@pwkarch -- If you have tried it, how would you compare Sutliff Barbados Plantation (my one and only) to Sutliff Sunset Rum, in terms of rum flavor? Your comment, "....if you didn't know better you might not know it was a tobacco product," sounds like something I'd go for in a big way. Your comments, " ......Barbados Plantation screams Rum to me when I smoke that," "a slightly less sweet option to blends such as ..... Barbados Plantation," and "tasted light a slice of rum cake, or dare I say a hunk of fruitcake," have me salivating.... Thanks for the review.
And the Cross Eyed Cricket sounds like a bridge between rum aromatics and English blends, also something that I might try.
@motie2 I think the SSR was certainly less on the sweet notes but heavier on the rum notes. The burley in the SSR promoted to me a cake or 'sweetbread" like taste whereas the SBP tastes almost like candy to me. I also get that taste from Molto Dolce. I also recently tried Sutliff Sunset Rum which had a very sweet (and enjoyable) maple syrup flavor. From my "taste memory" my guess is the Molto Dolce is significantly sweeter (but very good), the SBP is excellent with a very balanced dark rum and sweet flavor, and the SSR is the leader of the rum note contest with the sweetness trailing. I do have to admit that these are ALL very delicious smokes and in my opinion are in the same league. Perhaps an interesting marriage might be your SBP with a bit of SSR to boost the rum issue.
Please let me know how you like those other blends. As we know, all of our taste notes are just opinions and they tend to vary with each of us. And DO try the Cross Eyed Cricket, it really surprised me and I will get more for sure in the near future.
@pwkarch -- The vibes I feel coming off your review of the Cross Eyed Cricket reminded me of the impressions left by one of our members who reviewed the Carey Revolution Tabac, which presents as an English/Aromatic hybrid.
<<Revolution Tabac is a blend of our two best light aromatics and Latakia. It will have the taste of a light English blend when the strands of Latakia ignite and then go back to a light aromatic blend after the Latakia has burned.>> ~ eacarey.com
@motie2 Sounds like he was saying you had to wait for the Latakia to burn off before you could enjoy the smoke?
I have to say I have NEVER been a fan of Latakia or of Perique. They always reminded me of burning leaves as a kid, or of a campfire (particularly Perique). Now neither of those comparisons represent anything but fond memories, but I will be damned if I want leaf or firewood smoke in my mouth. The Cross Eyed Cricket taught me a lesson. I should NOT run screaming like a little girl at just the mention of these two tobacco varieties. Obviously the amount of either tobacco in a blend is what will determine the resultant opinion of the experience. In other words a lighter portion of the Latakia and Perique (in this blend) certainly added to a positive experience.
I wish that the blenders listed the quantities of the various tobaccos that would allow the smokers to make purchasing decisions based on the percentages of components. I do however realize this would open the competition to more closely replicating popular blends.
So my horizons may have been broadened by the CEC which is a good thing. I do have several tobacco blends (with Perique and Latakia) in tins and a couple jarred that I might have to give the "sniff test" to see how they compare to a comparable "sniff test" on the CEC. This might just provide significant bravado to me to take the plunge. I already know of several I have tried that just do not do it for me and will probably wither to dust in my "cellar" or become a gift to someone.
So, @pwkarch, you might like Carey Revolution Tabac.
In my first pipe life, 1964 to mid 1980's, I was a big fan of both English/Oriental/Latakia blends and VaPers, and especially Balkan Sobranie and Escudo. Today, not so much. Also SWMBO would have a fit, even though I am only allowed to smoke outside.
In ALL my years of piping, I have always smoked straight burley or aromatics. While in the military I smoked Pall Mall non filtered cigarettes. Now to totally confuse the issue, ALL of my cigars are very dark maduros which I love. Perhaps it proves "variety is the spice of life".
@Motie@ Actually the blend is really very good. I've never considered it something of a novelty blend for the Autumn, it's a great all year smoke. If you enjoy flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, Graham crackers and of course pumpkin it should please you. A nice alternative to vanilla based aromatics. I don't consider Maple Walnut or Rum & Maple a seasonal blend simply because Maple syrup season comes sometime in late winter or early spring - nor should anyone think pumpkin spice is only for October and November. I think the problem is it's this time of year there is an over-saturation of products that seem to be flavored with pumpkin spice ... coffee, tea, and yes Kahlua. But when I originally bought several ounces of Sutliff Pumpkin Spice it was around the same time I began building my cellar, loading up on Custard Vanilla, Chocolate Mousse, Crème Brulee, Coffee, Frosty Mint, Amaretto, Coconut Almond, and the two previously mentioned Maple blends. I was just looking for a variety of flavors and Pumpkin Spice seemed to be one of them. Then about two years ago when I discovered the YouTube Pipe Community and kept hearing everyone talking about Straus "Sleepy Hollow" and wasn't able to get a sample, I turned to "Pumpkin Spice" since the description of the two seemed the same. Then I too found myself saving it for Autumn. But it's really something that can be enjoyed year round. After getting reacquainted with it this October I'm going to make sure it's part of my regular rotation.
