Underrated Blends?

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Chalaw87

Can't Leave
Apr 21, 2021
342
1,281
Northeast TN
What are some underrated tobaccos?

Tobacco reviews are very subjective as we all know. I find there are a lot of reviews of popular and/or new blends, some are good and some are bad. (A big nod to JimInks for his contributions to tobacco reviews)

I would love to get some input on the lesser known and underrated blends out there.
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
If I understand you correctly, I’d look at some of the Sutliff and Lane blends that mimic or come close to containing leaves you enjoy in harder to get blends. I think C&D Mocha is underrated, but I am not sure that means anything to anyone else. In my opinion, Haunted Bookshop is underrated, but there are a lot of smokers who feel the opposite.
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
I think some of the most underrated blends are those you mix up yourself, according to your own tastes, using straight blending tobaccos. It takes a bit of time and experimentation but for me it was well worth the effort
Well in that case, I put forth my own blends, Telescopes, Lazy Bones, and EZ1.
 
Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,930
England
I don't know if it's underrated but Samuel Gawith Golden Glow is a great blend. I was smoking some that was 5 years old and it was very tasty. I rarely see it mentioned when people are discussing straight Virginias. Full Virginia Flake/Plug and Best Brown Flake get talked about a lot but never Golden Glow.

I don't like it so much when it's fresh but with a few years on it it's a great straight Virginia.
 
Mar 13, 2020
2,752
26,763
missouri
I don't know if it's underrated but Samuel Gawith Golden Glow is a great blend. I was smoking some that was 5 years old and it was very tasty. I rarely see it mentioned when people are discussing straight Virginias. Full Virginia Flake/Plug and Best Brown Flake get talked about a lot but never Golden Glow.

I don't like it so much when it's fresh but with a few years on it it's a great straight Virginia.
That's good to know. I jarred up a box of Golden Glow a few years ago. I wasn't too crazy about it when I first got it.
 
Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,930
England
That's good to know. I jarred up a box of Golden Glow a few years ago. I wasn't too crazy about it when I first got it.
Same as. When I tried it fresh I thought it was ok but 5 years in the cellar have really improved it. BTW I gave it 9 months in the jar after I opened it. I find that all the blends I've tried have improved with a few months in the jar.
 

originalnutcracker

Can't Leave
Feb 26, 2018
304
2,019
62
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
I think the classics don't get the love they deserve. We all enjoy the hard-to-find stuff, but frankly I find myself smoking Capstan, Presbyterian, 965, and Luxury Bullseye flake with some regularity. One can usually find it easily...

Although I love to treat myself to Penzance, Frog Morton,Simply Red and SG Full Virginia flake - all of which I have hoarded like a crazed squirrel.....
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,434
Most of the blends I smoke are not widely celebrated. No one scrambles to order them before the stock runs out. A few examples include C&D Bayou Night, Mountain Camp, Tuggle Hall, Dark Burley, Big'n'Burley, Stratfordshire, and others. I like Peterson Irish Flake and 3-P. PC's Match Elizabethan and Match Revelation. Semois medium and thick cut. And many others. Check out the specs online; you might really like one or more of these.
 

vosBghos

Lifer
May 7, 2022
1,523
3,362
Idaho
Anything with Large amounts of Dark Malawi, Maryland , or truly focused Orientals, I tend to look for underrated components more than blends per say...I f you've Never tried Sutliff PS-24 straight Oriental it's available in bulk and definitely worth a try on its own and great for blending ...
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,955
134,695
67
Sarasota, FL
How do you define under rated? For the sake of this discussion, I'm going to define under rated as excellent blends that are almost always available for purchase online. Based upon that definition, you have 3 MacBaren Virginias (HH Pure Virginia, Virginia Flake and Virginia No 1), C&D Opening Night and GL Pease Union Square. Seems like nearly every other Virginia/Virginia Flake worth mentioning is almost constantly sold out. Not sure how you can consider a blend under rated when it is constantly sold out. I'd add Newminster 400 to the list as the under rated bulk Virginia.
 

makhorkasmoker

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 17, 2021
565
1,357
Central Florida
Anything with Large amounts of Dark Malawi, Maryland , or truly focused Orientals, I tend to look for underrated components more than blends per say...I f you've Never tried Sutliff PS-24 straight Oriental it's available in bulk and definitely worth a try on its own and great for blending ...
That TS-24 is really nice. I tried it recently when I couldn't get Ramback
 

Chalaw87

Can't Leave
Apr 21, 2021
342
1,281
Northeast TN
How do you define under rated? For the sake of this discussion, I'm going to define under rated as excellent blends that are almost always available for purchase online. Based upon that definition, you have 3 MacBaren Virginias (HH Pure Virginia, Virginia Flake and Virginia No 1), C&D Opening Night and GL Pease Union Square. Seems like nearly every other Virginia/Virginia Flake worth mentioning is almost constantly sold out. Not sure how you can consider a blend under rated when it is constantly sold out. I'd add Newminster 400 to the list as the under rated bulk Virginia.
Thats a great description of underrated. Generally speaking Id say underrated would also be blends that dont get a lot of press.
 
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PennyStonks

Can't Leave
Nov 22, 2022
377
6,950
How do you define under rated? For the sake of this discussion, I'm going to define under rated as excellent blends that are almost always available for purchase online. Based upon that definition, you have 3 MacBaren Virginias (HH Pure Virginia, Virginia Flake and Virginia No 1), C&D Opening Night and GL Pease Union Square. Seems like nearly every other Virginia/Virginia Flake worth mentioning is almost constantly sold out. Not sure how you can consider a blend under rated when it is constantly sold out. I'd add Newminster 400 to the list as the under rated bulk Virginia.
Newminster 400 is my favorite straight Va