Home Tobacco Talk
Options

Pipe Tobacco Reviews

17810121316

Comments

  • Options
    Sutliff ZBC

    I purchased this blend about two months or so ago, and this past Wednesday night I smoked a bowl as I watched my Son and his "over 35" Baseball Team play on a very hot and humid night. Pipe smoking and baseball go together very well because they are both one of my very favorite things.

    There was no reason for me to have not smoked this more in the past couple of months. I am like a kid in a candy shop, and when I open my "cellar" (closet) I see so many great tobaccos that any preconceived idea of what the selection might be disappears in a flash. It is if they are all at attention and beckoning me to choose them. Sometimes I think I hear them calling to me, but that is not to be repeated as someone might want me "put away". I am going to guess that many of my fellow "pipesters" get a similar feeling when looking at the "stash".

    I filled my Medico Briar Varsity with the ZBC, and lit my pipe. I was greeted by a nice Vanilla and Spice that I liked very much. A little farther down in the first half of the bowl or so I dtected what I thought might be a date or plum note....definately a dark fruit flavor. The tobacco behaved very well as I smoked it at a very moderate caddence. Make no mistake about it, this is an Aromatic tobacco, however not in the same camp as say Molto Dolce or Creme Brulee. This is a more subtle aromatic without those more "cloying" characteristics.

    The Cavendish gave the tobacco mix a solid deep background "semi sweet" taste. I could not detect what the spice note might have been because I assume it was a mixture of spices that seemed 'semi sweet" but that could have been due to the Black Cavendish. The jar aroma smells very similar to the Sutliff Christmas Spice, but the tobacco smoked has a distinct different flavor. I think the Christmas Spice is a "sharper" influence on the flavor most likely due to the spice selection used.

    Being outdoors on a hot, humid, yet breezy night, I could not determine any "room notes" as such. But quick sniffs at the top of the bowl certainly provided a very delicious aroma.

    The second third (almost the second half) settled into a very complex taste as the tobaccos and additives, casings, whatever blended so nicely that the individual notes gave way to a mixture of all the component tastes that I had been enjoying. And that combination I have to say was extremely enjoyable (in fact so enjoyable a little later on a did another bowl).

    The second third to a half was cool based on the cadence, no heat to speak of, and any tongue or mouth bite was not even hinted to be present.

    The bowl lasted a good 35-40 minutes with only a fine white dust remaining as evidence of a well enjoyed experience. My only regret was that due to the breeze, the "Angels Share" (smoke) was not able to rise. But that is OK because they know where to come to get their fix. I would rate this 4 to 4.5 on a scale of 5.

    So I would certainly recommend this tobacco to anyone who thinks my description of the flavors fall into their selection parameters. Meanwhile, as soon as I get around to ordering some replacement tobaccos I will pickup several ounces, maybe half a pound for my cellar. 
  • Options
    @pwkarch -- Another informative review. This is how you got me hooked on Lane VBC......
  • Options
    @motie2

     Don't blame me.........I just tell em like it is.....somebody some time ago basically told me to pound sand that my reviews were terrible. I told him I write them for myself and share them with whomever wants to read them. If he does not like the style, then either write some yourself or just move on and go pound sand (since this is a family site). I hope you got to smoke your pipe today like youi threatened, I have not been able to smoke for a couple of days due to a project I am on, and the Southeast Asian weather in which we are stuck.

    God bless you my friend......
  • Options
    @pwkarch Great review. I enjoy the reviews, keep them coming. I know exactly what's you're talking about when digging into the cellar. You might go in there with one blend in mind and before you know it you've changed your mind five times and end up with something you completely forgot was in your cellar.
  • Options
    @ghostsofpompeii
     Thanks Joe......I love to write (I spend a good deal of my work life writing reports), so the tobacco reviews are just a little sidetrip that I enjoy. I spend 68 hours a day (or so it seems) on my computer either in AutoCadd designing and drawing or word writing some report.

    Yeah, you do the same thing I do. My problem is that the jars are lined up in rows so after awhile I find things that I forgot I had, and you are correct in that what I end up smoking could very well be 5 blends after the one I was going for.

