Sutliff Tobacco Company Heine's Blend

A typical American over the counter burley based blend that's been around since the 1930s. The burleys have a touch of cocoa, some molasses, wood, bread and earth and fair amount of nuttiness with a touch of coumarin replacing the deer tongue that was once used, which provides a light spice note. The topping is a mild pineapple which adds a little sweetness and tang. I also get a very light hit of lemon and citrus. The burleys are cubed, crushed plug, and small diced flake cut which make for a even, cool burn with a very consistent flavor, requiring few relights. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Won't bite or get harsh, and barely has any rough edges. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the mild mark, The taste is a step short of the center of mild to medium. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste, and room note. A fairly easy going all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

I have intended to try this for a while. A friend sent me a generous sample, and it has been good to smoke through it.

The tobacco itself is a mixed bag. There are ribbons, cubelike chunks, and flakes. There is a whiff of fruit in the "tin note." Mine came at what I consider a very good moisture level.

The smoking experience was very enjoyable for me. It smokes like a mild toasted burley with a little citrus topping. It is not especially sweet, and it has a simple tobacco flavor. I can believe that this would make an excellent "all-day" smoke.

This one is easy to recommend, but it does not have much wow factor. I liked it.

I was recently looking for that "blend that nobody seems to smoke". I received a cannister of this in the mail (along with a few other goodies) about two days ago. I was pleasantly suprised. Alas, I had found that blend. A mixture of thick coarse cut- blonde and cherry wood in color. The tin aroma's: a cross between cherry, cocoa and citrus- subtle and inviting. The blend is earthy and robust in flavor (not in the aromatic sense but in the body of the smoke). I'm reminded of green pastures, old-fashioned coffee breaks, relaxing in one's favorite armchair or tinkering on a project in the workshop (in my case that's fleshing out my next literary idea and working on music theory). Upon first light, you are hit with a soil-like richness which is slightly tangy. It funnels into hints of hazelnut, lemon and mild black coffee while maintaining the right amount of sweetness. This blend seems to be another "sleeper" type of tobacco. A quiet reminder of days gone by, which it does in a straightforward way- nature's way. If Sutliff is looking for a slogan for this little pipe smoking treasure, it should be Heine's Blend: The Honest Smoke. I give it three and half stars. This coming from a guy, who loves exploring the aromatic side of things.

Would like to meet Mr. Heine and shake his hand. A great example of 'simpler is better'. A 'codger' burley of the highest order. It is easy to confuse mild, subtle, and nuanced with bland, changing sometimes with mood or expectations. This is not an over-the-top flavor bomb, but neither should it be, and I really like what flavor there is. Room note is very nice (I'm partial to that old-time burley aroma). I was a little apprehensive about committing to a whole tub of Heine's, but I am now glad I did. The tin aroma is amazing, one of my favorites. Topping (what little I detect) is perfect, just a condiment. This is easily an all-day smoke. Aftertaste is very nice. Like many an American-style-burley, really good with a cup of coffee (or tea). Easy to light and keep lit. No bite. Good for both puttering or relaxing. Great, solid, mild, chocolate, molasses, nutty, dark fruit, tiny spice and citrus. I expect the tub will get even better with a bit of airing and time. 3.5 stars. Contentment. Recommended.

This blend is criminally obscure. You are missing out if you haven't tried it. Lightly aromatic w/ a very pleasant room note. A VERY high amount of crystallization in the cubed cut pieces. I've never heard of a "drug store blend" aging with such grace. Looking at the tobacco in the tub, I can just as easily picture it inside of a Cornell & Diehl or G.L. Pease can. Everyone has their favorite old-time codger blend, but Heine's is the highest quality I've ever seen in that category.

Sent to me by a friend, I found this to be a gentle and mild burley forward mixture that's easy to smoke and smells pleasant in the room. Sometimes that's all I want and personally I enjoy mixtures like this.

The tobacco flavor is light and so is the sweetness. There's a topping but I would categorize it as discreet. I mostly taste a hint of honey and a very subtle bright citrus and sharp fruit flavor. There's no bite but Heine's Blend smokes spicier and a bit tangy if puffed too hard. It also needs some dry time but not too much.

Altogether this is a good & reasonably priced, mild old school tub-mixture.

**After a month with Heine's I have to upgrade my rating to three stars. Once dried Heine's burns much easier and releases its nutty burley flavors. When I first received it I could not coax out anything but steam and it was bland but much like a Virginia flake a week with the tub cracked and allowed to breathe made Heine's a totally different animal and gained a star. A great value for a tub, an all day blend, tasty but not 4 star material, really somewhere in between 2 and three stars**

Wow totally not what I was expecting.... I truly thought Heine's Blend was going to be a Sir Walter Raleigh type cube / rough cut burley with a Cocoa type topping but upon opening I was greeted with a very subdued citrus aroma. The tobacco is comprised of soft chunks of light and dark burley with very bright yellow fish food Virginia flakes but very soft bits. I was sent a tub directly from Sutliff as I know a gentleman that works there and he sent me a fresh sample. My 14 ounce tub was recently made so I know this is the current offering. I appreciate the fact that HB is not goopy or overly topped and yet by itself HB does not have much flavor which is an extremely mild OTC Burley Mixture. Certainly nothing exciting but not terrible, just bland...

I had been wanting to try this as I am a fan of the old school Burley blends.

This is what I would call a crushed plug rather than a cube cut. There are some chunks, short ribbons, and small flakes.

It smells faintly of figs, with just a touch of molasses.

It loaded easily, and as it was a tad moist, I thought I would have a little trouble getting it going. I was wrong.

It burned a little hot for me at first, but never bit my tongue. It produced thick, creamy plumes of blue smoke, perfect for smoke rings.

The trick to this stuff is to let it dry. When it is fresh, the flavors are watery and muted. After a good airing out, it tastes of hazelnuts and black walnut. It's delightful with a cup of coffee or hot tea.

The room note is very mild and inoffensive, but not something that would please folks who don't generally like tobacco.

It burned clean and dry to a salt and pepper ash.

Its only real fault is that it is very plain. But sometimes that is what I want.

I ordered my can from the fine folks at pipesandcigars.com, who along with excellent customer service, produce some fine blends of their own.

May your troubles end in smoke...

Divide the smoked this blend in two parts. The first just turned on the smoke sends a bitter taste, so for the first quarter, then there is quite smooth and without any great excitement in taste, some slight hint of hazelnut but nothing more. I would say modest, and I do not buy more.

Random pieces of mostly lighter color. Aroma is faintly licorice, but not really sweet. Tastes like a more natural version of Mixture 79, which is an improvement. Not bad, but not good enough to come back to.