But, one way or another, we are all indebted to our brother pipers -- and especially @ghostsofpompeii -- for their efforts in putting this present review folder together, both original posts and cut and pastie jobs from other folders.
I've been smoking a lot of Davidoff Flake Medallions. Here's my thoughts.
I have found a liking for VaPers but mostly have smoked flakes, ribbon cut or broken flakes. For the past month month I have been smoking Davidoff's Flake Medallions and I have learned both that I like the Flake Medallions and that they smoke best in small diameter bowls.
In my pipes with the smaller bowls, I get a dark, fruity sweetness, a little grassiness and what I refer to as the stewed fruit of the perique. In my pipes with larger bowls I get more of the Virginia notes and what I'm guessing is the Cavendish.
I opened the tin about 3 weeks ago and maybe have enough tobacco left for one or two bowls.
Having not smoked any VaPers before I attended the TAPS show in Raleigh last month, I was fortunate enough to get some assistance from JimInks. He helped me pick up several blends from D&R. I also scored 20 or so samples from the fine folks at the Lane booth.
The one I smoked this evening was Lane 125th Anniversary.
It's a great smoke. Not too bright or bold, but a truly enjoyable smoke for me, as I tend to prefer English's and Aro's.
Description from the Pipes & Cigars Website: "Sutliff Coffee is a blend of Virginia-based and steamed black Cavendishes with a rich top note of Brazilian coffee that's perfectly compatible with the underlying tobacco. Strength: Mild ... Tobacco: Cavendish - Virginia ... Style: Aromatic ... Room Note: 3 - Balanced"
My observations on Sutliff Coffee Blend:
Although my tobacco preference is for sweet dessert-like aromatics I occasionally reach for something not quite so sweet for a change of pace such as: Carter Hall, Sutliff Mixture 79 (but not often), Edgeworth Ready Rubbed (MATCH Blend), Velvet, and the MATCH BLEND of John Rolfe Peach Brandy - which hasn't got a hint of either peaches or brandy in the blend. Yet all are quite mild, and a pleasant smoke that satisfies without indulging my aromatic confection cravings. Sutliff Coffee Blend fits right in among the above mentioned OTC blends - but with something extra for the coffee lovers.
Upon opening the pouch you might have to work your nose like a coke sniffing addict to detect the pouch note of coffee, but eventually you'll get the slightest whisper of coffee essence ... but chances are you'd get a more potent aroma of coffee by sniffing the hands of Juan Valdez after a hard day of harvesting Columbian coffee beans - and petting his donkey - than from the pouch note.
As for the taste and room note of the blend - an explanation is in order - to fully comprehend from this point on it's assumed the reader has a vague familiarity with the old fashion coffee percolators (either stainless steel or PYREX Glass) used by your parents and grandparents. Completely disregard everything you know about Starbucks and the automatic drip coffeemakers like MR. COFFEE or Kureg that dominate the market today. To understand the room note and taste of Sutliff Coffee Blend cleanse your mind of that luscious aroma of freshly brewed coffee and that first sip of your morning coffee, and instead travel back in time with me to the 50s' and 60's as I visit the home of my relatives. Or your relatives for that matter.
Back then coffee was made on a stove, and the coffee pot was referred to as a percolator. For a good reason. The ground coffee was spooned into a strainer basket fitting onto a pump stem. As the hot water came to a boil it pumped up through the stem into basket of coffee grounds as it percolated. Eventually whoever was making the coffee removed the stem and basket from the pot, tossing the spent coffee grounds into the trash. And for the remainder of the day, until the pot was empty, they would reheat the coffee when they wanted a cup. By the end of the day the coffee would be strong and bitter and flowed like mud. Packing a caffeine wallop greater than a six pack of Red Bull. And that once pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee would take on the pungent stench of burnt coffee. Nowhere near as pleasing - but a variant semblance of the coffee aroma. So if you were a family member stopping by unexpectedly for a visit - chances are that's the coffee you'd be drinking. But if special company arrived - then a new pot was brewed to impress the guests.
