These three blends go on sale Friday.
Missouri Meerschaum DrawDown:
The Cyprian Latakia offers plenty of earth, wood, smoke, herbs, leather, vegetation, floralness, mild sweet and sourness, mustiness, and light spice as it mostly takes a small lead. The St. James perique provides a wealth of earth, wood, spice, dried tart plum, figs, mild floralness, and mesquite as a very competitive supporting player. Occasionally, it edges past the Latakia for attention. The bright Virginias produce a fair amount of tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sugar, some floralness, spice, sour lemon, and a touch of acidity. They sit in the third position, and their fruity presence is obvious. Right below them is the sugary sweet stoved cavendish which heightens those qualities in this mixture, and tames a majority of potential rough notes. The strength is in the center of medium to full. The taste is a notch past that mark. The nic-hit is a slot below the overall strength level. These aspects are a tad lower at the start and reach the levels I ascribe to them before the half way point. No chance of bite or harshness. Deeply rich with some piquant zest, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very spicy, rather sweet, floral, mildly sour, campfire flavor that extends to long lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is pungent. Requires an average number of relights, and barely leaves little dampness in the bowl. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
Missouri Meerschaum Luminaire:
The Katerini Orientals offer plenty of earth, wood, herbs, floralness, vegetation, stewed creamy sweet and sour, tart and tangy citrus, spice, some smoke, mild darker fruit and light incense as the lead components. A notch behind them is the spicy, earthy, woody St. James perique which also dishes out a lot of dried, tart plums, figs, a little floralness, and mesquite. The aged red Virginias provide a lot of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, mild sugar, tart citrus, vegetation, floralness, and small spice and vinegar notes. They are in the third position, but not much behind the perique because of the depth of their inherent fruitiness. A couple of notches above the condiment line is the sugary sweet stoved cavendish which heightens those qualities here, and tames a majority of potential rough notes. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of medium to full. The taste edges past the center. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. This broken flake blend is mildly moist, and I saw no need to dry them. Well balanced with subtle nuances, it burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a mostly consistent tangy sweet, fruity, spicy, floral, mildly herbal, creamy, sour, lightly smoky flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lingering after taste. The room note has some pungency. Requires a few more than an average number of relights. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl. Not an all day smoke. Four stars.
Missouri Meerschaum Party Line:
The matured burley provides a lot of earth, wood, nuts, bread, mild sugar, along with light molasses, cocoa, and sour sharpness. It takes a small lead most of the time. The St. James perique offers a fair amount of earth, wood, spice, dried tart plum, figs, mild floralness, and a touch of mesquite as a very competitive supporting player. The sugary sweet stoved cavendish is a couple of rungs above the condiment line. The aspects of the tart malty peaty scotch topping are earth, wood, smoke, vegetation, mild sourness, a little leather, sweetness and spice with a couple of floral notes. A hint of cocoa is in the background. The toppings moderately tone down the tobaccos. The strength is a step past the medium mark. The taste is a slot past that. The nic-hit is medium. No chance of bite or harshness exists here. The rough edges are minor. This soft crumble cake easily breaks apart, and needs no dry time. There is a very mild inconsistency in the effect of the varietals which is typical for crumble cakes. Deeply rich with some nuance, it burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very malty, peaty, nutty, spicy, tartly sweet, mildly floral, smoky, lightly sour flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran aro smoker, and easily repeatable under any circumstance. Three and a half stars.
Missouri Meerschaum DrawDown:
The Cyprian Latakia offers plenty of earth, wood, smoke, herbs, leather, vegetation, floralness, mild sweet and sourness, mustiness, and light spice as it mostly takes a small lead. The St. James perique provides a wealth of earth, wood, spice, dried tart plum, figs, mild floralness, and mesquite as a very competitive supporting player. Occasionally, it edges past the Latakia for attention. The bright Virginias produce a fair amount of tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sugar, some floralness, spice, sour lemon, and a touch of acidity. They sit in the third position, and their fruity presence is obvious. Right below them is the sugary sweet stoved cavendish which heightens those qualities in this mixture, and tames a majority of potential rough notes. The strength is in the center of medium to full. The taste is a notch past that mark. The nic-hit is a slot below the overall strength level. These aspects are a tad lower at the start and reach the levels I ascribe to them before the half way point. No chance of bite or harshness. Deeply rich with some piquant zest, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very spicy, rather sweet, floral, mildly sour, campfire flavor that extends to long lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is pungent. Requires an average number of relights, and barely leaves little dampness in the bowl. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
Missouri Meerschaum Luminaire:
The Katerini Orientals offer plenty of earth, wood, herbs, floralness, vegetation, stewed creamy sweet and sour, tart and tangy citrus, spice, some smoke, mild darker fruit and light incense as the lead components. A notch behind them is the spicy, earthy, woody St. James perique which also dishes out a lot of dried, tart plums, figs, a little floralness, and mesquite. The aged red Virginias provide a lot of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, mild sugar, tart citrus, vegetation, floralness, and small spice and vinegar notes. They are in the third position, but not much behind the perique because of the depth of their inherent fruitiness. A couple of notches above the condiment line is the sugary sweet stoved cavendish which heightens those qualities here, and tames a majority of potential rough notes. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of medium to full. The taste edges past the center. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. This broken flake blend is mildly moist, and I saw no need to dry them. Well balanced with subtle nuances, it burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a mostly consistent tangy sweet, fruity, spicy, floral, mildly herbal, creamy, sour, lightly smoky flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lingering after taste. The room note has some pungency. Requires a few more than an average number of relights. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl. Not an all day smoke. Four stars.
Missouri Meerschaum Party Line:
The matured burley provides a lot of earth, wood, nuts, bread, mild sugar, along with light molasses, cocoa, and sour sharpness. It takes a small lead most of the time. The St. James perique offers a fair amount of earth, wood, spice, dried tart plum, figs, mild floralness, and a touch of mesquite as a very competitive supporting player. The sugary sweet stoved cavendish is a couple of rungs above the condiment line. The aspects of the tart malty peaty scotch topping are earth, wood, smoke, vegetation, mild sourness, a little leather, sweetness and spice with a couple of floral notes. A hint of cocoa is in the background. The toppings moderately tone down the tobaccos. The strength is a step past the medium mark. The taste is a slot past that. The nic-hit is medium. No chance of bite or harshness exists here. The rough edges are minor. This soft crumble cake easily breaks apart, and needs no dry time. There is a very mild inconsistency in the effect of the varietals which is typical for crumble cakes. Deeply rich with some nuance, it burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very malty, peaty, nutty, spicy, tartly sweet, mildly floral, smoky, lightly sour flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran aro smoker, and easily repeatable under any circumstance. Three and a half stars.