I know, I know. I'm being a jerk about "Pumpkin Spice."
However, I'd be careful about admitting, "I turned to "Pumpkin Spice....." Co-workers called Howard Wolowitz, "Fruit Loops." You don't want folks calling you, "Pumpkin Spice." When I worked a teen drop-in center, four days a week, back in the day, the clients called me, "Dildo." Of course, they peed in my co-worker's Mountain Dew, while mine remained refreshing.
In my attempt to test all of my "Rum" blends I just had a bowl of the Sutliff Butter Rum. This was smoked in a nice little Barracini Briar pipe. I filled the bowl in the normal fashion, and took a prelight draw which had a nice sweet rum note. I smoked this on my screen porch listening to the birds singing apparently celebrating a very nice fall morning.
The initial light provided a very dense smoke and a tease of what was to be expected in flavor. There was a very heavy 'sort of rum" taste as I got started.
However, the distinct rum notes left the scene, and a very shallow rum note "suggestion" took over. Not out front at all, with what I think was the tobacco note out in front. The first half or so of the bowl was very hot and began to bite which I very seldom get as I am a slow smoker. There was also a very short burst of a salted butter component which quickly went away. I actually thought about abandoning the mission, but I stuck it out.
The second half or so of the bowl mellowed slightly with just a bit of the rum "suggestion" made a reentry in the taste. At one point during the second half I was surprised when I got a sense of the old Butter Rum Lifesaver flavor for a second or so.....very pleasant but very fleeting. I kept trying to search for that taste but to no avail. All in all, this is a very one dimensional, monotone tobacco that does not live up to its' implied flavor.
The second half started to settle down slightly, but never really mellowed out as most tobaccos will. I detected some "gurgling" which could have been, in fairness, from the mid fifties temperature.
Upon the tobacco self extinguishing I found a rather large gob of "dottle", and when that popped out a very wet bowl bottom. Ironically the pipe remained cool to the touch for the entire smoke.
So this is now not one of my favorites, no where near as good as the Sutliff Sunset Rum, and probably will never be on my "to buy" list, whereas the Sunset Rum certainly is. I have maybe 2 ounces or so left of the Buttered Rum which may need to eliminate its' individualism in favor of joining another blend for a future experiment.
As it turns out, while searching my cellar earlier today to find this blend, I came across several ounces of Lane Buttered Rum which I had forgotten. I will try this another day hoping for a better outcome.
@motie2 Halloween's over, Thanksgiving will be soon over. If we're patient it will be gone. Dunkin Donuts has stopped using Orange colored powdered sugar on the Jelly Sticks, and Lattes will probably be Candy Cane soon.
@mfresa -- Well. I just ordered a couple of ounces of Sutliff Sunset Rum. I expect to come up with some way to blind taste-test the SR and the BP and a 50/50 mix.
In my recent spat of reviews of Rum Tobacco for my friend Motie, today I took my jar of this tobacco out to finally check it out. I smoked it in a Kaywoodie "pot" that always pleases me, an 'estate pipe" that I picked up earlier this year at a local antique venue and worked on it to add to my "stash"..
I filled my pipe in the usual manner and I was delighted by the aroma from the jar that had been resting for about 6 months or so. The tobacco seemed almost perfect from the jar relative to moisture. The tobacco filled the pipe with just a little rebound when compressed. The tobacco is listed as Burley and Virginia. The implied flavor is of Butter and Rum which is apparent in the pre lit tobacco. The pre lit tobacco when "cold drawn" in the pipe had a very pleasant taste indeed. I could definately taste the Rum, and it had a very nice "Buttery" taste which reminded me of a salted butter at dinner.
The light took very well and I started to immediately enjoy the experience. Only several minutes into the smoke, the Butter went away and the Rum began to diminish. After the first fourth or third of the bowl, I just got smoke and some "tongue bite".....so I slowed even more than my usual slow cadence on the draws. I could barely detect the advertised flavors which I was pumped about from my initial discovery in the P&C catalog, reinforced the first time I detected the tobacco aroma when I initially jarred it.
