Your Favorite Underrated Blend
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I didn't know that. I thought they released all the Dunhill/Peterson blends in America. Weird that they wouldn't sell Dark Flake over there. It's a really good tobacco and i'm sure it'd sell.
I've only tried Blockade Runner once. I imported a tin to the UK and left it in the cellar for about 5 years. When I took it out the mylar bag the tin was swole! The smell when I opened it was heaven and I really enjoyed it. Next time i'm ordering from Smokingpipes i'm definitely adding a few tins for the cellar.
My absolute favorite tobacco has a LOT of reviews....but many, many bad reviews.
My beloved MacBaren Virginia #1.
The bad reviews are 100% due to tongue bite.....a blistering inferno of BITE!!
I've not experienced the bite, it's just delicious too me.
Most reviews say something like, "quality tobacco, tastes great, smells fantastic......but I'm in the emergency room having a tongue transplant."
One review literally says, "STOP, FIRE, OUCH".
My beloved MacBaren Virginia #1.
The bad reviews are 100% due to tongue bite.....a blistering inferno of BITE!!
I've not experienced the bite, it's just delicious too me.
Most reviews say something like, "quality tobacco, tastes great, smells fantastic......but I'm in the emergency room having a tongue transplant."
One review literally says, "STOP, FIRE, OUCH".
Mad Fiddler Flake from C&D. It is truly a superb flake with different flavor profile. Doesn't bite or anything.
Uhle's 00 ... a relaxing, delicious and easy-going burley blend.
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Three Star Blue I'd guess based on the OP's criteria. Smoked by thousands though. One of IRC's biggest sellers but, I've never seen it reviewed though. Probably has, maybe even by Jim, and I've just never seen it. I don't pay much attention to reviews though excepting Jim's. We seem to have similar palates, his being much more discerning than mine. By far!
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Virginia Cavendish seems way under the radar. Maybe "cavendish" has people expecting something like Captain Black or Lane BCA. But DVC is thick with musty, jammy, fermented Virginia flavors. Way more dynamic than you might expect from cavendish and still thoroughly smoke-able.
That makes me want to try it.
The two that spring to mind are Sutliff Mocha Strips and bulk C&D Derringer.
There's also a few of the C&D Christmas blends that only come with Peterson pipes that I've liked quite a bit and obviously only have one tin of. Smoking last year's Hearthside right now and it's lovely.
There's also a few of the C&D Christmas blends that only come with Peterson pipes that I've liked quite a bit and obviously only have one tin of. Smoking last year's Hearthside right now and it's lovely.
I've got two to toss in: Super Value Bourbon Whiskey and Mac Baren 7 Seas Red Blend.
S.V. Bourbon Whiskey is the most powerfully whiskey scented and flavored whiskey aromatic that I've ever found, and I've tried just about all of them currently on the market. There's no artificial whiskey flavored sugar syrup here, it smells and tastes like Sutliff just dumped a shot of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 into each pouch, shook it up a little to distribute it across the tobacco, then called it good. Absolutely astounding whiskey aromatic and I dare say the best there is if you can find a fresh pouch, though the whiskey will evaporate off as it ages so smoke it within a few months of opening.
As far as 7 Seas Red goes, it is a cherry aromatic but not a sweet one at all. There's no cough syrup flavor here, just natural, tart, and slightly sour cherry from top to bottom. It reminds me very much of a higher quality version of the old discontinued Middleton Cherry blend. Give it a try if you like the idea of a cherry aromatic but don't want something sweet or cough syrupy, or if you were just a fan of Middleton Cherry before it went the way of the West.
S.V. Bourbon Whiskey is the most powerfully whiskey scented and flavored whiskey aromatic that I've ever found, and I've tried just about all of them currently on the market. There's no artificial whiskey flavored sugar syrup here, it smells and tastes like Sutliff just dumped a shot of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 into each pouch, shook it up a little to distribute it across the tobacco, then called it good. Absolutely astounding whiskey aromatic and I dare say the best there is if you can find a fresh pouch, though the whiskey will evaporate off as it ages so smoke it within a few months of opening.
As far as 7 Seas Red goes, it is a cherry aromatic but not a sweet one at all. There's no cough syrup flavor here, just natural, tart, and slightly sour cherry from top to bottom. It reminds me very much of a higher quality version of the old discontinued Middleton Cherry blend. Give it a try if you like the idea of a cherry aromatic but don't want something sweet or cough syrupy, or if you were just a fan of Middleton Cherry before it went the way of the West.
