Five Blend Macro Review

[brownbilliard]

Greetings fellow pipe smokers. It has been a very long time since I have posted on this site. Considering that I've been breaking in new several new blends, I thought I would come on and do a brief write up about my experiences. Lets begin:
1) Sutliff Private Stock - Molto Dolce
Here is my favorite description of this blend, brought to you by Cosmicfolklore on Tobacco Reviews:
"This is like grabbing up a sorority girl up off the beach in her bikini and stuffing it into my pipe. With strong aromas of suntan lotions, coconut, coco, and vanillas with honey,I can actually taste the drunken sun burnt skin as the smoke progresses."
To me, this stuff is Captain Black Gold on steroids: super sweet with strong notes of honey, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla and perhaps a touch or rum or brandy. It's so heavily cased that it sizzles and crackles in the pipe. This causes a very uneven burn, which is probably my least favorite thing about this blend. All in all its a good aromatic (especially in the morning with hot black coffee) but I won't be buying it again.
2) Frog Morton's Cellar
I love this stuff. I especially like how they throw a chunk of charred whiskey barrel into the tin for extra flavor. I've only smoked this one and the original frog so I still need to try the rest (over the pond, on the town, etc). From what I remember, this blend has a fuller body and sweeter, more complex flavor then the original. I really love the earthy,spicy flavor of the jet-black latakia. It also burns all the way down to a white ash with just one light.
3) 3 Oaks Syrian
Whoa... This is a delicious, yet aggressive, no BS English blend. The flavor is very heady and complex. On top of that, it carries a very generous nic kick. I just smoked a 1/4 bowl moments ago to refresh my memory for this review. Needless to say I feel great. Very relaxed and at ease :D
4) Dunhill Flake
I was surprised to see this blend achieve the coveted 4 star rating on Tobacco Reviews. I really don't have anything to say about it except it is a really good, REALLY PLAIN Virginia. I'm not a big "plain Jane" Virginia fan, but I do love Sam Gawith's FVF in comparison. I miss all those great citrus and hay flavors I get from FVF when I smoke this. To me, this blend reminds me of a baguette - no matter how good it is or how well its made, its simply white bread in the end.
5) Orlik Golden Slices
This is the only blend out of the 5 that I have previously bought and smoked a tin of. I can't get enough of the stuff. There is something about it (maybe the aging process) that keeps making me come back for more. I get this tangy flavor on the back of my palate that I just can't put my finger on. Something akin to a sour berry preserve on rye bread. Simply fantastic.
What say you? I would appreciate any feedback and other people's opinions on these blends.

 

[blueyedattorney1]

From your list I have only smoked #1: while I'm fairly new to pipe smoking and have been trying to find a full bodied aromatic; I agree with your review for MD. The air note was great to me and others and it was perceptually sweet; it was simply to thin and one dimensional in my opinion. Why is so hard to find an aromatic that tastes like the smell in the tin? I recently tried my first blend that contained Latakia (4th generation 1882) and simply loved it.. Sweet and smoky!! Still on a mission to find my go to aromatic and need to try the frog cellar. Any suggestions for me on full bodied aromatics? Still have not tried 1q...I assume that is a light aromatic

Great review though.

-Jeff

 

[jgriff]

Brown Billiard -
I've had 4 of them and the 3 Oaks Syrian is on my shelf too. I think your assessments are pretty spot on. I think the MD does the aromatic thing as well as any I've tried but it's not on my list to buy again either. I liked the Orlik GS and could see buying again but I rarely reach for it over richer virginia flakes. I've had most of the Frog Morton series and I liked the Cellar but in the end, the only one that I've bought again is the original simply because it does the light/intro Latakia taste better than any of the others.
Blueeyes -
1Q is light. To me, it's the archetype for aromatics. If you think the MD is thin, then 1Q won't change your mind.

My suggestion for "full-bodied" aros begins and ends with lakelands. My personal favorite is Condor Long Cut but that's hard to find on this side of the Atlantic. Look at the Sam Gawaith & Gawaith/Hoggarth lines. Buy a few things an ounce at a time first from bulk. Ennerdale is probably not the best starting point as the topping is quite heavy (probably too heavy) but the underlying tobaccos in any of them are great. Another one worth trying is Erinmore Flake.

 

[brownbilliard]

From my experience, the majority of aromatics are light bodied. Most people favor the Boswell blends - berry cobbler, Christmas cookie, etc. The room notes are exquisite - some people literally ask me to smoke them inside their house once they witness how good they smell. However, I find them very one dimensional with virtually no nic kick at all.
I completely agree with jgriff about the lakeland blends. Beware - these blends do not use traditional flavorings to make them aromatic. Get ready for combination of flavors like bergamot, almond, vanilla, lavender, rose and a variety of other floral notes.
I personally love these old school aromatics. Ennerdale most certainly is not for the faint of heart or beginner lakelands smokers. Lots of people equate the flavor to flowery soap or urinal cakes. I recommend starting with Sam Gawith's Grousemoore. The casing isn't as aggressive as Ennerdale, but you still get a taste of the lakelands. It has a lovely herbal tea/orange blossom flavor profile.
My next favorite Gawith aromatic is Scented Brown Flake. The flavor is wildly complex! Definitely a strong hint of rose among other things. I would also try Bob's Chocolate Flake. Not very chocolatey but super rich and delicious. Keep in mind that these lakeland aro's put a serious ghost in your pipe. I recommend buying a cob for trying them out in case you don't like them

 

[billypm]

I've just discovered the Lakelands and am head over heels in love with them. Condor? (though not strictly a Lakeland blend) Insanely good. Coniston Cut Plug? Even better than Condor and my fave so far. Bosun Cut Plug? Very floral but quite lovely. Ennerdale? Awesome, but the topping makes me want to smoke it in the summer rather than during the cold winter months. I've got some Scented Brown Flake and some Rum Flake coming my way soon to taste. These things are all VERY soapy, and strong and just crazy delicious to me. So glad I gave them a chance!
And I've dedicated a Falcon with two bowls to Lakelands only. A perfect match.

 

[brian64]

Great post. I’ve had a tin of 3 Oaks Syrian sitting in the drawer for quite a while now that you’ve inspired me to try soon.

 

[jgriff]

Sorry if I mistakenly implied that Condor is a Lakeland. However, I consider it part of the same style - a strongly flavored tobacco over a quality base.
Blueeyes - The big warning with any Lakeland (or Condor, to distinguish them) is that any of them will ghost your pipe instantly if placed within eyesight of them.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm glad that you liked my review, brownbilliard. It's still my main descriptor for that blend, when asked. :wink:

 

[shutterbugg]

@blueeyedattorney1: try Bennington's #40. It's a true house blend, black cavendish rough cut, smokes cool and dry for an aro, burns well, no goop. Smoke is nice and thick without needing to puff like a freight train, so if you're after nicotine, I suppose you could just take a long draw and inhale it. Otherwise it won't get your head spinning. Like most cavendish it's called a vanilla, but the flavor and aroma is not vanilla ice cream, it's just pleasant. I can't really put my finger on what it smells or tastes like but it is an enjoyable smoke for me that I don't seem to get tired of.

 

[petes03]

Out of the ones listed, I've had FM Cellar (as well as all the other Frogs) and Molto Dolce. I primarily smoke Lat blends these days, and FMC is a staple of my rotation, I absolutely love it! I do smoke a good bit of aros as well, and MD is a great one, but there are others that I smoke much more of, 1Q being one of them. I do agree with both yours and Cosmic's descriptions of MD though!
Hope to see you around more often!

Dan