The Country Squire Tobacconist Shepherd's Pie

I disagree with the reviews that say that the Latakia is the main component in this blend. I am getting far more Turkish Orientals than anything else. It has an incense like quality and a sweetness down to the last puff. The Latakia is condimental and adds wonderful depth and smokiness. It's so tasty and so complex that my affections for this mixture have evolved over time. I liked it the first time and I like it even more now. Easily a four star blend.

First, a qualifying statement on the order of this matter. Although I make no presumption of being the font of expertise, I have indeed had the pleasure of experiencing an assortment of stylish English Oriental tobaccos. And to be more direct on this point, they are my most preferred class of English inspired crafting. I could write volumes touching upon the satiating enticement bestowed from a solid base English that has been colorfully enhanced by the inclusion of more pronounced Oriental leaf. Typically, what one receives with these types of involved amalgamations is a wondrous celebration of native tobacco grandeur.

So, now appears one of these archetypical English Orientals, one that I had been most eager to explore. Over the course of several trial sessions, I have evolved with an appreciable position as to the individual merits of this particular blend. And with that, from their collection of original non-aromatics, The Country Squire Tobacconist submits for reflective importance their rendition of this chosen English specialty.

Entering as a medium intensity and arguably full-flavored option, properly served up is their very own Sheperd’s Pie. No, this is not the traditional dish of minced meat, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables, although there is much to be said about the delight of that entree. Rather the Sheperd’s Pie of discussion is an interesting compote that is equally tasteful. Consisting of extended Latakia, Oriental Izmir, mixed Virginian, a touch of perfecting Burley, and the harmonizing influence of basic Black Cavendish, Sheperd’s Pie is often compared to the Frog Morton series of products. Yet as a tenet of unbiased objectivity, I do not do those types of relative analogies with my commentaries, but I thought it was worth mentioning for those who might deem that particular factoid significant.

Even though the tobacco appears to be of mixed configurations it is primarily a ribbon cut production. Upon the discernment of its visual appearance, what one gathers is a wholesome piling that is of dense and grainy aspect. Explicitly, there is an opulent display of variegated warmhearted hues that cast an almost orange luster on the surface. Mixed within are the delightful offsetting pigments of bright tan/beige, gingerbread, coffee, improved browns, smoky umber, and of course sheer blackness. Optimally, Sheperd’s Pie comes prepared with a drier level of moisture which facilitates an immediate and easeful smoke-ready condition.

The pouched nose of this bulk offering encounters somewhat dignified, or perhaps posh is the better term to accurately describe its character. In general, the rousing aroma is flushed with assorted herbal spicing that emanates a brighter vegetal nature. Underlying this seasoned air, a cultured stand of dominant woodiness censored with an equal footing of fruited must form the foundational essence. Further annotations of mild pungency, modest tart, distant sugar, and basic citrus fill the perimeter of its naturally occurring bouquet.

Initially to put it in concise terms, the overall presentation is well balanced and exceedingly smooth. The tasteful fusion of Sheperd’s Pie’s rich streams is utterly level and thereby rendered in a seamless flow. Texturally, the registration is buttery in feel and hosts a slightly sweeter woody nature, as all leaf varieties generally endow some facet of woodiness. In an enlivening demonstration of intriguing complexity and substantial depth, the phasing of tiered flavors is proficiently rounded and therefore quite savory. Overall, this amply bodied blend discloses a thoughtfully crafted tobacco that is full-flavored with a range of compelling spices. Moreover, the smoking experience reveals subtle movement in nuancing that plays creatively well within its creamy mellowness and genuinely smoky profile.

Without wasting words, Sheperd’s Pie steady bottom-line persona calls attention to the contribution of the residing Virginian leaves. In particular, a toasty and darkly spiced wood permeates the width of the base line character. It tends to be highly seasoned and conventionally sweet in disposition. Aiding and abetting this solemn note, the blend casts some semblance of a dimmed citrusy grass that is hemmed with supportive glazy tang. Additionally, a mesh of reduced caramelized sugars, faint black tea, and some general tarty floral further garnishes the Virginia’s primary appeal.

Within the experienced registration, however, it is the ornate Latakia that seems to rise to the forefront of character in the weight of the middle band of flavor. Judging from its darker sweeter smoothness, I have deduced that the particular strain that has been enfolded has experienced some progress with aging. What avails is a fairly prominent projection of burnt sulfuric wood, soured tartness, and settled char. Complementing this base element are embellishing attributes of smart fig, smoky incense, a bit of darker herbaceous tincture and a streak of earthen pungency that is of a gentler nature. Generously added per The Country Squire’s admission, the Cyprian is neither overbearing nor brazen in its commenting but does offer some reposed enriching depth to the standard taste profile.

