Sutliff Tobacco Company Crumble Kake English #1

Refer to JimInks oh so good description of this great tobacco. I loved the very mild floral notes. I will be cellaring a few tins of this.

This is a really enjoyable and pleasing pipe tobacco but it certainly does not taste like a typical English blend to me. Perhaps it is the way it is prepared, in a pressed cake, that causes the flavors of the various components to meld together in such a way that a singular, unique flavor is achieved. Not only is the taste not typical English, the inclusion of Burley would technically preclude this from being classified as English based on the ingredients. So it is odd that Sutliff decided to call this "English #1". It is also odd they they call it a crumble cake as it really is presented in thick "slices", similar in appearance to Bengal Slices. So, while upon opening the tin I was disappointed that this is really not an English or a cake, I was more than delighted with the unique tin note and wonderful flavor of the smoke. To my palate, the flavors of the tobaccos meld so well together that it is difficult to pick out any particular variety but I definitely think that the Virginias provide the backbone of this blend, providing the base upon which all the flavors come together, almost like a canvas for a painting. The Latakia is present but it is not overpowering, lending a nice smokey and woodsy note. The orientals are barely noticeable on their own but the spice and incense they bring is an important part of the overall flavor.

This Blend is mild but has plenty of flavor and produces a nice, slightly sweet and creamy smoke. I would call this a Spicy Virginia, much more pleasing and complex to me than a VaPer, for example, but not as robust as a true English. I prepared this by cutting off a thin (2mm) slice across the grain and rubbing out the slice into tiny bits. I packed this fairly loosely in my Savinelli KS320 bowl such that this small, rubbed out slice, filled the entire bowl. It took a couple of charring lights to get going but once lit, burned down to the bottom of the bowl with no relights and zero moisture or dottle at the bottom. Prepared this way, the tobacco burned very cool and slow and had absolutely no hint of bite.

This is definitely not an "also ran" blend. It is definitely unique and absolutely something that you should try, no matter what genre of tobacco blends you typically smoke. You really can't miss with this blend unless you are strictly a Lat Bomb devotee.

Tin note of sweet smoky tangy fruit and musty vegetation. Tobacco is a Krumble Kake of marbled reddish brown, dark brown, black and a little tan. Moisture content is good, some pipe smokers will want to dry it out a bit. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of smoky, floral, herbal, incense, tangy dark fruit, spice, savory, fermented sour, leather, toast, lemon grassy, wood, nuts, earthy rich, cocoa, sugar sweet, a musty dry vegetation and citrus background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Burley, Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

This is better than the two star rating I have given it, but not in my opinion a full three stars. There is nothing wrong with this tobacco. It is a pleasant enough smoke and for someone just venturing into English blends, I think this would be a good choice. For me, I tried it in a number of different pipes, but by the end of the tin I was fairly ambivalent, as it really didn't scratch the English itch I get. I enjoyed the tin, but I won't be rushing to buy another.