These new blends are recreations of older products not seen in many years. Russ Ouellette blended them for the Standard Tobacco Company, and they are projected for a Fall release. The fellas who own the company asked a number of people, including myself, to review these blends, and provided one ounce samples of each for that purpose. Here’s their website: http://www.standardtobacco.com/
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania Bengal Slices:
The very smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia is the star component, but this is a lat-bomb with nuance. The Orientals are smoky, woody, with some spice, and is slightly sweet with a hint of sour. The yellow Virginias provide a light citrus and minor spice hit, while the black stoved Virginias have a fermented fruity sweetness. The unflavored black cavendish is sweet and has a smoothing presence to tame any potential harshness, which you’ll hardly find in this product, even if you puff hard, though there is a slight edge to the latakia once in a while after the half way point if you go at it at beyond a moderate pace. There seems to be a very mild top note, but I can not identify it. The slices are thick, and easily broken apart to prepare to your preference level. Well blended with some complexity - more so than your average lat-bomb - it burns slow, and does require a few relights, though the number of them will depend upon how you break apart the slices and pack your bowl. I suggest you do so a little loosely. The very rich flavor is consistent and fairly smooth to the finish with no weak or dull spots, and no bite. Has a slightly more than moderate nic-hit, and the strength is a little more than medium with a fulsome taste. Leaves no moisture in the bowl, which doesn’t often happen with this kind of manufacture. Has a very pleasant after taste, and the room note is not as pungent as I expected. I credit the sweetness for that.
This is the only mixture in the line up where I had tried the original. I did not like the original and thought it was a bit flat, but then again, I believe what I had was comprised because it was dry, dry, dry, and a fair amount of flavor was lost. This means I can not fairly compare the two as the recreation is fresh with all the flavor intact.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s No. 1 Mild:
The bright and red Virginias are mildly grassy, citrusy and tangy dried fruit sweet with a touch of earth, and are the star components. The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woody sweet as a supporting player that you’ll notice all the way to the finish. The Orientals play a minor role, but adds some complexity: smoky, woody with a touch of sweet spice. The sweetness from the Virginias and latakia hits you as you light up, and this well balanced blend holds a consistent, clean, smooth, cool and creamy flavor to the finish. No dull or weak spots, no moisture in the bowl, and no bite. Has a pleasant after taste, and the room note passes the wife test. Though the blend purports to be mild - and the nicotine and strength levels are indeed that - the taste is a shade over the mild mark. I attribute that to the rich sweetness you get in every puff. A very good entry level English that an experienced smoker could smoke all day without feeling that they’re missing anything.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s No.s 1&2 Medium:
The very smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia is the star component, but this is not a lat-bomb. The light and red Virginias offer some citrus and tangy stewed fruitiness along with a mild grassiness, plus a little earth. The Orientals are woody sweet with a touch of spice and sour in a supporting role. Has a moderate nic-hit, and is medium in strength and taste as the name states. Well balanced, rich and creamy smooth with some complexity, it burns well, cool, and even with few relights. The deep flavors never weaken, and there’s no dull or harsh spots to be found. Won’t bite, and leaves no moisture in the bowl, so you can burn it down to the last strand of tobacco. Has a camp fire-like room note, and produces a large volume of smoke. Not quite an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable during your smoking day.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s Smyrna:
The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woody sweet. The Orientals and Turkish are fairly sweet with a touch of sour, and are very woody and spicy with a deep smoky earthiness. Obviously, you can credit the Smyrna for much of that. Playing back-up is a citrusy sweet, lightly grassy, slightly earthy brown Virginia. You can taste all of the inherent tobaccos flavors in every puff. Burns clean with some complexity, and has a refined creamy, spicy sweet smoothness that makes you think there might be a little less latakia than there is. One might think all the spice would nip at your tongue if you puff fast, but that doesn’t happen, nor will it bite, though I do suggest smoking it at a moderate pace. This is the spiciest blend in this company’s line up, and it pleasantly lingers in the after taste. Medium to full in strength, and full in taste, the nic-hit is between moderate and full as it seems to get a little stronger in the last quarter of the smoke. Burns well with few relights, and a very consistent taste with no dull or harsh moments. Leaves no moisture in your bowl, and produces volumes of smoke as you go along to that fine white ash. The room note is stronger than a camp fire; very pungent. Not an all day smoke.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania War Horse:
The burley is toasty, and a little nutty with a strong, bold earthiness. The burley is a little sweet, though I don’t notice that particular sweetness as much after a few puffs. The rest of the time you’ll discern the other aspects of the burley that I mentioned. It is the dominant component all the way through. The spicy, woody, smoky dark-fired Kentucky kicks in from the start and you’ll taste it from one extent to another the rest of the way, always in a supporting role. The perique isn’t always as obvious. There are times when its spicy quality is sublimated by that of the dark-fired. The plum, fig, and date notes it provides are more noticeable to me. The red Virginias are tangy dried dark fruit sweet with a touch of earth in an important support role as it provides a bit of sweetness, which I seem to observe more after the half way point, though it’s always there. The sweet topping, whatever it is, competes with the red Virginia in the taste department in the first half, and though the topping weakens just a little after that, it will remain to the end. The blend’s strength is a little over the medium threshold while the taste closes in on being full. The nic-hit is a little more than mild. Burns well with very few relights, cool, smooth and a little creamy with a fairly consistent complex flavor. It won’t bite, but I suggest a moderate cadence and a wide bowl to heighten the experience. Leaves no moisture in the bowl, produces lots of smoke, and the after taste pleasantly lingers as it leaves nothing but burnt ash at the finish. Despite its strength, it’s almost an all day smoke, and long time smokers might likely consider it to be one.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania Bengal Slices:
The very smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia is the star component, but this is a lat-bomb with nuance. The Orientals are smoky, woody, with some spice, and is slightly sweet with a hint of sour. The yellow Virginias provide a light citrus and minor spice hit, while the black stoved Virginias have a fermented fruity sweetness. The unflavored black cavendish is sweet and has a smoothing presence to tame any potential harshness, which you’ll hardly find in this product, even if you puff hard, though there is a slight edge to the latakia once in a while after the half way point if you go at it at beyond a moderate pace. There seems to be a very mild top note, but I can not identify it. The slices are thick, and easily broken apart to prepare to your preference level. Well blended with some complexity - more so than your average lat-bomb - it burns slow, and does require a few relights, though the number of them will depend upon how you break apart the slices and pack your bowl. I suggest you do so a little loosely. The very rich flavor is consistent and fairly smooth to the finish with no weak or dull spots, and no bite. Has a slightly more than moderate nic-hit, and the strength is a little more than medium with a fulsome taste. Leaves no moisture in the bowl, which doesn’t often happen with this kind of manufacture. Has a very pleasant after taste, and the room note is not as pungent as I expected. I credit the sweetness for that.