The smoke from that point until maybe the last third or fourth of the bowl was somewhat disappointing, not horrible, but not wowing me at all. I wanted that Buttery Rum experience like I expected. I did get a little gurgling and popping sounds when I neared the bottom of the bowl. I very seldom have moisture issues when I smoke.
The final quarter or so of the bowl saw a resurgence of flavors. First the Rum returned followed closely by the Buttery notes. The last quarter did provide me with a nice flavorful taste, although somewhat muted. The "truck note" was not remarkable at all, but that opinion is sometimes meaningless being in my pick up truck with the windows down as I was about to pickup Grandkids from school.
Upon completion of the smoke and dumping of the pipe, the top three fourths or so was a totally burned grayish/ white ash. There was however a "plug" of dottle in the basement which I tried to smoke but due to the moisture would not take. At that point I was chuckling to myself remembering a "thread" on our site awhile back polling to see if anyone smokes the dottle. Well I tried.
So I don't think based on just this one bowl I would not totally give up on this blend. It is just that recently I smoked and commented on a couple of Rum Blends that delivered what I thought were better smokes. I really liked the Sutliff Sunset Rum which I think set the bar rather high. I have several ounces left of the Buttered Rum that I will certainly smoke again. So in conclusion this is not my favorite (and I wanted it to be because of the butter promise), but I have certainly smoked much, much worse in my days. Maybe a little more rest in the jar, or some additional drying time in the plate prior to filling the pipe will obviate the moisture issue and possibly provide a taste closer to the advertised description. I REALLY do want to like it.
@pwkarch, my friend, I thank you for your rum blend reviews. I've ordered the Sunset Rum on your recommendation, and well see how it stacks up against my beloved Barbados Plantation. Who knows? They might compliment each other, if the SR is as good as you've reported.... I really look forward to receiving it; email says it has shipped.
BTW, I bought it from Smokingpipes.com because it was backordered at P&C; something that's happening a little too often..... and then they don't notify you when it does come in.....
I don't think you will ever change your first love, SBP. I am just having fun finally trying all these blends I have been collecting, and as a diversion as well as respect for you, I have as of this afternoon tried ALL my rum blends save the East India Trading Company (Hansotia) Officers Club which has VERY high reviews. It is touted as "the richest rum custard desert" and "as delightful as the best rum custard you could get in NOLA with Raisins". Sounds like something I will finally have to crack the tin and try. I just hope this was not written by a merchant but a true piper. Time to go to sleep, good night.
@pwkarch -- Another "De gustibus...." situation. I tried Officer's Club on the recommendation of @ghostsofpompeii, who really knows his stuff, especially regarding aromatics. It was not for me; I got a lot of tobacco taste and very little rum.... certainly not rum custard. I sent the balance of the tin on to Ghost. It doesn't mean Ghost was wrong; it just means "De gustibus...." ya know?
@pwkarch -- I've got my own "cellar," actually one shelf in a bookcase in the dining room, where I keep all my pipe stuff. I have three unopened tins of Barbados Plantation, and one rubber gasketed jar with about three ounces of same. SWMBO still asks why I need so much. I tell her there's a storm coming and a lot of blends might be going away, and I don't want to be without. "Yeah, but three cans?" Anyways, as I've mention, because I'm old and repeat myself a lot, I order from Smokingpipes.com when P&C is backordered, and all three tins cam efrom Smokingpipes.com, while the jar contents are from P&C. When I went to order your recommended Sunset Rum I ordered from Smokingpipes.com because..... P&C was backordered. But, and as I've mentioned before, I like the reviews at P&C; only Tobaccoreviews.com has better ones.
But thanks for thinking of me and giving me (and all of us) the heads up. Folks, Sutliff tinned blends are great. Take advantage of the sale!!!!!
I didn't mind the sticky wetness of Molto Dolce fresh from the tin, but when I tired of the snap/crackle/pop effects it engendered, I brought it from "moist towelette" to "goldilocks," by putting the remainder of the tin on a paper towel covered dinner plate and giving it ten seconds in the microwave. It sounds insane, but it works.
It is the wettest tobacco that I have EVER had.......but ironically smokes great with maybe 30 minutes aired out on the plate, and only then with great attention paid to the smoking cadence. It is also one of the sweetest tobaccos I have ever smoked.
@pwkarch - - I agree with you but for me, I had to let mine dry out for three weeks before it was smoke-able for me. I was just way too wet and goopy, and very sweet. Not something I would purchase anytime soon.
Comments
And the Cross Eyed Cricket sounds like a bridge between rum aromatics and English blends, also something that I might try.
