Missouri Meerschaum Missouri Pride

A traditional American blend with no pretenses. It is what it is...a straight burly blend with just a touch of wonderfully sweet Virginia to add a little depth and complexity. The initial aroma was just plain nutty-fresh burly and a very slight bright Virginia edge. Like Country Gentleman, this looks like fresh-rubbed flake. It packed well, and lit easily. It doesn't have much of a room-note at all, other than just a good clean mild tobacco aroma. The taste was just good, plain, reliable top-shelf burly, nice and nutty, with just a smidgen of Virginia sweetness that does not deter from the clean burly flavor, but rather compliments it. This blend took me back to what corn-cob pipe-smoking is all about. Back to the basics...nothing fancy...the real thing. This was so good I had to sit out on the porch and finish the smoke while listening to the night mountain sounds, and reflect on the true meaning of life...... this was not easy to do with just a 15-minute smoke, but I managed. I would call this a light medium smoke, mild enough for a beginner, but enough to know you have smoked something. As expected, it burned cool and bite free all the way to the finish, which was way too soon. This is the best burly blend I can ever remember smoking. It left me with a wholesome good feeling of being glad to be alive and an American. This blend is just like the Mountain Spirit....unpretentious and steadfast.

Burley blends are not a heavy part of my rotation, so I took a little longer getting to know Missouri Pride before posting a review. I've smoked almost the entire pouch now, and my feelings about it are generally positive but mixed.

Smells wonderful in the pouch. The topping is very light. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is, but it smells nice. The consistency is a mix of coarse cut and broken flakes. Not dense, heavily pressed flakes like Samuel Gawith, but more loose. They actually fall apart fairly easily. Very easy texture to pack and keep lit. Perfect moisture level, ready to smoke straight from the pouch.

On lighting, and for the first several puffs, I get that same tannic taste that I mentioned in my review of Country Gentleman. I'm guessing it's from the Burley, and that both of these blends have the same type of Burley in common. It tapers off as the Virginia kicks in.

I don't perceive the tasty things that other people seem to find in Burley. No toasted nuts, or buttered popcorn, or any of that. To me, Burley tastes very plain, just straight tobacco, almost cigarette-like. Some of my least favorite tobaccos are all or nearly all Burley. That said, I do appreciate the leveling-out effect that Burley can have in a blend, as well as its excellent burning qualities. So I'm not entirely opposed to it.

There's enough sweetness here, whether it's from the topping or the Virginia, to make it a pleasant smoke for me. And it stays nice all the way through the bowl. Very consistent tasting tobacco. Not a lot of complexity though. Pretty simple smoke. Not enough going on to keep my interest if I'm sitting down with the sole intent of smoking and enjoying my pipe. But as a "shop tobacco" for smoking while tinkering around in the garage, driving somewhere, or gardening it's perfect. Load it, light it, forget about it. Unobtrusive, "no brainer" tobacco. There's a place for that. That's Missouri Pride's primary appeal to me.

So while I'm not exactly *thrilled* with it, there's absolutely nothing objectionable about it, and I think I'll miss it when it's gone. Probably have to get a couple more pouches to keep around.

The toppings are faint enough that I can't quite tell what they is, but I suspect it's bourbon and a light chocolate. The Virginias are lightly grassy and citrusy sweet. The high quality burleys are moderately earthy and woody with a little cocoa, a few nutty notes, and a hint of molasses. Once in a while, I got a barely noticeable cigarette hit, and I seem to notice the Virginia a little more near the finish. The strength is a step past the center of mild to medium, and the taste is a slot short of medium. The nic-hit is a rung past the mild threshold. Won't bite or get harsh. Burns cool at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent flavor, and barely leaves any moisture in the bowl. Needs few relights. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. Not complex, but it's not meant to be. It's designed to be an all day pleasant smoke with just enough strength to enjoy.

-JimInks

Real good smoke, if ya don't want all the pretentious flavours, I personally like tobacco to taste like tobacco. So I am very pleased, all around everyday smoke. Slight choclate and nutty taste

Missouri Pride is a straight forward Burley/Virgnia with no bite and mild flavor. The Burley gave the blend some body and the Virginia added some sweetness. It is an upscale version of Half and Half (without the bite), and most certainly could be enjoyed in a cob.

Pipestud

Another rough looking coarse cut MM blend from Russ, this one with a hay-type bag aroma interspersed with hints of roasted nuts of some kind. No evidence in the aroma of a topping.

I was less impressed with this one than either of the other two MM blends or Angler's Dream, but this is a very worthwhile burley/Virginia blend. Almost no complexity, as befitting the blends this one purports to band with, but a nice steady hay flavor with roasted nuts... same as in the aroma. A bit of roughness as the bowl progresses but no bitterness if smoked at a normal slow pace. Smoked fast, this will become a cigarette in short order. I didn't notice any heavy nicotine, nor could I discern the topping, although I did sense (barely) the existence of one. This one might be the best of the bunch, however, for those that enjoy OTC's like CH, PA and Edgeworth. I likely will not purchase any more but it was an enjoyable smoke.

I AM A BURLEY LOVER. EVERY MORNING I FIRE UP A BOWL OF SCOTTY'S BUTTERNUT BURLEY WITH A CUP OF JOE. I HAVE FOR YEARS NOW. I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A STRAIHT FORWARD BURLEY BLEND WITHOUT ALL THE TOPPINGS FOR WHEN I'M IN THAT MOOD. I'VE TRIED MANY WITHOUT REALLY CATCHING ON TO ONE THAT I COULD SAY "THIS IS IT!!"....UNTIL NOW. THIS IS IT!! PERFECT BLEND...DEEP TOBACCO FLAVOR...RICH TASTE & NO BITE WHAT SO EVER!! PERFECT...PERFECT...PERFECT. RUSS...YOU DID IT MY FRIEND!! THANK YOU!!

This blend is what most people want from a cob experience. Simple, straightforward, and satisfying. The smell I get from the pouch is mildly chocolate and not much else. The smoke is pretty much the same with a little nuts coming though here and there. Very one-note. No bite at all and very smooth retro-hale. The room note will not be a prize winner for most non-smokers because of the "definitely tobacco" smell, but is unassuming enough that it won't make the average person even think twice when they walk past. Might not become my go-to blend but I will definitely enjoy what I got to the fullest.

Pouch note is an inviting milk chocolate and nuttiness that is more of a richness versus sugary. Lights great with those thick creamy clouds from a good high quality Burley. The chocolate notes get darker after light with the nuttiness staying in the background. There are occasional hints of citrus, but where this blend shines is with the consistency throughout the whole bowl. This is my new "workhorse" blend that I can pack it, light it, and enjoy it without too much thought. 3.5 stars

I was granted a pouch of this and couldn't help but to immediatly delve into this blend, after I found the American Patriot blend to be a wonderful smoke!

Easy going pouch-note. Nutty, chocolaty, bready, very mild sweetness - makes a natural impression! First puffs got me thinking: "Hey... Golden Blend/Extra by Mac Baren?!" Yes, it does have some similarities to Golden Blend to my palate, yet has its own charme and flavor-profile. And to be honest.. I think Missouri Pride is better than the Golden Blend by MacB!

It's got this nice, bready, dough-y and mildly sweet foundation on which the other flavors develop. Decent and smooth nuttiness, some mild earthy notes and pepper. Hints of milk-chococlate, as well as some dark cocoa tones. Great balance between tart and spicy flavors and a delicate and expectionally mild sweetness to balance the smoke and make it the definition of an All-Day-Burley!

The flavoring must be extremely mild, I'd guess it's some sort of molasses casing or alike, as it doesn't impart any specific flavor to the smoke and just helps the impression of an easy going, no-nonsene All-Day Burley.

Rich in flavors, yet smooth and not too strong in nicotine. Mouthfilling, full-bodied smoke, yet silky on the palate and in perfect balance and harmony. No doubt... a very enjoyable Burley blend, that's reminding me quite a bit of those legendary OTC Burley blends such as Sir Walter Raleigh (but less flavored than those!) Yup... MM doens't only know how to make some nice cobs, but also have some skills when it comes to blending pipe tobacco! Thanks for this pleasureful smoke!