Stonehaven Revisited

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stluisrey

Might Stick Around
Oct 19, 2010
81
0
Orange, CA
Beautiful dark brown reddish dark brown/black flake, with this amazing aroma of sweet raisins dipped in rum. Usually I fold and stuff flake tobacco but I decided to rub out this flake for pipe packing.
After having an amazing smoking experience with Penzance, I was very excited about smoking Stonehaven. Upon first light, there was this sweet Verginia tobacco flavor with this spicy note mixed in. As I smoked it down, the sweetness remained and tasted similar to how it smelled, this sweet dry fruity flavor. But it was a weak showing compared to other Virginia tobaccos like full Virginia Flake, and Hamborger Veermaster. Perhaps it is the burley tobacco added to this blend that tones down some of the flavor?
Overall it is a great tasting pipe tobacco, and a very pleasant smoke. Just wish there was bigger flavor with this tobacco.
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peteguy

Lifer
Jan 19, 2012
1,530
906
I have a love/hate relationship with Stonehaven. I love the tobacco but hate chasing it down. :)

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
I like SH but not enough to chase it nor be happy about paying inflated prices, when I can get it. I would call it a tobacco of moderate taste; when I smoke it I'm always looking for more flavor.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,632
44,859
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I'm smoking some now that's got a few years of age on it. I'm finding Stonehaven to be a very uneven smoke. Some draws bring out a bit of sweetness and spice. Others are distinctly bland. The burley note underpins the flavor. Now and then I do get a wonderful stack of flavors, but mostly not much. Bad batch? It's not got a whole lot going for it. In a way, I'm relieved, as it's a lemming target, and if it was really amazing I'd be irritated at the difficulty of obtaining it.

 

sajgre

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 13, 2010
139
1
Unfortunately I have never tried SH but I have Rich Dark Flake which should be the same blend. I also have mixed feelings about it and can't understand why it became such a legendary blend.

And as the matter of fact I'm just smoking Hamborger Veermaster which I loooove :).

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
I was fortunate enough to have tried a few bowls of it thanks to the kind generosity of mrenglish. Bottom line... nothing really all that special about it IMO.

 

mrenglish

Lifer
Dec 25, 2010
2,220
72
Columbus, Ohio
Its only popular because its so hard to get, imo. There was a time when it would just sit on the shelves at local B&M.
It is quite good with age on it though.

 

hiplainsdrifter

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 8, 2012
977
14
So, perhaps if your idea of a Virginia is Veermaster, you won't like Stonehaven. I could actually see that, as they are markedly different. Stonehaven is my favorite blend right now, and I have tried quite a few to date, so I am not exactly a 'lemming'. I just ordered three more bags of it for my cellar- I feel confident that I could smoke this blend exclusively if I wanted to- it is my 'desert island' blend. I do agree with other people that the flavor profile can change throughout the bowl (from good to phenominal), but I find that to be the case with most Virginias.
I hear this sentiment over and over on this forum. A particular blend becomes popular and is lauded as exceptional, then it becomes hard to get, then the grumps line up to complain that it didn't make them fly or have an orgasm. It's just tobacco people.

 

yazamitaz

Lifer
Mar 1, 2013
1,757
1
I have never tried SH but would like to. I think like most tobaccos you need a few bowls to find your way. I can't count how many times I first tried something and thought it was awful, then you let it sit for 6 months to a year and it is magical.
If I get some I get some, but I don't have the time or patience to hunt for it like some folks.
I hear this sentiment over and over on this forum. A particular blend becomes popular and is lauded as exceptional, then it becomes hard to get, then the grumps line up to complain that it didn't make them fly or have an orgasm. It's just tobacco people.
+1 hiplainsdrifter

 

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
How similar is Stonehaven to MacBaren's Old Dark Fired? Are we in the same ballpark here?

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
@ sallow:

Stonehaven and ODF both contain Virginia and Burely tobacco. Stonehaven is air cured while ODF is hot pressed. I once compared the two in MHO by saying that ODF was better than Stonehaven and was somewhat chastised by a member by doing so, but whatever. Save your money and your time and get the ODF... great stuff by the way with a much more of a discernible taste, but yet not overpowering. :wink:

 

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
Thank you gentlemen.
I have tried the Old Dark Fired but only a few bowls, I thought it was very interesting. I have several tins in the wings and should spend some more time with it soon.
So is stonehaven mostly Virginia or burley? Reminiscent of Peterson's Irish Flake or more nutty like Solani burley, or neither?

 

mrenglish

Lifer
Dec 25, 2010
2,220
72
Columbus, Ohio
Its mostly VA but has a good amount of burley in it. Its closer to University Flake I think. There is a sweetness to it and a lurking nic hit but its not over the top powerful like Irish Flake. The treacle topping helps smooth it out.

 

cmdrmcbragg

Lifer
Jul 29, 2013
1,739
3
Never had SH and it isn't the sort of blend I'd spend anytime hunting down. ODF on the other hand is the only VaBur I've had that I enjoyed. I would certainly recommend giving that a go.

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
Its mostly VA but has a good amount of burley in it. Its closer to University Flake I think. There is a sweetness to it and a lurking nic hit but its not over the top powerful like Irish Flake. The treacle topping helps smooth it out.
Ahhh... now University Flake is indeed a great tobacco and one of my favorites. A sweet tasting tobacco (which actually tastes like tobacco) with a great room note. I no longer smoke aromatics, but this is as close to being one without simply sucking on a hot vapid tasteless air as most, if not all aromatics are to me. By all means give it a try.

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
I love Stonehaven,

it's everything a classic British dark flake should be.
....and if it was really amazing I'd be irritated at the difficulty of obtaining it.
That aspect does irritate me, but I have enough squirreled away that it's not an immediate concern.
Bad batch?
This,

is what irritates me the most - the last couple of bags I've gotten have been lackluster, being brown and not coal black as it should, and greatly lacking the black treacle syrup. One bag was so un-Stoney that I thought it was Peacehaven that was mistakenly mislabeled, the other bag was better, but still not up to the ideal of Stonehaven proper --- there's no way that I'd gamble money on it and the max I'll go is $35.
I hope they get the quality issue straightened out and make it right as it should be.
Unfortunately I have never tried SH but I have Rich Dark Flake which should be the same blend.
Very recently I tried some RDF and I concluded that it isn't exactly the same thing, but very close.

Stonehaven is a good bit deeper and fullbodied than RDF because it has more burley.
RDF does have the treacle flavor, although not as pronounced as SH, and RDF also carries a very subtle undernote of dark fruit,

tasting quite close to the Hastings flavor in a subdued way.
I liked it very much,

got a few more bowls left and I'm still evaluating it.
I love dark flakes and there ain't many out there.
I especially love VaBur dark flakes.
Stonehaven is one of the best,

if not the best.
It is the best.
:puffy:

 
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