Both the room note and flavor of Sutliff Coffee Blend are reminiscent of that strong and somewhat bitter reheated burnt coffee. And as unpleasant as that might sound if you were drinking a cup - that's not the case if you're smoking a bowl. It fits what you should expect from a coffee flavored pipe tobacco. Plus, it smokes cool. And as with a majority of aromatic Sutliff blends there is little if any tongue bite. The tobacco lights easily, stays lit, and burns to a nice white ash. And since it's not a heavily cased sweet aromatic there is no goop what-so-ever in the bottom of the bowl.
Perfect smoke for the woodsman, fisherman, hunter or camper who enjoys making his morning coffee on a campfire in an old fashioned stainless steel coffee pot - goes out for a little early morning fishing or hunting - then returns mid-afternoon to his campsite and pours another steaming cup of coffee from that early morning brew. And loves it.
@ghostsofpompeii -- Great review!!! Sounds like something I'll have to add to my list. It sounds like the same kind of flavor that I get from Barbados Plantation: not sweet, but strongly flavored. As ever, thank you for sharing your experience.
Smoked some old dry Newminster No. 9 Creamy Vanilla today, can't really do much of a review on it since it was old and dry but the Aroma out of the pipe was still nice. The bag aroma was poor but smells like it would have been good in it's day and might be OK if it is moistened a little, the taste from smoking was not bad but again not great but I blame it on being dry, old and using a fresh cleaned estate pipe. Might moisten it a little and give it a day or two of rest, load it in my good Briar and try it again.....if it gets better I will find some that is fresh (if I can still get some) and do a real review on it.
Here's the only tobacco review I've written for TobaccoReviews.com. I might do more in the future, but it's the only blend I've felt like reviewing so far.
Having been a fan of PipesandCigar’s Lakeland Brickle, I decided to pick up a new blend that had a healthy dose of Lakeland topping. I have a limited supply of Lakeland Brickle, and so far, I don’t see it being reproduced, so a replacement is needed. Hearing positive recommendations about Ennerdale, I decided to purchase a few ounces of it on a whim on IPSD 2015.
Since Lakeland blends have a notorious reputation on ghosting a pipe, I picked out a cob, rubbed the flake out, and wandered out to my writing hole to try out the blend while working on my novel. The blend itself was quite easy to light and get going, so it didn’t require much drying time at all. I was able to pack my pipe and take it out right away for a test run.
Upon lighting up, I could clearly taste the Lakeland topping. If you don’t like the perfume taste and scent of Lakeland blends, then you probably won’t like this at all. Me though, I quite enjoyed it. I settled into a steady rhythm of contently puffing away on my cob while enjoying the blend. The flavor remained strong through the entire bowl until the tobacco burned to a fine white ash. I was sad when the bowl ended, which is always a sign of a quality blend in my book.
Leaving my writing hole to go in the house for a few minutes, I returned back outside and took in a whiff of the evening air. Even from my stairs I could distinctly smell the room note of Ennerdale from a considerable distance from my writing hole. It reminded me of those perfumes in cartoons that would turn into a wispy hand and lead a character back to the source by the nose. Likewise, Ennerdale had me under its spell, and off to Ebay I marched to purchase a pipe I could singularly devote to it, as well as a few more ounces on my next online order from PipesandCigars.com.
So now I know the wondrous flake that is Ennerdale, and its become an entrenched blend in my weekly rotation. While I will continue seeking out similar Lakeland blends, Ennerdale undoubtedly will be a hard act to follow.
Great reviews. Need a way to organize them, this might get out of control.
The other thing I appreciate is when the reviewer mentions the pipe used for the review, I believe in many cases it makes a difference. Also the age of the tobacco is important.
@PappyJoe UM I made a tobacco review thread....LOL Your here so start reviewing....lol
@Philip I agree I would love to be able to sort and organize the reviews but until This Pipe Life gives us an Edit Button I can't do anything. UNLESS....Each person sent their review to me and then I posted them in this thread BUT I don't have that much time and honestly I think everyone should take part. As for the Pipes that they use during the reviews, I agree with that, I try to but sometimes forget.