    I hope all is well with you, keep smoking......(and making music).
  • Options
    @pwkarch, Also a fan of SutliffZBC, was one of the first blends I tried when @motie2 posted Sutliff was introducing  21 new blends awhile back, actually just posted a review of ZBC forP&C. Of course it was no where near as informative as @pwkarch review. I just sort of talk in generalities.
  • Options
    @pwkarch  I recently attended a family function and walked in as my cousin was discussing his extensive wine cellar. I in  turn told him I had a cellar of sorts, except mine was dedicated to pipe tobacco. And explained that I had about 75 different blends. It was a rough estimate and pretty sure I wasn't exaggerating. Shortly after the discussion I recently ordered four ounces of "Fudge Cake" from Pipes&Cigars and set about jarring up about 3/4 of the bag to add to the cellar. After spouting off about having 75 blends to my cousin I decided that was a good time to see just how many blends I actually did have - and to my amazement it tallied up to 91 different aromatic blends. Some were as little as two ounces while others were Mason jars packed to the rim. So it's easy to see how some of those blends have been completely neglected. I'm making a conscious effort to smoke some the neglected blends instead of the favorites I keep within easy reach.  As a result last night I reacquainted myself with Sutliff Dulce de Leche and man it was fantastic. I'd forgotten just how good it was (like a toasted coconut marshmallow). I actually wrote a pretty lengthy review on it a while back yet still managed forget all about it. Tonight I'll be blending it in a 50/50 mixture with the "Fudge Cake" and it should be something special.      
  • Options
    @ghostsofpompeii

    Joe
    I am about where you are relative to the number of blends that I have amassed. I also have the same issue relative to forgetting a lot of them because of favoring my "favorite" blends, or because thet sit in jars behind others and they are not in my face.

    Lately I have been using my "spreedsheet" that I keep curent which allows me to see all of them on my computer (I know I am OCD, I have admitted so before but it makes me happy), and I will read comments that I have made and pull out a blend that might otherwise be overlooked. I probably (?) smoke 2 or 3 bowls of favorites to perhaps 1 bowl of something else. Owing to how our tastes change or develop as we go on our pipe journey, I have had the happy occasion to smoke things that may not have impressed me previously, but now due to our pesonal changes, or perhaps due to a nice long rest in the Mason Jar now get a higher rating.

    I suppose the lesson here is that our tobaccos make us happy when the UPS guy delivers them, when we jar them, and if the initial smoke does not wow us, it could then wow us (as a surprise) at a later date. Kind of like a really good bottle of fine Irish Whiskey or a good Scotch.

    I hope all is well with you, and I am going to order some of the Sutliff Dulce de Leche based on your comments....you have not lead me astray yet my friend.
  • Options
    Review by our friends at TobaccoPipes.com

    CULT BLOOD RED MOON

    What is in it? -- This is an aromatic blend with cherry flavor
    Burley: There is Burley in this blend, although you may struggle to notice it.
    Virginia: The Virginia seems to be the main component.  
    Cavendish: You will find quite a bit of black Cavendish present.
     
    What does it smoke like? -- Blood Red Moon is a full aromatic pipe tobacco.  The taste of the tobacco is not entirely overwhelmed by the topping but rather combines into one flavor.  I taste very sweet cherry, and dark chocolate.  The flavor is similar to eating a cherry cordial, but there is a bread like toasty taste that has to be the Burley and Virginia.  For a full aromatic, I noticed no tongue bite.  The tobacco left no dottle, but there was some moisture in the bowl.  The next bowl of whatever you have in the same pipe may have a ghost of cherry flavor.
     
