Sutliff Tobacco Company Navigator Blend

Being a black cavendish blend, it should come as no surprise that vanilla is the star flavor here, albeit a mild one. There is a little blackened sugary, lightly earthy Virginia, and aged maduro in the mix, and some chocolate notes. Sports a slightly distracting alcohol note in the topping. Has almost no nicotine. Won't bite or get harsh. Burns very smooth and cool with few, if any relights, and a mellow consistency. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and has a decent after taste. It was designed to be a match for the old Argosy Black blend, and comparisons may vary as to how close it is to AB, which I consider inferior to this. Is an all day smoke and a mixer.

-JimInks

The tin smells of a little vanilla and fruit. There is a little alcohol in the tin note. The tobacco is a coarse chopped texture, and mine was not too moist.

Smoking it is mild, and it smokes cool for me. There is not much tobacco flavor for me, but it is a pleasant smoking experience that is a little one-dimensional. For fans of black cavendish or someone looking for an easy to smoke blend, this is probably a home run. I thought it was OK. I have never smoked Argosy Black, so this is judged on its own merits and not by comparison.

Room note was pleasant - like vanilla cake.

So I went to my local tobacco shop and was going to buy a tin of petersons but I have a lot of tins of it. So I kept looking around and found a bunch of sutliffs blend and I came across this one. So I bought it because I liked the picture on the tin. When I got back home and opened the tin I was surprised by how nice it smelled and I went a head and packed a bowl . This blend smokes cool tastes good stays lit and makes the room smell nice. This is a good end of the day smoke . I will keep this around.

All of the reviews of this thus far are spot on. Upon opening the can, I thought, "Whoa! This is the largest tobacco cut I've ever seen. Most of the pieces are a half inch, with some more than one inch long, and all about a quarter inch wide. Holey mackeral, will this pack?" Hence the references to cigar filler.

Yes, it packs and burns. This is the first Sutliff tobacco that I didn't have to dry out for three days. But it burns fast. I am a slow smoker - most bowls last me an hour. Navigator lasts twenty minutes.

I think calling this a 'blend' is a stretch. If the Chinese were to make tobacco, this is how they would do it. Take black Cavendish right off the boat, spray on some Vanilla, then box and send it off. There's nothing else going on here.

So there you have it, a very simple vanilla-cavendish. Tastes as you would expect, but burns faster. I can see why some folks would like it. But don't expect a lot from this offering.

Navigator Blend was delivered in tins to my local pipe club a few months ago by Altadis. They do a wonderful job of supporting the club by sending a blend of the month to us and it is greatly appreciated.

This is a lightly topped Vanilla blend with little strength but a flavor that I enjoyed. The leaf was broad cut and slightly sticky. The pack and burn was easy. The aroma (with 12 club members puffing away on Navigator Blend at the same time), was like a little slice of heaven.

An aromatic that should please those who enjoy lighter, Vanilla topped tobacco.

This is a very dry cavendish, the tin aroma was awsome. The vanilla aroma from the tin is very subtle. I filled abour a 1/4 of the can in a pouch and keept it by my night stand, and every so often I would pick up on this lovely scent. I was anxious to give this a go. I am a bit miffed though, they say it is a ribbon cut, but I say it is more of a course/cube cutl. This was a suprise smoke!!!, though dry, there was not a bite, the smoke was rich and easy to roll. because of the dryness of this lovely dark cavendish it smoked rather quickly, there are a few recomendations that I would like to suggest, one if you like a dry smoke use a large bowl, brier preferred. There is no shame to put a humi disk in the can for a day or two, no more, or you will loose the pourpose of its intended dryness. I also think a filter is not for this blend. This is very nice tobacco, there is no overwhelming vanilla, but only a smooth sweet tast, that is good any time of the day, a sandblasted pipe works well. This is a friend that grows on you, it will have its place in my rotation always. There is some nic, could use a lil more, but hey, thats why there's big bowls. Sit back and let this one become your friend. 4 stars, Happy Jack I would like to say that I was wrong with my discription of the cut, after I moistend this bc, the ribbon was there, it is very dry, and fooled me. I must admit, this stuff just keeps on gettin better, I go to bed and can't wait till morning, "I must be nuts"

Much of what you read here seems based on one of two approaches: personal preference (which does not serve well) or the notion that this is yet another vanilla aromatic (it isn't). Yes, there's vanilla, but not so much. Instead you will find the alcohol and maduro cigar. Some call this cased rather than topped, but that is a distinction without a difference.

For actual effect, consider it a lightly topped Virginia based cavendish. If you enjoy a fine cigar you will love this blend. If you don't, you will experience a tobacco with lovely and pleasant overtones. This blend is not about nicotine, it's not about aromaticity. Don't worry about the cut or moisture; it burns perfectly. To consider this a vanilla forward cavendish is a gross error. The vanilla is there but is supportive only, and quite well and subtly done. Bravo!

Smooth and very lightly sweet, the tobacco is the show. The tin note is not particularly of vanilla, but has a deep, dark fruity tone, which carries forward. The real star is the maduro which give a real and authentic tobacco note - the star of this blend. Any of you who enjoy a fine cigar will easily appreciate this one. The poster who found a little coffee is also on the money, and I would add a bit a cacao.

Seriously, this blend is brilliant - but only if you ignore the approaches and expectations mentioned. Approach it without any preconceptions - and especially if you like fine cigars - and I doubt you'll be disappointed. Lovely and tobacco rich.

Addenda: do not mistake this for a typical, mild beyond belief vanilla cavendish. It is anything but. The rich maduro tobacco is forefront and primary - yet a nasal retrohale will feature a bit of smoothing vanilla that is otherwise far in the background. And forgive the repetiveness, but if you like a good cigar, I believe you will love this blend; if you don't it may be an entry to appreciating what cigar smokers experience and enjoy.

I'm a big fan of Vanilla/Cavendish blends. This is a good one, but is superseded in my opinion by McClelland's Vanilla Ice and Lane's BCA. When you open the tin, it smells great. It's a mild smoke. Navigator does not have the good Vanilla flavor of those blends and burns a bit hotter. I give it a 3, but the other ones get 4's.

This is a nice medium strength pipe tobacco. It has a little bit if smoked to fast. The vanilli flavor is good and the room note is pleasent. This blend is not for everyone, but worth a try. It is a little too strong for me.

Navigator Blend is a pitch black Cavendish based aromatic that smells kind of musty sweet out of the tin. We are definitely talking about a casing and not so much about a top flavor. When smoked I sense a deep, dark and nutty sweetness. Its smoke is soft in a way that it almost feels like puffing a Shisha or Vapor. Due to the slight musty component I believe Maduro plays its part, however, you will not find tobacco taste, nicotine or any kind of backbone in this, even the vanilla type casing is rather subtle. It burns well in the pipe, not on the tongue.

I’d compare the Navigator Blend to Planta’s Danish Black Vanilla in style, only that the first mentioned is far less sweet. The blend looks and feels like tobacco found in a forgotten barrel on board the ship depicted on the tin. I wouldn’t buy this again, but I also believe that it’s good to have variety and blends like this fulfilling specific needs.