Shortcut To Mushrooms (JFH), Frog Morton's Cellar (McC), and Northwoods (Boswell), formed a certain trinity for those of us who loved them.
It's not that they were identical.
But, somehow, if you loved one, you'd wind up loving the others. Those who loved them almost invariably wound up classifying these three together.
What exactly was the point of commonality was difficult to nail down. All contained a mild but discernible proportion of latakia, and all were topped with something mildly sweet and somehow "musty." Two had cavendish, and although FMC didn't, there was an almost cavendish-ish layer to its feel.
But they were different:
Northwoods has a faintly exotic church incense note to it, along with perhaps a whisper of vanilla sweetness, over a smoky latakia cavendish.
Frog Morton's Cellar achieved a somewhat similar result, partly by means of a bourbon topping.
Shortcut to Mushrooms emphasized the "mustiness" more -- a mustiness definitely present in the others, but highlighted in STM.
In any case, they were a triad of sweet earthiness.
STM and FMC have fallen into shadow, so to speak.
Northwoods continues, and is the most commonly recommended substitute for the other two. If anybody says, "I miss STM," or, "I miss FMC," somebody will ask, "Have you tried Northwoods?"
And Northwoods is a great recommendation for that.
But I've found another as well:
Fusilier's Ration.
I'm not saying that it's identical to any of the other three. I'm saying that whatever held those three together, is true of Fusilier's too.
In my books, the triad has become a quartet.
Interestingly, Fusilier's Ration would theoretically be classified with Bengal Slices, since both are attempts to match the same tobacco... but I can't imagine anybody's palate classifying them together. Fusilier's Ration fits the kind of profile I described above, whereas Bengal Slices tastes like BBQ sauce. Bengal Slices is sweet-smoky-tangy-bbq sauce. Fusilier's Ration is nothing like that.
(And FWIW, Bengals Slices White is altogether different as well -- one of the most perfectly clean, perfectly balanced, perfectly natural, high Oriental Englishes ever made. But radically distinct from any of the others under discussion.)
All of this is just to say:
If you miss either STM or FMC, try not only Northwoods, but also Fusilier's Ration. I've never heard anybody else classify it with those others, but halfway through my first bowl I was certain of it.
It's not that they were identical.
But, somehow, if you loved one, you'd wind up loving the others. Those who loved them almost invariably wound up classifying these three together.
What exactly was the point of commonality was difficult to nail down. All contained a mild but discernible proportion of latakia, and all were topped with something mildly sweet and somehow "musty." Two had cavendish, and although FMC didn't, there was an almost cavendish-ish layer to its feel.
But they were different:
Northwoods has a faintly exotic church incense note to it, along with perhaps a whisper of vanilla sweetness, over a smoky latakia cavendish.
Frog Morton's Cellar achieved a somewhat similar result, partly by means of a bourbon topping.
Shortcut to Mushrooms emphasized the "mustiness" more -- a mustiness definitely present in the others, but highlighted in STM.
In any case, they were a triad of sweet earthiness.
STM and FMC have fallen into shadow, so to speak.
Northwoods continues, and is the most commonly recommended substitute for the other two. If anybody says, "I miss STM," or, "I miss FMC," somebody will ask, "Have you tried Northwoods?"
And Northwoods is a great recommendation for that.
But I've found another as well:
Fusilier's Ration.
I'm not saying that it's identical to any of the other three. I'm saying that whatever held those three together, is true of Fusilier's too.
In my books, the triad has become a quartet.
Interestingly, Fusilier's Ration would theoretically be classified with Bengal Slices, since both are attempts to match the same tobacco... but I can't imagine anybody's palate classifying them together. Fusilier's Ration fits the kind of profile I described above, whereas Bengal Slices tastes like BBQ sauce. Bengal Slices is sweet-smoky-tangy-bbq sauce. Fusilier's Ration is nothing like that.
(And FWIW, Bengals Slices White is altogether different as well -- one of the most perfectly clean, perfectly balanced, perfectly natural, high Oriental Englishes ever made. But radically distinct from any of the others under discussion.)
All of this is just to say:
If you miss either STM or FMC, try not only Northwoods, but also Fusilier's Ration. I've never heard anybody else classify it with those others, but halfway through my first bowl I was certain of it.