Several years ago (possibly as long as ten) I received four free samples of Jamestowne Tradition Pipe Tobacco in the mail. Three of the blends were aromatic and the fourth English. I smoked all the aromatic blends, all of which were smokable but none too memorable or worth revisiting. And my experiences with English blends proved to be quite unpleasant so I tossed the pouch of English in a desk drawer and forgot about it. Well a few days ago I discovered the unopened pouch smashed in the back corner of the drawer under a stack of books. I could tell by just squeezing the pouch that the tobacco inside was dry and brittle. Upon opening the still sealed pouch the unmistakable aroma of Latakia literally permeated the room, resulting in my wife grabbing a can of Glade air freshener and blasting the room with an equally nauseating scent called 'Clean Linen'. My first inclination was to toss the pouch in the trash but since I recently bought 4 oz. of blending Perique to experiment with I decided to rehydrate the Jamestowne English and give Latakia another try.
Within two days of rehydration the tobacco was completely refreshed and ready for a test run. So I pulled out an old Dr. Grabow that will no longer unscrew (so if the English ghosted the pipe it wouldn't matter), took the tobacco outside while still in the Tupperware (didn't want a repeat decontamination session of 'Clean Linen' sprayed throughout the house), and loaded the bowl. That smokey pouch note is hard getting used to but once the pipe was lit the taste didn't repulse me as it once did. Maybe I'm a little more adventurous or open minded ... but I got through the bowl much better than I expected. It did burn my tongue, and the taste was not what I'm accustom to, but it is something I think I'll use sparingly to mix with other aromatic blends to add a little something extra. Similar to how I'm using the Perique. And I'm also taking into consideration the quality of Jamestowne English is probably not the best representation of a good English blend.
So with all that having been said - the blend I just finished smoking was a mixture of 3 parts CAO Black, 1 part Perique, and just a pinch of Jamestowne English ... once again smoked in my Dr. Grabow pipe that can't unscrew. I'm still not completely sold on Perique and Lataka - and prefer straight aromatics blended by professionals without my tinkering - but I'm testing the waters and trying to branch out.
I just finished a special blend I concocted featuring three Sutliff maple blends - mixing equal parts "Maple Street", "Rum And Maple" and "Maple Walnut". It provided a nice maple kick but nothing spectacular. I'm not sure what I was expecting because all the blends are perfect on their own, and blending them together adding anything to the flavor one way or the other. I smoked it in a Frasorteret Danish Freehand.
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CH in my HS Studio Craft Rhodesian. It's about broken in and soon to meet English Blends.
Several years ago (possibly as long as ten) I received four free samples of Jamestowne Tradition Pipe Tobacco in the mail. Three of the blends were aromatic and the fourth English. I smoked all the aromatic blends, all of which were smokable but none too memorable or worth revisiting. And my experiences with English blends proved to be quite unpleasant so I tossed the pouch of English in a desk drawer and forgot about it. Well a few days ago I discovered the unopened pouch smashed in the back corner of the drawer under a stack of books. I could tell by just squeezing the pouch that the tobacco inside was dry and brittle. Upon opening the still sealed pouch the unmistakable aroma of Latakia literally permeated the room, resulting in my wife grabbing a can of Glade air freshener and blasting the room with an equally nauseating scent called 'Clean Linen'. My first inclination was to toss the pouch in the trash but since I recently bought 4 oz. of blending Perique to experiment with I decided to rehydrate the Jamestowne English and give Latakia another try.
Within two days of rehydration the tobacco was completely refreshed and ready for a test run. So I pulled out an old Dr. Grabow that will no longer unscrew (so if the English ghosted the pipe it wouldn't matter), took the tobacco outside while still in the Tupperware (didn't want a repeat decontamination session of 'Clean Linen' sprayed throughout the house), and loaded the bowl. That smokey pouch note is hard getting used to but once the pipe was lit the taste didn't repulse me as it once did. Maybe I'm a little more adventurous or open minded ... but I got through the bowl much better than I expected. It did burn my tongue, and the taste was not what I'm accustom to, but it is something I think I'll use sparingly to mix with other aromatic blends to add a little something extra. Similar to how I'm using the Perique. And I'm also taking into consideration the quality of Jamestowne English is probably not the best representation of a good English blend.
So with all that having been said - the blend I just finished smoking was a mixture of 3 parts CAO Black, 1 part Perique, and just a pinch of Jamestowne English ... once again smoked in my Dr. Grabow pipe that can't unscrew. I'm still not completely sold on Perique and Lataka - and prefer straight aromatics blended by professionals without my tinkering - but I'm testing the waters and trying to branch out.
Butera Pelican, in a Charatan Straight Grain with a Comfort Bit, weighing in at 43 grams......