Sutliff Tobacco Company Mixture No. 79
(1.93)
Rich burley tobaccos, blended to the original, time-honored formula of the Sutliff's of California, maintains the tradition of this perennial favorite. A topping of natural vanilla flavoring gives this basic pipe tobacco blend a soft, sweet aroma to enhance its already mild, biteless, round taste.
Details
| Brand | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blended By | H. Sutliff |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Burley |
| Flavoring | Alcohol / Liquor, Anisette, Other / Misc, Vanilla, Whisky |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 14 ounce tub, 50 grams pouch in a box |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium to Strong
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
1.93 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 24 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2014 | Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Having smoked a whole pouch of Mixture No. 79, now, I'm upping my review to four stars. I love this stuff and do not want to be out of it.
ORIGINAL: Went garage saling with the wife this morning and dashed into my tobacco shop to grab a pop. They still sell the reasonably sized cans. Lo and behold what do I see--Mixture No. 79. Despite selling the throwback 12 ounce can of pop, it's a modern tobacco shop, meaning it's a cigarette/cigar shop that sells Captain Black and Prince Albert. They also have a selection of horrifying plastic pipes from China.
I was pretty surprised to see Mixture No. 79 there. I've always wanted to try it, just to say I did. For some reason I'm attracted to polarizing tobaccos. Universally loved or panned tobaccos are actually kinda boring if you think about it. Perhaps this is why Samuel Gawith is one of my favorite producers.
Mixture No. 79 is or was the blend of choice for millionaire pornographer and creepy old man, Hugh Hefner. Despite this, I bought a pack...seven bucks! Two and a half bucks more than the Prince it sat next to. In the car, I removed the cellophane and a very strong aroma of anise or licorice filled the air. "We may have just flushed seven bucks down the pooper," I said to the wife.
"At least you didn't get the canister," she said. Always looking on the bright side, that one.
The tobacco itself doesn't have such a strong licorice smell, thank goodness. Kinda fruity or something. Hard to place. Still pretty licorice-y, but not eye-wateringly so like when I first opened it.
Cut is a shag or a chop (or both). Pretty random-looking. Color is mottled, various shades of brown, some blonds, some blacks. Also random-looking. PG is present in the leaf. I can feel it with my fingers, but it doesn't seem to be overdone.
Taste is...wait for it...quite nice. I am enjoying this. No licorice at all translates. YAY! for that. An American attempt at a Lakeland, perhaps? There is a perfumey quality to it I like. Smoke is cool...not cool as in temp, but like a menthol cigarette, yet without the menthol. I am sipping this but I could see how it would bite if I started puffing away at it. I like how the strange licorice-y root beer-y smell of the tobacco itself is not present at all in the smoking. It has a flavor unlike anything I've ever smoked. It's uniqueness is what calls to mind Lakelands, but it is not like a Lakeland (if that makes any sense, haha).
Probably won't repurchase, but I can say the seven bucks wasn't wasted.
ORIGINAL: Went garage saling with the wife this morning and dashed into my tobacco shop to grab a pop. They still sell the reasonably sized cans. Lo and behold what do I see--Mixture No. 79. Despite selling the throwback 12 ounce can of pop, it's a modern tobacco shop, meaning it's a cigarette/cigar shop that sells Captain Black and Prince Albert. They also have a selection of horrifying plastic pipes from China.
I was pretty surprised to see Mixture No. 79 there. I've always wanted to try it, just to say I did. For some reason I'm attracted to polarizing tobaccos. Universally loved or panned tobaccos are actually kinda boring if you think about it. Perhaps this is why Samuel Gawith is one of my favorite producers.
Mixture No. 79 is or was the blend of choice for millionaire pornographer and creepy old man, Hugh Hefner. Despite this, I bought a pack...seven bucks! Two and a half bucks more than the Prince it sat next to. In the car, I removed the cellophane and a very strong aroma of anise or licorice filled the air. "We may have just flushed seven bucks down the pooper," I said to the wife.
"At least you didn't get the canister," she said. Always looking on the bright side, that one.
The tobacco itself doesn't have such a strong licorice smell, thank goodness. Kinda fruity or something. Hard to place. Still pretty licorice-y, but not eye-wateringly so like when I first opened it.
Cut is a shag or a chop (or both). Pretty random-looking. Color is mottled, various shades of brown, some blonds, some blacks. Also random-looking. PG is present in the leaf. I can feel it with my fingers, but it doesn't seem to be overdone.