I think the SSR was certainly less on the sweet notes but heavier on the rum notes. The burley in the SSR promoted to me a cake or 'sweetbread" like taste whereas the SBP tastes almost like candy to me. I also get that taste from Molto Dolce. I also recently tried Sutliff Sunset Rum which had a very sweet (and enjoyable) maple syrup flavor. From my "taste memory" my guess is the Molto Dolce is significantly sweeter (but very good), the SBP is excellent with a very balanced dark rum and sweet flavor, and the SSR is the leader of the rum note contest with the sweetness trailing. I do have to admit that these are ALL very delicious smokes and in my opinion are in the same league. Perhaps an interesting marriage might be your SBP with a bit of SSR to boost the rum issue.
Please let me know how you like those other blends. As we know, all of our taste notes are just opinions and they tend to vary with each of us. And DO try the Cross Eyed Cricket, it really surprised me and I will get more for sure in the near future.
<<Revolution Tabac is a blend of our two best light aromatics and Latakia. It will have the taste of a light English blend when the strands of Latakia ignite and then go back to a light aromatic blend after the Latakia has burned.>> ~ eacarey.com
Sounds like he was saying you had to wait for the Latakia to burn off before you could enjoy the smoke?
I have to say I have NEVER been a fan of Latakia or of Perique. They always reminded me of burning leaves as a kid, or of a campfire (particularly Perique). Now neither of those comparisons represent anything but fond memories, but I will be damned if I want leaf or firewood smoke in my mouth. The Cross Eyed Cricket taught me a lesson. I should NOT run screaming like a little girl at just the mention of these two tobacco varieties. Obviously the amount of either tobacco in a blend is what will determine the resultant opinion of the experience. In other words a lighter portion of the Latakia and Perique (in this blend) certainly added to a positive experience.
I wish that the blenders listed the quantities of the various tobaccos that would allow the smokers to make purchasing decisions based on the percentages of components. I do however realize this would open the competition to more closely replicating popular blends.
So my horizons may have been broadened by the CEC which is a good thing. I do have several tobacco blends (with Perique and Latakia) in tins and a couple jarred that I might have to give the "sniff test" to see how they compare to a comparable "sniff test" on the CEC. This might just provide significant bravado to me to take the plunge. I already know of several I have tried that just do not do it for me and will probably wither to dust in my "cellar" or become a gift to someone.
In my first pipe life, 1964 to mid 1980's, I was a big fan of both English/Oriental/Latakia blends and VaPers, and especially Balkan Sobranie and Escudo.
Today, not so much. Also SWMBO would have a fit, even though I am only allowed to smoke outside.
In ALL my years of piping, I have always smoked straight burley or aromatics. While in the military I smoked Pall Mall non filtered cigarettes. Now to totally confuse the issue, ALL of my cigars are very dark maduros which I love. Perhaps it proves "variety is the spice of life".
However, I'd be careful about admitting, "I turned to "Pumpkin Spice....."
Co-workers called Howard Wolowitz, "Fruit Loops."
You don't want folks calling you, "Pumpkin Spice."
When I worked a teen drop-in center, four days a week, back in the day, the clients called me, "Dildo."
Of course, they peed in my co-worker's Mountain Dew, while mine remained refreshing.
BTW, love the accent grave on Crème Brulee.
In my attempt to test all of my "Rum" blends I just had a bowl of the Sutliff Butter Rum. This was smoked in a nice little Barracini Briar pipe. I filled the bowl in the normal fashion, and took a prelight draw which had a nice sweet rum note. I smoked this on my screen porch listening to the birds singing apparently celebrating a very nice fall morning.
The initial light provided a very dense smoke and a tease of what was to be expected in flavor. There was a very heavy 'sort of rum" taste as I got started.
However, the distinct rum notes left the scene, and a very shallow rum note "suggestion" took over. Not out front at all, with what I think was the tobacco note out in front. The first half or so of the bowl was very hot and began to bite which I very seldom get as I am a slow smoker. There was also a very short burst of a salted butter component which quickly went away. I actually thought about abandoning the mission, but I stuck it out.
The second half or so of the bowl mellowed slightly with just a bit of the rum "suggestion" made a reentry in the taste. At one point during the second half I was surprised when I got a sense of the old Butter Rum Lifesaver flavor for a second or so.....very pleasant but very fleeting. I kept trying to search for that taste but to no avail. All in all, this is a very one dimensional, monotone tobacco that does not live up to its' implied flavor.
The second half started to settle down slightly, but never really mellowed out as most tobaccos will. I detected some "gurgling" which could have been, in fairness, from the mid fifties temperature.
Upon the tobacco self extinguishing I found a rather large gob of "dottle", and when that popped out a very wet bowl bottom. Ironically the pipe remained cool to the touch for the entire smoke.
