Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Stimulus Package

(3.42)
Captain Earle's Stimulus Package is a true delight for lovers of latakia. Rich and full bodied, Stimulus Package is pressed to deliver a perfectly balanced blend to the true aficionado of full English tobaccos.

Details

Brand Hermit Tobacco Works Co.
Blended By Cornell & Diehl
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type English
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Krumble Kake
Packaging 2 ounce and 8 ounce tins
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.42 / 4
15

7

4

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 26 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 18, 2013 Mild to Medium None Detected Full Tolerable
Stimulus Package from Hermit's Captain Earl's series greets the nose with the usual Latakia forward scent that is similar to the many of the other blends that I have tried in the series. The cake breaks apart with ease and reveals a nice smattering of light and dark chopped ribbons supporting the Latakia. The smoke from SP burns cool and while I wouldn't call it complex, I find it more interesting than the others that I have tried. The supporting tobaccos, for me, extend themselves a bit more, broadening the wonderful flavors. I would call SP a full tasting blend, but not strong in the nicotine department. Having smoked Ten Russians, Private Stock, and Mystic, Stimulus Package is my favorite thus far. If you are a fan of full flavored Latakia blends, this should be on the short list.
26 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 01, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
How can there only be 7 reviews on this masterpiece? Maybe we should keep this to ourselves, eh? I'll just keep this short then. This crumble cake is about as well balanced as you can get it. It just doesn't get any better than this. If you are a true lover of English blends you will, without a doubt, enjoy this one.
Pipe Used: MM General
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
22 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 17, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Stimulus Package is a whale of a good smoke for those times when only a stout Latakia without the harshness will do. I find that a lot of Latakia laden blends being released the last few years are from blenders who are just tossing in any grade of the stuff they can find. Hermit, known for finding the good stuff, did so again here and wove in some mighty fine stoved Virginia to boot!

Pipestud
18 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 27, 2014 Medium None Detected Extra Full Tolerable
This is a real gem, if you're a fan of a full English and very Latakia forward, then this is for you. I would caution new combusters it may ruin your pipe experience, kind of like an Islay Scotch can for some people. A rich dense plug, requiring a serrated knife. I did not rub it out fully since I prefer them a bit chunky, a longer cooler smouldering burn.

The moisture content was just right and ignited easily. It's not overly complex but does what it does very well, rich and mellow Latakia yet full with some creaminess and a nice whisper of Orientals on the top note. Tastes great all the way down and I especially enjoy the last third the subtle complexity gets deeper. I prefer this considerably over Ten Russians or Pease's Gaslight.

It's been quite sometime since the Murray era of Dunhill, the same goes for the last time I packed any; however, this stuff vaguely harkens back to those days mostly on the rich Latakia side of things. I actually prefer this one a bit more; deeper with complexity. There's a moderate nicotine hit yet very well behaved, not a brute, mind you earlier on during the day on an utterly empty stomach a different tale may be told.

Certainly worthwhile to have some tins in the cellar albeit not something I'd smoke day in/day out, and the plug is great for the outdoorsy folks who prefer something compact and not too fragile. It also tastes great outside although losing some of it's subtleties. A fine blend for sitting in a treestand on a snowy day or puffing away in your ice-fishing pop-up, yet refined enough for a quiet evening shared in good company after cigars and some nice malts.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 04, 2010 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
Now this is a tobacco that I can get behind. Jay and Louise are wonderful people and I try not to let that get in the way of my objective reviews of their tobacco... The blend is packed into cakes and upon opening the tin you are confronted by bricks of Latakia latent tobaccos (yummy). The blend was entirely too wet when initially opened but after a day or so of drying out it became very easy to smoke. The blend reminds me very much of Pirate Kake, but with a twist. It seems the mild Virginia and Oriental tobaccos of Pirate Kake were replaced with fragrant rich and delightful tobaccos. This blend has officially replaced Pirate Kake in my typical rotation.
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 12, 2018 Medium None Detected Very Full Pleasant
Hermit Tobacco Works Co. - Captain Earle's - Stimulus Package.

I've smoked a fair few of the Captain Earle's blends and Ten Russians was the only one that I found a bit overpowering: too much Latakia. This, like Nightwatch, is a fabulous smoke.

The kake isn't too tightly compressed so it crumbles with ease, there's even a bowl's worth already broken at the bottom of the tin. It contains about an even quantity of black to brown leaf. The smell isn't a surprise: a heavier English aroma.

I fail to see how any incorrigible smoker couldn't adore this. The flavour's immense: lots of Latakia, with any possible roughness smoothed by the buttery, creamy, Orientals. Although, if the Orientals weren't present I still couldn't see any severity developing from the Lat'. The Virginia's pretty much redundant, the other two aren't up for sharing the playing field; they're far too formidable. The burn from it's even and steady, and the cool smoke doesn't bite.

Nicotine: medium, only higher at a push. Room-note: quite heavy, but I like it!

Stimulus Package? An unequivocal four star blend:

Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Peterson Hansom P'Lip
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Stamped 02/09/18
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 01, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Based on about 4 oz sample from a friend. Brick of mostly dark tobacco, easily broken apart for rubbing and loading. A vigorous rub is desired in order to ensure the plug will burn properly.

