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  • What a weekend...wall to wall grand kids, soccer, football, kid birthday shopping, very tiring but all good stuff.......would not trade it for anything.

    Last evening I put out some of Moties favorite Barbados Plantation and some of my new Sutliff Chocolate Mousse in my dish to dry out. Earlier today I introduced it to my Medico Briar and let that sit for several hours while working.

    I finally got to light it up around 1800 or so. There was initially generous smoke and I immediately tasted a very sweet note, probably more of the BP than the CM but somewhat undefined to the point that I could specifically tell which was the most prominent. It was a very pleasant and tasteful and very smokey. Obviously the rest to open air helped a great deal.

    About 1/3 down into the bowl I was able to start tasting the different notes of a sweet rum and of dark chocolate, but just nuances. Again, a very nice taste. I could not determine any "room note" as I was on my back deck and open to the beginning of the night. Interestingly, while I sat there with my wife, a small doe walked over to a small garden behind the deck to a bowl of corn and was having a snack. She was less than ten feet away and apparently did not notice us sitting there. We have many deer come up into our yard to feed, but never had one that close to us. I was amazed she had not smelled the pipe smoke, or perhaps she did and it smelled like something she liked? But I digress.....

    At about the 1/2 or 2/3 of the way into the bowl I THINK I began to taste an amalgam of the two tobaccos, a somewhat pleasant combination but nothing that would knock me out of my chair. This lasted for the remainder of the bowl. At the conclusion there was light grey ash and a significant wad of dottle that was left in the bowl. That surprised me as the smoke was dry with no gurgle of dampness whatsoever. And as I explained above the tobacco appeared to be very dry.

    I would certainly try this combination again to be able to make a real objective opinion as to my final opinion. I will however at least for the time being say that these are 2 very good tobaccos, with the BP slightly better than the CM by themselves (that will make Motie happy) and maybe, just maybe a rum and chocolate combo just doesn't wow me, but it sure sounded good.

    So, the experiment was not a failure but just another attempt to make great things even greater. After all our President did say "make tobacco great again", or something like that. So as the patriot that I am, I am next going to try the Chocolate Mousse with some Cherry flavored tobaccos to see where that takes me, man that sounds good.
  • @pwkarch -- Presuming you used a 50/50 mixture, try changing the ratios -- In that you found the BP more assertive, maybe up the CM. 
  • @motie2

    That is exactly what I do as a followup test. Usually the starting point for me is the 50/50 mark (or so). I keep records on my computer so I know where I have been to adjust where I am going next (I am OCD).

    As I said, they are both quality smokes on their own, and my experience in mixing these guys is to pick 2 good smokes and start from there. Nothing lost with the potential for significant gains. AND it is great fun.
  • @pwkarch -- I'm with ya. I'm not OCD, but I'm starting to make lists at age 71. 
  • @motie2 :  The problem with making lists is that at age 70 I can seldom remember where I put them.
  • Guys...maybe with me it is not OCD, but my German heritage and my military experience. I have always been as organized as possible, sometimes to my own detriment. Everything has its' place, and my tobacco "cellar" is something I am sure of which many would snicker. All the jars are in formation, all the labels are done with a "P Touch" printer, the same size and at the same location on the jar. My quart jar "cellared" stash has 12 jars to a box with similar labeling.

    So maybe I need some help, but that does not make me a bad guy.
  • @motie2

    Just a quick note.....I had to run a bank errand, so I took the leftover dry 50/50 combo of BP and CM and added another bit of the CM.....and got a much better flavor profile. I am estimating the components as 1/3 BP and 2/3 CM, or thereabout.....
  • Ah, as I suspected.....
  • @motie2

    Smoked it again later with approx. 75% CM and 25% BP.......even better. Next I will reverse the proportions to see what happens with your BP taking the lead role. I am afraid due to time and situation constraints that will not happen until tomorrow.
  • I expect the CM will have to be the dominant component, but I guess we'll finf out.....
  • Gentlemen

    Just for a 'tobacco tangent" earlier this evening I had a bowl of Lane BS 005. Before I go any further here, I need to declare that in over 50 years of pipe smoking I had NEVER smoked Latakia. I had bought this months ago to perhaps branch out from my "one trick pony" position always smoking Aromatics, some Virginias, or straight Burleys. While restocking my cellar awhile back I bought several tobaccos which I would consider "unusual" for me. I will admit that I have taken my time sneaking up on these tobaccos due to some slight trepidation and perhaps outright fear..