@ Everyone What would be great is if all reviews followed this list: Aromatic or regular tobacco? Age of Tobacco if known? Aroma in container? How it looks? Moisture? How was it loaded in Pipe? What kind of Pipe was used? Pipes to use - Corn Cob (new each time), Clay, Meerschaum, Stone or Metal, all cleaned every time? How did it light? Does it stay lit? What was the Aroma/Flavor as smoked? What was the room note/aroma? Over all thoughts?
Add anything else you want but these should be standard in each review. What does everyone think?
If you like this then copy and paste for each review and just fill in the Information after the question mark.
@wolf41035 - Yes you started a thread. I have started quite a few myself. That's sort of like saying you have a file folder. I'm saying we need the file cabinet to put the folders in so they are organized better and easier to find.
Today a visitor offered me a bowlful from his pouch; a tobacco I've never heard of called McClelland Deep Hollow (Tolkien reference). He said it was a Virginia blend with a very light casing. I found it..... interesting. I looked it up on http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/765/mcclelland-deep-hollow where other reviewers found it interesting. Now, remember that I am a sweet aromatic smoker who enjoys smoking, but isn't that fond of tobacco, and this after a previous lifetime smoking Balkan Sobranie and Cope's Escudo.
Do any of you more worldly types have any experience with this tobacco? I'd appreciate your opinions.
On to tobacco question #2: Do any of y'all know anything about The Cornell & Diehl Hebraica Series Tinned Pipe Tobaccos?
@motie2 I'm jealous. You had a visitor who was also a pipe smoker? The only visitors to show up at my door are usually trying to sell me a copy of "The Watchtower". And I'm sure they would not approve of my smoking.
@ghostsofpompeii -- I always ask folks at my front door to read Luke 10:7 out loud....... <small, shy smirk>
So, anyways, we had our eldest and his wife and our youngest over for dinner on Mother's Day. After dinner, on the deck, my eldest says, "That's about the best smelling tobacco ever. What is it?"
#1 in my rotation is Presbyterian Mixture and has been for the last 20 of the 50 years i have smoked a pipe. Others include Peterson Old Dublin, Dunhill Elizabethan, Nightcap, 965: HH Old Dark Fired, Latakia Flake: McLelland Balkin Beauty, British Woods, all the Frogs: Gawith Commonwealth, Skiff and Squadron Leader, etc. but now the Vintage Syrian is my first choice. a mild but full flavored smoke if that makes any sense. The Latakia is flavorful but softer and more rounded than Cyprian which i also like. I bought a tin after watching a "Stuff and Things" review on YouTube, after the second bowl i bought 5 more tins.
@smansewer -- First of all, welcome. Second, you seem to be well experienced with English blends. You also express yourself well. I look forward to reading your future comments. Thanks.
First off The "Cake" isn't. The cake was sometimes available but apparently not any longer.
The 2020 comes in the form of a rough shredded large pieced flake, dark and light brown streaked.The term mature refers to aging and fermenting which generates that delicious some say "Kecthup" odor that McClelland is famous for. The tobacco I got felt a little moist and I rubbed it out to the point where I felt I could get a good pack.
I gave it a char and lit up, incredible rich taste and billows of smoke. Like all English types the room note was OK and the burn was slow and even right down to the end with a light and dark gray ash. I ordered 2 oz. of this to try and I think that I'll be ordering more soon..
Great taste, no bite with hard puffing, flavor down to the end, no excessive moisture. IMHO this one's a keeper
@PappyJoe LOL I know we need a way to file I mentioned that as well, the Admins need to give us the ability to edit our own threads or at least our posts after we have posted them, would help a lot. Maybe after we get a few hundred reviews done they will come in and make a section like they did for our music?? Admins?? lol
Been a since I've seen any reviews added to this topic so I thought I'd push it back up front to remind members we have a discussion page already dedicated to tobacco reviews.