This is the only mixture in the line up where I had tried the original. I did not like the original and thought it was a bit flat, but then again, I believe what I had was comprised because it was dry, dry, dry, and a fair amount of flavor was lost. This means I can not fairly compare the two as the recreation is fresh with all the flavor intact.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s No. 1 Mild:
The bright and red Virginias are mildly grassy, citrusy and tangy dried fruit sweet with a touch of earth, and are the star components. The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woody sweet as a supporting player that you’ll notice all the way to the finish. The Orientals play a minor role, but adds some complexity: smoky, woody with a touch of sweet spice. The sweetness from the Virginias and latakia hits you as you light up, and this well balanced blend holds a consistent, clean, smooth, cool and creamy flavor to the finish. No dull or weak spots, no moisture in the bowl, and no bite. Has a pleasant after taste, and the room note passes the wife test. Though the blend purports to be mild - and the nicotine and strength levels are indeed that - the taste is a shade over the mild mark. I attribute that to the rich sweetness you get in every puff. A very good entry level English that an experienced smoker could smoke all day without feeling that they’re missing anything.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s No.s 1&2 Medium:
The very smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia is the star component, but this is not a lat-bomb. The light and red Virginias offer some citrus and tangy stewed fruitiness along with a mild grassiness, plus a little earth. The Orientals are woody sweet with a touch of spice and sour in a supporting role. Has a moderate nic-hit, and is medium in strength and taste as the name states. Well balanced, rich and creamy smooth with some complexity, it burns well, cool, and even with few relights. The deep flavors never weaken, and there’s no dull or harsh spots to be found. Won’t bite, and leaves no moisture in the bowl, so you can burn it down to the last strand of tobacco. Has a camp fire-like room note, and produces a large volume of smoke. Not quite an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable during your smoking day.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s Smyrna:
The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woody sweet. The Orientals and Turkish are fairly sweet with a touch of sour, and are very woody and spicy with a deep smoky earthiness. Obviously, you can credit the Smyrna for much of that. Playing back-up is a citrusy sweet, lightly grassy, slightly earthy brown Virginia. You can taste all of the inherent tobaccos flavors in every puff. Burns clean with some complexity, and has a refined creamy, spicy sweet smoothness that makes you think there might be a little less latakia than there is. One might think all the spice would nip at your tongue if you puff fast, but that doesn’t happen, nor will it bite, though I do suggest smoking it at a moderate pace. This is the spiciest blend in this company’s line up, and it pleasantly lingers in the after taste. Medium to full in strength, and full in taste, the nic-hit is between moderate and full as it seems to get a little stronger in the last quarter of the smoke. Burns well with few relights, and a very consistent taste with no dull or harsh moments. Leaves no moisture in your bowl, and produces volumes of smoke as you go along to that fine white ash. The room note is stronger than a camp fire; very pungent. Not an all day smoke.
Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania War Horse:
The burley is toasty, and a little nutty with a strong, bold earthiness. The burley is a little sweet, though I don’t notice that particular sweetness as much after a few puffs. The rest of the time you’ll discern the other aspects of the burley that I mentioned. It is the dominant component all the way through. The spicy, woody, smoky dark-fired Kentucky kicks in from the start and you’ll taste it from one extent to another the rest of the way, always in a supporting role. The perique isn’t always as obvious. There are times when its spicy quality is sublimated by that of the dark-fired. The plum, fig, and date notes it provides are more noticeable to me. The red Virginias are tangy dried dark fruit sweet with a touch of earth in an important support role as it provides a bit of sweetness, which I seem to observe more after the half way point, though it’s always there. The sweet topping, whatever it is, competes with the red Virginia in the taste department in the first half, and though the topping weakens just a little after that, it will remain to the end. The blend’s strength is a little over the medium threshold while the taste closes in on being full. The nic-hit is a little more than mild. Burns well with very few relights, cool, smooth and a little creamy with a fairly consistent complex flavor. It won’t bite, but I suggest a moderate cadence and a wide bowl to heighten the experience. Leaves no moisture in the bowl, produces lots of smoke, and the after taste pleasantly lingers as it leaves nothing but burnt ash at the finish. Despite its strength, it’s almost an all day smoke, and long time smokers might likely consider it to be one.
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