    So, based on my confession I am not here to put down this tobacco, nor propose some rating number since I am not qualified to do so with this type of tobacco. The tobacco taste was an undescribed  "heavy" flavor of smoke, yet the "room" note (on my screen porch?) did not match? I detected a slightly salty flavor throughout the bowl. I did persist with the bowl to give it a chance to make me happy. Normally I would smoke at least 3 or so bowls before I attempt to make a decision. This tobacco only took 1 bowl. While smoking it I was trying to think what other tobaccos when mixed might make me a fan. Besides my Sutliff Vanilla Custard I could not think of others.

    Before I decide if I am going to try this again, I am going to think of some combinations that I can imagine might make me perhaps not a fan, but at least a participant.

    I however will merely say this is not my kind of smoke. Period. I also recognize that some of you love this type of tobacco and I appreciate that. So many of you will be happy to know that there will certainly be more for you as by default I will not deplete the supply.

    That is what is so great about our hobby, there are so many types of tobacco from which to choose, and so many flavors to make us ALL happy.
  • Gentlemen

    In honor of one of our "Masters', Motie2, I pulled a tin of Sutliff Barbados plantation out of my 'cellar" earlier this afternoon. This tin had been opened originally April 17 of this year. This was only the second time this has been opened and subsequently smoked. This is Moties' favorite (and currently ONLY?) blend, and I can say for very good reason.

    I smoked this in a "no name" briar that I think is just over 35 years old or so. This pipe has been smoked a lot over the years producing great smokes, so good in fact that some months ago I fashioned a replacement stem out of a MM CC replacement stem, not beautiful but definitely functional. I filled the bowl after allowing the tobacco to air out in my tobacco bowl for a bit, then loaded the pipe and let it sit for over an hour. The tobacco was unbelievably fragrant and still rather moist which I find to be a Sutliff characteristic to a lot of their tinned blends. Prior to going out to smoke, I "dry" smoked the pipe while I finished some computer work. Even the taste of the unburned bowl was extremely tasty.

    Out to the screen porch to sit with several of our cats, I lit the pipe and began a very pleasant hour plus. Upon the initial light the smoke was amazingly thick and almost "chewy". The initial draws were very tasty with a very strong dark rum kind of flavor and aroma as I was able to discern being "outside". The bowl remained cool to the touch as I continued to enjoy this blend / pipe combination. The first half of the bowl alternated between strong flavors of dark rum and a very tasty vanilla component. At times I thought I could detect an Egg Nog taste. I was also picking up a slight salty note which I like. The first half of the bowl had to be relit several times which is unusual for me but I think that just speaks to the moisture in the tobacco. The tobacco however did not snap and pop as you might expect.

    The second half was absolutely the best part. The tobacco settled down and went to near the bottom with no more relights required. Here is where the dark rum and vanilla merged in my opinion, and merged well. It tasted like vanilla ice cream with a rum topping? Almost like a rum raisin kind of flavor, or a rum custard. The smoke became slightly thinner in composition but the flavors ramped up significantly. To come to the end of that bowl was disappointing, but good things don't last forever. Upon self extinguishing, the top 3/4 or so of the bowl came out as fine white ash. There was however a lump of dottle that had to be removed with my pipe tool. Again, I blame that on the time frame between taking the tobacco out of the jar and smoking it just a short time later.

    The tobacco in the tin is very damp, much like its' sister (or brother?) blend Molto Dolce. This is however both good and "semi bad" as I think this (and Molto Dolce) are outstanding due to their unusually high moisture content. We have to learn to manage that issue. This tobacco also needs to be pampered, slow and steady wins this race. That is probably the most important thing we as 'codgers" can impart to our younger "strikers", be patient and be gentle. 

    I looked back at my initial comments in April, and based on what I had noted this tobacco did well with 6 months of resting.This is a GREAT tobacco that produces GREAT smokes, and is definately in my rotation from now on.
     
