Skippy's Blend of the Week

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Hey there folks! My name is Skippy and I have a problem. Tobacco Acquisition Disorder affects us all to one degree or another, and oh boy have I ever had a bad case of it!

I'm going into my third year of pipe smoking at this point and my cellar has reached just shy of 100 blends stashed away in 8 ounce Ball jars or unopened tins, and I'd really like to thin it down to just the ones I enjoy the most. After sorting through them all there were 28 blends that I knew I had no desire to ever smoke again, so they went into an sell/giveaway box, but that still left 68 blends that I never really smoked enough of to properly evaluate.

So, I decided to make a year and a half long project out of it and every Sunday pick a blend in my cellar and smoke that blend every day for a week. If I'm not sick of it and am still enjoying smoking it after a week then it's a keeper, and if not then it goes in the sell/giveaway box; but either way there will be a review of it posted in this thread at the end of the week!

Thus far the only blend I've determined to be definite keeper is Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia, and I am allowing myself to smoke verified keepers for my second or third smoke of the day after having the blend of the week so I can continue enjoying favorite blends while I work my way through this mountain of jars.

It'll be a long process going through them all, but this thread will chronicle the journey and I figure smoking a blend every day for a week should be enough time to properly evaluate it. When the project is done in a year and a half or so I'll have a much more manageable cellar, and a pretty solid idea of what I'd like to deep cellar for long-term enjoyment!


I hope you'll come along and join me on this journey, and share your thoughts on each week's blend of the week as well if you've ever had it before! My first blend of the week is Gawith Hoggarth Jamaican Flake (formerly Rum Flake) and you can expect a thorough review of it on Saturday along with an announcement for what next week's blend of the week will be!

 

[bullet08]

Dang. I thought this was a peanut butter review.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Dang. I thought this was a peanut butter review.

I already have more blends than I know what to do with, but if you really got your hopes up for peanut butter then I suppose I could order some Wilke Peanut Butter and give it a try!

 

[khiddy]

This sounds like a fun project, I look forward to seeing your reviews.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Should be fun to watch, thanks for sharing. I definitely could use some narrowing down, but even the blends I truly enjoy I don’t think I’d enjoy them near as much if I smoked them exclusively for a week (I usually carry 4-5 blend for a week in my lunchbox, and then smoke one or two different blends after work every day).

 

[khiddy]

Should be fun to watch, thanks for sharing. I definitely could use some narrowing down, but even the blends I truly enjoy I don’t think I’d enjoy them near as much if I smoked them exclusively for a week (I usually carry 4-5 blend for a week in my lunchbox, and then smoke one or two different blends after work every day).

It looks like he's just committing to smoking the selected blend at least once a day for a week, not exclusively that blend for the whole week.

He wrote that he will be "allowing myself to smoke verified keepers for my second or third smoke of the day after having the blend of the week so I can continue enjoying favorite blends while I work my way through this mountain of jars." Which indicates he'll also be smoking his favorites, after he's tried the blend on the potential chopping block. Unless my reading comprehension is failing me.

 

[Sobrbiker]

It looks like he's just committing to smoking the selected blend at least once a day for a week, not exclusively that blend for the whole week.

He wrote that he will be "allowing myself to smoke verified keepers for my second or third smoke of the day after having the blend of the week so I can continue enjoying favorite blends while I work my way through this mountain of jars." Which indicates he'll also be smoking his favorites, after he's tried the blend on the potential chopping block. Unless my reading comprehension is failing me.

Sounds like your comprehension is better than mine this morning

 

[anotherbob]

I highly recommend the weekly blend. I feel like it gives you a good idea of what the blend is actually like.

 

[Lucro]

This sounds like a fun experience! I look forward to reading your thoughts on these blends

 

[Sig]

I look forward to your reviews.
I USED to have the same problem, but I just smoked it all. I stopped buying tobacco for a few years.
I currently have about 35 blends, pounds of a few of them and only add to the cellar if I REALLY like the blend.
This way, by the time I die, I should have a perfect cellar of just my favorite blends.
I recently bought a few "new to me" tins.....maybe I won't like them so I won't need to buy more.

 

[didimauw]

I'm very picky about my blends.

If I can smoke an entire 2oz tin, I consider it a keeper.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Blend of the Week #1: Gawith Hoggarth Jamaican Flake / Rum Flake



Alrighty! After a week of smoking Gawith Hoggarth Jamaican Flake (formerly Rum Flake) at least once a day I think it's time to share my thoughts on it!

