Impressions of Cowboy Coffee by the Country Squire & Nording Compass Pipes
The Nording Compass is a cheap pipe by basically all standards. I acquired mine from the country squire in a haul i purchased from them for about $60. I opted for the all briar, non-metal wrapped version because I like the grain in briar and I thought it was more elegant and less cheap looking. Aesthetically I think it's really modern but lacks that classic ebonite and briar look that some are keen on. It is super light weight (sub 1oz unloaded) and easily clenched. I have to admit I was a little offput when I opened it because the bit was kind of loose. That being said, the pipe is designed with a presumably aluminum stem/shank that ends in an acrylic bit which is just the flattened tapered portion of a traditional stem. This shaves on the weight for sure but I do think this is the one shortfall on the looks front as the transition is not particularly elegant. The bowl is just under 3/4" diameter and the just under 1.5" deep. Based on the prevailing internet logic it should be suitable for virginia heavy blends or pure virginias for flavor and as a cool smoke. It packs easy enough but you'll either need a pipe tool or tiny fingers for this one. I packed my inaugural bowl with cowboy coffee hence the double review because a) i wanted to try it and b) i thought this would be suitable pipe for it with absolutely no risk of ghosting. It smoked for over 1/2 an hour despite the narrow diameter and even though I probably chiefed on it way too hard I didn't experience any tongue bite which is likely a result of both blend and pipe. I enjoyed how clenchable it was and think for some blends it'll be a quick smoke which is why i bought it. I also think it looks good in a modern way but recognize it won't be for everyone. For someone who likes a poker style pipe with a smoke on the shorter side especially on a budget I don't think you can go wrong. Something to watch out for might be the bit being loose or just keeping it on and in place and the narrow chamber make for easy rim charring. Would still recommend and it's a sitter which is a plus.
Cowboy coffee is a blend from the country squire containing bright and red virginias and dark fired kentucky. Upon receiving it the moisture felt bang on out of the bag. Smelled a little bit like hay, grass, bbq notes, with an underlying sweetness and some of that breadiness that JimInks might talk about in a review. It's a ribbon cut, mostly in the light to medium browns and maybe some yellowish lighter tobaccos. It packed easy enough and took to a light fairly well also. Bear in mind i've only had one bowl so I firmly believe there is more to be gained from this blend that what I can share here today. That being said, you can definitely taste the virginias right off the bat with that hay and grass and breadiness. While I said the dark fired felt 50/50 in my what are you smoking post I'd probably disagree with that and say that to me the dark fired plays second to the virginias in a more like 60/40 way. There is for sure a subtle sweetness that persisted throughout the bowl kind of playing with the bbq like nature of the dark fired. This is a tobacco flavored tobacco. For you coffee snobs out there this is like that high quality house blend that isn't trying to be anything other than a really nice cup of coffee without all the excessive tea like qualities you find in light roast geshas or those dark chocolate smokey notes of well developed dark roasts and i mean that in the best way. It reminds me in some ways of how I feel about HH Burley Flake. It's just good tobacco and it isn't doing anything fancy. For me, this sits in the place where a pure virginia might sit for some of you. What I mean by that is I don't have the patience to age virginias or to smoke slow enough to enjoy a fresh one, though i'm improving in this regard. That being said I can get virginia flavors out of this without the patience or risk. I did get moisture in the bowl/gurgle but this is almost certainly from my pacing and smoking out in the cool and less to do with the pipe or blends dryness.
Overall i'd give this like a 7 out of 10 plus or minus maybe a 1/2 point. Its easy to work with, tastes good, doesn't bite, and its from a good company and available in bulk. It isn't the best blend i've ever tried but it is far from bad. The taste is medium, nicotine seemed to be about the same, room note is tolerable to good depending on who you ask. Give it a go and support the country squire.