Between 2007 and 2015 I was a staff music reviewer for PROGNAUT, a progressive rock music site run by my good friend Ron Fuchs. And in that span of time I must have reviewed well over 200 CDs from groups around the world, with varying degrees of talent. But being a musician myself - right or wrong - I gave an equal amount of considered to both the musicians who recorded the album as to the readers who hopefully valued my opinion enough to influence their purchase. I tried being as objective as possible without unduly hyping a mediocre album and deceiving the readers. But I tended to accentuate the positive elements of the album even when pointing out the negative, unlike a lot of reviewers who seemed to revel in lambasting artists with a witches brew of colorful phrases and witty sarcasm. I know how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into making an album - and a musician doesn't intentionally set out to record a bomb. But occasionally a real stinker emerges and it's impossible to sugar-coat the truth. Sometimes criticism is justified - but doesn't need to be mean-spirited. And on the odd occasion when I found myself being harsher than usual I concluded the review with the simple caveat that music is subjective - and what one listener might find abhorrent another adores.
So with that in mind let me begin my review of Cult Militia. (Not a promising start is it?)
First I'll begin with the description of Cult Militia on the P&C website and catalog:
"Cult Militia is a true American aromatic. Smooth Burley is joined by flake-cut yellow Virginia and a specially processed, slowly steamed black Cavendish to create a cool-smoking blend with a smooth, sweet flavor, and a room note that will be a real crowd pleaser. The flavor spectrum turns towards the warm, velvet, tastes of vanilla, caramel, honey, and dark fruit."
Strength: Mild-Medium
Tobacco: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia
Style: Aromatic
Room Note: 3-Balanced
My thoughts on Cult Militia:
Cult Blood Red Moon is an established favorite among a great many aromatic smokers, but as I'm not a fan of cherry flavored aromatics I gave it a pass. But when it was announced Cult was producing a new blend using essentially the same tobacco configuration as Blood Red Moon but instead of flavoring it with cherry this new blend Militia would use vanilla, caramel and honey as the flavor profile. Something right up my alley. So I pulled the trigger and bought a tin.
My first disappointment came upon opening the tin. The tin note was pretty bland. I couldn't detect any of the aromas one might associated with a vanilla based aromatic. There was a slight hint of fruit ... possibly something like figs. Not a particularly aromatic fruit. My next disappointment came during the initial char light. No burst of flavor like I was led to believe. Actually nothing in the way of taste. And once I had the pipe going the disappointment continued as a hot peppery sensation washed over my tongue. First I thought it might be an undercurrent of cinnamon in the blend ... then realized it was simply tongue bite. The blend smoked really hot even though I was sipping slowly as usual. The pipe itself was almost too hot to hold. And even when retro-haling to seek out hidden flavors I couldn't detect any vanilla, caramel, honey or the dark fruit as promised. The bland flavor was reminiscent of many OTC whiskey blends - in particular Borkum Riff. And as for the room note while it was not offensive, it left the room with the non-descript aroma of something like Halfand Half, Velvet, Prince Albert, or Carter Hall.
I guess over the years I've gotten spoiled by the flavorful bulk blends from Sutliff that not only taste like fresh bakery products, but also leave the room smelling like some mouth watering pastry dessert just came out of the oven. So if you're looking for something sweet and flavorful - this probably isn't something that will rock your world. But for the English pipe smoker who occasionally like to smoke an aromatic that doesn't overpower you will sweet vanilla, this might be something to consider.
So I'll end this tobacco review with the same caveat that applied to my music reviews and remind readers that smoking is subjective - and what's right for one is not necessarily right for another. I'll return to this blend a few more times before making a final judgment, and will amend this review if my opinion changes. But I imagine it will probably take me a long time to finish this tin - and when I do I won't be buying it again.
