John Cotton John Cotton's Double Pressed Kentucky

(3.63)
From P&C's website: John Cotton's Double Pressed Kentucky brings a new approach to pressed tobaccos that's almost revolutionary. It starts with smoky dark-fired Kentucky blended with sweet Virginias. These are pressed, sliced in to flakes which are then tumbled out into a ribbon. The tobacco is allowed to breathe and then moved back to the press to be formed into a crumble cake. This causes a second maturation cycle which deepens the flavor and takes any sharp edges off the blend. The aroma in the tin will enrapture you and the flavor is so rich that you'll want to go back for another bowl. Get ready for a new experience with John Cotton's Double Pressed Kentucky.

Details

Brand John Cotton
Blended By Russ Ouellette
Manufactured By Sutliff Tobacco Company
Blend Type Virginia/Burley
Contents Kentucky, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Krumble Kake
Packaging 50 grams tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.63 / 4
10

6

0

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 16 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 16, 2019 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The smoky, woody, earthy, moderately dry, spicy and floral, nutty, mildly sweet dark fired Kentucky is the lead component. The Virginias offer some tart citrus and grass, a bit of wood and earth, a little tangy dark fruit with hints of sugar, spice and floralness as an important condiment. The fermentation is a tad more obvious here than it is in the JC Double Pressed Virginia manufacture. The double pressing eliminates the sharpness and many of the rough edges one usually encounters with dark fired Kentucky, creating a fairly smooth, mellower, matured Kentucky/Virginia blend. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. It won’t bite or get harsh even when pushed. This is an easily broken apart crumble kake designed to suit your packing preference. Burns very cool, clean and slow. It has a very consistent, well balanced, fairly rich, modestly sweet (with a little savoriness) flavor from start to finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a lot of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and stronger room note. Almost an all day smoke, and the experienced veteran will likely consider it to be one. Those newer to dark fired blends will certainly find it repeatable. Has enough body, depth and nuance to continually hold your interest throughout repeat performances.

-JimInks
29 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 18, 2020 Strong None Detected Very Full Tolerable to Strong
John Cotton - Double Pressed Kentucky.

The tin holds a single block of kake, it's very dark, and has a smoky, yet tangy/ketchup-like aroma. Breaking some off and loading couldn't be easier, and the smoke's heady yet tasty.

A bowl ignites easily, and straight away the Kentucky leads. There's plenty of the fire-cured flavour, but also a slightly trenchant, sour note. The Virginias take a while to gain recognition. At the beginning they're easily at the very back, but increase in volume as the smoke progresses. The flavour works wonderfully alongside the Kentucky, diminishing the strength of the Kentucky's flavour, somewhat. I find the Virginias tart, fruity, and succulent, but not very grassy or sharp. Each bowl has presented no problem mechanically, making a bite-free smoke.

Nicotine: a lot. Room-note: not nice.

Double Pressed Kentucky? A very well made blend, but a bit too strong for a full house, IMO! That said, it deserves three stars; easily:

Recommended
Pipe Used: Peterson Kinsale XL12
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 3 months
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 01, 2019 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium Tolerable
The brother to the double pressed Virginia , this might be the same blend with Kenrucky added in . I'm not sure on that but it would seem logical . Darker than the Double Pressed Virginia , the same crumble cake format is used . This gives the smoker to prepare it as a cube cut or sort of a broken flake . The result is an excellent smoke with a fine tin note and a really deep , rich taste . The Kentucky is clearly the major player. I see more Kentucky being used in blends than ever before . This one is not as good , in my opinion ,as Soloni Silver Edition but pretty much better than any other I have tried . The double pressing makes for a smoother and more mellow smoke . The Kentucky zing is with you the entire smoke though the Virginia makes it's presence known . This is the best new tobacco that I have seen in 2019 . Real good on a summer evening , after a nice supper , and with a late cup of coffee .
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 06, 2019 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
The flavor is smooth sort of reminds me of BBQ without any sauce. I loaded this blend by stuffing in a meer and found way too many relights. Next bowl I rubbed the tobacco and cut it almost to cubes still too many relights. Then I rubbed out a bowl to broken ribbons dried the tobacco for a bit more and filled a Kirsten and solved the relights. This flavor is a 4 star blend but for me only a 2 and ½ because of the prep
Pipe Used: Meerschaum and Kristen
PurchasedFrom: Gift
Age When Smoked: Fresh
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 25, 2020 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
It’s taken me some time and effort to sort out John Cotton’s Double Pressed Kentucky, not because it’s hard to smoke it, rather it’s changed from pipe to pipe, according to prep, and over time, in ways that bring to mind dark VA blends I’ve come to savor. To begin at the beginning, DPK presents in its over sized tin as two chunks of pressed, dark ribbons. These chunks are about the hardness of the green foam blocks used to hold flowers in arrangements. The chunks split in one direction better than the other, but no problems breaking it up in any case. Basically, you can leave it in chunks or you can rub it out, more or less. I liked the taste better with chunks, but it smokes easier rubbed out. I’ve settled on squeezing a chunk and rolling it between my fingers to make it fit the bowl. Original tin note was “smoky”, loamy, bitter-sweet chocolate. The reason I put quotation marks on “smoky” is because it initially struck me as an “enhanced” version of “naturally” smoked tobacco. But then, I’m touchy and grumpy about this currently common practice, also this effect diminished with rest. Initially, DPK lights OK and burns down with some technique, providing a lengthy smoke. After some rest it burns slowly and evenly like a champ. Of all the pipes I tried it in I wound up preferring narrower chambers, and not too tall, either. DPK tastes and smells generally softer, darker, smokier and woodier than the KY blends I generally smoke, and it seems to me that DPK is just as much a dark VA blend as it is a dark KY blend. The lot is savory like Indian stew, a little briny, sweet and sour, with a swell, lingering aftertaste that is actually better than the best of the smoke, and not just because it’s sweeter. Speaking of sweet, I’ve come to think of DPK as a well-done, even slightly burned crème brulee that includes molasses and a little anise. It goes from mild to medium in strength as it’s smoked down, and beyond that if it’s pushed. Tastes go from mild at the light to past medium by the ½ mark. Room note is tolerable.

It may well be that DPK will attract smokers who don’t like other KY blends; it’s certainly different As it happens, I like lots of KY blends, and some of them are favorites. In the end, I find DPK to be a bit muddled, and I’m rounding it up to 3 stars, with the caveat that it needs some rest, and it may take serious consideration to get the best from it.
Pipe Used: 3 - 4 briars preferred
PurchasedFrom: 4Noggins
Age When Smoked: straight from tin and young from jar
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 27, 2019 Strong None Detected Full Pleasant
The pressed block came very moist and dark. You can smell the power this holds when opening the tin. What I like about this is the rough edges are gone as compared to alot of other Kentuckys/ Dark fired blends I've smoked. This is nothing short of stout and should be approached in that manner. I have a tin in the cellar and I think some age will mellow it even further. Overall a great smoke and highly recommended. Smoke in Peace- Lager
Pipe Used: Pete's, Savs
PurchasedFrom: Pipes and cigars
Age When Smoked: New
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 02, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
This is our next installment of the John Cotton' Double Pressed series. So far the double pressing has made these smokes a mellower, and smoother experience. To me they actually come close to the HH line I just vinished reviewing a few weeks ago. I like the untopped nature of these blends and their straight-forward taste.

When you open the tin of DP Kentucky you are met with a well pressed cake. It's very dark from the Kentucky. When I smell the tin note, I pick up some Virginia Breadiness, vinegary BBQ, and some light nuttiness. Being that it's a pressed flake like the others it does take a little more than average effort to rub out, but you get nice sized pieces rather than the dust some crumble cakes give you. Lighting is easier after some dry time, but it is smokeable out of the tin. Your mileage may vary.

Because Kentucky tends to have a high oil content, you will get thick white plumes of smoke on your first light. Now to taste. The first thing hitting my palate is the Kentucky. It is smooth, sour, floral, and has that characteristic BBQ spice. The Virginias are behind adding body in the form of dark fruit and hay. I'm guessing but the Virginia used in this blend is probably a matured red.