Parson's Blend by the Country Squire Tobacconist of Jackson, Mississippi
Per Tobacco Reviews this is a Black Cavendish Burley blend with a fruit topping that is a course/ribbon cut. I purchased 1 oz and when it arrived i'd say it was a touch on the side of wet but not so wet you couldn't load it straight away if you were so inclined, especially on these cool dry fall/winter evenings. I don't recall the first pipe I used when I tried it but i've since smoked it out of a Nording compass, a Dr. Grabow bulldog, a basket briar pipe that's a straight brandy, and a comoy's tradition "zulu/dublin" like shape. It was good in all of them but best in the Dr. Grabow which has a slightly larger wider bowl. Each time was a little different but the Cavendish and the Burley play around pretty equally behind the topping. While tobacco reviews states only a fruit topping I think that you can get vanilla, chocolate, caramel, and fruit out of this blend. I'm sure some of that is due to the Black Cavendish which i think lends itself to the first three flavors in some ways. Specifically the fruit i taste is reminiscent of the way pear tastes in a fruit cocktail. It's oddly specific but the best comparison I can make. It is just generically sweet but not so sweet that it's off putting. The mouth feel on this blend is rich, creamy, and thicker than most which is really nice. About every bowl i've burned all the way to ash but it does leave some moisture and has gurgled a time or two though I don't view this as a problem per se. The bowl is very consistent all the way through with maybe just a bit of the fruit dropping off in the latter half. Regardless, if you like an aromatic that isn't sticky and goopy and is sweet but not cloying and especially if your typical virginia cavendish blend isn't exactly what you want or you are just a fan of burley then this might be an aromatic for you.
The nicotine to me was less than medium, the taste is medium, and the room note is noticeably pleasant on this one. You'd be really hard pressed to get this to bite you in my opinion. I'd even go so far as to say the fruity taste lingers on facial hair and even in the mouth which ins't a bad thing. Overall rating this is an 8 out of 10 for me, especially as an aromatic. Just as an aside, my rating is based solely on taste and does not account for rarity, my likelihood to cellar it, or my likelihood to run out and spend big money to acquire it. This isn't a unicorn blend in anyway and is available in bulk at a pretty good price.
@motie2 Had a chance to purchase Sutliffs Pipe Force blends at the LV Pipe Show last year, but was unwilling to pull the trigger without reviews, etc. Tnx for the post... Sidenote: @RockyMountainBriar Check out the above video. I can see you owning a cutter like the one shown...😏
With the tobacco apocalypse seemingly happening I grabbed a pound of mark twain from sutliff. Usually I avoid aromatics because I damn near always get tongue bite because it gets goopy and I overheat the pipe. Not this blend. I smoked it in my oldest savinelli st. Nicholas. Nice decade long cake build and ream so it smokes wicked smooth. The blend itself smells like vanilla, honey, and cinnamon upon opening. It was much drier than I'm used to with sutliff aromatics (a good thing). The flavor isn't as vanilla as I expected but is a smooth blend of the spices and the sweet. My wife says the smoke smells like baking pastries or cookies. I'm not good at picking out Virginia's or green river Cavendish in these kinds of blends but whatever they used was a perfect fit. Of course now it will never be made again so this pound needs to last a bit
Comments
The Nording Compass is a cheap pipe by basically all standards. I acquired mine from the country squire in a haul i purchased from them for about $60. I opted for the all briar, non-metal wrapped version because I like the grain in briar and I thought it was more elegant and less cheap looking. Aesthetically I think it's really modern but lacks that classic ebonite and briar look that some are keen on. It is super light weight (sub 1oz unloaded) and easily clenched. I have to admit I was a little offput when I opened it because the bit was kind of loose. That being said, the pipe is designed with a presumably aluminum stem/shank that ends in an acrylic bit which is just the flattened tapered portion of a traditional stem. This shaves on the weight for sure but I do think this is the one shortfall on the looks front as the transition is not particularly elegant. The bowl is just under 3/4" diameter and the just under 1.5" deep. Based on the prevailing internet logic it should be suitable for virginia heavy blends or pure virginias for flavor and as a cool smoke. It packs easy enough but you'll either need a pipe tool or tiny fingers for this one. I packed my inaugural bowl with cowboy coffee hence the double review because a) i wanted to try it and b) i thought this would be suitable pipe for it with absolutely no risk of ghosting. It smoked for over 1/2 an hour despite the narrow diameter and even though I probably chiefed on it way too hard I didn't experience any tongue bite which is likely a result of both blend and pipe. I enjoyed how clenchable it was and think for some blends it'll be a quick smoke which is why i bought it. I also think it looks good in a modern way but recognize it won't be for everyone. For someone who likes a poker style pipe with a smoke on the shorter side especially on a budget I don't think you can go wrong. Something to watch out for might be the bit being loose or just keeping it on and in place and the narrow chamber make for easy rim charring. Would still recommend and it's a sitter which is a plus.
