great from top to bottom.
Although I admit to a certain nostalgic fondness for both LANE VBC and Sutliff's Molto Dolce, and desire a bowlful of one or the other occasionally, my all day smoke, (every day that I have the opportunity to smoke outside, of course, because of SWMBO) is Barbados Plantation. I used to be a English/Balkan fan, but Barbados Plantation is the one for me since Summer of 2016 when I resumed smoking a pipe after an almost thirty year hiatus.
HIGHLY recommended as a great smoking/tasting/smelling aromatic.
Nota bene: it's spelled chutzpah, and you're missusing the term in this instance.