E. Hoffman Company - Spilman Mixture pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 47 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
KINGCOLE	05/03/2012	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
The retro packaging is attractive; however, Spillman stings the tongue a bit and the flavor does not get any more complex than toasted marshmallow with a mild hickory smoke chaser. There is not a lot of nicotine here and the smoke is a bit thin of body. Overall, Spillman Mixture is not unpleasant, but if you want a better retro smoke, take a stroll over to Carter Hall.
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DK	11/28/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
The awesome-looking tin won me over! Tin aroma is of a sweetened, kind of OTC-ish mustiness with some latakia present. Cut is a user friendly squarish chop - easy to load. Well, it would be easy to load if it didn't have so many stems in it. But so it goes. This is something to smoke, I suppose. It's basically inoffensive and does nothing horribly wrong. The casing used could be toned down a bit for my taste, but the overall effect was "dirty", to use a strange word in the context of tobacco. It tasted old, and not old as in aged... old as in stale, but it wasn't stale. Hard to explain. The main flavor was very light latakia with some sort of sweetener and a good burley body. Orientals didn't come out much and the VA was just sort of a base without asserting itself, either. This reminded me of C&D's Americana but C&D did it so much better, IMHO. I made it through about 2 oz of this and gave the rest away. Probably the best thing I can say about this is that I gave it away to a pipesmoking couple. How cool is that? It's something to try but it fails to distinguish itself. It just sort of "is" - nothing to get too excited over. As always, YMMV.
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fiorano	08/06/2011	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I picked this up as a sample when I stopped by the Iwan Reis & co. store in Chicago. Great Town, Great folks and Great shop, what can i say. This mix was offered to me by Kevin himself on the basis of me mentioning Ruins of Isengard, and what a great match. Spilman mixture being a much more complex take on a non-aromatic, i hesitate to call this an English blend, but it certainly doesn't have any flavoring. It begins sweet, and has a familiar sweetness through out like Erinmore flake, hearty tasting but mild. the Latakia begins to show through midway in a more pronounced fashion, and finishes the bowl with the incense tones mixing with the sweetness creating a caramel swirl in the more mature flavors. it doesn't bite in is crisp and clean smoke with a lingering taste. this is a good one, like many tobies i try which i am not convinced i like I kept thinking of this later wonder why i wasn't smoking it. It is quite good- all day and all night really.
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R.M. Schultz	07/17/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Very Full	Pleasant
I would smoke it every day, but I can't afford it. I usually make it my first bowl after dinner and then smoke straight burley for the rest of the evening. Very flavorful and interesting. Nice cut, burns well. If you like Connecticut wrapper cigars then this is the blend for you! BTW, E. Hoffman Company is the predecessor to Iwan Ries & Co. and is now just their pseudonymn for reviving old brands for their hundredth anniversary.
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rattdogg	05/28/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I know this blend will not affect everyone the way it does me and I don't want to trash it for what is likely just my personal taste but.......Spilman mixture smells or taste or both like a wet dog to me. I don't know about you but that flavor is not one I crave in a smoking tobacco. I am aware that others like this blend and as I stated it's just me with doggie thing but I can't handle it. Spilman gags me!
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Mickey	02/14/2011	Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant
Ok I know some of you will think I am off my rocker but I found that mixing half Spilman Mixture with half Old Gowrie makes a great all day pipe, just love it. If I want to smoke it as is I do but really like the 50/50 blend.
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Buster Bluth	01/16/2011	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Purchased the larger can from an online retailer and cracked open over a year ago. It came very moist. Coarsely cut with an hearty tobacco aroma. Does best with some drying time and in the largest of pipes. This blend is extremely well balanced and made of quality components. Very medium and middle of the road in flavor and strength. Not a powerhouse if that is what one is looking for. Just consistent flavors that meld well. Believe a smoker of C&D's Old Hollywood would like this very much. Smokes cool, but will sting if puffed to hard. Good to have in the rotation when one wants something a bit lighter than a med heavy English, but isnt inclined towards aromatics.
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BigSwede	01/11/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
An interesting blend, one worth a look if you like the old american blends from way back that combined burley and VA with latakia and various "other stuff", in this case turkish. The quality of the leaf seems very good. My initial impression, that the moisture level was "about right", was actually off: it was hard to light and that first bowl smoked hot, steamy and bland. Proper drying (about an hour) of future bowls took care of that. For the first third of a bowl the turkish and latakia seemed to be a little more front and center. After that the rest of the bowl mellows into a smooth, somewhat complex all tobacco taste with a good burley base playing against the rest. I know a lot of my colleagues will call this "american english" and I'm not one to quibble, but this blend is as wholly american as mother and apple pie. If you enjoyed some of the old HOW blends (i.e. Revelation) you might want to try this, though this is smoother, milder and seems to have no casing/topping. I will definitely keep this around.
