Looking for opinions on these tobaccos. Was noticing the buy 2 get one free sale at P&C, which is a great deal, but I've n experience with them.
Hearth & Home Tobaccos
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I picked up a bulk H&H sampler earlier this year - 2 oz. each of six different blends. I've been working my way through them, and for the most part I've enjoyed them. I split the sampler between aromatics and English/Latakia blends: Berry Nice, Grandma's Kitchen, and Vermont Meat Candy (aros) , House of Lords, Victorian Stroll, and Daybreak (lats) .
I can't say I much care for the Berry Nice. It smells okay, but like so many aros, it tastes nothing like it smells. Grandma's Kitchen does better, and the flavor is more well-rounded, but Vermont Meat Candy is definitely my favorite of this trio - hints of maple and bacon show up in the flavor and the room note, and the tobacco smokes well.
The Englishes are a little harder to distinguish, at least to my relatively inexperienced palate. I definitely enjoy them all, but I think I like Daybreak the best of the three at this point. It's a little lighter, a good morning smoke. The other two are more in-your-face, but not quite at the level of Black House, which I also enjoy greatly. To use a Scotch analogy, Black House is like Laphroaig, while House of Lords is like Lagavulin... both good examples of the type, but preference will be a matter of one's taste.
I can't say I much care for the Berry Nice. It smells okay, but like so many aros, it tastes nothing like it smells. Grandma's Kitchen does better, and the flavor is more well-rounded, but Vermont Meat Candy is definitely my favorite of this trio - hints of maple and bacon show up in the flavor and the room note, and the tobacco smokes well.
The Englishes are a little harder to distinguish, at least to my relatively inexperienced palate. I definitely enjoy them all, but I think I like Daybreak the best of the three at this point. It's a little lighter, a good morning smoke. The other two are more in-your-face, but not quite at the level of Black House, which I also enjoy greatly. To use a Scotch analogy, Black House is like Laphroaig, while House of Lords is like Lagavulin... both good examples of the type, but preference will be a matter of one's taste.
I've only smoked three H&H blends.
Louisiana Red, Black House, and Anniversary Kake-
LA Red was a nice sharp citrus like smoke. I quite liked it and have always been meaning to order more.
Black House was good but I found it kind of muted after the first 1/3 of the bowl. HOWEVER I'm not a huge fan of Balkans so I think that was more a "me" problem then the tobacco's problem. It's not that it was bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Anni Kake I actually had some trouble with. I felt that it carried a little too much of a "wine" taste. But I jarred it up and will be breaking it out again to see what's what.
Louisiana Red, Black House, and Anniversary Kake-
LA Red was a nice sharp citrus like smoke. I quite liked it and have always been meaning to order more.
Black House was good but I found it kind of muted after the first 1/3 of the bowl. HOWEVER I'm not a huge fan of Balkans so I think that was more a "me" problem then the tobacco's problem. It's not that it was bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Anni Kake I actually had some trouble with. I felt that it carried a little too much of a "wine" taste. But I jarred it up and will be breaking it out again to see what's what.
These are my favorite H&H blends:
- Anniversary Kake
Capitol Stairs
LJ Heart Burley
Louisiana Red
Rolando's Own
Virginia Spice
Angler's Dream
Tarak:
I'm a huge fan of Hearth and Home and consider them one of the very best values available.
I enjoy their English smokes: Larry's Blend, Ten to Midnight, Black House and Magnum Opus. (But, I'm also stashing away AJ's VaPer and Rolando's Own in case my tastes ever change.) Man, at $17.41 for an 8 oz. tin you can't beat that price for quality leaf.
Fnord
I'm a huge fan of Hearth and Home and consider them one of the very best values available.
I enjoy their English smokes: Larry's Blend, Ten to Midnight, Black House and Magnum Opus. (But, I'm also stashing away AJ's VaPer and Rolando's Own in case my tastes ever change.) Man, at $17.41 for an 8 oz. tin you can't beat that price for quality leaf.
Fnord
Just grab some that strikes your fancy and give it a whirl. There are many blends from P&C that are great. I don't think you can go wrong with picking any of them up. The best way to get experience with tobaccos is to purchase them and give them a try. Pull the trigger, you won't be sorry.
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olewaylon wrote:
I didnt get the notice of this special.
is this something you need to use a code for?
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I got no notice either and could find no mention of it on their Website ... BUT
I put three LA Reds in my shopping cart, then clicked "check out" ... it showed charges for all three, but after the subtotal, showed a discount for the amount of the cost of one, leaving the cost of two as the total before s/h
olewaylon wrote:
I didnt get the notice of this special.
is this something you need to use a code for?
===================================
I got no notice either and could find no mention of it on their Website ... BUT
I put three LA Reds in my shopping cart, then clicked "check out" ... it showed charges for all three, but after the subtotal, showed a discount for the amount of the cost of one, leaving the cost of two as the total before s/h
Berry Nice and Caramel Apple Pie are the only two H&H I've smoked, both smell wonderful out of the tin but taste rather bland. Probably won't try any more H&H blends for a while since I have so many other brands I like and many I still want to try.
Bullbriar- I haven't smoked it, but Anni Cake does not look to be an English blend- unless by "English" you mean non-armomatic. A very large, imperfect breakdown of tobacco might be:
Aro- sweetened/cased
Virginia- pure, uncase virginia leaf blends
English- essentially defined by the presence of Latakia.
Aro- sweetened/cased
Virginia- pure, uncase virginia leaf blends
English- essentially defined by the presence of Latakia.
Well, I was going to give the H&H a try, but all of the interesting blends were sold out before I could grab them!
The only H&H Blend I've smoked so far is Magnum Opus, and it's one of the best tobacco blends of any sort I've ever tried. It's a delicious English with plenty of Lat mixed with incense-like orientals that delivers a leathery mouth feel and a very dry (as in not sweet) flavor. It's great. But it's also super impressive in that it's that rare blend in which no single flavor jumps out as a separate experience. Nor is it one of those blends where first it tastes like X, then it tastes like Y -- it's just immaculately balanced from first puff to last. A great smoke, and a great bit of blending. Makes me want to try some other H&H blends.
Thanks for the nice comments, folks. I'm working on some new blends for the future, but it's been pretty crazy for me, lately. I'm usually available in my office at 610-297-9051 x254 Monday through Friday from around 8 am to 6 pm, or you can email me at russo@pipesandcigars.com, if I can be of any help.
Russ
Russ
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