I'm generally not a fan of "lat bombs", as I find them too monodimensional and lacking in balance. This one escapes that issue, once I hit about the 1/3 bowl mark. It starts out kind of ashy tasting but once it hits the zone, the mellow Virginia and the orientals come out and play. They help to balance the smoke and provide some sweetness along with a little brightness to offset the latakia's darker character. I'm not sure the latakia percentage but I'd guess it's at plus 50%. It always rules the roost, as this is latakia-forward, backward and sideways. But it does become more subdued and balanced as the bowl progresses. Seemed fairly light on the nicotine, but definitely leaning towards full flavored. Certainly not a complex blend but not exactly a one-trick pony, either. Probably one of the finest "lat bomb" tobaccos I've tried, but again, I'm not really a fan of them. If you're looking for just latakia, look elsewhere. But if you want a light touch of basics with your condiments, give this a try.
Pipe Used: meerschaum and morta
Age When Smoked: new
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 14, 2014 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
Wow, what a find ! The plug is easy to work with; if you first pull it in half thickness wise, then slice it in 3/8 inch wide cuts and rub it out. As you do this, you will have no problem determining that this blend has Latakia in it, you should be able to smell it from 6 feet away, nice.

I tried this back to back with JLP's Odyssey and they are similar but SP I like better ,which is pretty high praise. There is a full flavor blast that stays the whole bowl, powerful but smooth and no bite. What I especially like about this blend is an absence of "Burley Bitters" that I find in many similar blends. This might also have a small touch of Kentucky but it just makes this creamy. I like this blend the most of all the Capt. Earl blends.

One word of caution, after rubbing , take some additional time to further rub out the "Little nuggets" that remain. Otherwise you will have problems with the burn and will require many relights.
Pipe Used: cob
Age When Smoked: 1 month open
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 09, 2011 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable
This was sent by mistake as part of an order that I got last week. When reaching for 3 tins of Honor Blend, they must have had a tin of Stimulus Package in the pile. The labels are dangerously close in color and design. Instead of throwing a fit, as I am apt to do, I decided to keep it and try it out. I never would have ordered it, but I like English blends, so...

The brick is dark and dense with a heady Latakia fragrance. It breaks apart easily and rubs out well with a minimum of dust. A little bit too moist for me from the tin, so I rubbed it all out and loaded it into a mason jar to place on my tobacco cabinet. I laid out a pipe full to smoke later.

Packed well and took to match better than expected for a Latakia heavy blend. (The smoking fires they use to cure this stuff tends to reduce it's combustion characteristics.) Only had one relight and no bite whatsoever. The smoke volume was a bit low, but the flavor was full. Definately a Latakia bomb with a velvet glove. The effect is so smooth and gentle that you forget how much Lat is in this. The Orientals are very good and keep perfect time with the Lat and Virginia.

Flavors are very typical of a full English blend. A well done one at that. Nothing too remarkable, just really good smoking. One wonders what a little Yenidje would do for this. I can say that I will not be buying more because I have way too many English tins in the cellar to add another label to the mix. But, if anyone is on the fence about this one, rest assured that it will be a pleasurable experience if you try it. Assuming of course that you like English blends to start with.

Cheers!
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 11, 2020 Medium to Strong None Detected Mild to Medium Tolerable
Most of our reviewers are younger than I am and want to compare Stimulus Package to other recent blends. To me, it seemed somewhat like the old Smokers Haven's Krumble Kake and we will look at that in the "Similar To" section. I knew nothing of this blend when I found myself buying five tins of it in a package deal at our 2019 NASPC show. I shook one of the tins and heard "thump, thump", so, I knew it would be a flake in the form of a brownie. Opening the tin did reveal that and a blend looking a lot like my last review of G.L. Pease's Lagonda. I found Stimulus Package to be more of a chore to rub out than Lagonda and even harder to keep adequately lit. They smoke somewhat similarly with Lagonda more fragrant and Stimulus Package a tad more flat and nasally. I was pleased with Lagonda's ability to maintain an even profile down the bowl and, conversely, perplexed at Stimulus Package's strangely wandering all over the place. In general, SP's top thirds were disappointing, confused and confusing. I didn't understand what the blend was trying to do and I couldn't grok what it was trying to be. The middle thirds were better and, sometimes, much better; almost to the point of four star performance. I've had some trouble deciding where I am going to come down on evaluating this blend and refer to two reviewers' wisdom. First is reviewer Emeritus Account 2011-08-11. He liked the blend enough to give it three stars but felt that it lacked complexity. Second is reviewer Tomcat 2019-08-29. He felt less enthusiastic about the blend and said it had no balance. They're both right and Tomcat and I figured out what was wrong. We both added new constituents that tilted the blend to the positive; namely, a Bright tobacco. My initial reaction to Stimulus Package was "oh, another one of these blends that's too dark". All's well that ends well - three stars.
Pipe Used: Ashton ELX 1/4 bent yatch
PurchasedFrom: a fellow exhibitor at our 2019 NASPC show
Age When Smoked: eight years old
3 people found this review helpful.
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