So this is now not one of my favorites, no where near as good as the Sutliff Sunset Rum, and probably will never be on my "to buy" list, whereas the Sunset Rum certainly is. I have maybe 2 ounces or so left of the Buttered Rum which may need to eliminate its' individualism in favor of joining another blend for a future experiment.
As it turns out, while searching my cellar earlier today to find this blend, I came across several ounces of Lane Buttered Rum which I had forgotten. I will try this another day hoping for a better outcome.
So far, I'm almost sold on the Cross Eyed Cricket, and I am ready to order the Sunset Rum.
Thanks, again, amigo.
Go for it......
In my recent spat of reviews of Rum Tobacco for my friend Motie, today I took my jar of this tobacco out to finally check it out. I smoked it in a Kaywoodie "pot" that always pleases me, an 'estate pipe" that I picked up earlier this year at a local antique venue and worked on it to add to my "stash"..
I filled my pipe in the usual manner and I was delighted by the aroma from the jar that had been resting for about 6 months or so. The tobacco seemed almost perfect from the jar relative to moisture. The tobacco filled the pipe with just a little rebound when compressed. The tobacco is listed as Burley and Virginia. The implied flavor is of Butter and Rum which is apparent in the pre lit tobacco. The pre lit tobacco when "cold drawn" in the pipe had a very pleasant taste indeed. I could definately taste the Rum, and it had a very nice "Buttery" taste which reminded me of a salted butter at dinner.
The light took very well and I started to immediately enjoy the experience. Only several minutes into the smoke, the Butter went away and the Rum began to diminish. After the first fourth or third of the bowl, I just got smoke and some "tongue bite".....so I slowed even more than my usual slow cadence on the draws. I could barely detect the advertised flavors which I was pumped about from my initial discovery in the P&C catalog, reinforced the first time I detected the tobacco aroma when I initially jarred it.
The smoke from that point until maybe the last third or fourth of the bowl was somewhat disappointing, not horrible, but not wowing me at all. I wanted that Buttery Rum experience like I expected. I did get a little gurgling and popping sounds when I neared the bottom of the bowl. I very seldom have moisture issues when I smoke.
The final quarter or so of the bowl saw a resurgence of flavors. First the Rum returned followed closely by the Buttery notes. The last quarter did provide me with a nice flavorful taste, although somewhat muted. The "truck note" was not remarkable at all, but that opinion is sometimes meaningless being in my pick up truck with the windows down as I was about to pickup Grandkids from school.
Upon completion of the smoke and dumping of the pipe, the top three fourths or so was a totally burned grayish/ white ash. There was however a "plug" of dottle in the basement which I tried to smoke but due to the moisture would not take. At that point I was chuckling to myself remembering a "thread" on our site awhile back polling to see if anyone smokes the dottle. Well I tried.
So I don't think based on just this one bowl I would not totally give up on this blend. It is just that recently I smoked and commented on a couple of Rum Blends that delivered what I thought were better smokes. I really liked the Sutliff Sunset Rum which I think set the bar rather high. I have several ounces left of the Buttered Rum that I will certainly smoke again. So in conclusion this is not my favorite (and I wanted it to be because of the butter promise), but I have certainly smoked much, much worse in my days. Maybe a little more rest in the jar, or some additional drying time in the plate prior to filling the pipe will obviate the moisture issue and possibly provide a taste closer to the advertised description. I REALLY do want to like it.
BTW, I bought it from Smokingpipes.com because it was backordered at P&C; something that's happening a little too often..... and then they don't notify you when it does come in.....
I don't think you will ever change your first love, SBP. I am just having fun finally trying all these blends I have been collecting, and as a diversion as well as respect for you, I have as of this afternoon tried ALL my rum blends save the East India Trading Company (Hansotia) Officers Club which has VERY high reviews. It is touted as "the richest rum custard desert" and "as delightful as the best rum custard you could get in NOLA with Raisins". Sounds like something I will finally have to crack the tin and try. I just hope this was not written by a merchant but a true piper. Time to go to sleep, good night.
I just got a message from Smoking Pipes, Sutliff "tinned" tobaccos on sale........and they show Barbados Plantation, thought you should knew
But thanks for thinking of me and giving me (and all of us) the heads up. Folks, Sutliff tinned blends are great. Take advantage of the sale!!!!!
It is the wettest tobacco that I have EVER had.......but ironically smokes great with maybe 30 minutes aired out on the plate, and only then with great attention paid to the smoking cadence. It is also one of the sweetest tobaccos I have ever smoked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVS03su_XD8
https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/top-best-selling-english-blends
http://pappyjoesblog.com/new-blend-holidays/