@motie2 I haven't tried 'Autumn Evening' as of yet and based on the description it might be something I take a pass on. Not because don't like the sound of it ... but like you ... I've come to the conclusion that my quest is nearing an end when it comes to particular flavored blends. I've found my favorite vanilla blend in Stuliff "Vanilla Custard" ... my favorire Maple flavored blends in Sutliff "Maple Walnut" and "Rum And Maple" ... my favorite chocolate blend in Sutliff "Chocolate Mousse" ... and now my favorite rum flavored blend India Trading Company "Officer's Club". So for blends that are touted as vanilla, maple, or chocolate flavored, I've made my preferences and my quest has come to an end. That doesn't mean I'll quite looking for new blends with a complex flavor profile which might also include one or more of the flavors mentioned above. But I'm narrowing my search for the perfect blends to stock in my cellar.
Comments
In my pipes with the smaller bowls, I get a dark, fruity sweetness, a little grassiness and what I refer to as the stewed fruit of the perique. In my pipes with larger bowls I get more of the Virginia notes and what I'm guessing is the Cavendish.
I opened the tin about 3 weeks ago and maybe have enough tobacco left for one or two bowls.
It smokes good.
The one I smoked this evening was Lane 125th Anniversary.
It's a great smoke. Not too bright or bold, but a truly enjoyable smoke for me, as I tend to prefer English's and Aro's.
Tobacco Review: Sutliff Coffee
Description from the Pipes & Cigars Website: "Sutliff Coffee is a blend of Virginia-based and steamed black Cavendishes with a rich top note of Brazilian coffee that's perfectly compatible with the underlying tobacco. Strength: Mild ... Tobacco: Cavendish - Virginia ... Style: Aromatic ... Room Note: 3 - Balanced"
My observations on Sutliff Coffee Blend:
Although my tobacco preference is for sweet dessert-like aromatics I occasionally reach for something not quite so sweet for a change of pace such as: Carter Hall, Sutliff Mixture 79 (but not often), Edgeworth Ready Rubbed (MATCH Blend), Velvet, and the MATCH BLEND of John Rolfe Peach Brandy - which hasn't got a hint of either peaches or brandy in the blend. Yet all are quite mild, and a pleasant smoke that satisfies without indulging my aromatic confection cravings. Sutliff Coffee Blend fits right in among the above mentioned OTC blends - but with something extra for the coffee lovers.
Upon opening the pouch you might have to work your nose like a coke sniffing addict to detect the pouch note of coffee, but eventually you'll get the slightest whisper of coffee essence ... but chances are you'd get a more potent aroma of coffee by sniffing the hands of Juan Valdez after a hard day of harvesting Columbian coffee beans - and petting his donkey - than from the pouch note.
As for the taste and room note of the blend - an explanation is in order - to fully comprehend from this point on it's assumed the reader has a vague familiarity with the old fashion coffee percolators (either stainless steel or PYREX Glass) used by your parents and grandparents. Completely disregard everything you know about Starbucks and the automatic drip coffeemakers like MR. COFFEE or Kureg that dominate the market today. To understand the room note and taste of Sutliff Coffee Blend cleanse your mind of that luscious aroma of freshly brewed coffee and that first sip of your morning coffee, and instead travel back in time with me to the 50s' and 60's as I visit the home of my relatives. Or your relatives for that matter.
Back then coffee was made on a stove, and the coffee pot was referred to as a percolator. For a good reason. The ground coffee was spooned into a strainer basket fitting onto a pump stem. As the hot water came to a boil it pumped up through the stem into basket of coffee grounds as it percolated. Eventually whoever was making the coffee removed the stem and basket from the pot, tossing the spent coffee grounds into the trash. And for the remainder of the day, until the pot was empty, they would reheat the coffee when they wanted a cup. By the end of the day the coffee would be strong and bitter and flowed like mud. Packing a caffeine wallop greater than a six pack of Red Bull. And that once pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee would take on the pungent stench of burnt coffee. Nowhere near as pleasing - but a variant semblance of the coffee aroma. So if you were a family member stopping by unexpectedly for a visit - chances are that's the coffee you'd be drinking. But if special company arrived - then a new pot was brewed to impress the guests.