    How to prepare it? -- Aromatic pipe tobacco is very sensitive to preparation.  Take one bowl's worth out of the tin and let it dry in the air for at least half an hour.  When the tobacco is no longer moist/sticky you are ready to pack.  Use a light hand while packing the bowl.  A two-step pack is better than a three-step pack for this blend.  If it won't stay lit, use a tamper to tighten the pack a bit.  Don't smash it in since it is very difficult to loosen the tobacco again.  You should have no trouble drawing air thru the pipe.  Smoke with a controlled, slow cadence for maximum flavor.
  • Options
    Couldn't find a better folder to post this definitive article from @pappyjoe's older blog

    Perique - Mysteries, Myths and Misinformation.

    https://macpappysworld.blogspot.com/2017/04/perique-mysteries-myths-and.html
  • Options

    My take on Cult Blood Red Moon as I posted on tobaccoreviews.com.

    I'm not sure my tin was filled with the same tobacco as all the other reviews? Upon opening the tin, the cherry topping was very....there. It smelled nice, lets give it a go. Perfect moisture right from the tin, packed well, lit well, burned well all the way to the bottom nice and dry and no tongue bite. Gobs of thick white smoke. Only thing is the "cherry" was like a strong air freshener, soapy, perfume laden, wax candle.......terrible.....nasty.....and I enjoy aromatics, usually. The most artificial cherry flavor and aroma I have yet smoked. I would say don't believe the hype, but almost all of the other reviews done so far have a very different slant to their comments. Maybe I'm doing something incorrectly shrug?

    Pipe Used: Vintage Meerschaum bent egg

    Age When Smoked: About 1 year

    Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

    Similar Blends: My guess-Cherry Room freshener candles, if you could smoke them.

  • Options
    Hey, as it happens, I read your post there about a week ago?
  • Options
    Cherry is my least favorite aromatic flavor because they just can't seem to do it right without the tobacco tasting like either cough syrup or sugar free candy with that bitter after taste of artificial sweetener. But of the cherry flavored blends that I find tolerable - Cult Blood Red Moon is possibly the best. Hard to believe Captain Black can come up with an enjoyable grape flavored tobacco but have yet to master cherry. 
  • Options
    @ghostsofpompeii
     
    Joe
    Have you tried the Lane Dark Red? I think it is one of , if not the best "Cherry" blends out there. It has a rather subdued cherry note, and a discernible vanilla component as well. Both the taste and the room note are very good. And I will admit that I have smoked Pallidan (sp?) and like it IF I pay attention to cadence. I also like to mix Pallidan with Carter Hall which ends up also being a treat. I have some CB Cherry, but I don't think I have ever tried it.
  • Options
    @pwkarch

    Hey, my friend. How goes it?
  • Options
    @motie2
     
    It is going for sure, one day (and night) at a time. I just wish we would get even a slight break in temperatures here so I could grab a smoke. Tough year here, but it has taught me a lot.

    I hope you are feeling better ...........tough to get old, huh?

  • Options
    motie2motie2 Master
    edited February 2019
    Gimme some help, here: Can anyone compare/contrast Peterson Nutty Cut and my beloved Sutliff Barbados Plantation? I was initially interested in Russ' new Bold Rum, but it turned out to be less desirable than Sunset Rum (IMHO), itself less desirable than Barbados Plantation (again, IMHO). 

    Barring a compare/contrast between NC and BP, does anyone know of a better rum blend than BP?

    Even more to the point: How does Sutliff Spiced Rum compared to BP, in your opinion?
  • Options
    I'm also looking for someone who has smoked Pipeworks and Wilke's RUMCAKE. One correspondent advised me that it is superior to Barbados Plantation in terms of rum flavor and roomnote. 
  • Options
    @motie2 I received some Spiced Rum a couple of weeks ago. It was to hold me over until Sunset Rum was back in stock. It's good.... But not Sunset Rum good and certainly not BP good. It has a spice to it that neither of the other two have (big surprise sense it's in the name). All that being said it was still a very pleasant smoke and I think its definitely worth having in anybody's rotation that has our same taste. I stocked up on some just to add a little variety to my cellar. Hope this helps. No where near as informative as @pwkarch reviews. I'm a work in progress.... 
  • Options
    @Michael308

    Thank you Sir, that comment made my day, oh hell, it made my week.
  • Options
    @Michael308

