Carter Hall as a mixer
pwkarch
Master
in Tobacco Talk
I apologize for being absent on our site for awhile. A rather significant health issue has unfortunately had me focused pretty much on that and not much else.
I had to post today because of my continued love of the Carter Hall tobacco as both a great old Burley smoke on its' own, or as a participant in a "Frankenmixer" (it is October).
I just added 3 more Sutliff blends to my collection: Black Vanilla, Black Kathy, and Black Spice. All of course are essentially Vanilla Cavendish blends of which I am a fan. I have many blends of similar taste and aroma, and keep looking as if there is a Holy Grail of Vanilla Cavendish blends out there with the perfect spicy component. So the other day I filled Savenelli Princew Briar with the Black Vanilla au natural and loved the smoke. I do have to comment that there is not (at least at this time fresh from the plastic shipping bag) a significant difference in the taste or "outdoor" note. So I keep trying.
Last evening while at a local county baseball league game (semi final game) I had a bowl of the Black Vanilla cut 50/50 with Carter Hall. And just to be precise in my comments, although the BV was somewhat fresh, the CH had been jarred well over a year.
Some may recall I have commented previously regarding using CH as a mixer with multiple blends from multiple manufacturers, and I think each time it was a success. This experience last night was not an exception.
Last night I used a MM CC pipe that I have had for just about 50 years. Well, well broken in and the bowl stained a very dark brown from too many years of great service. One of the first pipes I bought in my somewhat forgotten and misspent youth. I had packed the pipe about 2 hours prior to the game, capped the bowl with tape to avoid loss of tobacco and off I went. Around the 2nd or 3rd inning I pulled the old pipe out (away from other spectators) and off I went. The initial draws were very enjoyable. The smoke presented huge billows of a very dense smoke that both tasted and smelled delicious. I could immediately detect the mellow influence of the CH, a sort of nutty and almost cocoa like component. Maybe just minutes later I could very easily taste the vanilla taste with a slight spicy influence. This was very evident since I had just smoked the SBV alone just a day or so before.
The bowl burned very cool sipping as I went on. The changes I was expecting as I smoked never really happened, with the entire bowl from top to bottom presenting the same profile. No detectable gross changes in the various points during the experience surprised me. So I looked back at my previous tobacco notes and found similar notations on bowls with CH smoked alone. About the only CH mixed smokes with significant blend mixtures were Sutliff Vanilla Custard and Chocolate Mousse which both are very wonderful blends, and provide taste and aroma notes of their individual profiles AND the nuttiness and cocoa like tastes of the CH although at ever changing times during the smoke.
My guess is the vanilla portion of the SBV is not the predominant force instead giving that position up to the spice influence. BUT, not to worry as the SBV is very good on its' own where I could detect a nice spicy vanilla.
I really think the major takeaway here is that I have proven to myself again, that CH, as good as it is as a great burley blend on its' own, brings great character to almost anything with which it might be mixed. It has a very even characteristic throughout the bowl and when mixed with an aromatic maintains the burn rate. I am not sure what CH could be mixed with to disappoint me (with the possible exception of a dried cat turd, with which I refuse to go there).
Another win for Carter Hall, and Sutliff Black Vanilla.
I had to post today because of my continued love of the Carter Hall tobacco as both a great old Burley smoke on its' own, or as a participant in a "Frankenmixer" (it is October).
I just added 3 more Sutliff blends to my collection: Black Vanilla, Black Kathy, and Black Spice. All of course are essentially Vanilla Cavendish blends of which I am a fan. I have many blends of similar taste and aroma, and keep looking as if there is a Holy Grail of Vanilla Cavendish blends out there with the perfect spicy component. So the other day I filled Savenelli Princew Briar with the Black Vanilla au natural and loved the smoke. I do have to comment that there is not (at least at this time fresh from the plastic shipping bag) a significant difference in the taste or "outdoor" note. So I keep trying.
Last evening while at a local county baseball league game (semi final game) I had a bowl of the Black Vanilla cut 50/50 with Carter Hall. And just to be precise in my comments, although the BV was somewhat fresh, the CH had been jarred well over a year.
Some may recall I have commented previously regarding using CH as a mixer with multiple blends from multiple manufacturers, and I think each time it was a success. This experience last night was not an exception.
