Sutliff Tobacco Company Chocolate Truffle J12

Initial Impressions: Probably about average as aromatics go. 1Q and Frosty Mint being my other two aro experiences, I can say this is not strong, but a hint of chocolate flavour does come through in the smoke so it doesn't fall flat either. Otherwise it's just a nice light easy burning tobacco.

Update: Having smoked over 40 blends now I gave this a second go. This time it was in a much bigger pipe and my packing technique is better, so that may have helped. While still not the sweetest, it definitely gives some good flavour at the start of each bowl. It's still a middle of the road aromatic but I liked it much more this time.

Update 2014-7-27: After my last few bowls were fairly enjoyable I decided to bump it up a star.

The various tobaccos are processed in the cavendish style, and offer some grass and citrus along with a light earthiness. The black cavendish provides a little sugar. The brandy topping is lightly evident, and I barely notice the almond. The coconut is a tad more noticeable, but chocolate is the main topping. The toppings sublimate the tobaccos quite a bit, and mostly hold their own to the finish. The taste level is just past the center of mild to medium. Has very little nicotine. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a very pleasant after and room note. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

I have tried many chocolate blends and almost all of them have been a disappointment one way or another. Just no taste, taste but was a burnt flavor, tasted more like coffee than chocolate. Well those days seem to be over. Sutliff seems to have hit on a perfect blend to give me what I am looking for. The opening note is nice milk chocolate aroma but not overwhelming. Lights up so easy and the taste starts coming in immediately. I get that nice smoky chocolate taste with a little something I can only expect is truffles but since I have never tasted them, at least to my knowledge my tastes buds say buttery sweet hay. Good huh! The room note is a light chocolate smell but very light. You also get some good tobacco flavor which I really appreciate. Will burn a bit hot but if you keep it slow you will have no problems. This to me, ranks right up there with some of my most favorite aromatics and the best chocolate aro I have had the pleasure to smoke.

Chocolate Truffle is another Sutliff tobacco that was recommended to me when I first starting piping. I'm glad I waited to try this until I got better at smoking slower, so I could enjoy it.

When the tobacco 1st arrived, it was fairly moist & sticky to the touch out of the ziploc bag. It has gotten a little better with a few months in a mason jar, still a little moist, but not as sticky. The aroma from the jar is a light & creamy chocolate, that is pure bliss to the nose. The taste is mellow, a really nice chocolate, not intense just the right amount of flavor. I get a hint of other flavors, but they don't jump out at you. The flavor stays consistent throughout the bowl. It's like smoking a cup of hot chocolate or a chocolate eclair.

The pipe needs to be packed a bit on the loose side, it seems to stay lit & smoke better that way. It can get bitey if you smoke a little fast, but at a slow pace it's just fine. If it's a little moist, drying it a bit helps, but I still have a couple relights. I usually end up with some moisture & dottle at the bottom of the bowl.

Overall, it's a real good chocolate aromatic, that tastes like it smells. It is a whole lot better than the couple others I have tried. I don't think it's an every day smoke for me, but it's a nice treat when I'm in the mood!

Sutliff Tobacco Co. - Chocolate Truffle J12.

It's a coarse ribbon, smells mostly of chocolate, and needs airing when fresh.

Although J12 contains a few flavour additions the chocolate outweighs the others. Not that they're unnoticeable, it's just that the chocolate's far more formidable! The coconut outshines the almond, it has that slightly fragrant note that hails from coconut, making the almond seem insipid and characterless in comparison. At the beginning of a smoke the brandy gives more of a sweetness than a definite alcohol note, but after halfway some alcoholic sharpness joins in. It burns well enough but can become a bit warm if my technique's too zealous.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

Chocolate Truffle? A good aromatic but it doesn't have the X-Factor to have four stars:

Recommended:

Three stars.

I have been trying to find a solid chocolate tobacco to add to the rotation. After about 5 attempts, Chocolate Truffle wins the prize! Plesant pouch and room note, no bite and no bitter taste at the bottom of the bowl that seems to be prevalent with chocolate blends. No at the top of my list overall, but well worth keeping around for a change of pace.

Upon opening, the chocolate smells good enough to just start chewing on the stuff. I really enjoyed their Molto Dulce and was looking forward to trying some of the other Sutliff blends. I LOVE this tobacco. I brought it along on a fly fishing trip in ID a few weeks back, when I would light up, everyone was coveting my pipe and Chocolate Truffle tobacco. Mild and mellow. No bite. After the pre-light and maybe 1 touchup it burned nicely.

Very nice!!! Great chocolate flavor that never quits or gets too strong! Not my everyday blend but will find a spot in my rotation! I find this a great start to my morning when hot choco and sticky buns are for breakfast!

Sutliff Chocolate Truffle is a delectable pleasure comprised of mixed Cavendish niftily smothered with chocolate, cocoa, brandy, and almond extract, imagine that.

The pouch note on this dark confection is, by my definition, scrumptious. Imagine sticking your face in a fresh container of instant Hershey’s after taking a hearty shot of Chatelle Napoleon VSOP. Swirling candied notes of assorted rich chocolate laced with the honey-spiced liquor essence have your senses dancing with delight.

And to the taste, with Truffle one gets a buttery texture that is essentially dominated by the melded flavor of mellow chocolate and bittersweet dark cocoa. The sugary spice of brandy is present; however, it’s poses underneath fusing quite nicely. A faint earthy tartness coming from the Cavendish just barely hits the registration as the top coatings are the main feature of the blend. The mix is reasonably dry, cool burning-no bite and holds its savor consistently for the entire smoke, very nice for an aromatic.

The room note essence materializes as sugary chocolate splendor of course. The aroma is charming and a makes a welcome addition to the overall ambience. Very pleasant most likely to any non-smoker. Kind of makes you want a thick and gooey piece of sinful fudge.

The topping is so potent I honestly could smell the chocolate drippings from within the sealed bad, inside a closed cabinet, two rooms over! It did smell nice however, with it's juicy chocolate richness of and added brown liquor. The open bag transported me to Gloria Jeans (or some other syrup slinging coffee shop), where a dozen sweet flavors swirl about to almost toxic levels!

Understandably, the ribbons are quite moist and sticky, buckling under so much spray tan, yet I didn't have any trouble getting lit. The more-is-more approach to so many flavors at once did cause a confused heaviness in the smoke that culminated onto the boozy side with less sugary notes. Not as mouth watering as my nose had me initially believe, though it did satisfy on some level.

The real surprise for me was finding a Sutliff product I didn't despise.