Expertly partnering with the Latakia, the strain of Izmir resides aptly on top of the forward notation. The leaf displays a drawing registration that is tendered mostly in musty exotic spices and sweeter-sour wooded undertones. What seems to prevail mostly is an herbal affinity and with that the remarking is colored with brushes of thyme and sweet peppery paprika. Finally, I do consistently experience a thread of greenish lemon hoppiness, which might sound strange, but it is nonetheless how I would best describe this impression.

Existing as an essential ornamental complement, the series of Burley peeks through with a guarded inference. All but very well hidden, the attendance of the strains projects a further sweetening brown sugared nuttiness while offering earthy oaken wood is the principle note. Elegantly bundled within this background presence is some amplified relish of a distinct black licorice accent, reserved zestful spice, average mulled sourness, and little bit of raisin-like fruitiness circulating within the highlights.

As to the influence of the Cavendish, not so much to mention other than a donation of basic earthy sugar, and smoky wooded tang. As the sessional bowl makes way through a slower burn, an emission of thick plumes of blue-gray smoke release, lustering the room with a seasonable resonance of sprightly herbaceous kindling. The quality of smoke that is produced is indeed creamy in texture as it rolls off the palate with eased graces. In terms of its sheer magnitude, the blend’s expired presence bids modesty in perceivable girth and weightiness. Moreover, captivating accents of sweet natured tang, a bit of grass, pungent tarty Latakia spice and a tapered stream of zesty smokiness expand its politely contained character. Presumably, Sheperd’s Pie’s spent aroma could be deemed as tolerable to actually pleasing in receptivity.

It is sufficient to say that Sheperd’s Pie accommodates a smoking experience that evinces optimal mechanical performance for the duration of the session. Initially the tobacco falls easily into the chamber of the pursuing bowl and proceeds to load perfectly. With the ensuing ignition, the blend gets quickly under way in an exhibition of considerate burn temperatures while maintaining a nicely consistent cone. And given the mixed ratios of the recipe, I find the managed nicotine response to be categorically mild to medium in the degree of felt significance.

Last, this one comes suitably adaptable to a generously proportioned briar or a more ambitious cob. Sheperd’s Pie embodies all the fineries of a classic English Oriental most conclusively. With a memorable demonstration of the individual leaf standard attributes, this blend emits a true reflection of that referenced native tobacco grandeur. Scoring exceptionally favorable on genre specifics, the mixture engenders a relaxing, yet charismatic occasion centered in mellowed palatability. Therefore, as a fashionable offering, The Country Squire’s Sheperd’s Pie can be a rewardable day long diversion in the choosing. So, there you have it, the final word based upon an informed formal assessment and, of course, a little bit of my own personal sentiments. Objective Scoring: (basis: flavor, standard genre/leaf attributes & mechanicals): 199/236 ? 2.8 WAVG. Subjective Rating: (factored for likeability & cost): 3.5 Pipes.

The Latakia is in the front on this blend. Does what its supposed to - adds a smokey aspect that is nice with a Lat blend. The VA was right behind it though. Moreso than most English blends typically. The cavandish is there, but not as evident for me. It melds the flavors a bit though.

Leaves a tad bit of moisture with no dry time and is a cool smoke throughout. Nicotine burn started about halfway through but not bad or off-putting.

This is an ok blend. It is something good on its own. If I am going to have cavandish in an English then I prefer Boswell's English crossovers. The cavandish in those do more for me.

2.5 stars

Four stars, but I'm extremely biased - this is one of my everyday, desert island blends.

It's buttery sweet and smooth while still having the exotic flavor of the Orientals. Having never had any Frog Morton, I can't pass any judgement on similarity, but if you at all like a good medium strength English with a full, rich taste, this is a bar none have to have stocked tobacco. I could smoke Shepherds Pie only for the rest of my life an be extremely happy.

This stuff is incredible!!! What more can i say that hasnt already been said. Spicy wood with some sweet grass on the tounge. Stayed consistent till halfway through, then got just ever so slightly more of a spicy kick to it. Im in love!!! Moisture out of the bag/jar is "fine" for most, but i like mine on the dryer side. Had some relights just due to me not puffing often or paying attention. But 20-30min of drying would be excellent for me. The only frog morton ive tried was cellar. I was too busy admiring their art work instead of their tobacco, then.....it was too late. So i cant compare. If this is the only thing i smoke for the rest of my days, id be very happy with that choice.

Ordered this two times, a year apart from each other, and got two different tasting blends. The second one was definitely my favorite of the two. I’ll provide a review for both.