4Noggins Weybridge. It’s a VaPerBur. Tamer than Haunted Bookshop in my opinion.
It's no longer in production and ceased I think when Mac Baren took over the brand line just a few years ago but I liked Holger Danske Daily mixture. Many slammed it. It was a rather unique flavor. One of the qualities I liked about it was it seemed like a more or less 50/50 mix of virginia and burley(ready rubbed cake) giving it a better balance between flavor and smoothness which is not all that common; Usually one predominates over the other in a blend. Its flavor is hard to describe but along the lines of fig, bitter wild forest berries and perhaps red wine. I have one tin left and wished I had stocked up on it.
Good one! It doesn't really have any hater reviews but it has far fewer reviews than it deserves. It's the blend that allowed me to finally understand the charms of Burley. Like it far better than Solani ABF, HH Burley Flake and any of the C&D Burleys. Fwiw, Uhle's cube cuts (300 and Perfect Plug) are also quite good.
Oh. Good stuff where nobody's complementing. I thought you were talking about Velvet. Rightfully deserves the title of weakest blend.
Mine has to be Artisan's Blend. Closely followed by Bengal Slice.
Mine has to be Artisan's Blend. Closely followed by Bengal Slice.
Two that have decent reviews, and a decent number of them, but that rarely get talked about, are:
- McConnell Black Flake
(It is not really a substitute for Dark Flake -- it is much lighter, really a medium brown flake, and with a very different flavor profile -- but boy is it good. I'm surprised that it doesn't get more attention here.)
- F&T Vintage
(Oh sure, F&T CVP gets lots and lots of attention. But not Vintage. I like Vintage much better than CVP. Not in the tin, but on the palate. In the tin, CVP promises to be much richer than Vintage. But on the palate, CVP has a certain acidity turns south for me, whereas Vintage after the first quarter of the bowl develops into VA perfection. YMMV.)
This is the easiest answer I have ever given here: Uhle's 00. It's amazing how many people have never tried it. I think that, for whatever reason, there is a mentality with some that bulk baccy that comes in a bag can't be as good as something in a tin. Boy are they wrong. I have dozens of jars of everything from hyper-aged rare classics to old sought-after stuff from a certain Channel Island, and it is 00 that I reach for and crave most often.
Shout out to Uhle's B&J's Cavendish too. One of the only aros I've kept in my cellar. I don't smoke it often, but it is always a delight.
Shout out to Uhle's B&J's Cavendish too. One of the only aros I've kept in my cellar. I don't smoke it often, but it is always a delight.
Hard hat on....
I'm currently really enjoying a bowlful of Clan. Great aroma, easy smoking, zero relighting so far, great flavour. Not sure why it gets such a bad rap?
I'm currently really enjoying a bowlful of Clan. Great aroma, easy smoking, zero relighting so far, great flavour. Not sure why it gets such a bad rap?
Peterson's Sherlock Holmes is my favorite underrated blend – a 2.68 on 262 TR reviews. It smokes so incredibly well when given a little time to dry out of the tin, and has lovely Virginia flavor complemented by a light, tangy, plummy topping reminiscent of Royal Yacht. I'm cellared pretty deep in SH thanks to cigarbid (and at a great average price per tin), so I'm not afraid to sing its praises for fear of harming my own supply.
Another great-but-underrated blend is Missouri Meerschaum's Independence Day 2022 – 2.5 on 2 reviews. I found it to be quite excellent when it came up in the TobaccoPipes.com Compare & Share June 2024 package, much better than the other blend that month, Cobblestone Burley Plug, which I found quite awful. The Independence Day 2022 had a slightly sweet smokiness thanks to the latakia with a lightly fruity vanilla topping. I bought a full tin as a result of the tasting.
Another great-but-underrated blend is Missouri Meerschaum's Independence Day 2022 – 2.5 on 2 reviews. I found it to be quite excellent when it came up in the TobaccoPipes.com Compare & Share June 2024 package, much better than the other blend that month, Cobblestone Burley Plug, which I found quite awful. The Independence Day 2022 had a slightly sweet smokiness thanks to the latakia with a lightly fruity vanilla topping. I bought a full tin as a result of the tasting.