Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River Rum Barrel Aged

This had the opposite developmental vector of Plum Pudding Bourbon. This seemed like it was going to be a three star blend when I first opened the tin, and now after nearly three years in jar it has blossomed quite nicely. In a direct A-B comparison between this and PP Bourbon this was much more satisfying not because of any preference for rum or bourbon, or amount of Latakia, but because this has the delicious mature red Virginia and some stellar supporting Turkish leaf which together give a depth and dimension which the other lacks. Plum Pudding Bourbon is more of a novelty item, with two obvious tastes that dominate: the dull Latakia, and the bourbon infusion. Not much else, other than the weirdness of plum and bourbon together. No, this one is a keeper because the underlying blend is superior in balance. I’m eager to see how my long-term tins will develop given five-ten years in the cellar. This and C&D Black Frigate now share a dedicated meerschaum pipe on my tobacco bar. Good stuff; one of the better crossover English blends out there!

SPC Mississippi River is great, but I like this version even better. Pair the tobacco with a corncob pipe and a calm late summer evening and the stage is set for a bit of magic. It comes in a 2oz tin in the SPC Krumble Kake format. Inside the tin is a wooden 1x1 inch spacer throw in. The wood is from one of the oak rum barrel staves that are used to age the blend and infuse the flavors into the tobacco. One side of my oak cube was charred indicating it was from the inside of the barrel. A very nice touch and it helps produce an amazing tin note that includes all the Mississippi River goodness but then goes up a notch adding a very rummy, oaky, smokey element. This tobacco benefits from a little dry time prior to smoking. I placed a couple of flakes on a plate for 20 minutes before loading. SPC Krumble Kakes really do crumble when you start to handle or rub them out. I like to pack my pipe with some chunkier bits at the bottom getting gradually finer towards the top. This blend gets better as you smoke your way slowly to the bottom. I noticed that the tobacco is also sold on the Missouri Meerschaum website. It is certainly a pairing that goes together well. I am glad that SPC took the time to take Mississippi up a notch. I wonder if Joe Lankford thought about those early trips across the ocean when tobacco was loaded into oak “hogsheads” for shipment. I am sure he did since there is a blend called Hogshead which I will have to try now 🙂

Tin note of sharply sweet vinegar, tangy raisins and sugar. Tobacco is a Krumble Kake of marbled reddish brown and dark brown with a little black and tan. Moisture content is good, some pipe smokers may want to dry it a bit. Kake breaks apart and rubs out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild, with notes of Rum. Rum quite strong upon initial lighting, then drops to the background. There also seems to be a tangy fruitiness that is quite strong throughout the smoke that seems to be attributed the rum barrel aging. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with complex notes of sweet tangy dark stewed fruit, sugar, mild smoky, sour zesty citrus, bready, musty wood, dry, savory, slight herbal, earthy rich, floral, slightly acidic, spicy, a spices and tart raisin background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique and Flavoring supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.