Moonshine Pipe Co. XXX Blend

The Kentucky bourbon topping is mildly applied, and has a nice flavor, though it does weaken just a mite toward the finish. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is a team player, yet occasionally tends to stand out above the other components without sublimating them. The Smyrna is woody, buttery sweet, floral, earthy, with a touch of spice, and is a little more obvious than the Virginia. The Virginia is grassy, and tart and tangy citrus sweet. The earthy, woody, nutty sweet burley plays a minor role, and doesn't show itself in every puff, but adds a nice dimension when it does. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium. The taste almost reaches the medium mark. The nic-hit is just short of the center of mild to medium. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with no bite, and a moderately consistent flavor. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. It has a pleasant after taste that slightly lingers. The room note is a tad stronger. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Summary: a light English blend with warmth and sweetness from its Bourbon topping, good for casual smoking but too aromatic for many.

This light English blend emphasizes Latakia and Orientals, mostly the former, which when sweetened with this heavy Bourbon topping becomes a honey-like smokey flavor. The result is a mild smoke with what makes aromatics popular: it is difficult to burn too fast, smells good when it burns and provides a constant sweet flavor with tobacco overtones. More natural flavor comes through than in most aromatics, but the topping may still be too heavy for exclusively naturals smokers.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine forum member "aggravatedfarmer" for this generous sample.

I know Jonathan, and I know that he has a preference for Frog Morton's Cellar. Whenever I heard that he was going to be coming out with his own signature blend, I was expecting a Latakia-laced whiskey blend. I enjoy FMC as well, so I figured I'd order a sample of this to give it a shot. Upon opening it the pouch, it the note was definitely bourbon whiskey. THIS is what surprised me. It smelled like a well-aged bourbon: sweetness, smoke, caramel, wood...it was all there.

The tobacco was fresh from the pouch and a bit moist, so I let it dry for a few hours before packing some in a cob. It took a flame well and never required a relight. The bourbon is present from the beginning, and teams up with the Latakia to give it a sweet smokiness that tastes delicious. The addition of Burley is also present, as it starts to show a bit of nuttiness around the last third of the bowl. It was well balanced and satisfied both my sweet tooth and my Latakia craving.

I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good all-day smoke, or anyone who wants something different from the standard English blends. This one shouldn't disappoint anyone, as it is a perfect balance. I think Russ and Jonathan hit the nail of the head with this one. I'm interested to see what other goodies come from the Moonshine shed.

Outstanding blend, rich, flavorful, cool and smooth. An aeromatic light English with a hint of Bourbon. An instant favorite! I cannot wait to see what He comes up with next.

This is pretty nice. The English portion is very solid. The Lat and Orientals are nicely balanced with the Virginias providing a firm backing. The Burley is hardly noticed. The bourbon topping is mild, but strong enough to leave no doubt about what it is. Has a nice sweetness to it as well. Burns cool and burns well. Overall, a pleasant smoke.

Mild in body. Medium in taste. Flavoring is mild.

WOW!!!! What a disappointment. I hate to say it, but, its true.

The aroma of this out, and in the bag is phenomenal. Not too moist, and not dry either. Great little ribbons of gold and deep browns.

Then its time to light.

I thought a piece of plastic was caught in the tobacco, or something. It tasted like straight chemical, nonsense!!!! Then it went away. And i got a very faint tobacco taste, followed by more of that chemical taste.

So i smelled the smoke coming out of my pipe. No......no weird aroma, just really good smokey burnt tobacco. Almost like the bag note, but better.

I then tried a few more puffs. Same thing, burnt plastic. I couldnt puff any more.

Man....talk about a let down. I remember seeing this when it first came out. I am a bourbon fanatic, and an even bigger latakia fan. I didnt buy a lot, so i guess its not a huge waste. Ill just sit on this and see what happens down the road.

I didn't like this one so much. Hearing the comparisons to frog Morton cellar, I thought I would give it a try. Although I wasn't a big FMC fan, I found it alright. I found this to be less interesting.

I thought it was overly topped to my tastebuds and while the Latakia and Oriental was detectable, it had very little impact on the overall flavor. To be fair, I have not really found too many whiskey topped blends that I have liked. There are some such as HH Highland, C&D Pennington Gap and Peterson's Irish Whiskey that stand out to me. I would rank this one at the bottom of such whiskey laced blends, with blends such as Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey. Truth be told, I actually enjoyed that one more than this.

This does have its fans though and it was not repulsive in the least, Just boring. I will not reorder this one and gave more than half the 4 oz. I had away.

Looking for this to be a balance between FM Cellar and McClelland's Stave Aged 35. Definitely a spiciness right off the bat, but the sweetness never fully came in. The taste was a definite earthy sort of hay flavor with just a subtle hint of whiskey. Not an aro- so I think I may have been a bit let down by the strength of the whiskey, but a good tasting tobacco and a good first foray for Moonshine. Worth a shot for sure.

As a rookie pipe smoker, I may not distinguish one tobacco from another. I have smoked over 1 lb. of this blend and I can say that I like it. For me, it is a smooth blend, nice flavor and, for what my wife says, it has a pleasant aroma. I have to be careful and puff gently, otherwise it starts to bite and my pipe tends to gurgle. Overall I do enjoy this blend and I might consider ordering more. Cheers!

Moonshine is truly one of those hidden treasures among pipe tobaccos. It seems to me to be very reminiscent of a Balkan but the inclusion of a touch of burley and a very light bourbon topping really make this a special, standout blend. In the jar it is easy to pick up the latakia and the bourbon but they are by no means overpowering or oppressive. Very light, but ever present. So too, in the smoke. The latakia is always there but never dominates. It adds a nice smooth, smokiness that contributes to the depth and complexity of the blend without ever taking over. To my taste, the orientals really shine here, bringing a wonderful incense and floral aroma and flavor that is lightly sweetened by the virginia. The burley adds some nuttiness but it is never really obvious unless you search for it. The bourbon top note is more present in the jar than it is in the smoke but I think it helps set this blend apart from other balkan style blends. Always smooth, mellow and flavorful, this can easily be an all day smoke but really is best savored as an occasional treat.