The first time I bought some, I was surprised at just how aromatic it smelled. The description states “a non-aromatic treat”, so smelling a heavy cocoa aroma and seeing a large percentage of black cavendish was bit strange. The bag note was mostly the sweet cocoa topping and some smokiness. It actually reminded me a lot of The Country Squire’s other blend, Northwest Trek, which is an English aromatic. This was a bit disappointing as I didn’t care for Northwest Trek (not that it was a bad blend by any means, just too aromatic for my tastes). Upon lighting, I got mostly black cavendish, burley, and Virginia with the Latakia in the background. The cocoa note was also quite present. There were a few spots in the bowl where the Latakia and orientals stood out, but it only lasted a few puffs when they did show up. Overall, this batch that I ordered wasn’t great. It was way too sweet with way too heavy of a topping to be considered “non-aromatic” in my opinion. However, if you’re a fan of English crossovers, you probably would’ve loved it. I would give this batch 2 stars.

The second time I ordered it, I did so because a lot of the reviews described something different than what I had the first time. Whenever I see that the reviews don’t exactly line up with my experience, I like ordering a blend again to see if it was just a bad batch I received. When I received the second order, the aroma was completely different. It smelled smoky, spicy, and sweet, but naturally sweet, not a topping sweetness. There may have been a slight topping, but nowhere near the levels found in the first batch. It smelled quite similar to other English/Balkan blends that have black cavendish, such as Arango Balkan Supreme and Rattray’s Black Mallory. This was promising. Upon lighting, I got a much more typical English/Balkan flavor than the first batch. The latakia and orientals were definitely there, with the Virginias and burleys providing some body, and the Cavendish smoothing everything out. Every once in awhile there were bursts of a very fragrant herbal sweetness from the orientals that I loved. It was a great combo of smokiness, natural sweetness, herbal notes, woody notes, and fruit and grass notes from the Virginias and nuttiness from the burley on the finish. It really reminded me of Arango Balkan Supreme, but with just a tad more sweetness and the slight nuttiness from the burley. I really enjoyed this batch. A lot more than the first. I would rate this batch 4 stars.

Overall, I think this blend deserves three stars as it stands, considering I don’t which one of the batches was a fluke and which one was how it’s actually supposed to taste. If I order it a couple more times and it’s like the second batch, I’ll definitely be giving it a 4 star rating. If you like sweeter Englishes, give it a try.

Several smokers I know have had a fairly positive (as in three stars) response to this, but I find it a disjointed concoction. I’ve tried in cobs, wide and narrow briars, and a meer, and although the balances changed slightly the overall impression was of disharmony of ingredients. Yes, there’s an almost addictive goodness to the blend, but this is negated by some underlying off-putting funkiness. Here’s a typical bowl for me . . .

Jar note is faintly earthy (Burley) with a whiff of Latakia. First flame has a mild soapy hit then subsides. The Latakia is more on the woody side than on the creosote side, so that’s good. Flavors settle into a mild Va-Bur profile, with some chocolate undertones, and I get some of the same Nutty Buddy flavors I found in Old Toby. Don’t get me started on the “Flavoring: none” problem on this site. Some of you have probably tried unprocessed leaf, if not, as an introduction to this topic, I suggest you take three minutes to watch Jeremy Reeves describe the difference between casing and flavoring (or topping). I also use the term pH tempering for the most basic remediation with just sugar water (but even that is not so straightforward as we ask whether the sugar has been inverted or not). Well, boutique blenders who are not manufacturers, like Boswell, Country Squire, Wilke, etc., are buying pre-processed tobaccos that have already been tempered and cased from the likes of Sutliff or Lane, and then doing their own blending. It is only if the end blender adds any flavoring (topping) that we see this listed as flavoring on TR. For example: C&D Burley Flake #5 is described on TR as “Flavoring: None” yet it is cased with rum, anise, and maple.

But back to the saga: By mid-bowl the Yin or Yang battle begins as to whether this will be a mild comforting blend or something more savory, because once the sweetness recedes the Burley starts imparting more bitterness and the Latakia is tasting more like cooking grease. The net result to me tastes like having chocolate sauce on a nice savory steak. Something also tastes like the initial processing of the leaf (the pH tempering) wasn’t complete. I’ve actually experimented with using tiny amounts (less than 5%) of uncased leaf just for ‘complexity’ and that works if the other flavors are strong enough to counterbalance. Anyway, Shepherd’s Pie just doesn’t seem a good synergy of ingredients. It also left a bit of funky stink in my briars, so if you are determined to try this start out with a meer (which should be wiped clean after each use anyway), or stick with cheap cobs.

As an afterthought: if you like Boswell’s Northwoods more than I do, you are probably more receptive to this idea of combining sweet casing (with chocolate notes) and savory flavors. If so you may love Shepherd’s Pie!