The Smoker Civil War

A medley of brown and black cavendish mainly providing a sweet molasses, bready flavor with vanilla riding shotgun along with a slight nuttiness. It's moist out of the tin, so you may consider giving it a short drying time. The tobacco is springy ribbon cut for even burning, though I recommend taking it slow as you smoke. Has little nicotine. Won't bite, but gets just a little warm if puffed fast. A mild to medium all day smoke that makes a fine dessert smoke with a cup of tea or coffee. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and needs few relights.Has a consistent flavor all the way through, and an okay after taste. Provides a pleasant room note for the ladies, too. More of a two and half star blend.

-JimInks

This stuff is great-- vanilla, burnt sugar, roasted nuttiness, earthy tobacco, and a touch of campfire smoke.

Room note is spectacular-- lit a bowl at a party and five cigar smokers came and gathered around to bask in it.

Packs easily and burns down to a powdery ash leaving virtually no dottle behind.

Absolutely top notch.

Mr.Feldman you've done it again!This stuff i really like...alot. Living far away and out of the country this stuff is rather difficult and expensive to get my paws on so i was rather blue when my pouch was empty. This stuff has an unforgettable flavour that rivals that of old school tobaccanist's private aromatic blends.Its smooth as velvet, burns cooler than an eskimo pie and tastes even better. I have always been impressed with the Smokers' blends but this one is the tops.****

I judge things by their covers. Books, cds, candy, and tobacco. As such, I had low expectations for Civil War. The tin is incredibly underwhelming....which isnt really fair because I've been smoking tobaccos from really handsome tobacco tins recently. Boy, did I misjudge this blend.

This tobacco is fantastic. I was blown away. Frequently, the tin label has little or nothing to say about the tobacco contents, or isnt super accurate in the description. This blend nails it: nutty with a vanilla topping.

The nutty flavor really shines through. Excellent. Very pleasant and enjoyable. And then the vanilla kicks in....wow. This isn't "cheap vanilla ice cream" vanilla. This is more like a vanilla cream that is found on a rich dessert at a nice restaurant. It has a thick and luxurious flavor that is not overwhelming or overbearing. Whoever blended it knew how to make the vanilla simply complement the nutty flavor profile.

Smoke was billowy and thick. I haven't smoked a blend with that thick of smoke in a while. I loved it. For some reason, the smoke is part of what makes tobacco satisfying in my book, and this one fits the bill.

Absolutely no tongue bite either...and I tried. I mean I really tried. I puffed like a train and heated my pipe up pretty good, and my tongue was fine. Impressive for an aromatic.(EDIT: I smoked it again last night and I have to diagree with what I just said. I got tongue bite if I puffed too hard this time. Not sure what the difference was...maybe the pipe.)

This is a great blend. It truly is. It taught me to hold out judgment on a blend until I get to actually try it out. Which I am sure I will do...until my next tin at least.

There seems to be a lack of information on this tobacco. It is blended by a gentleman named Mel Feldman in Albany, NY. Here is his description of the blend: A different aromatic, smooth and low bite. Has a great taste and aroma. Packs and burns exceptional, combining many pure flavorings in a Cavendish cut. Nothing Like It ever and a Mild No Bite and No Acidity and smokes to a Fine White Ash and Smooth Mild No Bite and a Hint of English to it and its a One of a Kind and it is a Daisy and a Peach of a Tobacco. This was one of several samples I obtained from him at www.thesmoker.com and it immediately became one of my favorites, and I have ordered a quantity. For those who like purely English and latakia blends, this won't cut it, but for those who like a rich but mild aromatic, with a nutty aftertaste a satsifying flavor, this is terrific, in MHO. I enjoy several different blends, but this is a staple, for me.

This blend must have been smoked by the Confederates. No wonder they lost the war -- they were spending too much time trying to get the taste of this blend out of their mouths!

I could not make this tobacco work for me at all. I used a variety of styles and sizes of pipes and my puffing cadence was varied as well. I would take a slow, relaxed cadence into battle for some pipe loads, and then speed up the process at other times. Same results, a hot, biting blend with little flavor and even less refinement. I was very patient with Civil War, but this blend tested my patience considerably.

I suppose this will be a home run for some palates, but I can assure you, I'll never try this stuff again -- yuck!

If I could only have one tobacco blend for the rest of my life, this would be it. As aromatics go, it has to be among the best. The tobacco is top quality and the flavorings are all natural. The Virginias in this blend demand a slow, measured smoking pace, which in return is quite rewarding. To me, this is what pipesmoking is all about. It is for the patient. This becomes even more apparent when the bowl is left unfinished and resumed hours or days later. I've smoked bowlfuls of Civil War in sessions spanning two weeks; it is reputed to last longer.

What does it taste like? Past the Virginia and burley, there are Vanilla, caramel, a hint of chocolate, and the distinctive toasted Cavendish. It is like McClelland's Deep Hollow, but it doesn't bite as much. I don't think this is a coincidence since Barry Levin worked with the Feldmans to come up with many of McClelland's current blends. It is also like Nat Sherman #307, which seems to have more deeply toasted Cavendish. I daresay Civil War is Virginia based where #307 is Burley based. Consequently, Civil War DGTs quite nicely wheras #307 has a wicked Burley curse and will not forgive you for leaving it for any length of time!

The room note has been compared to baking cookies and I have gotten several compliments, although a small minority appear not to like it (my wife included).