Cowboy coffee is a blend from the country squire containing bright and red virginias and dark fired kentucky. Upon receiving it the moisture felt bang on out of the bag. Smelled a little bit like hay, grass, bbq notes, with an underlying sweetness and some of that breadiness that JimInks might talk about in a review. It's a ribbon cut, mostly in the light to medium browns and maybe some yellowish lighter tobaccos. It packed easy enough and took to a light fairly well also. Bear in mind i've only had one bowl so I firmly believe there is more to be gained from this blend that what I can share here today. That being said, you can definitely taste the virginias right off the bat with that hay and grass and breadiness. While I said the dark fired felt 50/50 in my what are you smoking post I'd probably disagree with that and say that to me the dark fired plays second to the virginias in a more like 60/40 way. There is for sure a subtle sweetness that persisted throughout the bowl kind of playing with the bbq like nature of the dark fired. This is a tobacco flavored tobacco. For you coffee snobs out there this is like that high quality house blend that isn't trying to be anything other than a really nice cup of coffee without all the excessive tea like qualities you find in light roast geshas or those dark chocolate smokey notes of well developed dark roasts and i mean that in the best way. It reminds me in some ways of how I feel about HH Burley Flake. It's just good tobacco and it isn't doing anything fancy. For me, this sits in the place where a pure virginia might sit for some of you. What I mean by that is I don't have the patience to age virginias or to smoke slow enough to enjoy a fresh one, though i'm improving in this regard. That being said I can get virginia flavors out of this without the patience or risk. I did get moisture in the bowl/gurgle but this is almost certainly from my pacing and smoking out in the cool and less to do with the pipe or blends dryness.
Overall i'd give this like a 7 out of 10 plus or minus maybe a 1/2 point. Its easy to work with, tastes good, doesn't bite, and its from a good company and available in bulk. It isn't the best blend i've ever tried but it is far from bad. The taste is medium, nicotine seemed to be about the same, room note is tolerable to good depending on who you ask. Give it a go and support the country squire.
Per Tobacco Reviews this is a Black Cavendish Burley blend with a fruit topping that is a course/ribbon cut. I purchased 1 oz and when it arrived i'd say it was a touch on the side of wet but not so wet you couldn't load it straight away if you were so inclined, especially on these cool dry fall/winter evenings. I don't recall the first pipe I used when I tried it but i've since smoked it out of a Nording compass, a Dr. Grabow bulldog, a basket briar pipe that's a straight brandy, and a comoy's tradition "zulu/dublin" like shape. It was good in all of them but best in the Dr. Grabow which has a slightly larger wider bowl. Each time was a little different but the Cavendish and the Burley play around pretty equally behind the topping. While tobacco reviews states only a fruit topping I think that you can get vanilla, chocolate, caramel, and fruit out of this blend. I'm sure some of that is due to the Black Cavendish which i think lends itself to the first three flavors in some ways. Specifically the fruit i taste is reminiscent of the way pear tastes in a fruit cocktail. It's oddly specific but the best comparison I can make. It is just generically sweet but not so sweet that it's off putting. The mouth feel on this blend is rich, creamy, and thicker than most which is really nice. About every bowl i've burned all the way to ash but it does leave some moisture and has gurgled a time or two though I don't view this as a problem per se. The bowl is very consistent all the way through with maybe just a bit of the fruit dropping off in the latter half. Regardless, if you like an aromatic that isn't sticky and goopy and is sweet but not cloying and especially if your typical virginia cavendish blend isn't exactly what you want or you are just a fan of burley then this might be an aromatic for you.
The nicotine to me was less than medium, the taste is medium, and the room note is noticeably pleasant on this one. You'd be really hard pressed to get this to bite you in my opinion. I'd even go so far as to say the fruity taste lingers on facial hair and even in the mouth which ins't a bad thing. Overall rating this is an 8 out of 10 for me, especially as an aromatic. Just as an aside, my rating is based solely on taste and does not account for rarity, my likelihood to cellar it, or my likelihood to run out and spend big money to acquire it. This isn't a unicorn blend in anyway and is available in bulk at a pretty good price.
Had a chance to purchase Sutliffs Pipe Force blends at the LV Pipe Show last year, but was unwilling to pull the trigger without reviews, etc.
Tnx for the post...
Sidenote:
@RockyMountainBriar
Check out the above video.
I can see you owning a cutter like the one shown...😏
Oh yea, those are cool cutters. A guy could lose a finger, a hand, an arm in one of those. Auh, auh, auh, more power😬
https://youtu.be/e9Q7o3cpl8Y