    And just for giggles, I am going to try a mixture of this with Sutliff Vanilla Custard when I get a chance.

  • @pwkarch -- Thanks for such a detailed review; it's always nice to have one's impressions confirmed by someone whose opinion I value.....
  • @motie2

    Well thank you so very much, and right back at you.
  • motie2motie2 Master
    edited October 2017
    It suddenly occurred to me that something I might try is adding BP to Mrs. Hudson's....... or vice versa.....  or substituting BP for one of the components in Mrs. Hudson's..... Hmmmmmmmm.....
  • I must agree that  Molto Dolce is a great aromatic.  It has great flavor and a great room note but it is very wet out of the can.  I opened a can in June to try.  Had purchased it about a year ago but never opened it.  To dry some tobacco out enough to smoke, I placed some on a leather tray to air dry and for me, it took about two weeks.  Still, it was not dry enough as compared to other tobaccos.  Overall, this a great  tobacco, just very moist with a long drying time.    
  • I've smoked MD wet out of the can: it sizzles and pops but smokes OK.

    A sister Sutliff tinned blend, Barbados Plantation, has been found wet on occasion, but not so much as the MD.
  • Gentlemen

    Earlier today I had some woodworking chores to accomplish. Normally I would do this in my basement workshop, but due to the size of this furniture piece and the fact that it was in my garage, and reinforced by the fact that I can smoke my pipe out there, it was worth every one of the ten thousand trips back and forth to the house to get yet another something I forgot that I needed.

    I had, in anticipation of this adventure earlier mixed some Sutliff Chocolate Mousse and some Carter Hall (about 50/50 this time) which had been on my mind along with other concoctions I have thought about.

    Let me introduce you to what I think is a 5 star PLUS result. The SCM was a bit dry out of a leather pouch, to which I added about an equal amount of CH which almost always seems to me to be a drier tobacco. I filled my Medico Briar Pipe, grabbed my lighter and out I went. Lighting the bowl was effortless, the initial taste blast was very, very good. This time, being in my garage working, I could detect a room note (or garage note?) that absolutely was a sweet yet dark chocolate bar. The taste was chocolate on steroids, but the taste notes also contained a very dry nuttiness. The smoke lingering around my head was extremely enjoyable. Chocolate and Nuts, what is not to like. The smoke was bluish- white and very thick and almost chewy. After finishing the bowl and thanking the Saints of Tobacco, I very respectfully dumped the pipe to discover a very fine white ash and no dottle whatsoever.

    The first bowl (yeah, I am a pig, or at least an opportunist) lasted nearly an hour, which was an hour that I wanted to enjoy again.That first experiment was SO good, after about an hour rest, yep, I jumped right back into it. The pipe was already cool, and because I had already gone back in the house so many times for tools, wood putty, screws, and what seemed like half my workshop, I refused to go get a different pipe. So I filled my trusty pipe again and went off to the races (not to be confused with my normally slow puffing cadence).

    I am happy to report the second bowl was as equally impressive as the first. The tastes were the same, and the fact that I was now sitting on the tailgate of my pickup truck with a cold glass of water, I was able to study the taste and aroma very carefully without the distraction of work ("WORK" I just had a flashback of Maynard G. Krebbs yelling that word). This really made me happy that the first bowl was apparently not an outlier but perhaps a blending of tobaccos that work really wonderfully together.

    So sitting here as I write this little review, I am somewhere back in the deep recesses of my mind thinking Hazel Nut, Butter Pecan, the possibilities are for other mixtures that would also be very enjoyable with the SCM. Also, I have read several reviews by others who claim Half and Half to have a stronger "nutty" suggestion, which I never quite agreed with but I will try it as well. I truly like the CH tobacco by itself or added to a lot of other blends, and this Chocolate Mousse is knocking my socks off like the Vanilla Custard.

    I would appreciate someone else trying SCM and CH and rendering an opinion.














