"Hybrid" Recommendations

[JohnMosesBrowning]

Known by various names, Hybrids, cross-overs, sweet Englishes, whatever you call them or know them as - I love them. Don't get me wrong, I love my heavy Englishes/Balkans too (Gaslight, Plum Pudding, Father Dempsey, etc.). But I do have a pretty good sweet tooth and I find these "hybrid" Aromatic/English crossovers really hit the spot for me.

I know there is quite a continuum of such blends; some are straight up aromatics with a little bit of latakia added (Lane HGL) and others are "normal" English blends with a bit of a sweet topping/casing added (Northwoods, Countryside). So no matter where they land on the spectrum, what are our favorites/recommendations for sweet latakia blends?

 

[jaytex1969]

 

[sandollars]

Country Squire: Parson's blend and Northwest Trek. Both are HIGH quality and reasonably priced.

 

[chilllucky]

Hearth and Home Sweet and Smokey

 

[haparnold]

Cornell and Diehl’s Old College is a basically unknown blend that really checks all the boxes for me, and is also a blend which will pretty much smoke itself once you put a match to it.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Sutliff Burma Road and Count Pulaski and Sillem's Black

Also, rage if you will, but I've been known to throw a pinch of Molto Dolce into a bowl of Plum Pudding from time to time. Hehehe.

 

[canucklehead]

I like Sutliff's Old Professor once in a while as a sweeter/aromatic English blend.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The crew always makes me proud.

+1

 

[lawdawg]

My old favorites are no longer produced - Frog Morton Cellar and the underrated and lesser-known Iwan Ries Gourmet English, which was blended by McClelland, so it also went away along with the Froggies.

I've really been enjoying Shepherd's Pie by Country Squire. I'd like to try some others in this thread as well.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The Solent Mixture and Pembroke are two more of my favorites.

 

[logs]

Watch City Nor'Easter

 

[tobefrank]

I’m not sure if it is still available, but Shortcut to Mushrooms by Just for Him is a great crossover blend.

 

[stogie37]

Two Friends English Chocolate and Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant are both lightly topped English based mixtures that satisfy the sweet tooth, burn clean and have a nice room note to boot!

 

[scottygod]

It probably leans way more toward the aro side than the English, but my fave is Cult Conspiracy. It's a more aro-forward HGL.

 

[Marindas]

Another vote for Country Squire's Northwest Trek as a crossover. My regular go-to "sweet English" is a blend of 2/3 Country Squire's Angry Cornishman with 1/3 Boswell's Northwoods.

I was a big fan of FMC when it was available.

 

[uprightman]

I’m not sure if it is still available, but Shortcut to Mushrooms by Just for Him is a great crossover blend.

I liked it a lot too. Unfortunately it is no longer available.

 

[tg51]

The Solent Mixture and Pembroke are two more of my favorites.

Found someone willing to sell me some Pembroke so I'm excited to try it for the first time. First esoterica blend too.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Found someone willing to sell me some Pembroke so I'm excited to try it for the first time. First esoterica blend too.

I just gave some Esoterica samples to another forum member. If you're in the continental US, PM me your address and I'll get some to you.

 

[solideogloria86]

Bob's Chocolate Flake!

 

[kylef]

I love these blends as well. These are some that I like that I think fit the bill:

Edward G. Robinson Pipe Blend
Kramer's Blend for Cary Grant
Murray's 1810 Belfast
Sutliffe Revelation Match
Peretti's Blend 102

...and although I haven't tried it yet, I got a tin of MacBaren Plumcake which I think fits the description.