Sutliff Tobacco Company Fox & Hound

Sutliff Tobacco Company - Fox & Hound.

A course cut mixture, that had a great moisture quantity when it was first opened, and smells quintessentially English. Although it's coarse in build, the blend contains no twigs/unsmokeable pieces.

The burn from Fox & Hound is good, and due to the coarseness fairly cool. I enjoy the flavour of the smoke: the Perique gives some spice, with the Turkish giving a good twang of sweet and sour. The Latakia brings woody notes, but very little smoky ones. The Burley becomes more notable as the bowl progresses, but the Virginia seems subdued from start to finish. F&H gives me no bite, and the smoke's quite thick in texture.

The nicotine's medium in strength, and I don't find the room-note that bad.

I enjoy this, not enough to highly recommend it but enough for a recommendation:

Three stars.

Fox & Hound's package notes claim it is "smooth" and I have to agree with that sentiment. The latakia, while noticeable, doesn't dominate the smoke but adds a marked woody smokiness to the flavor--I thought it smelled very strong from the pouch note, but that didn't translate to the smoke at all. There's a considerable dark fruity undertone that pervades the smoke from the red Virginia and Perique tobaccos (and probably the topping to some extent, but not in an overpowering way) which delivers just what I wanted from this blend. I didn't notice much influence from the burley in F&H, but I mark that up to how well all of the flavors in the blend come together in a smooth, satisfying smoke.

I once smoked F&H on an empty stomach and I was certainly feeling a little bit of a pleasant nicotine rush three-fourths of the way down the bowl. That said, I'm a nicotine lightweight so your mileage may vary. The tobacco burns well to a fine grey ash, and it provides an unexpected pleasant room note. There was no tongue bite whatsoever with this smoke.

Due to its light latakia content and forgiving nature, F&H would be an excellent choice for the pipe smoker looking to try their first English blend. I'm certainly glad I gave it a shot.

A decent blend by Sutliff. Upon the opening the aroma smells of typical English blends. A little smokey, earthy, and smooth. Once lit I was surprised how forward the white Burley and Turkish was. Not so nutty as earthy and mildly sour. The Latakia is in the background no smokey elements, but there throughout. The bland Burley is the main component throughout. Lastly I do not pick up any flavoring either Citrus or, sweetness probably from the PG. What I do taste is on the bland side aside from the mild spice from the Perique . This is not a bad blend per se, though I won’t be reordering this. It would work for a newer smoker looking for a bullet proof no tongue biteintroduction to an American English blend.