Hearth & Home Concerto

Smoking a bowl of this in my MM Mark Twain cob. I jarred this tin 6 months ago, after getting into it when it first arrived.

I'll never be a supertaster like JimInks, but this blend is quite smooth and I really like it. It has just enough Latakia to excite me, and I don't find it to be a Latakia bomb. I may be the exception to the rule though, because I've smoked straight Latakia and loved it.

I'd say this one is similar to Bengal Slices in flavor. The Russ Ouellette blends don't disappoint, and Concerto definitely plays music on my palate.

Give it a shot if you get the chance.

I must preface that I tried this right after cracking the tin. This is very sour, but good. This strikes me as a sleeper, I predict with age, this thing will be very good indeed.

A very plesant blend, I`ve been somoking this blend for a while after being smoking Odyssey and Durbar for years, Concerto reminds me a little bit Odyssey however, whithin my ranking, I would place it between samarra and Odyssey althoug it has less strength that those GL Pease blends.

From the tin:

Its aroma is smoky (like charred firewood) although this does not dominate completely and leaves room for the fermented aromas of the Virgina to stand out and the bittersweet aromas (a little acidic) of the Orientals. Being a blend with content of Burley and Black Cavendish tobacco, I expected the smell of clove, cinnamon typical in the Burley and smells of chocolate, vanilla or something very sweet that came from the Cavendish, but at least to my nose, it did not seem like that so I could not detect these aromas in this work even though I remained glued to the can for a long time since I liked the aroma a lot hahaha.

When the tobacco loses moisture and is already somewhat dry almost to the point of breaking to the touch, the only odors that stand out are the smoked and a sweetness similar to that of the caramel that the custards have, which is curious and interesting for me, when the tobacco is rehydrated, the aroma is lost and the bittersweet and fermented aroma returns.

First fire (lit):

The first lighting is pleasant, the type of cut can be somewhat problematic when lighting the pipe since when taking deep puffs, it is easy to aspirate bits of tobacco. The flavor at the beginning is smoky, the Latakia is noticeable, it does not take long for the flavor to become bittersweet with a smoky touch, smoking the driest tobacco, the flavor of the Latakia is not so intense in the first ignition and more are perceived those bittersweet notes. Speeding up the rhythm of the smoke a bit, the smoky flavor reappears together with a touch of wood that is pleasing to the palate. The retro taste is soft a bit fresh with that smoky presence that does not overpower the bittersweet flavors. A little later in the smoke, the tobacco becomes somewhat acidic, the bittersweet flavors are accentuated and it is easy to turn the smoke to an acid smoke, the Latakia has lost strength.

Subsequent (lit) fires:

There is no very pronounced bitterness in the re-ignition (unless the tobacco is very wet in which case, you have to let the pipe rest for a while), the touch of Latakia is felt again which fades quickly to make way for the Bittersweet flavor, again it is very easy to turn the smoke acid when the rhythm is lowered, if the rhythm is kept in a medium rhythm the bittersweet flavor remains, however, when the rate of the smoke increases, the Latakia begins to take center stage, you have to keep the rhythm of the smoke between medium and fast to be able to find the balance between the nuances that this work can offer. Keeping the rhythm of the smoke between medium and fast you can appreciate this tobacco more, it invites you to put aside the distillate or beer and have a good cup of coffee. The smoke remains pleasant until the end where clove flavors are perceived and there is also an spiciness like that felt when chewing a piece of cinnamon, flavors that are usually found in Burley tobacco.

Conclusions:

A very pleasant and morning tobacco that invites you to have a good cup of coffee. A tobacco that can easily be badly valued if it is not given the opportunity to smoke it at different rates and degrees of humidity. No matter how hard I tried, I have not been able to find the flavor of Cavendish in all the smokes, it seems that in this work, its presence is only as a dressing. Personally, I find it pleasant and like this tobacco to have it in my rotation for those cool mornings that invite a good coffee.

I hope I can contribute something with this review to those who are curious about this blend and I should suggest to give it a chance without having great expectations, I think that in this way they can let this tobacco surprise you, leaving aside a bad opinion for setting very high expectations and not find that which fills them.

Good smoke, happy drinks!

The incense-like, musty Cyprian Latakia offers a lot of smoke, earth, wood, floralness, and a little spice and sweetness as the lead component. The aspects of the Turkish are earth, wood, dry sourness, some vegetation, herbs, floralness, and a moderate amount of spice. They are supporting players. The very nutty, earthy, woody burley is a secondary supporter; not far behind the Turkish. The spicy, earthy, woody, raisiny, plumy perique sits in the fourth slot. The sugary black cavendish is a tad less obvious than the perique. The Virginia provides tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, some sugar, mild floral vegetation, sour lemon, light acidity, and a pinch of spice. It’s just above playing a condimental role. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the medium mark. The taste is in the center of medium to full. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, but there are a few small rough notes. Deeply rich with some complexity, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with very consistent sour, floral, spicy, mildly sweet, campfire flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a tolerable room note. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Tin note of sharply sweet smoke. Tobacco is a black. dark brown and brown ribbon cut. Moisture content is good. No drying/prep needed. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of smoky, very wood, dry, vinegary, molasses, sour citrus, earth, spices, floral, leather, herbal, moderately spicy, peaty vegetation, tart, incense, rich, sweet, mild chocolate, brown sugar, a tangy stewed dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish, Virginia and Black Cavendish supporting. And a surprise showing for Burley (though noy mentioned on tin). Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.