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chgo.piper	12/14/2010	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A little smokey and a little tangy from the virginia/latakia and the burley adds a smidge of body to this blend. A tasty and mild english blend and a decent change if you want to give yourself a break from the heavier blends, which I almost never want to do, at least not during the cold months here in Chicago. But I could see reaching for this sometimes during the summer to give myself a change from the straight virginias and burleys. Just a little too mild for me right now...
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Merven the Great	11/11/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A bit too sweet for me. Tastes somewhere between aromatic and English probably nice transition bakky for someone wishing to convert to English without going all the way and visa versa for English smokers wanting aromatics.
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Claudius Stradivarius	10/02/2010	Extremely Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant
Smoking air gives you more nicotine. Another waste of my money, along with GL Pease tobaccos.
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Fife&Drum	09/03/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I must say this is an interesting blend. Nutty with Burley, a dash of Latakia enough to be noticeable, Turkish and Virginias to bring up the rear. My one problem was bite. I really wanted this as my all day smoke, but alas it bit me. Very disappointed in that regard as I really like the mild flavor of this old blend. Maybe I'll give it another try. I sure went through the 7 oz's pretty quick so that says something!
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babysinister	09/03/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Spilman is a retro/nostalgia blend. I Finally decided to pop the tub that sat in my cellar for more than a year and smoked four or five bowls of it in the next two days. You can smell the Latakia and the Turkish reeking off the open tin, but taste more of the Turkish when smoking. Funny, because it supposedly has more burley and virginia than latakia or Turkish. It must be the Turkish that gives it a cigarettish quality, I think, but the burley and virginia help to balance things. Or not, depending on your own opinion. And few smokers will receive a completely similar impression of this blend. Comes wet. Had to dry it out on a paper towel for about an hour. Surprisingly mild nicotine component, considering all those ingredients. Consequently, nic lovers find it too mild for their taste, but is perfect for me. YMMV. It does seem to be something of an acquired taste, but what can I say? I still can't make heads or tails of this blend, but I'm liking it. Easy to fill, to keep lit, smokes smooth, yadda yadda yadda. As long as you take the trouble to dry it out a bit prior to smoking. I think the danger with this blend is that its milder, non-bitey smoothness can tempt you to make it an all-day smoke of it, which it isn't. It doesn't smoke enough under the radar and conceivably could tire tastebuds even to its best qualities, at least the ones I've perceived, if smoked too often and continuously. That may be one of the reasons the blend fell out of fashion in the U.S. after being all the rage for many years. But it hasn't bored me yet. My initial impression from just two bowls is very positive. Delectable flavor and a sidestream aroma that waltzes you in and out and around again. The first bowl recommended itself uniquely to my palate, with an unprecedented (to me) citrusy/sweet tang. Can't fully wrap my head around this blend yet; I have trouble finding any points of comparison, reference or similarity. Almost indescribable. Simply irresistible. (With apologies here to the late Robert Palmer.) Has a pungent, savory quality that blows through the leathery latakia and settles on the tastebuds, especially those on each side of the tongue. Yummers. Mommy. Am I exaggerating here, reduced to spouting immature hyperbolic dithyrambs? Exaggerating, no. Reduced to spouting, yes. Ah initial impressions. The shock of recognition; or rather the surprise of non-recognition. I'm not compos mentis enough for balanced views or for sage and sedate evaluations. After all, this baccy has put me in The Zone in two and a half seconds flat. Surprising, considering that it's just tobacco... And I don't drink... Somehow it gives me a subtle memory of having smoked it once.... But I never smoked it before....!!! Different from any tobacco I've smoked. And yet... and yet... at the same time... it is strangely familiar. But arcanely so... a contradiction in terms! A puzzlement, this tantalizing cognitive lacuna in my grasp. But gee willikers, this be some good baccy! I want to repeat the experience over and over again. Let it haunt me and pursue me, but may it never turn on me. And, oh yes, again: YMMV. I smoked it in a large bowl, as someone recommended. That person was right.
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Kashmir	08/05/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Spilman Mixture by the E. Hoffman Co. brings back, after 70 years, a heirloom tobacco that perhaps your great great grandfather may have smoked in an early sandblasted Dunhill (my fantasy). It comes complete with a can that captures the original to the last detail, including the tax stamp. It is an Air Cured blend of Burley, Virginia, Latakia and Turkish, and is presented in the can as a rough Broken Flake. This latter point means that flavors are occasionally released in the bowl explosively as one component presides over the other. Spilman Mixture in my book represents an American English blend. Although I am no great fan of Burley this is somewhat compensated by some fine Virginia and Latakia leaf. The Turkish provides an additional overtone. I would have preferred however less Burley and more Latakia and Virginia, but I guess then it wold not have conformed to the original recipe. I give it three stars because of the Burley, but it should be sampled as it may suit some more than others. Cheers,
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Hemlock	04/30/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Nice to pack and smoke. This is a genuine all day blend. The first 10 to 15 min's are tilted towards latakia, but after that, it is a very smooth blend with balance and satisfaction. Notes of its flavour include smokey, sweet and nutty. It is very, very cool, and requires no attention to smoke to full ash. This tobacco is not pretentious and is truly a good cross-over blend. I liked the fact that the texture was very coarse- chunky and dense, yet requires no rubbing or work to keep burning with full flavour. Using the pocket-hole method allows for a full smoke, with zero relights in a medium size bowl. I have ordered more. I gravitate towards straight VA, but this blends reminds me of life after VA.