  • Interesting review of Marlin Flake if you are into Game of Thrones. I tried to post the video but it ain't workin' today.
    https://youtu.be/aVZ4M_wAXGE




  • mfresamfresa Master
    edited October 2017
    @motie2, thank you  my friend. Probably an error on my part.
  • @mfresa -- I've found full URL's slide into place easier than the abbreviated ones
  • @motie2, an astute observation, I will try to remember. :)
  • Just added some reviews to my blog page. 
  • @pwkarch; Followup on Holger Danske Mild Orange. I took my time with it this time, on opening the tin I got a slight Vanilla along with the Orange. the tobacco is tightly packed ,thin, wide, very flaky cut of what looks like mainly Virginia pale tan to light brown pieces with a small amount of dark brown. The feel is almost dry but it still needed a 15 to 30 minute drying. It packs very well with no big chunks blocking the airway.
    Easy lighting with nice billows of smoke, the Orange slowly shows itself in a light sweet smoke and lasts through most of the smoke. Nice and mild with a light Vitamin N. This to me  is one of those tobaccos that gets better as you smoke, the Orange remains just on the edge awareness, I don't think it will last with any addition of other tobaccos to it.
    I think I'll order another tin or two for the cellar for when I'm in the mood for a light Aro that doesn't bite. Over all a good smoke that has mild overtones of Orange that does best in a Meerschaum.
  • @Woodsman

    Thank you my friend....
  • Over at StuffandThings on YouTube, Bradley has begun reviewing Cornell & Diehl "Haunted Bookshop" with a First Smoke/First Impressions video. He cracked a tin on camera and found it bone dry. Made for an somewhat unpleasant smoke. 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB62Mm-4oV8
  • Haunted Bookshop was a blend that had to grow on me. I picked up about 8 ounces from smokingpipes.com during a C&D bulk tobacco sale, along with Old Joe Krantz and Bayou Morning. Of the three, Haunted Bookshop didn't wow me at first. I found that smoking it in a bowl with a medium to large bowl before dinner was a mistake. The nicotine would hit me like a boxer, and I'd have to leave my garage to clear my head, or risk ejecting my lunch.

    I've since learned to smoke it in a smaller bowl, and I like it much more now. It's still not one I'd recommend people try as a new pipe smoker, but it's good.
  • motie2motie2 Master
    edited October 2017
    @thebadgerpiper -- Bradley must have gotten a bad tin. We'll see how the review progresses (He reviews in two steps: initial impressions and detailed). I've found a wide range of freshness? moisture content? in different tins of the same product). For example, I've found tins of Molto Dolce ranging from goopy to moist towelette to goldilocks. That really hinders one's efforts to judge a blend.
  • logo_email
    Pipe Missive: Oct. 20, 2017.
     
    Adventures & Explorations in tobacco land. Most of us are not short of pipes. Yet, so many smokers don’t really venture far from their comfort zones (mea culpa) when it comes to tobacco.  One of the beauties of pipe smoking is that there are an endless variety of tobaccos. Being creatures of habit we tend to stick within the same broad categories we find suit us, understandably so. I am firmly in the English & Oriental camp with just a few rare bowls a year of Flake.
     
    Many of you know that I am a confirmed lover of vintage UK made mixtures, G.  Smith & Sons, London Mixture. John Sinclair’s Punchbowle, Ideal Mixture, etc.  State Express, and McClelland’s & Gawith as my day-to-day smokes. 
     
    Having had lots of vintage and also unknown European ones come in, well I had to try some unknowns.  What I have found is there are lots of undiscovered mixtures that are relatively inexpensive. Rothschild’s only sold at Harrods’s back when, UK made by who, no clear idea, Wellauer’s English Blend, (Swiss), G. Smith & Sons London Mixture, Peter Heinrich’s English Blend, JJ Fox Old Year Mixture, Cholmondley Istanbul Mixture– it was a- dried out tin $ 15.00 100 gms.  – came back perfectly and on from there.
     
    To date almost all the lesser-known tobaccos I have tried have all been worthwhile.  If you are an aromatic smoker there are dozens of blends in Europe that never get across the pond, Flakes, many I have nerve heard off etc.  It is good fun to try something outside ones normal smoking choices. Skip the fake tobaccos, they’re fakes. There may be a good reason that an unbeknownst to us tobacco is highly thought of in Europe. Expand your tobacco horizons try something new.
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