Taste is...wait for it...quite nice. I am enjoying this. No licorice at all translates. YAY! for that. An American attempt at a Lakeland, perhaps? There is a perfumey quality to it I like. Smoke is cool...not cool as in temp, but like a menthol cigarette, yet without the menthol. I am sipping this but I could see how it would bite if I started puffing away at it. I like how the strange licorice-y root beer-y smell of the tobacco itself is not present at all in the smoking. It has a flavor unlike anything I've ever smoked. It's uniqueness is what calls to mind Lakelands, but it is not like a Lakeland (if that makes any sense, haha).
Probably won't repurchase, but I can say the seven bucks wasn't wasted.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2013 | Strong | Medium to Strong | Full | Very Pleasant |
This tobacco does not conform into any particular category. It is unlike any other. The flavoring must be tried to be understood. I think it's absolutely excellent. The taste and aroma are similar to Dr. Pepper. Again, not completely, but if you try it you'll see what I mean. Also, I'm a guy that hates goopy, chemically aromatics, so believe me when I say this isn't one of those. There's one disclaimer, however: This tobacco is ONLY enjoyed when smoked slowly, with labored puffs. There is a period of unavoidable tongue bite in the very beginning, when the pipe is first getting fully lit. After the 1-3 charring lights, let it cool down by smoking slowly. If this pace is kept for the rest of the smoke, you can then give Mixture 79 a fair analysis. Hopefully, more people will be willing to get past the initial minor tongue bite to find one of the most enjoyable tobaccos ever produced.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 20, 2008 | Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Update: 12/20/08. I recently ordered some misc smoking items which included a new Kaywoodie Super Grain, and two zipper pouches. I also ordered a large tin of Mixture No. 79. This tobacco has changed. I think this stuff is really great now. In the past, I hated this tobacco like mostly everyone else. Tobacco in a large tin is always better than in the foil pouch. Mixture 79 is no exception. Vanilla and anise predominate the burley, but the tobacco flavor comes through nicely. I will not smoke this everyday, but it is a welcome change of pace. I do advise, however, that a person delegate one or more pipes for exclusive smoking to this mixture.
I remember trying this stuff when I was in the service 35 years ago. I think I sent in a coupon for a free package. Anyhow, I thought it was the worst tobacco I ever smoked, and gave the pouch away. It indeed tasted like soap.
Receiving this as part of the free sampler, I thought I read reviews on this site before I gave or threw the package away. I could not believe that Hugh Hefner smoked this stuff. Some people actually liked this stuff. I had to try it again.
I packed this in a thick walled corncob and lit up. It had the same soapy flavor with anise or whatever, but, I have to say, it mellowed to a relatively flavorful smoke, with all the negative points in the background. I was really shocked. The other day I played golf and grabbed The Mixture 79 pouch to take with me, thinking I'd smoke less if I didn't enjoy it. Outside, this tobacco shined.
Not a great tobacco, but a once in a while change of pace. Hef could not be all wrong.
I remember trying this stuff when I was in the service 35 years ago. I think I sent in a coupon for a free package. Anyhow, I thought it was the worst tobacco I ever smoked, and gave the pouch away. It indeed tasted like soap.
Receiving this as part of the free sampler, I thought I read reviews on this site before I gave or threw the package away. I could not believe that Hugh Hefner smoked this stuff. Some people actually liked this stuff. I had to try it again.
I packed this in a thick walled corncob and lit up. It had the same soapy flavor with anise or whatever, but, I have to say, it mellowed to a relatively flavorful smoke, with all the negative points in the background. I was really shocked. The other day I played golf and grabbed The Mixture 79 pouch to take with me, thinking I'd smoke less if I didn't enjoy it. Outside, this tobacco shined.