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Traderbob	03/27/2010	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I tried this blend while visiting my local pipe shop and bought a 2.5 oz tin. Nice smell when opening the tin, a little different than what I ususally smoke. The scent from the tin is hard to describe - not really a particular smell that I can relate to. A little larger flakes than typical and a few of the VA or Burley pieces were stiff and required a little rubbing out to pack properly. The moisture level was good, a little dryer than my other tobaccos. I am comfortable in packing this into my pipe directly from the tin with no drying. This tobacco packed and lit easily. Soft, light taste at light up that seems to mature as you get further down the bowl. I would describe the taste and room note as that of a classic simple tobacco. Very light taste and easy to smoke especially in the morning. Burns evenly and smoothly with few re-lights required. It developed a little more character about 1/2 the way down the bowl. Smoked to a fine ash and left little residue in my pipe. One tin will last me a long time as it is not one I will go to often - but do enjoy it when I smoke it. This would be a good tobacco for the new pipe smoker.
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TheBriarSire	03/25/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
My search for an all-day blend continues, but for now, I have a contender: Spilman's Mixture. Spilman manages to deliver in both complexity and simplicity. In other words, if I choose to be contemplative, I have a mixture that has enough to dazzle me in my armchair. If I want to surf the web, talk on Skype, or wash dishes (well, I never want to do that), I have a blend that doesn't require much attachment or respect. Of course, a blend that's been around for a hundred years or so deserves all the respect in the world, but considering it was created just for these purposes is why I love it. To reiterate, it is the perfect all-day, go-to, always satisfying mixture I have sought after for so long (all of two months since I've gotten into non-aromatics). Why is this only a contender for me and not my definitive all-day? Well, Spilman is twenty dollars for 7 oz., which on my budget is a bit much for an all-day. I would hate to sacrifice quality for price, but these are one of the criteria for my perfect all-day. As Einstein had Revelation (which I believe was something of a higher quality drugstore tobacco), I have my Spilman -- for now. The only other downside is I was hoping for a more pleasant room note. Don't get me wrong, it isn't atrocious, but it's no apple orchard like HoW's Revelation (I think Einstein smoked the Philip Morris version, but whatever). As you could probably tell, I am looking for that Revelation blend, and if it is ever to return, Spilman would truly be put to the test (any suggestions?). A current contender in my all-day category, this blend is recommended to all serious smokers and something I frequently find myself craving. I really enjoy these "eclectic" blends, and this is one that has come the closest to fulfilling my "any-time" standards until the next one comes along.
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josephus65	02/20/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
An all day smoke for me. I like the natural taste of the mixture with the very nice room note. Natural sweetness with no after taste. I find this very much the mixture I smoked years ago when I was a student at The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago. Then the shop was on the ground floor on Wabash and you could smell this mixture in the entryway of the shop as you approached the door. There were sample jars of many offering and many smokers were packing the shop everyday. This mixture brings back those old-days of the best of what I know of the Iwanries & company. Then came along Three Star but not the same now, too bad. I have a stock pile of this mixture. This is a wounderful smoke. Try it once you will buy again.
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Capt. Cavendish	01/19/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend was an overall pleasant surprise. I'm not sure I need 7 oz. of it, but it's a no-nonsense, get-the-job done kind of blend for when you're busy with tasks and whatnot. This is a tobacco that needs no thought and little care. Take 'er outside and rough it up a little bit while you chop wood or change the oil on the car. Put this in your pipe when you are painting the house or trimming back the hedges. It's your pipesmoking workhorse tobacco. Spilman mixture is by and large a pretty decent blend--but of course, my great-grandfather already knew that.
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htduck	12/03/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
What a great and pleasant surprise this was. I read the reviews and when choosing to order a small travel style pipe I had a large tin thrown onto the order. In for a penny in for a pound I guess. I just had an urge and went with it. What a nice smoking tobacco. I enjoy the occasional aromatic and like rich English blends also. I lean toward burleys but also relish the Grand Oriental line. In short, my tastes run the gambit but a relaxing pleasant pipefull is what I really enjoy and that is what Spilman is to me. Nothing fancy here, just a smoke to be enjoyed as the rest of the world spins around me. Smooth, no bite, great tobacco after-taste. I dislike the light oily film that some tobaccos impart and IMHO I find that quite to be the opposite with Spilman. If you are looking for the machine gun assult of Squadron Leader (which I sometimes enjoy a lot) you will be dissappointed. Since taste is subjective in degrees some might not judge Spilman as an English but if you are an aromatic smoker looking to dip your feet into the the English pool you could do much worse. I took up the pipe to relax and experiment with different flavors, that makes Spilman a four star blend for me.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 47 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >