Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Kentucky Club Aromatic

The burley is lightly sweet and nutty, and is the star component in regard to tobacco taste. The perique offers a bare hint of spice. The Oriental/Turkish provides a slight woodiness, and is always mildly noticeable. The Virginia is a little grassy and mildly citrus sweet as a supporting player. The topping is a little fruity, and avoids the chemical note of the original, otherwise it’s the same in both, and tones down the tobaccos a little. The differences between the original and Match is that the original is a little sweeter, the burley is a shade deeper in flavor, while the Match is a little smoother. The look and cut of the tobaccos are the same in both. Some say the original had a tendency to bite, but I did not notice that is either version. Both have very little nicotine. The Match burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a fairly consistent flavor. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl, needs few relights, and makes a decent all day smoke, as did the original. I gave the original two and a half stars.

-JimInks

I was sorry to see so many of the Middleton tobaccos go the way of the Dodo, I used to smoke quite a few of the Kentucky Club blends. Aromatic was one of my favorites. This match blend, while not being spot on is fairly close. I believe taste changes over time and I will attribute the difference to that fact. Now on to the business at hand. Good but burley is the main player, the Virginia adds some lemony aspects. The Perique is there to add a little spice. The fact this is an aromatic comes from the oriental component as well a a subtle fruit topping. All in all a good mild to medium smoke that provides an ample experience for this smoker throughout the day. This is another tobacco that I smoke to try to recapture what tobacco used to be back when good Burley was king here in Central Kentucky. Alas, I digress! Good all day smoke for me at any rate. Will always have it on hand.

Perhaps because I have smoked the original Kentucky Club many times over the years (although it's been a decade since I last smoked it), I recall this one very well. The Sutliff match went down in flames (pun intended) in comparison. Although I say kudos for the attempt, the components were so much fresher, cut differently and presented to the palate differently, that I cannot say that this was a match made in heaven.

The cut here was more ribbon than crimp and the moisture level was way, way higher than the original. Both did taste like just tobacco, but the original's reminder of days gone by was nowhere to be found here. The Burley component was pleasureful, but the Virginia and Perique was more subtle and not as deep in taste - by a long shot.

Well, I was able to finish it. I’m not sure how they call this an aromatic though. It just tastes and smells like tobacco. Boring in general.