Not a great tobacco, but a once in a while change of pace. Hef could not be all wrong.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 25, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I have been a pipe smoker for over 56 years. If you look at the more than 160 reviews I have posted to this site, you will see every genre represented. This blend is the most controversial of them all. Statistically, 25% love it and 75% hate it. I'm with the former. I think that this is one of the most delicious aromatics available. And it's been available for over 100 years. Other than needing a lot of dry time before smoking, it is perfect. The anise and vanilla and whisky make for a very tasty smoke. I don't taste any of the lakeland soapiness that other reviewers have eluded to. The chunky burley, with the added rubbed out virginia flakes, burns cool and dry from start to finish and there is no black cavendish. The anisette is upfront, with the vanilla and whiskey in the background, but adding the delicate sweetness that I love. It is a very satisfying experience. It smolders beautifully without large plumes of smoke. A real delight. Sutliffe has improved this blend tremendously from what I remember from 50 years ago. I think it's the quality of the tobaccos that has made the difference. This blend puts a smile on my face and makes me happy to be a pipe smoker. Update: I recently ordered a half-pound of bulk Mixture 79 from Smokingpipes. In bulk, this blend is #600. It is much chunkier than the pouch version. Besides the lower cost, I prefer the bulk. Update: I have been enjoying Mixture 79 mixed 6 to 1 (about 14%) with Sir Walter Raleigh Regular. It provides a cooler smoke . A lovely blend for aromatic smokers. Update: If you age Mixture 79 for at least six months, the anisette becomes less pronounced and the vanilla and rum become more inclusive.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 21, 2010 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
In the 60s during my university days Mixture 79 was at the absolute top of the line of drug store brands and a prominent feature at tobac emporiums. You could always maintain your "cool" and not be afraid to flash the aluminium lined 79 pouch at a frat party or night spot and risk appearing declasse. In fact, it was the "It Blend" at my Big 10 Conference school.
So I was rather shocked, very shocked to read many fellow reviewers dissing what was then one of the premium popular mass offerings. Perplexed me so much I immediately ordered a 14 oz. tub of old 79 to check on the veracity of these accounts. Got a good priced mail order deal from Black Cat Cigar Co, East Norriton, PA 19401 for $24.95 - a great deal for New Yorkers who now have to pay over six bucks for 1.5 Oz. of Mixture 79 at the tabacconist - if you can find it.
My old sweet and mild aromatic blend was as solid as ever and I'm glad I ordered it. H. Sutlife still sings! I give it an unqualified **** star rating: sweet bouquet as I opened the tub, healthy brown and golden broken flake appearance, a succulent, gentle, mild and overall pleasant smoke all the way. Going to take a few ounces of this and mix 3-to-1 with Paladin, Middleton Cherry or Admiral's Choice Cherry Cavendish because Mixture 79 Cherry (another old pleaser) is either out of production or nearly impossible to find.
Many of my reviewer colleagues trashing 79 - well, I think they were really just piling on. This is and always was a thrill of a pipe smoke and I can certainly understand why Mr. Cool Sophistication himself, Hugh Hefner, smoked it arduously until 1985 when he had a mild stroke and the Doc ordered him to quit smoking everything. Happy Hunting!
So I was rather shocked, very shocked to read many fellow reviewers dissing what was then one of the premium popular mass offerings. Perplexed me so much I immediately ordered a 14 oz. tub of old 79 to check on the veracity of these accounts. Got a good priced mail order deal from Black Cat Cigar Co, East Norriton, PA 19401 for $24.95 - a great deal for New Yorkers who now have to pay over six bucks for 1.5 Oz. of Mixture 79 at the tabacconist - if you can find it.
My old sweet and mild aromatic blend was as solid as ever and I'm glad I ordered it. H. Sutlife still sings! I give it an unqualified **** star rating: sweet bouquet as I opened the tub, healthy brown and golden broken flake appearance, a succulent, gentle, mild and overall pleasant smoke all the way. Going to take a few ounces of this and mix 3-to-1 with Paladin, Middleton Cherry or Admiral's Choice Cherry Cavendish because Mixture 79 Cherry (another old pleaser) is either out of production or nearly impossible to find.
Many of my reviewer colleagues trashing 79 - well, I think they were really just piling on. This is and always was a thrill of a pipe smoke and I can certainly understand why Mr. Cool Sophistication himself, Hugh Hefner, smoked it arduously until 1985 when he had a mild stroke and the Doc ordered him to quit smoking everything. Happy Hunting!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2018 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
My Dad smoked this for years until recently passing away. Going through his items, I found a tin of the 79. Dad could never understand why I didn’t like this blend. I would try the 79 here and there with the same results. It tasted weird to me and I was happy with Sir Walter Raleigh,which is still my all day pipe tobacco. Something happened recently. It was like Luke Skywalker when Obie passed and then the force was with him, because now I like the blend. Maybe it’s just that my taste buds have changed, but I really enjoy this “weird” tobacco. Or, just maybe the reason is Sutliff has changed this blend. I think the blend has been changed quite a bit. Long gone is the granulated tobacco. Now, there are long brown shreds of tobacco. Large pieces of chopped tobacco. The “weird” flavor that pipe smokers love to hate has been toned down. I remember 79 being a cinch to light. Now it will take five to ten lights to get going. As for (the Sutliff of California) Sutliff is an old Richmond,Virginia company.