    Thank you. That was very helpful..... :)
  • Options
    @motie2 I know you're not a big fan of one of my favorites "East India Officer's Club" but I discovered a 50/50 mixture with Barbados Plantation and a sprinkling of Molto Dolce makes for one fine aromatic blend. Maybe not as good as my Mrs. Hudson's 221B Bakery Blend - but pretty flavorful none the less. Problem is it's a little too expensive to mix up any large batches. Mrs. Hudson uses less expensive bulk Sutliff blends ... this other mixture (which I've yet to name) requires a little more expensive tinned tobaccos. 
  • Options
    motie2motie2 Master
    edited February 2019
    I'm currently intrigued by the reviews of Pipeworks and Wilke's RUMCAKE.
  • Options
    motie2motie2 Master
    edited February 2019
    @ghostsofpompeii
    I'm terrible at reviewing, but here is my brief impression of a recent purchase.

    Using my IPSD coupon, I ordered the Nutty Scuffle deal from P&C: A tin of Peterson's Nutty Cut and another of Sutliff Barbados Plantation ("BP uber alles!!!!).

    The Nutty Cut is another hybrid (IMHO) in the same sense that C&D's Jolly Old Saint Nicholas is a hybrid, somewhere between an aromatic and an English/perique blend. It reportedly consists of Virginia, Burley and Cavendish with flavorings of rum, coconut, and macadamia nuts. The rum is more present than the other two, but as a rum blend it doesn't measure up to BP. 

    A pleasant smoke with a very nice room note..... I won't buy it again, but I'll enjoy finishing the tin.....

    https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/peterson-nutty-cut-pipe-tobacco/1440020/#p-97148
    https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/peterson-nutty-cut-pipe-tobacco/1440020/
    https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/peterson/Nutty-Cut-50g/product_id/84686
  • Options
    motie2motie2 Master
    edited March 2019
    Maybe I should have posted this here, instead of in Internet Finds:

    Our friend Bradley has, of this date, posted 108 Pipe Tobacco Reviews -- overwhelmingly English and VaPer blends / very, very few aromatics -- on his StuffAndThings YouTube channel. This is review #108
    www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5bk8l-rKXpF9loCe9j9evXu-3Q_zRHHg
     
  • Options
    @motie2 - Just the clarify, the following is a an attempt at being funny...

    Motie, you are not bad at tobacco reviews. Yours are simple and to the point:
    Tastes like Barbados Plantation - Good Tobacco.
    Doesn't taste like Barbados Plantation - Bad Tobacco.
    Smells good but doesn't taste like tobacco - Ok for an occasional smoke.
  • Options
    @pappyjoe -- I agree, except for your third observation. I enjoy smoking my pipe, but I'm not crazy about any tobacco flavor. That was me the first time around... English blends and VaPer blends, back in the 60's and 70's.  Now I want whatever makes BP, BCA, RLP-6, and VBC and similar blends work.
  • Options
    Sutliff Black Spice

    I decided to finally take this blend and try it out. This has been jarred for awhile now and it seemed to be on my mind but one thing after another got in my way. I smoked this in a Dr. Grabow 1/4 bent Royal Duke which has always been a very good smoke, albeit a smaller bowl than normal for me.

    The tobacco out of the jar was slightly moist and very aromatic. I immediately detected some spiciness and light vanilla notes. The spice note was individually non discript, but maybe something like in a Pumpkin Pie using my imagination (Allspice?). There was as mentioned a very light vanilla suggestion but not in your face like some of my favorite blends. The tobacco is a nice totally black color of a very "chunky" cut that almost stains the fingers when loading the bowl. The taste of the finger after filling the pipe is almost identical to the aroma in the jar notes.

    The tobacco was almost perfect in its' moisture content, and compresses very nicely into the moderate size bowl. A few "cold draws" again replicate the jar notes, and what I expected. The vendors description indicates the spices to be both cinammon and nutmeg, neither of which I could identify individually, but which together provided a nice spice sort of kick.

    There was NO tongue bite, but the mouth is filled with a spicy kind of "heat" for the want of a better description.