Both the room note and flavor of Sutliff Coffee Blend are reminiscent of that strong and somewhat bitter reheated burnt coffee. And as unpleasant as that might sound if you were drinking a cup - that's not the case if you're smoking a bowl. It fits what you should expect from a coffee flavored pipe tobacco. Plus, it smokes cool. And as with a majority of aromatic Sutliff blends there is little if any tongue bite. The tobacco lights easily, stays lit, and burns to a nice white ash. And since it's not a heavily cased sweet aromatic there is no goop what-so-ever in the bottom of the bowl.
Perfect smoke for the woodsman, fisherman, hunter or camper who enjoys making his morning coffee on a campfire in an old fashioned stainless steel coffee pot - goes out for a little early morning fishing or hunting - then returns mid-afternoon to his campsite and pours another steaming cup of coffee from that early morning brew. And loves it.
Having been a fan of PipesandCigar’s Lakeland Brickle, I decided to
pick up a new blend that had a healthy dose of Lakeland topping. I have a
limited supply of Lakeland Brickle, and so far, I don’t see it being
reproduced, so a replacement is needed. Hearing positive recommendations
about Ennerdale, I decided to purchase a few ounces of it on a whim on
IPSD 2015.
Since Lakeland blends have a notorious reputation on ghosting a pipe,
I picked out a cob, rubbed the flake out, and wandered out to my
writing hole to try out the blend while working on my novel. The blend
itself was quite easy to light and get going, so it didn’t require much
drying time at all. I was able to pack my pipe and take it out right
away for a test run.
Upon lighting up, I could clearly taste the Lakeland topping. If you
don’t like the perfume taste and scent of Lakeland blends, then you
probably won’t like this at all. Me though, I quite enjoyed it. I
settled into a steady rhythm of contently puffing away on my cob while
enjoying the blend. The flavor remained strong through the entire bowl
until the tobacco burned to a fine white ash. I was sad when the bowl
ended, which is always a sign of a quality blend in my book.
Leaving my writing hole to go in the house for a few minutes, I
returned back outside and took in a whiff of the evening air. Even from
my stairs I could distinctly smell the room note of Ennerdale from a
considerable distance from my writing hole. It reminded me of those
perfumes in cartoons that would turn into a wispy hand and lead a
character back to the source by the nose. Likewise, Ennerdale had me
under its spell, and off to Ebay I marched to purchase a pipe I could
singularly devote to it, as well as a few more ounces on my next online
order from PipesandCigars.com.
So now I know the wondrous flake that is Ennerdale, and its become an
entrenched blend in my weekly rotation. While I will continue seeking
out similar Lakeland blends, Ennerdale undoubtedly will be a hard act to
follow.
Pipe Used: Corn Cob/Jobey Billiard
Age When Smoked: A few months
Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com
Similar Blends: G&H Glengarry Flake; Kendal Plug.
@Philip
I agree I would love to be able to sort and organize the reviews but until This Pipe Life gives us an Edit Button I can't do anything. UNLESS....Each person sent their review to me and then I posted them in this thread BUT I don't have that much time and honestly I think everyone should take part.
As for the Pipes that they use during the reviews, I agree with that, I try to but sometimes forget.
@ Everyone
What would be great is if all reviews followed this list:
Aromatic or regular tobacco?
Age of Tobacco if known?
Aroma in container?
How it looks?
Moisture?
How was it loaded in Pipe?
What kind of Pipe was used?
Pipes to use - Corn Cob (new each time), Clay, Meerschaum, Stone or Metal, all cleaned every time?
How did it light?
Does it stay lit?
What was the Aroma/Flavor as smoked?
What was the room note/aroma?
Over all thoughts?
Add anything else you want but these should be standard in each review.
What does everyone think?
If you like this then copy and paste for each review and just fill in the Information after the question mark.
A short one on McClellands 2020 Matured Cake.
First off The "Cake" isn't. The cake was sometimes available but apparently not any longer.
The 2020 comes in the form of a rough shredded large pieced flake, dark and light brown streaked.The term mature refers to aging and fermenting which generates that delicious some say "Kecthup" odor that McClelland is famous for. The tobacco I got felt a little moist and I rubbed it out to the point where I felt I could get a good pack.
