House of Windsor Mapleton

The rum and maple was very lightly applied, but was pleasant, I suppose. It seemed mighty tame. Mostly, I got burley, which burned a little hot and was bitey if pushed much. There was a slight nuttiness and a noticeable sharpness, but there was also the taste of cigarette at times from the very grassy Virginias. No Virginia sweetness to really speak of, either. Had almost no nicotine. Burned a little fast,and left little moisture in the bowl. Needed few relights. Sutliff's Mapleton Match is a much superior product.

-JimInks

The above description is not accurate!

House of Windsor Tin Description: An aromatic smoking mixture blended with flavorful Maple and Old Rum. Country of Origin: US Group: Air Cured Contents: Burley & Virginia

There is Burley and Virginia in this blend, for sure. But, if it is indeed an aromatic flavored with Maple and Old Rum, the topping was applied so sparingly that I missed it. There is also no mention of Perique. Well, this stuff is loaded with that Louisiana tobacco product.

Smoking Mapleton was like smoking two different blends in one. The leaf is short-cut and at just the right humidity level. It packs easily and evenly. At the match the upper portion of the smoke was very pleasant. A mid-range burst of flavor and nicotine with just enough Perique to be interesting accompanied the first third of the smoking experience. Not a hint of bite either. At the mid-bowl point, my tongue began detecting waves of Perique. The more I smoked the more peppery the taste. Finally, Perique dominated to the point where I could taste little else. Most unpleasant.

The final verdict -- Mapleton was guilty of deceit and has been banished from my "cellar."

Very surprised at how much I enjoyed this almost cube cut primarily burley blend. Some VA in the mix as well. The tin aroma was extremely fruity which smelled like the perique other reviewers have noticed. I did not notice any maple scent but rum was quite apparent.

The one down side to this one is that it threatened to sizzle my tongue upon first light, and this sensation lasted for about 1/4 of the bowl. It finally settles down into a rather intense and complex smoke. The varying flavors, including the perique spiciness, hover in and out throughout the bowl. There was the mulled cider of its old stablemate Union Leader, as well as rum and various light spices. This completely eschewed the old burley nuttiness. It was a sweet and spicy smoke, and it was consistent in taste from the top to the bottom, bowl after bowl. If this were still available, I'd buy more. If it didn't have that tongue-threatening opening facade, this would plainly be an excellent tobacco. It's one of the 2 or 3 best OTC's I've ever smoked, as far superior to Sutliff's "match" version, which is far from an actual match.

Funny, I agree with the previous review, but tend to like this tobacco for the same reasons the previous reviewer dislikes it.

I wouldn't describe this as a ribbon cut, in the can it seems to be almost dry pebble sized grains. These can be broken up, or, for a more complex smoke, simply scooped up into the pipe.

The casing does indeed taste of maple, but it is not overwhelming. The tobacco is not goopy, burns smoothly to a thin white ash, and is easy on the tongue.

I agree that there is perique in there, but didn't find it overwhelming...some puffs tend to taste heavily of maple, and other puffs are spicier.

I've found that this tobacco smokes best from a nice big Missouri Meerschaum. The taste just seems to meld better than in a briar.

I enjoy this as a morning smoke with coffee.

Although HOW has several blends I enjoy, I really cannot say anything good about Mapleton. It burned hot, the taste reminded me of the time I tried eating some acorns, and I'm grateful I only smoked it in a corncob.

The one positive comment is I only had one small tin to deal with.

In the tin, the aroma of this very short-cut, fine ribbon is of typically earthy tobacco. The rum and maple are clearly noticeable, though a dominant perique scent is not.

The flavor is defined primarily of red VA, burley, and dark cavendish which are enhanced by the distinctness of the sweetener and the rum aroma. These combine to give a rather low-toned character to the blend. Perique is a welcome addition, it's clearly noticeable pungency preventing the blend from slipping into murky stolidness.

Manufactured to House of Windsor's high quality standards, Mapleton is a comfortably rich all-day blend; the type of thing rapidly disappearing from american life. This will probably ghost a briar over time and seemed best to me in narrow gauge chambers.

I really can't say anything good about this tobacco. I did not taste much rum or maple, just a bitterness while smoking, almost like biting into a bad walnut. (Or somekind of nut.) The room note was pleasant, I could detect a hint of maple. I probably will never buy this again, even if it became locally available.

Too expensive for what I consider an inferior smoke.

Not great. Had an idea of what this might taste like, and boy was I off. It had a very faint scent, drab appearance and burned hot and sporadically. If this is supposed to be a maple blend, it falls way short of that. Even if not, not worth the time or money.

Yet another HOW that came as a 'bonus' to a Pipe/Tobacco magazine subscription. Thank heaven I got my enjoyment from the magazine over the years because the HOW tobaccos are a distant unpleasant memory. Mapleton is supposed to be maple/rum flavored, neither of which I can say is sufficient to stand out in this blend. It smoked harsh, tasted poor, was dry in the can and soon was dealt with accordingly....I tossed it out. No more HOW blends for me, there are so many better blenders out there with premium tobacco, there's nothing premium in Mapleton.

A mild aromatic. If you still want tobacco and a little Rum, maple and such...its not a bad pick, and has a good price.

BETTER PICK: C & D AUTUMN MORNING- THIS ONE REALLY COULD BE BEATEN EASILY.