The presentation of the tobacco is lovely, coming in long thick strips that are nicely moist and fresh without being damp or truly wet. I've found it seems to smoke best fresh from the jar and rubbed out into a fine ribbon cut with little to no dry time, but you can dry it if you please or simply fold and stuff the flakes and they'll still smoke well. It's not a picky blend when it comes to moisture and relights are infrequent even when smoked fresh with no dry time.

The tin aroma is a powerful combination of rum and licorice with very little tobacco scent to be found, which would lead one to believe it's an aromatic, but when smoked that's not what I get from this blend at all. To me Gawith Hoggarth Jamaican/Rum flake is, in fact, a codger style Burley blend of unusual strength wherein the licorice and rum toppings are so lightly applied that they go almost unnoticed.

The predominant flavor you get from the smoke is a very mild and inoffensive Burley with none of the rough edges found in other boutique Burley blends from companies like Cornell & Diehl, it's just a very softly nutty, earthy, ever so slightly sour Burley flavor that occasionally leaves a subtle hint of rum or licorice on the aftertaste. There is some Virginia in this blend as well, though it lingers far in the background behind the Burleys and my palate doesn't seem to be sensitive enough to pick it up most of the time.

The smoke is remarkably smooth too, with no sinus sting whatsoever on the retrohale and no throat irritation at all even when puffed quite aggressively; which is a really pleasant surprise for me since the vast majority of Burley blends just tear my throat and sinuses a new one anytime I smoke them. In this case though I'm guessing it's Gawith's steam pressing of the flakes and the careful addition of just a little maple sugar along with the other casings that mellow and smooth out all the harsh elements of the Burley leaf without going so far as to make it truly sweet tasting. The result is a soft and gentle smoke that's much more akin to Prince Albert or Carter Hall than it is to a true aromatic.

Where Jamaican Flake differs from those classic codger blends though is in the nicotine content, which in typical Gawith fashion is quite a bit stronger than one might expect! It's not going to knock your socks off like a really strong blend such as Irish Flake or 1792 might, but it is towards the high end of medium and I'd recommend taking it slow and easy and setting the pipe down every 15 minutes or so to evaluate how you're feeling if you're someone who typically smokes milder aromatics, Virginia flakes, or English blends. The nicotine content in Gawith blends can be pretty sneaky and waylay you about 20 or 25 minutes into the bowl, suddenly hitting you all at once when you felt nothing at all prior to that.


All things considered I think Jamaican Flake is a fairly pleasant blend, though some may find it's very mild Burley flavor profile to be a bit of a disappointment if they were expecting a strongly rum flavored aromatic; because that's really not what this blend is at all. If you're a fan of the classic OTC blends like Prince Albert, Carter Hall, or Sir Walter Raleigh though and can handle a fairly stout nicotine content then Rum Flake is certainly worth a try! It's not going to amaze you with depth or complexity of flavor, but sometimes a tobacco blend doesn't have to. Sometimes just being an agreeable, mild tasting, simple anytime smoke is enough. This one is a keeper for me!



Looking ahead to next week, after smoking such a mild tasting blend this week I think I'm in the mood for something with a good strong flavor punch next! Whether or not it'll be a flavor I'll actually like is up to question, but I don't think I'll find anything mild about...


War Horse Green

 

[kcghost]

We will keep watching for updates on this. Should be really interesting.

 

[Steddy]

Wow, what a great review! Descriptive, comparative, and it leaves me craving a smoke. Look forward to reading about the Green Cologne.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

War Horse Green First Impressions




It took me some time to decide on which pipe to desecrate with this blend, since I've heard War Horse Green will leave a permanent ghost in whatever you smoke it in, but after some ponderation I settled on an old Country Gentleman cob that's nearing the end of it's lifespan and due for replacement. May it rest in peace after this week is done.

The tin aroma of War Horse Green is quite strong, and reminds me a lot of Naklha Double Apple hookah tobacco. For those unfamiliar with it, Double Apple is a mixture of sweet red apple and a whole helluva lot of licorice, and that's just what War Horse Green smells like... well, that and a faint chemical note that reminds me vaguely of mothballs. I'm not terribly sure this is safe for human consumption, but hey, I've got good health insurance so I'll give it a go! What's the worst that could happen?

War Horse Green comes in the form of a crumble cake and the tobacco breaks off the cake easily just by pinching off some with your fingers, and expands exponentially when rubbed out into a surprisingly dry ribbon cut. There doesn't seem to be any need to dry this blend, it's quite dry straight off the cake. It takes to the flame easily and tastes... strangely chocolatey.

