Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River Special Reserve

This blend is pure genius. How best to describe it? Imagine taking Mixture 965 add in some quality sweet Va leaf then stove it with a McClellan-like red vinegar sauce. A plug of Cavendish (yes, Cavendish - stoving in this manner produces Cavendish) that combines the best of Mixture 965 & the legendary McClellan taste in one easy to smoke plug of baccys. Mellow, smooth, creamy, and flavorsome. A definite 4 Star blend; however, the price tag is a shade high. At $35, I probably will not purchase another tin. A once in a lifetime "must try" blend. Update: The more I smoke this blend, the more enthralled I become with it. The uniqueness and quality of this blend definitely make it worth the price and definitely one to cellar. Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulette

Preparation & Burn: 8/10 This is my first plug. A beautiful thing it is. Easy to break off a pinch. Could probably use drying time; I just let it sit in the bowl for 10 minutes before lighting. Burns cool, no bite. Stays lit for the first half, but hard to keep lit in the second half.

Taste: 13/20 This is a subtle blend. Tastes aged and mellowed. Balanced and smooth.

Mildness: 8/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. There is a bit of nicotine here but it's really manageable.

Total: 29/40

Agree with DeathMetal. Could be my sample packet sent with a purchased pipe from a trusted vendor? The taste is ok. The aroma diffused and without much interest. Nothing like the Plum Pudding line — I had high expectations s based on other SPC offerings. Very blah.

Tin note of sharp vinegary, mildly sweet fruit and spices. Tobacco is a 1-inch wide Krumble Kake of dark brown and brown with a little back and tan. Moisture content is ok, most pipe smokers will want to dry this out a bit. Kakes break apart and rub out easily. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of tart citrus, floral, spices, musty herbal vegetation, wood, orange peel, mildly smoky, tangy sweet dark fruit, sugared raisin, savory, dry earth, sweet bread, spicy, a semi-sweet lemon grassy background note, and a very peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Latakia, Oriental/Turkish and Perique supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

This blend comes in a plug. I cut off strips and rubbed them out.

It has a very strong aroma of citrus, vinegar...sort of like strong jar of kalamata olives mixed with dried fruit. It's distinct.

It needs some dry time after rubbing out. When I smoked it after cutting it I found it smoked wet. Leave it for a time and this takes some practice to getting it how YOU like it.

When you first light it, MRSP has a very citrusy/slightly vinegary taste much like its aroma. As you smoke it, the blend starts to release its various components.

It has a great profile of Virginias, Latakia, some hints or notes of Perique.

It takes some practice to smoke. Like many blends I'm trying for the first time I need to try to adapt to its unique character and flavour profile.

When you learn how to properly smoke this: slowly, at the right consistency you get a hugely satifying smoke.

It's an English blend so the Latakia is smooth, leathery, smoky but not overpowering.

All the components are very well proportioned. It's a luxury smoke and very satisfying.

Smoking now:

The tobacco comes in a loose plug, or a tight fitting crumble cake however you define it. I was able to cut it with a knife however it falls apart fast. The smell is tart, acidic, vinegar. Fermented hay, musty, dark, rich, citrus, almost wine like qualities. Interesting. The Virginia aromas shine far more than the Latakia which is there but faintly.

The taste…. Good lord this is tart, vinegary, citrus, sour. Almost like tasting a bright red wine. It maybe topped with vinegar or something it was that sour at first. Plenty of fermented yeast bread, fruity and tangy ripe and dark fruit notes. There’s some woody, earthy, sour, floral, and spice notes in there that bring this to another level. The Latakia is nothing more than a lite condiment and adds a rich depth of musty herbal smoky flavor. Very full mouth feel. Fans of red Virginias and Orientals will surely love this one. There’s a definite sour vinegar acidic feeling on my tongue when smoking this which was odd but I liked it. It did not bite me but I could see how it could someone else. The retrohale is musty, dark fruit, tangy, yeast bread. Pleasant after taste. Had some of that vinegar based bbq sauce going on. It’s wonderful. All blends together into a wonderful smoke.

The second half of the bowl the sour acidic tartness dies off and the Latakia and oriental flavors grows. Woody, earthy, spicy, smoky flavors, some bbq, come to the surface. It’s a very welcoming transition. The retrohale also becomes more peppery. It’s a fun ride.

Very Virginia and Oriental forward English blend with a very mild Latakia profile. Lots of elements going on in this one. Tangy, sweet, and sour, savory, with some spice.

No doubt this will age well. Definitely one of my favorite blends.

I have never smoked Mississippi River in its original form. Now that we are clear this is a review, and not a comparison, I'll begin.

Mississippi River SR, is unlike anything in my cellar. I first cracked a tin of this a year or so ago. It's a dense cake, but not so dense that you need a knife. Personally, it's my favorite mode of Tobacco. If you have had PPSR, or Bengal Slices White, you'll have a good idea what to expect. The first thing I noticed, was a strong vinegary, ketchup like smell. Almost overpowering. Like an apple cider vinegar mind you, not pickling vinegar. When aired out slightly, it is clear this is a Virginia forward blend. Notes of fresh bread, like a dense moist loaf cooked in a BBQ. Some stewed fruit, like fermented apple and peppery raisins. I say cooked in a BBQ, because there is a lightly smoky aroma, but it is not forward in the least.

After a couple of bowls that felt a bit overwhelming, I loosely broke it up, and jarred it for six months. I hoped the vinegar might die down some, and perhaps even out the smoke. I think perhaps it has, but it is still very prominent.

It has now been about a year since I jarred it. On first light, it is bright, peppery, and vinegary. Almost to a fault. I often French inhale my tobacco, and this is too much for the senses for myself. Have I mentioned the vinegar?

Around half way through the bowl, it is plain to me why this is popular. The vinegar balances out, and the Orientals and Perique start to shine. Wood. Pepper. Molasses. The Latakia never really shows its head, but seems to influence the flavors of the other constituent tobaccos. Never subtle, but balanced. A mix of the BBQ/Ketchup Orientals I love in Margate, with the Red Virginia in EMP.

The Nicotene doesn't go unnoticed, but it's not overwhelming.

All in all, it does not scratch my itch for an English, nor for a Virginia/VaPer. The quality of the tobacco is never in question, but it just isn't a blend I go to often. But when I do, and I am not in a rush, it is quite pleasant. It is May now, and the last of our snow has finally melted, hopefully for good, and it is near perfect for the season.

So I struggle to review this fairly. The quality of the tobacco is easily 4 Stars, but the blend falls just short of that for me. Consider this the highest 3 Star review possible, and please don't let me dissuade you from trying it out.

Chin chin and cheers.

I bought a tin and didn't care for it fresh, so I jarred it. I think it was 2019. I just pulled the jar out of my jar cellar totes and decided it was time to give it another try.

It's become a very nuanced blend with several things working well for it. I catch a little high-end sweetness and some sour from the orientals. Not too much on the lower end.

It breaks up and packs great. Still has good moisture but lights without much work. If sipped the flavor stays through the bowl without a thought of tongue bite. Burns down to ash. Little moisture.

I think I prefer the rum aged version due to the extra sweetness but I'll be enjoying this one too and stocking some more in the cellar to age.