Jim's Sutliff Match Reviews.

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

ray47

Lifer
Jul 10, 2015
2,451
5,610
Dalzell, South Carolina
I've enjoyed the Sutliff Match for ERR and slightly prefer it over the Lane Limited RR. When I bought the Sutliff Match the cubes were quite large which I don't remember the old ERR cut being that large. I bought the Sutliff Match 2 yrs ago. Recently I put the Sutliff Match in a grinder and it tastes a whole lot better. My question to You Jim, has Sutliff changed the cut to a smaller version then in the past? If not I may have to think long and hard about buying the Sutliff Match again.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
The last pound I bought of Match ERR was this past Fall, and the cut was pretty close to the Original; no big pieces.

 

jravenwood

Can't Leave
Apr 23, 2017
430
84
A good read, thanks for the reviews, as well as the thousand plus on tobaccoreviews.com. I always scroll until I read yours and Pipe studs!

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
Deniz and Jravenwood: thank you for the kind words. And Deniz, keep reviewing, man.

 

mata66

Lurker
May 17, 2017
2
0
Jim reviews are my personal bible and the first I read when I search an honest and extremely competent opinion on TR.com.

After they've got his seal of approval I recently ordered Ready Rubbed Match, Revelation Match, My mixture 965 Match and Elizabethan Mixture Match.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
Thank you for the very kind words. I'm happy to have been of help to you. And welcome to the forum. Hope you'll join in.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
A textbook chapter on matching blends, helpful in shopping but also an education on the matching process.

 

blackadderlxx

Can't Leave
Jun 17, 2018
369
10
This is my first post. I just joined here because I wanted to say thanks to JimInks for all the helpful reviews on TR. Whenever I want to learn about a blend, I always look to see if you have reviewed it. So thanks.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
This is a great original post. How many of these matches are still available, or available on a regular basis? And which retailers offer the widest selection of these? Not expecting anyone to have ready answers, but what's the conjecture out there? Some of the Sutliff blends seem to be offered somewhat seasonally, others disappear altogether. Sutliff made a good Westminster blend, English of course, that I enjoyed a lot, but it seems to be on hiatus.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
Thank you for the kind words, fellas. It was worth all the work just to know the reviews are helpful to people.
MSO: Westminster was Dunhill London Mixture Match, so you can still enjoy it.

 

smokingcricket

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 17, 2018
208
0
I have only been smoking a year and I do not know any other pipe smokers.This is by far the best best information on these blends I have come across and I have spent a fair amount of time looking.This has helped me much.Thank you

 

jmsmitty6

Can't Leave
Jan 12, 2018
411
4,718
44
Cincinnati, Ohio
I'm very sorry to keep an old thread 'alive' but this has to be one of the most well thought out and informative posts I've come across. Of particular interest to me was your thoughts on the Elizabethan Match. I have to ask, do you still smoke it and prefer it to the current version?
Thank you very much Jim for your service to both the comic book industry as well as your wonderful reviews. Have a great day

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
Jmsmity6: thank you very much for the very kind words. I haven't smoked the Elizabethan Match lately, but it's still better than the Germain's version.
I have updated that review and the Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match since this was posted. Here are the updates:
ERR Match:

It packs well, stays lit, and is a very cool, consistent smoke all the way to the bottom with no bite, though it has a slight roughness at times. Nutty with a molasses flavor and a little cocoa along with a slight sharpness, and a bit of earth and wood. I can see this being a decent starter burley for someone who has never tried the genre, and I can certainly see it being a regular rotation blend. Has a mild nicotine hit. Burns a little slow due to being a cube cut, cool and clean with a very consistent taste. Requires a few relights, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl. Has a nice after taste. An all day work and play smoke that may not be complex, but has enough going for it to hold your interest.
This Match is very close to the original. I spent a weekend comparing the two versions. The original seemed a little fuller, deeper in the molasses taste, and that's the only difference I can tell. The cut and look of the tobacco is the very same. The more I smoke it, the better I like it. In a blind taste test, it would be very hard to tell which was which.
EDIT: The batch I got in the Spring of 2015 tastes as I have described it above. However, the cut was changed to a rough cut with some small chunks, and the tobacco is lighter is color. This version burns slower, but at least it tastes the same. Others have reported the same change in cut. Wish they would have left it alone.

10-20-2016 Update: Apparently, Sutliff has listened as the productions of this year's Match ERR are exactly like my original description.
I gave four stars to the original.
Dunhill Elizabethan Match:

I’ve compared this to the original (which once was a regular smoke for me) and I'd say this blend is fairly close, but not an exact match. It’s certainly closer than the current DE production by Dunhill, which I consider to be inferior to both the original and the Sutliff Match. The Murray’s version was a little more complex in taste, and had just a little more bright lemon Virginia. The perique is very peppery in both, slightly more plumy here. The brown Virginia is virtually identical: a little grass and earth with some citrus. As much as I liked the Murray’s product, I would say this is as close as you can get. A little more sprinkling of citrusy, spicy floral lemon Va., and it’d virtually be the same. Because the new version is different from the Murray’s, which is what the Match attempted to copy, I would not consider them to be similar. The proportion of ingredients in the new Dunhill version is different, and is a shag cut , which the original never was. Nor is this Match, which is ribbon cut.

The nic-hit here is in the center of mild to medium, which is a tad less than the Murray’s version. The strength level is closer to medium than it is to mild, while the Murray’s was medium. No chance of bite or harshness is present. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, slightly lingering after taste, and stronger room note.Can be an all day smoke for most people.
The Murray’s version of DE was one of the very few blends m'lady openly complained about. When they quit making it, she was very happy. A couple of years back, I tried the Match for the first time. Five minutes after I started smoking it, she came back to the studio and said, "Are you smoking that crap again? I thought they quit making it." Telling me that she recognized the smell after several years just struck me kinda funny. That, besides the taste, amplified my assessment that the Match is close indeed.
I gave the Murray's version four stars. Couldn't do that for the new release, which is a two star blend. This gets four stars.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Jim, you're the best at describing and reviewing these Tobaccos. It almost makes me feel like I've just smoked a bowl myself. Thank you for all you provide for us!
I see that you've done Sutliff Holiday Mix, but how about the Pumpkin or Christmas Spice? I'm really looking for some holiday stuff for my fall and Christmas and I want to get a jump on it. If you've tried it and I just can't find reviews for them, then I'll pick up some 1oz bags to sample from this month to know if I want more for the holidays. The Christmas Spice just sounds delicious.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
Thank you and our resident Witch of the Hollow for the kind words. I have not tried Christmas Spice, but I have smoked Pumpkin Spice, and here's my review of it:
Pumpkin is the star topping, and the various spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice) contribute in an important secondary role. The tobaccos underscore the toppings, though you’ll notice them just a little more after the halfway point. I got bare hints of vanilla from the black cavendish, honey and toast from the gold cavendish, and very slight hay, citrus Virginia notes. The nutty, molasses sweet burley is also sublimated, but stands out just a little more than the other tobaccos. A hint of vanilla is also in the topping. Won't bite, or get harsh, and is light on the nicotine. Burns at a moderate pace, cool, clean and creamy smooth with a consistent flavor, though it may benefit from a slight dry time. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no goop. Needs an average number of relights. Not quite an all day smoke, but one that's repeatable.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.