If you take your time with this one it can last quite a long time. It has a tendency to burn down to white ash. The overall taste and mouth-feel on this is a medium. Just like with the Burley I think this would have been a fuller smoke before it was double pressed, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I do. What makes it good is the mellowing from that process. The strength here is a solid medium, Lady N is here to take you out, but it's sort of a casual thing. Overall I give this a solid four stars. It's a great blend, and I will definitely buy it again.
Pipe Used: Kaywoodie Birkshire Large Billiard
PurchasedFrom: Pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked: New
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 22, 2019 Strong None Detected Very Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I bought tins of John Cotton's Double Pressed Virginia and Double Pressed Kentucky out of curiosity, more than anything else. I felt okay about the Virginia blend and will review it next. The Kentucky blend was another matter entirely and I knew I had grabbed a hold of something, at one and the same time, both special and serious. Its special because of the scarcity of double pressed Kentucky blends on the market; serious because of it's ultra robust nature. This blend is not for the feint of heart, so, be advised. Double Pressed Kentucky makes an interesting comparison to the last Burley blend that I reviewed (see Scotty's Butternut Burley at King Weed 2019-06-13). Butternut is like driving a quality family sedan; it looks good, runs good and does a good job. Doubled Pressed reminds me of a 1962 Corvette that I once had the opportunity to operate (not drive). Solid black(no white fender inset), red leather interior, Mickey Thompson over sized tires and a Jeg's blueprinted 350 under the hood. John Cotton's Double Pressed Kentucky has all the same beauty and the same muscle as the Vette and I enjoyed putting both through their paces. Strong, dark, robust with all the characteristics of a quality Burley one has come to expect today; this blend can be so satisfying and, yet, become unruly if not handled properly. After a strong tin aroma, one enters into a strong and robust smoking experience. Yes, it can be made to nip, and you will want to pace yourself accordingly. Otherwise, both it and the '62 Vette will leave black marks on the road. This is four star material all the way.
Pipe Used: Ashton Pebble Grain Billiard-1998 NASPC pipe
PurchasedFrom: pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked: current
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 07, 2022 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
I rarely buy burley or Kentucky-based tobaccos. There are several reasons for this, but most of them are strictly personal, so they have nothing to do with the reviews.

I do have a few favorite blends in my collection with quite a lot of burley, however, and I don't pass up the opportunity to try a new one if I think, after careful analysis of the blend composition, that it might be suitable for me. Naturally, sometimes I'm wrong.

Double Pressed Virginia and Double Pressed Kentucky, received top marks at the 2019 Chicago show, and I was curious to try them. Of course, once the opportunity arose, I didn't miss it. Admittedly, that opportunity had to wait a couple of years.

The vacuum sealed tin I got my hands on was made at the Sutliff factory sometime in the fall of 2021. The tin contained 50 grams of dark roasted coffee-colored tobacco in a crumbly cake cut. The aroma from the can left no doubt - the tobacco contained a very large amount of Kentucky. A dense wood smell, a bit like sandalwood, a distinctive spicy smoke with a plum note, some nuttiness. In the background, hay and raisin notes of Virginia were cautiously revealed, but Kentucky certainly dominated. The double press made the tobacco seem more years old than it really was - as if it had been aged for several years.

As I lit it, I got a distinct taste of wood, smoke, plum and chestnut. Back in the 90's, when I smoked only Dutch cigarettes, the zware blends tasted exactly like that. And no wonder - they were dominated by Kentucky. But in contrast, the taste was very mild and dense. A little later, around the second third of the pipe, Virginia took over - the tobacco had bread and fruit notes, but it was still barely sweet, and the chestnut flavor intensified. The tobacco smoked slowly and very cool, leaving a small amount of moisture in the bowl and mouthpiece. The strength of the tobacco is clearly above average - the nicotine kick caught up with me on the last third of even such a small pipe. The aftertaste of the tobacco is slightly sweet, similar to the aftertaste of a mixed nut. The tobacco burns through almost completely, leaving only a bit of whitish dusty ash.

The nutty, woody smoke from the tobacco is laid down in a fairly dense carpet and takes its time to dissipate.

Bottom line: the flavor is clearly not my thing, neither is the strength, but the tobacco is significantly better than what you can use in everyday use. It seems a bit simple, but that simplicity is made up for by the amazing mildness and quality of the source material. Of course, keeping it for many years will not do anything. But it was worth buying a tin to get acquainted with it.
Pipe Used: Peterson 999
PurchasedFrom: Online
Age When Smoked: Fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
AC
Aug 04, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Wow! What a smoke. Opening the tin, I was taken by surprise with the intense dry fig/fruit cake aroma. Gorgeous presentation, the "Double Pressed" is easily broken in amicable little pieces. It doesn't take much to get it going, but I little effort will be necessary. The fruit cake aroma is also what you taste in this quite monocromatic smoke. It is focused, ever pressing forward onto the same direction, but with a ever slight increase in strength and overall taste profile. It is an elegant smoke, because although we have all tasted similar tobaccos blends, this one, is simply done better. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Wow! What a smoke.
Pipe Used: Erik Stokkebye 4th Gen. 1855, Parker Super Russet
PurchasedFrom: www.smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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