The first flavor I got off the charring light was a rich dark chocolate note, but that quickly gave way to a combination of strong licorice topping, nutty chocolatey Burley, dark earthy leaf littery red Virginia, and a chemically background note that reminds me far too much of mothballs. There's also a coolness to the smoke similar to the cooling effect that certain varieties of Latakia can provide, though there's no Latakia in this blend so I'm guessing the slight cooling effect must be coming from one of the casings. In any case it makes for a surprisingly mellow and smooth smoke that's easy on the sinuses when retrohaled and offers very little in the way of harshness or rough edges.

Getting back to the flavor though, I've often heard the flavor of War Horse Green described as something along the lines of, "Chugging half a bottle of anisette liquor with no chaser" and while I will admit that the black licorice note and the aftertaste it provides is fairly strong there's a lot more going on here than just the licorice and quite a bit of natural tobacco flavors to be found. If it wasn't for that weird mothbally chemical background note that flitters in and out somewhere between the exhale and aftertaste I think I'd really like this! As it is though, my initial impression is that I feel like it's going to be a looooong week trying to make myself smoke this every day.

Speaking of notes, the room note is quite potent! It's an apple'y licorice aroma that mirrors the tin note well and would be quite pleasant were it not for, you guessed it, the chemically mothball note. Unfortunately that mothball odor is probably the most prominent aspect of the room note so I wouldn't recommend smoking this one when you've got company around. Another thing that's rather potent about this blend is, of course, the nicotine content!

It's noticeably less strong than it's sister blend War Horse Bar and other heavy hitters like Irish Flake or 1792 Flake that I always like using as reference points for what a really strong tobacco is, but I'd put War Horse Green right in line with Dunhill/Peterson Nightcap since that's a pretty common blend that a lot of people are familiar with. On the scale of mild to extra strong, I'd say War Horse Green is a solid "strong". It's nothing to be afraid of though, and if you have a low tolerance for nicotine or aren't sure how it might affect you then just set the pipe down for a bit every 10 minutes or so to see how you're feeling and don't be in a rush to finish the bowl or keep it lit. It'll relight just fine, and this is definitely a blend you'd be wise to sip slow and take your time with. Just treat it with a little respect and it'll do the same for you.



That's it for my first impressions! For those of you who have smoked War Horse Green before, what do you think of it?

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Slight change of plans! After smoking War Horse Green twice yesterday and today I just can't get past that mothball chemical flavor note and it's making me a little nauseous every time I smoke it, and I sure don't need to spend a week smoking this stuff to know that I don't like feeling nauseous. It's pretty darn rare for me to find a tobacco so foul tasting that I absolutely cannot bring myself to smoke it again, but War Horse Bar and War Horse Green have both earned that rather dubious distinction thanks to the whole mothball chemical flavor thing they've got going on. With that in mind, War Horse Green is going straight into the sell/giveaway box and this week's alternate blend of the week is:


Captain Black Original




Feel free to smoke along with me, and I'll have a full review of Captain Black Original coming on Saturday or Sunday! My first impressions of War Horse Green will have to suffice for a review and stand as my lasting impressions.

 

[Lucro]

Note to self: remove warhorse green from future buy list. I don’t like mothballs and I really dislike anise smell/flavor.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Note to self: remove warhorse green from future buy list. I don’t like mothballs and I really dislike anise smell/flavor.

Yeaaaah, if you're not a fan of anise then stay far away from War Horse Green! That goes double for if you're sensitive to chemical flavors and aromas.


On a more positive note though, for those who may like to smoke along with me I took some time this afternoon to come up with a little blend of the week itinerary for the rest of the year through January! I'm not sure exactly what order I'm going to do them in, but I'll probably do the pure Virginias and aromatics while the weather is still fairly warm then transition into the English and dark fired blends once late autumn and winter rolls around. I've also got some fun seasonal treats lined up for October!



Blend of the Week Itinerary for September 2024 - January 2025

Pure Virginias
Sutliff - 507C Virginia Slices
Mac Baren - HH Pure Virginia
G.L. Pease - Union Square

Codger Blends
Prince Albert
Carter Hall

Aromatics
Cult - Blood Red Moon
Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Loose Cut
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake
Super Value - Bourbon Whiskey
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Ennerdale Flake

Seasonal Delights
Cornell & Diehl - Autumn Evening
Sutliff - Pumpkin Spice
Straus Tobacco - Sleepy Hollow

English Blends
Peterson - Early Morning Pipe
Peterson - Nightcap

Dark-Fired Blends
Peterson - Irish Flake
Samuel Gawith - 1792 Flake
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Flake Aromatic
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Flake Unscented
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Bird's Eye
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Kentucky
Mac Baren - HH Bold Kentucky

 

[DesertDan]

Looking forward to your reviews.

 

[Chalaw87]

This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing. I’m looking forward to the updates.