Seattle Pipe Club Down Yonder

The stoved, fermented Brazilian Virginias provide an abundance tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread with light toastiness, wood, earth, floralness, some spice, tart sour lemon, moderate sugar, stewed sweetness, light peat, and touches of smoke and acidity. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste is a notch past that mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough edges. The crumble cake is mildly moist, and as is my custom, I did not dry it nor did I see a need to do so. Burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a very consistent Virginia flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. Not quite an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable. Four stars.

-JimInks

It’s pure Virginia but it has some flavors that might make wonder, but it’s pure Virginia and a pure delight.

The use of Virginia chosen was grown in Brazil which gives it some difference from say the same seed grown in Africa or America. It is then fermented or sweated to change the flavors and remove a bit of the nicotine and concentrate the sugars using a stoving method. There are various methods and some are akin to the Cavendish method but this one is used to smooth and richen the blend. The end result is a very enjoyable blend.

There are some almost Burley like qualities here, the full and satisfying mouth feel and more dense smoke than most straight Virginias. Some very mild spice and stewed sweetness like Perique but it’s all Virginia in its many nuances. The tang of citrus and tartness, hay and grass, toasted bread, dark bread, some peat and smoke. The nic hit is about medium and the strength about the same. The taste is at least step more towards the full. No bite or harshness at all. It’s in the form of a very dark brown crumble cake that is easily rubbed out. It’s a bit moist and though smokeable as is but I found that a bit of drying after being rubbed out say for a half hour makes it much more smokable and flavorful for me, your mileage may vary.

The room note is tolerable at least to me. It burns very cool and consistently and a bit slowly and leaves very little moisture in the bowel. Once dried it requires about the norm Al amount of relights. It’s a solid 4 out of 4 stars for me and very relaxing and enjoyable break from the world, it takes one down yonder.

-Dave da Dragon

It’s quite funny how divided the reviews are on this blend. You go to one forum you hear one thing, one Facebook group you hear another. Well someone mentioned this reminded them of Sutliff 507s, a stoved virginia bulk that Sutliff makes. (Let’s not forget that Sutliff does all the blending for Seattle Pipe Club blends)
I dig out my bag of Pipe force samples and the sample of Down Yonder. After three bowls this very basic stoved virginia really does taste just like Sutliff 507s just pressed into a cake. I even did a side by side and they were very similar.

Would have loved to review this, but today (Dec 29) I opened a tin, and it was moldy... in fact all 4 tins I bought in August were moldy... I keep my house 70 degrees all year round, humidity around 30-50 and don't have any windows or direct sunlight. I received them in August with standard shipping from SC to Texas...