Summer of 2016 Blind Review Thread

[Tobias Lutz]

Here's where you put them, gentlemen. Have fun; a MASSIVE prize package awaits one lucky reviewer

[droy1958]

Here's my review....wahhhhhhh. Did I win? 😁

[cpmcdill]

Blend: #17
Pipe: Grabow Golden Duke rusticated pot
Packing method: Codger stuff
Appearance: Ribbon cut that seems like it was chopped down a little smaller. A small amount of yellow, some dark, and mostly medium brown tobacco.
Pouch Note: Smells sweet, and has some kind of topping though my nose cannot make out what it is. Seems very familiar though, like something I've had before. I'm guessing a mild cherry with maybe something else in the mix.

This blend is moist, so I set some out to dry a little before lighting up.

With a bit of drying, it lights up easily, on the first flame. The smoke is sweet and pleasant. The tobacco, which I'm guessing is burley and Virginia, is mildly pleasant. The aromatic topping does not come through in the smoke, except as that sweetness I mentioned.

By about halfway, it's gone out a couple times, but mostly because I either slowed down my cadence too much, or set the pipe down to type. I'm starting to get a bit of crackle in the pipe due to moisture. This pipe resists gurgling though, so I probably won't need to run a pipe cleaner through.

In the last quarter, the sweetness has tapered off, but I am getting a bit of a cherry aftertaste in my mouth. In the end it burned down to ash with a small amount of dottle.

As an aromatic, I thought this was pretty good. My wife enjoyed the room note and the pouch note. She likes an occasional pipe herself, so she might try this next.

[cpmcdill]

Blend: #16
Pipe: Comoy's bent bulldog
Packing method: Codger stuff/air pocket
Appearance: Ribbon cut with a lot of finer particles. Looks to be an equal mix of yellow, medium brown and dark brown/black tobacco.
Pouch Note: I get the impression of an English blend, with a note of Latakia.

Just right degree of dryness, took a light easily, and made a good first impression. A light-medium English blend, not a Lat-bomb. I've never been a good one to judge nic-strength of pipe tobaccos, as I also sometimes smoke strong cigars and use snuff tobacco made from Rustica. But I'd say this had a fair nic-hit.

This stayed lit from the get-go, until I set it down to write the first paragraph. The general feeling at the halfway point is that this is a good quality English blend, easy on the Lat and perhaps comparable to Squadron Leader. The pipe I chose to smoke this in plays well with English blends, so the experience has been good thus far.

Relit and smoked it down to the bottom. No big changes to the flavor. Usual ash with some dottle. Conclusion: I like this enough to enjoy finishing off the rest of the baggie. If it grows on me, I may get more once I know what it is.

[Branzig]

Mystery Tobacco 7

Pipes: All cobs, mainly spooled Great Danes.

Tin Note: Light aromatic. Little bit of spice, vanilla, and molasses. Tiny bit of Virginia hay notes.

Tobacco is a light and dark mix of cut up ribbon pieces. The Virginia is visible in the mixture and perhaps some burley. Probably some cavendish. I let the tobacco sit out in the sun for about 5 minutes each time before smoking. The tobacco smoked all the way down to the bottom of the bowl no problem, and only needed a relight if I quit smoking for one reason or another. No aromatic goop, which is a plus.

From the initial light, I was able to pick up tiny bits of caramel and vanilla flavors. Very easy on the tongue, no bite whatsoever. The mouthfeel is light and wispy. Getting into the second half of the bowl, I finally am able to pick out some "tobacco" flavors other than bland, white burley. Virginia pokes its head in and out from time to time now. Still easy on the mouth. The last 3rd of the bowl was much of the same. Little hints of vanilla/molasses here and there. Tiny bit of caramel. Little bit of earthy sweet Virginia. No real nuttiness from the burleys. Overall, a straight forward and sweet aromatic.

I would describe this one as a "mindless" all day smoke for those who like aros. I don't use the term mindless as an insult. I am using it to describe complexity of the blend, because there is none. It's something you can smoke without having to think about it. It is a very straight forward, easy smoking, sweet aromatic. It doesn't bite, even if you try to steam train puff it, and it burns down very easily with no maintenance to the bottom of the bowl.

My only complaint was that it was too light for me in every aspect. Not enough nicotine, not enough flavor from the aro, not enough tobacco flavor. Not enough of anything really. I was able to make it a little more interesting though, by smoking it in one of my Lakeland snot infected pipes Instantly more interesting with a geranium and lavender topping on it

[cpmcdill]

Blend: #18
Pipe: Comoy's bent bulldog
Packing method: Codger stuff
Appearance: Ribbon cut. Dark yellow and brown with a lot of black tobacco.
Pouch Note: Smells like an English blend. Latakia is present, but not overwhelming.
Lighting method (why didn't I think of this before?): standard Zippo

At first light this blend seemed a bit unbalanced, but as it settled in, everything pulled together, and I got the sense of a pretty decent English blend. All of the component tobaccos found their place, and the smoking experience became rather pleasant. I was smoking this as I was reading something, and my cadence must have been just right, as I was surprised that I was nearing the end. I set it down with about 25% left.

