pipesandcigars.com Sugar Plum

Ignore the other review. This blend is awesome!!! Cavendish adds gorgeous scent and flavour where the Virginia adds depth. Easy to light, smoke and enjoy. No bite. Amazing room note. Solid pipe tobacco. I will keep this in the holiday time rotation

As it was nearing the winter holidays, I decided to add something festive to my tobacco order, and while I honestly don't have a clue what a sugar plum is, I've heard carolers sing about it.

Taking a whiff of the bag shed little light on the subject. There was a slight sweet/sour thing going on over a kinda meh' cardboard base. I guess I was wrongly expecting a mulled wine smell which I tend to associate with all things Christmas. The lady of the house told me it smelled like a Fig Newton (which I've never had, so perhaps this may mean something to you dear reader).

The stuff was a nice mix of light and dark, nice moisture content, and a good feel for packing. It produced a nice velvety smoke that relied on the Cavendish to ferry over a light sugar which tasted better than it smelled. While I reserve my 3-4 star ratings for blends that really catch my buds, I could see this ranking a 3 by a more moderate reviewer.

It may not have enough flavor for a hardcore Aromatic lover, and others will be hard pressed to find much natural flavor, yet I would happily smoke it up next year when the snow falls again.

Although this gets fairly consistent rave reviews on P&C, it just barely worked for me. Although the cut packs well, was dry enough right out of the bag, and burns with only average relights, I just found the flavor, while not objectionable, too indistinct for my tastes. 1-Q is a better choice, IMO, and at less cost. There was some mild hint of vanilla, but it was rather one-dimensional.

Initially, I smoked it right out of the bag, and attributed the lack of taste to being very fresh. But, at three weeks, it hasn't improved. While a brand new smoker might find this OK, with no bite, and a very cool burn, it just had little or no tobacco taste, and not nearly a strong enough room note to bring me back. It may be quite the ticket for some, but would not be adding it to my rotations. Just two stars on this one, based mostly on room note. I'd have to give it only one star for any noticeable taste.