In the pouch this tobacco is almost wet and needs next to a week of drying time. The tin I got was from Dad, so it had been opened enough to be smokable. This blend is definitely a hybrid, and by that I mean nothing else I’ve ever smoked, smells or tastes like it.
I detect a good amount of anise, which can give off other flavors being slightly floral. The vanilla is almost unnoticeable as is the wee drop of whisky. The flavors go well with the nutty, chocolate burley tastes. The room note is nice, smells great in fact.
Either Sutliff has changed the recipe or my taste buds have changed. Whatever happened, I enjoy it now. May the force be with you too.
In the pouch this tobacco is almost wet and needs next to a week of drying time. The tin I got was from Dad, so it had been opened enough to be smokable. This blend is definitely a hybrid, and by that I mean nothing else I’ve ever smoked, smells or tastes like it.
I detect a good amount of anise, which can give off other flavors being slightly floral. The vanilla is almost unnoticeable as is the wee drop of whisky. The flavors go well with the nutty, chocolate burley tastes. The room note is nice, smells great in fact.
Either Sutliff has changed the recipe or my taste buds have changed. Whatever happened, I enjoy it now. May the force be with you too.
Pipe Used:
Stanwell, Savenelli,
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 04, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
I just ordered a tin of this from WV Smoke shop. I haven't had it in years and wanted to take a trip back through time. I loaded up my Kaywoodie Gold burl, gave it a somewhat tight pack, and lit . Yes I remember, first thing that hits you is the perfume aroma and strong anise taste. After 2 minutes though it settles down quite nicely. Tasting anise and Vanilla in intervals. This is an old time formula, as in late 1700s all the way thru to late 1800s style. If you like bond street known now as bourbon st, Condor, Rich Dark Honeydew, and other non Balkan English blends you may like this southern American twist on things. It's an acquired taste so you have to try and smoke more than one bowl.It's actually a good tobacco if you smoke it proper .
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 02, 2022 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
There is just something about 79 that I absolutely love. It’s very hard to keep it burning properly but it’s worth the effort to me. The licorice topping goes very well with burley. I like to mix roughly 85% 79 with 15% War Horse Green to help with the combustion problem and it also kicks up the vitamin N a notch
Pipe Used:
MM Cobs, Meerschaum, Briars
PurchasedFrom:
Pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
Fresh to 1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 26, 2021 | Very Mild | Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
This is one of my favorite tobaccos and I can only assume that it's many detractors are put off by it's unique casing. Yes, the licorice can come off as bit floral, and this topping mixed with the woody burleys can give off a medicinal or herbal vibe, but therein lies this blends peculiar charm. It is also true that the blend is not without some idiosyncrasies. It can be difficult to light. It can burn a bit wet. It can get a little sour if heated up. However, once these minor distractions are dealt with the smoker is rewarded by wonderful burley forward smoking mixture with a flavor and room note that serves as a reminder of what American men smoked in decades past. The burleys are woody and sweet, the virginias a bit grassy (I do think there is a little bright virginia in here) and the topping holds it all together. This tobacco is highly recommended. Don't just sniff the pouch, load up, take two puffs and proceed to pile on. Give it time. Smoke it slowly and you will be rewarded with all of the goodness that lightly floral sweetened burley blends have to offer.
Pipe Used:
Cobs, Falcons, Briars
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 23, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
I don't know why lovers of lakelands don't stand up for this blend more - sure, I'd rather have a good rich slice of G&H in my pipe, but you know what? This stuff isn't half bad in the perfume-blend department. There's some halfway decent burley in there, too.
Shied away from this for a looooooong time because of how badly people talked about it, but finally I realized that what was said - tastes like soap, smells like granny's perfume - are exactly what I ENJOY about blends like Ennerdale, Condor, &etc.
Figured, what the heck. If I can find an OTC that approximates the lakeland enigma of enigmas, I'm in for the pocket change.
Shied away from this for a looooooong time because of how badly people talked about it, but finally I realized that what was said - tastes like soap, smells like granny's perfume - are exactly what I ENJOY about blends like Ennerdale, Condor, &etc.
Figured, what the heck. If I can find an OTC that approximates the lakeland enigma of enigmas, I'm in for the pocket change.
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