Last night I used a MM CC pipe that I have had for just about 50 years. Well, well broken in and the bowl stained a very dark brown from too many years of great service. One of the first pipes I bought in my somewhat forgotten and misspent youth. I had packed the pipe about 2 hours prior to the game, capped the bowl with tape to avoid loss of tobacco and off I went. Around the 2nd or 3rd inning I pulled the old pipe out (away from other spectators) and off I went. The initial draws were very enjoyable. The smoke presented huge billows of a very dense smoke that both tasted and smelled delicious. I could immediately detect the mellow influence of the CH, a sort of nutty and almost cocoa like component. Maybe just minutes later I could very easily taste the vanilla taste with a slight spicy influence. This was very evident since I had just smoked the SBV alone just a day or so before.
The bowl burned very cool sipping as I went on. The changes I was expecting as I smoked never really happened, with the entire bowl from top to bottom presenting the same profile. No detectable gross changes in the various points during the experience surprised me. So I looked back at my previous tobacco notes and found similar notations on bowls with CH smoked alone. About the only CH mixed smokes with significant blend mixtures were Sutliff Vanilla Custard and Chocolate Mousse which both are very wonderful blends, and provide taste and aroma notes of their individual profiles AND the nuttiness and cocoa like tastes of the CH although at ever changing times during the smoke.
My guess is the vanilla portion of the SBV is not the predominant force instead giving that position up to the spice influence. BUT, not to worry as the SBV is very good on its' own where I could detect a nice spicy vanilla.
I really think the major takeaway here is that I have proven to myself again, that CH, as good as it is as a great burley blend on its' own, brings great character to almost anything with which it might be mixed. It has a very even characteristic throughout the bowl and when mixed with an aromatic maintains the burn rate. I am not sure what CH could be mixed with to disappoint me (with the possible exception of a dried cat turd, with which I refuse to go there).
Another win for Carter Hall, and Sutliff Black Vanilla.
Comments
Sorry that I have been remiss in this.....
No problem Buddy.....I am hanging in there, 2 chemo's down, 24 to go. This crap just wears you down (already), I ache all over and I am somewhat fatigued. I will sit here and work, then all of a sudden I get super tired and I go lay across the bed and I am out like a light for maybe 10 to 20 minutes then I awake in a daze. I have never been a full night sleeper, but it is even worse now I think because of the steroid given with the chemo IV. I know my BP is up and they told me that would happen.
I feel like a pin cushion with the Chemo IV and all the bloodwork that I have to have every week. BUT, I am not complaining, all of this beats the alternative. I just wish I could get some more work to do as it pays the bills and gives me something to focus on. I still have my oldest Grandson's Fall Babe Ruth league games twice a week at night and my Sons' County League Baseball games (3 this week alone) to distract me. Then on Saturday, I have 4 other Grandsons who will play in 3 separate football games. Then starting the end of this month my oldest Grandson will be done will baseball and will be playing hockey again.
I see this hectic schedule as a blessing in that it keeps me focused on other things. The evening and weekend events along with what work I have makes me happy and keeps me active.
And of course I smoke my pipes and cigars when I can (weather allowing) and even though I have not posted much here lately, I do follow this site along with others.
"seis la gare"
Idiomatic French for, "So goes the war."
We might say, "That's the breaks," or something similar.
No problem Buddy.....I am hanging in there, 2 chemo's down, 24 to go. This crap just wears you down (already), I ache all over and I am somewhat fatigued. I will sit here and work, then all of a sudden I get super tired and I go lay across the bed and I am out like a light for maybe 10 to 20 minutes then I awake in a daze. I have never been a full night sleeper, but it is even worse now I think because of the steroid given with the chemo IV. I know my BP is up and they told me that would happen.
I feel like a pin cushion with the Chemo IV and all the bloodwork that I have to have every week. BUT, I am not complaining, all of this beats the alternative. I just wish I could get some more work to do as it pays the bills and gives me something to focus on. I still have my oldest Grandson's Fall Babe Ruth league games twice a week at night and my Sons' County League Baseball games (3 this week alone) to distract me. Then on Saturday, I have 4 other Grandsons who will play in 3 separate football games. Then starting the end of this month my oldest Grandson will be done will baseball and will be playing hockey again.
I see this hectic schedule as a blessing in that it keeps me focused on other things. The evening and weekend events along with what work I have makes me happy and keeps me active.
And of course I smoke my pipes and cigars when I can (weather allowing) and even though I have not posted much here lately, I do follow this site along with others.
Thanks for your understanding.....