Smokers' Haven Cognac Mixture

The Latakia and Oriental components meld with the Virginia nicely in Cognac to produce a mild, mellow smoke with that unusual twist of Cognac dressing. I barely detected the booze, but sure did detect lots of great flavor. I smoked multiple bowls of this over a period of several days in all kinds of pipes and it was a home run every time.

Every so often, I find a alcohol flavored tobacco is a nice change of pace. I have tried many different alcohol flavored blends, but Cognac Mixture is the very best of the best. The big brother to Esoterica's Pembroke, this blend has a much deeper taste and more Cognac than Pembroke (by the same blender). Cognac is a rich with thinly cut ribbons that meld wonderfully in the pipe. Although I prefer smaller bowled pipes, this blend really shines in a nice large bowl. Cognac arrives moist and with the strong tin aroma of Cognac. The taste is that of a typical Esoterica English made with high quality leaf. Cognac packs easily and burns very cleanly, but make no mistake, the cognac flavor dominates the show. As a result, the blend is quite sweet and becomes sweeter as it ages. I'm down to my last eight ounces and after close to two years of Smoker's Haven's inability to obtain more from Germain, it appears that this wonderful smoke (and most of the Smoker's Haven blends are really wonderful) may be gone forever. If you are a fan of rich English blends with a lot of alcohol, this is the holy grail. Those that only enjoy a small amount of spirits in their tobacco or those that don't like any at all should skip this blend. Highly recommended!

While I am new to Smoker’s Haven blends, I was lucky enough to acquire Cognac Mixture, In B-tween and Exotique all at once. I am extremely impressed with all. This isn’t much of a surprise as I am a fan of Germain’s Tobacco’s as a rule. It is impossible not to compare this to Pembroke as th two are very similar, but they are not the same. The tin note is an English/Balkan with Cognac. It is quite sweet and the cognac is strong in scent along with the smokey Latakia. The tobacco comes a bit moist and requires some drying time.

The tobacco is a Balkan blend with cognac. The cognac compliments the tobacco and provides sweetness and a tingle on the mouth feel. The sweet and smokey Latakia is in the fore but is balanced with the Turkish/Orientals that are woody and provide a bit of spice. The base of Virginia’s are earthy and sweet and provide a bready quality to the smoke. Pembroke and SH Cognac Mixture are 2 of a slight few tobacco’s that allow you to taste the underlying tobacco and enjoy the topping. SH seems to have more Latakia and Orientals while Pembroke has less Latakia and more of a balance of Virginia and Orientals...and perhaps a bit less Cognac. This has the maltiness that I really like in a Balkan and that is not as present in Pembroke. I really enjoy both, probably equally, but they are different. Burns well, mild in nicotine and leaves very little moisture in bowl, when dried prior to smoking.

My all time favorite blend is Smokers' Haven "Our Best Blend"; this is OBB with a light touch of Cognac. This is similar to Esoterica's Pembroke (which I also like). All of Smokers' Haven and Esoterica's blends are manufactured by the estimable J.F. Germain & Son Company so there should be quite a similarity.

Cognac is to Our Best Blend as Pembroke is to Margate. There are taste differences between the two brands and these two mixtures. One difference between Esoterica and Smokers' Haven is the use of Cyprian (Esoterica's) vs. Syrian (Smokers' Haven) Latakia, another is the moisture content. All of the Esoterica's blends I've tried come a little moist while Smokers' Haven mixtures are perfect right out of the can, this might be attributed to the size of the tins as Esoterica's are the generic 50g round tin and Smokers' Haven comes in a larger pop-top 8oz size, both tins are vacuum sealed but the tobacco is not as compressed in the larger tins.

The tin aroma is nice, mostly English but with a slight Cognac tinge. The Syrian Latakia used here is less sharp and more nuanced in flavor then its Cyprian cousin it is also stronger in Nicotine. The Virginias are sweet and the Turkish is there for depth and fullness. The Cognac doesn't overpower the blend but is mostly in the background. The room note is enjoyed by my wife. 9 out of 10 stars.

OK, so I took a while to review this blend. And boy am I glad I did. This stuff is gooodd!

The pouch aroma is delightful, although my coworkers think it smells like iodine. No accounting for taste I guess. Upon opening you can definatly smell the liquor casing.

Packing is a bit tough in smaller bowls due to the stringy virginia, but nothing to hard.

Upon lighting you are greeted with a burst of flavor. The cognac seems to rush out of the pipe, followed by the almost sweet nutty syrian latakia. What an expirince. I've had a bowl or two seem kind of thin on occasion, but I think that was mostly me not having it lit well enough. Three or four matches seems to be pretty standard for this blend.

As you progress down the bowl, the other aspects of the blend make themselves know. The virginas add to the sweetness of the blend, chiming in wonderfully. The turkish seems to peek in now and again, bringing a spicy tang to the tobacco. Nearer to the end of the bowl, the virginas really kick in with a round rick sweetness. The casing never dispates completly, but cetainly settles down after a bit.

I've smoked this in big and small bowls, and enjoyed every bit of it. The only bad thing about this blend is that its not made anymore. So, if you see a can of this some where, buy it.

A rare and deliscious smoke.

11/24/03 I just got a note from the Smoker's Haven. They have contracted with Germian to begin supplying this blend again. Too cool. Gonna run over there one afternoon and give it a try.

I tried this blend after some pleading from a friend. I had actually won a tin of this twice at a pipe show and because Premil of Smokers Haven is such a great guy he traded me any tin of my choosing at the show. I really wish I would have kept the tins now. I think this blend is the Exotica blend with the Cognac added to change up the taste a bit. I can not say that I would have ever thought that was a good idea, but it just works!!! THe Cognac is sweet and slightly spicy but does not detract from the excellent "real tobacco taste". It also helps in the room note department. The Latakia is somewhat diminished by the casing but it is still very much in play here. I absolutely recommend this blend so any English smoker, but also encourage all aromatic smokers to try and venture out of the shallow end of the pool and try this hybrid blend*.

*A note to all aromatic only smokers: your tobacconist is holding out on you. Just kidding, cheers.