    Being cavendish, the tobacco itself had a very pleasant base sweetness to it. The Vanilla was a background flavor that sort of came and went giving up the main position for the spice components. There was a nice fruity note that came and went, described as a "dark fruit". Although it was pleasant when detected, it was not a key player throughout the smoke. When it did show up it was not very strong at all. Throughout the bowl it was very hard at best to identify the fruit.

    This blend did not vary in taste at all relative to the depth of the burning ember. Although it was enjoyable, there was no changes that I could detect. I found this to be a tobacco that did not give up its' original flavor since first lit. I kept expecting changes as I usually experience with a lot of tobaccos as the bowl develops. So with that in mind I would consider this as a single dimensional tobacco.....which if you like the flavor there is no harm, no foul.

    I will buy some more as it is a good smoke. I am already thinking of how I can use it to mix for yet another "Frankenblend" and at this point I have no ideas. Or I will certainly try it again solo to see if the reaction is the same.

    Having now purchased most of the Sutliff blends, particularly the blends with the word "spice" in the blend, or as described as "spicey", I am finding thm to be very similar but with only very minimum changes in taste. The real changes obviously happen between tobacco types (cavendish, burley, virginia, etc.). I am going to ty to figure out if the commonality that I mention is closer within one type of tobacco as opposed to all "spice" descriptions as mentioned regardless of the tobacco type.....I believe I will find that to be the case. Oh the unneccesary work I put into my hobby.
  • Options
    pwkarchpwkarch Master
    edited April 2019
    Lane Limited Ready Rubbed

    This is only the second time in my pipe history (over 50 years, yeah I am old) that I smoked this, having never smoked the Edgeworth offering by my recollection previously. I bought this several years ago in 2 pouches and immediately jarred them both in a Mason Jar. I had smoked it about 2 years ago when I jarred it, and checking my notes I scored it about an 8 out of 10 at that time. I do not recall any particular opinions or any comments other than my numerical notation.

    I principally smoke aromatics with an occasional 'crossover" type blend that contains Latakia and / or Perique when I am in a adventurous mood. Probably 8 or 9 times out of ten I go for the "candy". I will on occasion do some Carter Hall, Prince Albert, and some fairly benign Burley or a blend with Virginia. I say this just to define my "comfort zone". I usually use my Carter Hall to add a burley component to one of my aromatic blends, although a straight bowl of Carter Hall is a definate pleasure to me.

    So being a pleasant somewhat warm afternoon, after 2 doctors' appointments earlier today, I ventured out into the pleasant surroundings with loaded pipe in hand.

    The lighting of the pipe was so easy (being a little dry from resting so long) and the first few mini puffs got the ball rolling. The pipe never got hot to touch as I always try and keep the cadence slow. However, this tobacco gave up the smoke very liberally. Being outside it was tough to pickup a "deck note" per se, however what I could detect from the occasional smoke in the face, and the aroma off of the bowl was a delicious burley smoke aroma with a HINT of chocolate or cocoa. This was very faint, but it was what I was looking for knowing the advertised notes and comments. I tried NOT to be influenced by the comments of others over the years. I think it may have smoked a bit sweeter in a nice MM Corn Cob pipe.

    The bowl of tobacco never changed character from start to finish....the notes and what aromas I could detect were the same from initial light until the emptying of the bowl. Some folks may not like that, but I don't think that is a bad thing personally, if you like a nice Burley blend with a slight chocolate or cocoa note, you can look forward to a 30 or 40 minute (based on the size of my Jarl bowl) consistent taste and aroma. There is nothing wrong with that, and you are advised going in.

    Being a "Frankenblend" advocate I immediately thought of a marriage between this blend and my Sutliff Chocolatte Mousse. I have often cut my SCM with Carter Hall which adding the burley completely changes the experience. Where I usually do a 50/50 mixture, I think I would first try 2/3 SCM and 1/3 LLRR as a starting point. That is the fun in this hobby.

    I hope everyone gets to smoke now that the spring weather is here.

  • Options
    @pwkarch ~ I always enjoy reading your reviews. Thanks for sharing.
Sign In or Register to comment.