Sutliff Tobacco Company Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend

I acquired a 1 oz sample of this in a trade. I have wanted to try it for a number of reasons. I am a fan of old school OTC blends. JimInks likes it and has tastes reasonably similar to mine.

I smoked it in a number of pipes initially and then settled on a Savinelli billiard to finish the sample. The blend benefited from a dedicated pipe, and I think I had a better appreciation for it after 5 or so bowls in the Savinelli.

The latakia is a very light touch. I have to be paying attention to notice it. The topping is a mild alcohol with some fruit. The best I can do on the fruit is plum. It is said to contain black cavendish, but I do not get the musty, thin flavor that black cavendish sometimes gives a blend for me. There is none of the common vanilla that comes with black cavendish.

It is not a challenging blend to pack or smoke slowly. It burned cool for me. It was at a good level of moisture and burned well with a consistent flavor. It was not what I would term a "gooper." The tobacco taste is all mild burley - slightly sweet and a little nutty.

This is a 3 for me. I could smoke it all day, but blends like the Mid-Town Derby Club and Chestnut come at a better price point for this OTC category and are just as pleasant and satisfying.

I like from time to time try out pipe tobacco blends that were purportedly smoked by celebrities, the rich and famous and other people with name recognition such as Bing Crosby, Einstein, Hugh Hefner, etc. I came across this one and had to try it. When I opened the tin, I was blasted by a strong plum/liquor smell that really was quite pleasant. This smokes very sweet and flavorful right down to the end of the bowl and tastes like what the tin note smells like. Produces nice clouds of smoke. I smoked quite a bit of this last night and today and if I was an all-day aromatic pipe smoke this definitely would be in my line up. Like most of his movies I will have to rate this a four star. I noticed from the reviews this one seems like a love it or leave it. I must say I love it.

Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend reminds me of H&H Midtown Series Chestnut not necessarily in terms of taste, though there are similarities, but in style. Both are mild to medium American style blends with a little Latakia to give a slight woody/smoky push under the radar with sweet Burley leading the way. The cavendish has a supporting role helping to keep the smoke cool and smooth. The topping is lightly applied and serves to enhance the tobacco rather than make up for lack of flavor. It has a wonderful aroma and the taste of plum/red wine. I also like a previous reviewers comment on a nutty (walnut) flavor which is definitely there. EGR burns cool and has never bit me. Not an all day blend for my preferences but could be an every day blend. For an American style lightly topped blend it easily deserves 4 stars.

When I first read the ingredients of this blend (Burley, Black Cavendish and Latakia) I was expecting an American take on the Scottish Blend, but what I found when I opened the tin was nearly all Burley with some Black Cavendish through it and nearly no Latakia. The tin note is very sweet with definite tones of plum or red wine but without being sickly or overpowering.

As expected with a predominately Burley blend this burns well. It does have a topping but it’s very light so once the burn is established it almost never needs a relight and doesn’t suffer from the goopiness that so many aromatics tend to.

Upon lighting the top notes are of plum but they very quickly give way to honey and nuttiness (honey roasted cashews?) that perseveres for the rest of the bowl, with maybe a very slight creaminess from the Latakia, depending how much you actually got into the bowl.

Overall this has become one of my favoured smokes. It doesn’t deliver too much on the nicotine front, but sometimes you just want a nice sweet Burley blend that you can smoke while remaining on two feet.

First off, let me say, I was really pulling for this one. I like the idea of companies continuing older blends, and I fully intend on checking out some others in the future, but, honestly, did Edward G. Robinson ever smoke his own brand? If he did, and allowed his face to be plastered all over the tub, my respect for him just went down several notches. This stuff is awful—and, it most definitely bites. I smoked it every which way, fast, slow, medium, no matter what I did, it nipped me. Now, I will admit that this stuff does have a unique taste, but the bite ruins it for me. So, if you like smoking church incense (and who knows what else, this is an additive stew), and don't give a damn about holding onto your tongue, I'd say avoid this one like the plague!

Oh, and, by the way, I'd like to thank (or not) 4noggins for allowing us pipe smokers to buy this rot without having to purchase an entire tub. It's a good idea to make OTC's available in bulk. I wouldn't have tried this blend otherwise.

Cheers!