I gave it a char and lit up, incredible rich taste and billows of smoke. Like all English types the room note was OK and the burn was slow and even right down to the end with a light and dark gray ash. I ordered 2 oz. of this to try and I think that I'll be ordering more soon..
Great taste, no bite with hard puffing, flavor down to the end, no excessive moisture. IMHO this one's a keeper
Between 2007 and 2015 I was a staff music reviewer for PROGNAUT, a progressive rock music site run by my good friend Ron Fuchs. And in that span of time I must have reviewed well over 200 CDs from groups around the world, with varying degrees of talent. But being a musician myself - right or wrong - I gave an equal amount of considered to both the musicians who recorded the album as to the readers who hopefully valued my opinion enough to influence their purchase. I tried being as objective as possible without unduly hyping a mediocre album and deceiving the readers. But I tended to accentuate the positive elements of the album even when pointing out the negative, unlike a lot of reviewers who seemed to revel in lambasting artists with a witches brew of colorful phrases and witty sarcasm. I know how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into making an album - and a musician doesn't intentionally set out to record a bomb. But occasionally a real stinker emerges and it's impossible to sugar-coat the truth. Sometimes criticism is justified - but doesn't need to be mean-spirited. And on the odd occasion when I found myself being harsher than usual I concluded the review with the simple caveat that music is subjective - and what one listener might find abhorrent another adores.
So with that in mind let me begin my review of Cult Militia. (Not a promising start is it?)
First I'll begin with the description of Cult Militia on the P&C website and catalog:
"Cult Militia is a true American aromatic. Smooth Burley is joined by flake-cut yellow Virginia and a specially processed, slowly steamed black Cavendish to create a cool-smoking blend with a smooth, sweet flavor, and a room note that will be a real crowd pleaser. The flavor spectrum turns towards the warm, velvet, tastes of vanilla, caramel, honey, and dark fruit."
Strength: Mild-Medium
Tobacco: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia
Style: Aromatic
Room Note: 3-Balanced
My thoughts on Cult Militia:
Cult Blood Red Moon is an established favorite among a great many aromatic smokers, but as I'm not a fan of cherry flavored aromatics I gave it a pass. But when it was announced Cult was producing a new blend using essentially the same tobacco configuration as Blood Red Moon but instead of flavoring it with cherry this new blend Militia would use vanilla, caramel and honey as the flavor profile. Something right up my alley. So I pulled the trigger and bought a tin.
My first disappointment came upon opening the tin. The tin note was pretty bland. I couldn't detect any of the aromas one might associated with a vanilla based aromatic. There was a slight hint of fruit ... possibly something like figs. Not a particularly aromatic fruit. My next disappointment came during the initial char light. No burst of flavor like I was led to believe. Actually nothing in the way of taste. And once I had the pipe going the disappointment continued as a hot peppery sensation washed over my tongue. First I thought it might be an undercurrent of cinnamon in the blend ... then realized it was simply tongue bite. The blend smoked really hot even though I was sipping slowly as usual. The pipe itself was almost too hot to hold. And even when retro-haling to seek out hidden flavors I couldn't detect any vanilla, caramel, honey or the dark fruit as promised. The bland flavor was reminiscent of many OTC whiskey blends - in particular Borkum Riff. And as for the room note while it was not offensive, it left the room with the non-descript aroma of something like Half and Half, Velvet, Prince Albert, or Carter Hall.
I guess over the years I've gotten spoiled by the flavorful bulk blends from Sutliff that not only taste like fresh bakery products, but also leave the room smelling like some mouth watering pastry dessert just came out of the oven. So if you're looking for something sweet and flavorful - this probably isn't something that will rock your world. But for the English pipe smoker who occasionally like to smoke an aromatic that doesn't overpower you will sweet vanilla, this might be something to consider.
So I'll end this tobacco review with the same caveat that applied to my music reviews and remind readers that smoking is subjective - and what's right for one is not necessarily right for another. I'll return to this blend a few more times before making a final judgment, and will amend this review if my opinion changes. But I imagine it will probably take me a long time to finish this tin - and when I do I won't be buying it again.