Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River Special Reserve

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

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.