Rotation Needs More English Blends - Added Gaslight and Blackhouse

[mtwaller]

I’ve only ever smoked one English blend (Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding). It is delicious, and I will likely stock at least a pound of it soon, but I wanted to try some others. On paper I feel like I would dislike Latakia, but my tastebuds must enjoy it because I find myself reaching for Plum Pudding the most out of any of my tobaccos. I wanted to add some variety to this family of blends so I just picked up G.L. Pease Gaslight and Hearth and Home Blackhouse. I’m assuming these are both high quality tobaccos. Anybody regularly smoke these blends? I know Gaslight is super popular, but I feel like Blackhouse is a bit more obscure. I have very high hopes for both of them.

 

[rdavid]

Just be aware that Plum Pudding is considered a balkan and it contains a fair amount of orientals which kind of sublimates the latakia.
Blackhouse is also listed as a balkan and the same applies here. Blackhouse isn't really mentioned much but is extremely popular. 3.6 out of 4.0 on tobaccoreviews.com. Good stuff for sure.
Both of these are in my top 5 absolute favorites.
Gaslight... Well that's a different animal all together. It's considered an english but it's a little different in my experience. One day I love it, next day maybe not so much. Definitely worth trying though as it's also very popular.
If I may make a suggestion, Arango Balkan Supreme is my #1 favorite balkan and is available in bulk which is considerably cheaper than Plum Pudding.

 

[mtwaller]

Panhandler thanks for the info, I’m still a bit hazy on Balkan/English blends since I don’t really smoke them. I hear Gaslight is much more Latakia-forward, I’m interested to see how these blends differ. Probably quite a lot.

 

[rdavid]

I’m still a bit hazy on Balkan/English blends

I believe that is a true statement for a lot of folks. There is a very fuzzy line between english/balkans and I've seen lengthy discussions on the differences where nobody can agree. The only thing I can deduct so far is that balkans tend to be more oriental forward. To me, latakia and orientals together are a match made in heaven and my cellar is probably 80% english/balkan.
Your off to a good start and I'll bet you will really enjoy Blackhouse and probably Gaslight.
And thanks for the reminder. I'm thinking today is going to be a Plum Pudding day!

 

[spartacus]

Anybody regularly smoke these blends?

I regularly smoke both Gaslight and Blackhouse. I am a fan of Latakia so to me they are both good. I prefer Blackhouse over Gaslight. I love Plum Pudding Special Reserve as well. You might want to try Mississippi River Special Reserve and see what you think. Another good english that is on sale right now at tobaccopipes is Ashton Artisan Blend. I've cellared deep on this tobacco.

 

[redglow]

I love Gaslight. Have not tried Black House or SPCPP
I look forward to trying them someday.
Maybe GLP Quiet Nights would be something you would enjoy? I like it a lot. And smoke it more often than Gaslight. Both are excellent though.
I guess it all has to be tried to know.

 

[mtwaller]

Mississippi River is definitely on my list to try, as is Quiet Nights! I’ve never heard of Ashton Artisan Blend, definitely going to check that out. And Arango Balkan Supreme sounds VERY interesting, especially considering the price. Looks like I’ll be getting sucked down the English/Balkan rabbit hole now...

 

[3rdguy]

I prefer Blackhouse over Quiet Nights or Plum Pudding.

 

[mso489]

English blends are really a wide variety of blends, many unlike the others. It's almost a disservice to speak of them as a category, somewhat misleading. I'd look carefully at the online tobacco pages, catalogs, and references to see the constituent tobaccos in all the various ones, and get a feel for which English blends you prefer. The difference between a Lat bomb and Nat Sherman 536 is huge, two different worlds. C&D Stratfordshire is not much like John Bull. So knowing that a blend is English tells you something about a blend, but not how it is like or unlike other English blends. Once you get your footing, it's no great mystery, and you won't be expecting them to be all that similar.

 

[ben88]

Rarely mentioned, great blend is Ten to Midnight. By Heart & Home.

 

[rdavid]

I’ve never heard of Ashton Artisan Blend, definitely going to check that out.

Absolutely one of my favorite english blends. Actually really hard to find in stock but your in luck if you want to try it. 20% off at tobaccopipes.com. $7.30 a tin is almost unheard of.
Check it out here. 20% off Artisan's Blend at TP

 

[renfield]

Russ Oullette’s Magnum Opus. Maybe more of a Balkan but delicious by any measure.

 

[theosprey247]

PS English Supreme and Super Value English Mixture are very good, but my favorite (at the moment) is Kramer’s Father Dempsey.

 

[mtwaller]

Ughhh so many choices! Luckily I’m relatively young, so I have a while to sample all of these. And mso489 you’re spot on, the ratio of the various constituent tobaccos can vary dramatically, it’s probably not fair to lump so many fine and diverse blends into one category.

 

[foursidedtriangle]

I am also relatively young, and got into pipe smoking a few years ago. My advice is to try out GL Pease stuff particularly Westminster and Meridian. It tastes refined I cannot put it any better.