::::Update:::: I've noticed since the tin version of this stuff has come out 4noggins has quit selling it in bulk. Sorry if I misled anyone.

2nd bowl back-to-back of Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend - first bowl in a baby briar hinted that this blend would benefit from a bigger bowl with a conical bottom, and I was right! Like opening up a good whiskey (topped w/it is my guess) with a few drops of spring water, the bigger bowl opened up EGR to expose its complexity and depth. Burns nicely with lots of smoke to carry the flavor, sipped gently is more than sufficient, and not to be trifled with more aggressively. Reminiscent of some of the better aro OTC's of yesteryears, an easy satisfying all day smoke that grows on you - Black Cavendish, Burley, Cavendish, Latakia - worth stocking!

Had to try this one, for the name alone, and because I enjoy so many of the Sutliff tobaccos. Having read mixed reviews, I gave it a shot. Very good smoke, As far a being an aromatic I would say yes on a lesser scale. I guess I would just call it a light burley blend. With that being said, I enjoyed the flavor profile, nutty burley, very subtle Cavendish, just a wee tad of Latakia and a topping of a slight plum liquor. easy to pack, light and smoke. Very enjoyable tobacco. As with all tobaccos I judge this one on its own merit. Solid 4/4, will buy more and enjoy more!

This is indeed a superbly blended, mellow and mildly flavorful aromatic mixture. I enjoy the taste of this tobacco quite a bit.

Almost embarrassing to admit, smoking this conjures up memories of the days when I used to sneak away from the house with a few of my older brother's Djarum kretek cigarettes. Those were great times.

The flavor is pleasant, and I get a touch of honey and plum on the tongue, as well as a distinct hint of clove in the side stream. The latakia is so light that it almost goes entirely undetected, save for small hints here and there mid-bowl down.

Edward G Robinson's burns even, smokes fairly cool and it does indeed have a wee-kick to it. I do get somewhat of a bite from this, as well a sting on the lips, so it needs to be smoked slow and dried out a bit before hand. I found that it smokes really great in a cob.

Also, I love the story behind the revival of this mixture.

This tin was gifted to me about a year ago. As my experience with Sutliff blends is overall less than gratifying, I stuffed this one into my cellar until I could get up the courage to try it. I smoked about half the tin. I should note that I only smoked the original that this matches once a very long time ago (extremely horrible experience, that), which is probably a good thing, since Sutliff match blends tend to be far off the mark as a rule. To be fair, so are everyone else's match blends, and Sutliff did nail ERR'd, which is more than I can say for most people's attempts at matches. Anyway, this is a nice looking ribbon, mostly darker brown with specks of black. Tin nose of burley and booze - really pleasant, but different. Lights and loads easily, but seems to smoke rapidly. I loaded this tighter than I usually do for best burn rate. I did get a mild tongue sizzle from this blend, but only at the very beginning. 10 or so puffs in and it disappeared, leaving no damage in its wake.

The flavor leaned heavily toward the alcohol topping, which struck me at different times as sort of a red wine moving to cognac to something akin to blackberry brandy. The burley was well underneath but it provided a steady base for the topping. Can't say I really tasted latakia but I did catch a snootful now and then, and this seemed to have a presence that I don't usually get from just burley. But it was very subtle. I wished for a little more burley flavor, but I got the impression that it wasn't the blend's fault. I think that my taste buds elevate certain flavors to the point that they cover up what's underneath. My recent sample of a cigar leaf blend is an example - everyone else thought the cigar leaf was subtle where I thought it was too prominent. So what may be a light topping here seemed heavier to me.

No real harm - this blend provided much more than I thought it would. I'd give it 2.5 stars if this site allowed, but it's not up with the 3's in my book. It's more than just decent, and I find it interesting enough that I'm saving the last half-tin. It may take me 5 years to finish it but this one strikes me as the type that might be really nice as a very occasional blend (have to admit, 2 consecutive bowls were problematic, as most flavored blends tend to be for me). This might make for a cool blender as well. And not only did it come on the drier side in the tin, it left no goop in my pipe. My fears surrounding this one were unfounded. I don't know how it stacks up as a match blend, but it's quite nice on its own. Not destined for greatness, but good enough for an occasional bowl, and it has none of the typical Sutliff chemical flavor of most of their other blends. Worth a try to anyone who enjoys flavored blends but hates the overly sauced ones.