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HH Black House...what do you think?

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seadogontheland

seadogontheland

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 4, 2014
599
2
I looked up a thread for this tobacco that was about 2 years old and was wondering what you gentlemen think of this blend now that its been out for a little while?
I just ordered a tin from PC and am waiting for it to get here.
(I also bought 3.5 ounces of McB Navy flake, the only McB product I really like a great deal.

I also have a Stanwell Black Brushed apple on the way as well).
But back to the Black House, opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

 
L

lestrout

Lifer
Jan 28, 2010
1,766
312
Chester County, PA
Yo seado
Fear not. If you like Lats or Balkans, you will love the magnificent House of Black. It won the Chicago Balkan Sobranie 759 Throwdown and for good reason. And it was up against formidable competition, including McClelland's Blue Mountain, later renamed Blue Balkan. Back in the 60s, my only 4 go-tos were 3 Dunhills, then the 759. I never bought more than the first tin of Balkan Sobranie Original in the white tin.
I prefer RussO's Black House to any of my current and past Dunnies, and even to the progenitor 759. Admittedly what I have left has faded with age, but Black House outranks even my memory of the old 759. I'm still debating if BH outranks my long time No.1, which is also a RussO creation - Larry's Blend. I need to go back through my many favorite Pease's and Hermits, because there are more than a dozen crowding my top spots.
hp

les

 
seadogontheland

seadogontheland

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 4, 2014
599
2
Thanks Les!

I am really excited to try the BH. I really like Odyssey a great deal, but always on the look for an even more fantastic blend. I've read a good deal of reviews on BH, but wanted to see if any of the guys here had much experience smoking this seemingly fine blend.
Weez,
LOL, fine review, my friend.

 
L

lestrout

Lifer
Jan 28, 2010
1,766
312
Chester County, PA
Yo seado
I absolutely love pretty much all of Greg Pease's work. They are in a class by themselves for their complexity and style. However, Caravan and Odyssey are not at the top of my Pease list, maybe because they overwhelm my taste buds a bit. And it's not that I don't like Latbombs, in the realm of Old Ironsides, Lancer's Slices, Bengal Slices, Pirate Kake, Penzance, Bow Legged Bear, Da Vinci (C&D), Ten Russians and Krumble Kake. Somehow the latter have a bit more transparency to them compared to Odyssey and Caravan, and this is important to me so I can discriminate between the flavors as I work my way down through the bowl.
Black House is not as intense and is more accessible, more of an all day puff for me, rather than a last pipe of the day. Interestingly, its Throwdown mate Blue Mountain started off fairly close in flavor profile, but as the two of them age, they have diverged. I still love them both.
hp

les

 
seadogontheland

seadogontheland

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 4, 2014
599
2
Its good to see others like BH, I'm definitely psyched! Odyssey changes for me depending on my taste on any given day...sometimes a Lat bomb and others I can discern the complexity of the VAs and Orientals.

 
judcole

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,204
33,933
Detroit
BH is tasty,for sure, but I much prefer Blue Balkan or Russ' Larry's Blend. To each his ever-lovin', blue-eyed own. :puffy:

 
seadogontheland

seadogontheland

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 4, 2014
599
2
I too like Balkan Blue, very well made. I have no idea what BS tasted like back in the day, but just judging by its own merits I really liked the BB. I'm very interested to see the difference between BH and BB now.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,466
Black House is a new one on me; it sounds really good. Since both P&C and Mac Barens use the HH designation -- P&C for Home and Hearth, and Mac Baren for one of its founder's name, it might be good to tag it as MB HH, or PC HH. But thanks for the recommendation!

 
tuold

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
166
Beaverton,Oregon
I bought a tin about year ago but couldn't pry the damn thing open! It's been sitting on the shelf aging all this time. Maybe it's time to give it another try.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,466
tuold, break out the biggy slot screw driver and try again. Sounds tasty. Just break the seal (pssst) and it will open like butter.

 
S

supdog

Can't Leave
Nov 10, 2012
311
178
Where's the "Baron"? He loved the stuff so much he had the logo tattooed on his chest.

 
JimInks

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
61,490
569,536
Black House is a really good blend. Here's what I said about it:
Despite similarity and intent, I can tell the difference between this and Balkan Sobranie 759. This has a little more sweetness than in the blend it tries to emulate and it's less soda-y, too. Who cares? Buy this because it's a very good smoke in it's own right. It satisfies without being overly strong, and gives a good Cyprian latakia taste without completely dominating the other components. The light sweetness, which comes from the black cavendish, is slight enough to nearly make this all day smoke for Balkan lovers, and is not cloying to the tongue. The Virginia is lightly sweet with a touch of grass. The Orientals have wood and mild spice, the latter also a little evident in the dark fired Kentucky. Burns cool, even, and at a good rate. It's got a decent nic hit, and if you like this kind of mixture, you'll enjoy the after taste, too. For those who want the English taste in medium force, this blend is about as good as it gets.
One caveat: if you smoke strong blends in your pipe, clean the bowl well first. Otherwise, you won't get the entire range of taste of this blend.

 
oldredbeard

oldredbeard

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 20, 2012
628
1
I absolutely love it. I admit I'm a Lat junky, and Black House is an awesome blend. I never smoked any of the original blend Russ made it for, but this is certainly great in it's own right.

 
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