After typing up that first paragraph, I relit for the final stretch. A very slight note of sweetness is present, as well as a balancing astringent note. The smokiness of the Latakia doesn't dominate, but is always present, like a chatty backseat passenger who keeps you awake during night drives. Present enough that it's a bit hard to tell if there's Burley or Oriental in the blend, though I do suspect that there may not be Perique, unless it's in very negligible amounts.

Right near the end of the bowl I had trouble keeping it lit. Probably a combination of moisture and accumulated ash. So I scraped out the rest and swabbed the pipe. I thought this was a decent English blend. Not quite as good as #16, but good enough to finish off this baggie at least. The initial sense of unbalance, though it subsided, might still have been there just beneath the surface, though not enough to turn me off to this particular mixture.

[cpmcdill]

@Branzig - What's the beer? I'm guessing from the glimpse of the label a nice hoppy brew? My most recent smoke was accompanied by a local beer from Flying Dog Brewery called "Raging Bitch" (8.3 ABV)...
Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA - Flying Dog BreweryFlying Dog Brewery

And yes, their labels are illustrated by the immortal Ralph Steadman. Amazing beers. Their "Double Dog" is as rich as a Porter but is a super hopped-up IPA with an 11.5 ABV. Brutal and brilliant.

[Branzig]

@Branzig - What's the beer? I'm guessing from the glimpse of the label a nice hoppy brew? My most recent smoke was accompanied by a local beer from Flying Dog Brewery called "Raging Bitch" (8.3 ABV)...
Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA - Flying Dog BreweryFlying Dog Brewery

And yes, their labels are illustrated by the immortal Ralph Steadman. Amazing beers. Their "Double Dog" is as rich as a Porter but is a super hopped-up IPA with an 11.5 ABV. Brutal and brilliant.

It is a hoppy delight indeed, but lacking in the ABV as it is a session brew.

Ninkasi Easy Way IPA

If you haven't drank much from Ninkasi, you're missing out. They make some fine brews. Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops, and Dawn Of The Red are all great.

I've never drank your brew there. Looks tasty though! I may have to see if I can pick some up. Since I have Ralph Steadman art tattooed on part of my body, that is a pretty strong selling point as well

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[c.ortiz108]

Mystery Sutliff Blend #13

So, I’ve done a fair few cigar reviews but only one tobacco review – and that was just having fun at the expense of the vile and dreaded Mixture No. 79. So your mileage may really vary from this review. Unlike @Branzig who sensibly gives a blend 3 bowls before reviewing, I’m going to insensibly dive right in with my totally first-impression review.

I’m pairing this with a slightly sweet iced coffee with cream, and smoking in a rusticated Parker apple dedicated to Black Cavendish aros.

Out of the bag it’s very sticky, and very fruity- vanilla smelling. Reminds me of a liqueur or brandy – some kind of sweet alcohol. Appearance is mostly black with some brown ribbon-cut. So wet and goopy there’s a residue inside the bag.

It lights and smokes easily, even though I only left it out a few minutes. It's very soft and fruity smoking, with a little creaminess. I’m thinking stewed fruits like plum or apricot. The topping is so heavy I feel like it’s permanently lodged in my nostrils and I can still smell it on my fingers from packing. A true gooper. The room note is also very sweet and not really tobacco-like at all. I can even taste the sweetness on my tongue, and it kind of reminds me of shisha tobacco which is not necessarily a bad thing.

There's an occasional little zing, like tartness from fruit. This is seriously fruity stuff. There’s some other flavor I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s supposed to be some kind of berry. Is Sutliff the ones who do the mango-raspberry blend? The tartness is gone 1/3 down the bowl and it’s now just sweet and kind of marshmallowy. The vanilla is still there, too. It’s not an unpleasant smoke, but it doesn’t taste very natural either. Kind of reminds me of the junky, colorful candy I’d get in the 7-11 when I was kid. Like Bottle Caps. No, wait! It’s Necco wafers! Is it possible that Sutliff made a Necco Wafer blend?

Attachment 5776

Halfway there and I’m getting a little soapiness – more Mixture 79 than Lakeland. I’m guessing the tobacco itself is mostly Black Cavendish + a bit of burley, and a lot of burley-based aros tastes a little soapy to me.

Thinking of this blend in terms of shisha tobacco helps me to enjoy it a little more – imagining being at some outdoor Egyptian or Moroccan shisha bar late at night under the stars with warped Middle Eastern pop playing on an old cassette tape.

Shisha-cafe.jpg

Thinking about it in terms of Necco Wafers kind of diminishes my enjoyment.

It gets a little gurgly towards the end. Very low nicotine.

Bottom line: I recommend this if you like smooth, sweet, fruity, marshmallowy blends with not a lot of tobacco flavor or strength. It leaves a relatively clean palate so my wife won't be repulsed by me for very long. It’s inoffensive, but a little boring. I can’t really imagine ever craving it in particular, or choosing it over other aros I like much better.

I have zero confidence in my ability to identify flavors in pipe tobacco, so this might end up being pretty amusing when the identity is revealed…..

Thanks @Tobias Lutz for the opportunity to try this, and for getting me back to reviewing!

[Tobias Lutz]

Alright guys...sorry I have been absent for a couple days. I bought a new laptop and have spent my free time since Friday configuring everything before I "broke it in". I'll respond to everyone's reviews with a quote and blend description from the manufacturer.