Just For Him Shortcut To Mushrooms

One might wonder "pipe tobacco & mushrooms, how can that be good?" TRUST ME, IT IS! If you've ever had sauted mushrooms, and enjoyed them, you will love this tobacco! It is by far the most unique pipe tobacco I've ever smoked. A great afternoon or after dinner tobacco, this wonderful aromatic is one worth checking out. It is smooth and creamy, and as others have noted, smokes very cool. Great tobacco for smoke rings!

I have been looking for a rotation partner with similar characteristics to pair with Sillem's Black, a sweet-cased Latakia/Black Cavendish which happens to be one of my favorites. Well, Shortcut To Mushrooms comes close, but decidedly in second place. Let me clarify the "mushroom" debate before delving into my review. I spoke with a very nice woman by the name of Chelsea at Just For Him and asked if STM was indeed blended with mushrooms. She checked for me and said that mushrooms are not used at all. They blend the tobacco components with vanillas. I am sure that the creaminess of Latakia cased with the creaminess of vanilla is what accounts for the unique flavor.

Now for the review. The blend is predominantly a coarse cut black cavendish with a dominant bag aroma of Vanilla-laced Latakia. It was very fresh and only minimally sticky, but this did not interfere with the packing or smoking at all. It lit with ease and smoked cool and dry to the bottom. Re-lights were infrequent. The amount of sweetly cased Latakia for me was sweeter in taste to that of Sillem's Black. The Black is cased with plum and vanilla. STM has a more definitive vanilla pouch aroma which translates as a very nice sweetness to the smoke; not cloying, but definitely sweeter than Sillem's Black. There may be some Kentucky in this as there was a spiciness I wouldn't necessarily say was from the Latakia. A bit heavier on the Latakia compared to Sillem's Black, and for me personally, it becomes tiring. Also, there was an ever present taste of PG that is not present in Sillem's Black. This PG taste, for me, detracts from having a totally positive smoking experience, and has remained present even after sufficient drying. This and its price are two major drawbacks. Lastly, STM has a tendency to nip at the tongue as does SB (I always experience this in blends with sufficient amounts of Latakia). Although I prefer Sillem's Black as a better produced crossover blend, STM may very well satisfy the aromatic and Latakia fans both. Overall, a very so-so blend and typical of a cheap tobacconist house blend that just doesn't do it for me. 2 stars and no more.

Great subtle aromatic. I don't know if I would taste the mushrooms if not for the name, and from the tongue-in-cheek reference to Farmer Maggot's mushroom garden in LOTR Chapter Four, would guess that there are none in here, and that the flavor comes from the blend. Great stuff though. I have some left from my 2 oz bag, since I really need a VA flake or blend for everyday. You can puff this continuously and blow Gandalf smoke rings all you like, and it will not roast your mouth.

Just smoked a big bowl of this after a long hiatus of 3 months or so. I have only two bowls or so left and will certainly get a few more ounces before too long. This tobacco's merits, and the Tolkien connection, have made it impossible for me not to write more. I think it has been confirmed by now that the mushroom taste comes from the light application of vanilla to a light complement of Latakia. But how did Just For Him get this blend so right? Forget mushrooms. I smoked a large bowl packed so tightly you would think it was done by a man smoking pipe tobacco for the first time, and indeed with most other blends this bowl would not have burned at all. But this smoked cleanly and even elegantly all the way to the bottom. This is the most forgiving tobacco I have ever smoked. I like to inhale once in a while, and with my usual Virginias get an inevitable trade-off of burning lungs and sinuses. This blend, however, is almost medicinal! I don't really have the desire to inhale this, though; just find pleasure in blowing it out of my nose from time to time.

This seems like a blend hobbits would like. If you want to know what hobbits would like, you need look no further than Tolkien himself, since he modeled hobbits on himself; the non-scholarly parts, the parts that liked to enjoy a pipe and a pint among good friends. In a biography of Tolkien which I once read, he was said to like Kentucky cured. Pretty general. On the web, I saw mentioned that he liked Erinmore and Capstan flakes. Unreliable. I would love to know for sure. If hobbits did smoke aromatics, and had access to vanilla, I'm sure they would use it just as judiciously as Just For Him has done here, in this beautiful "subtle aromatic." Hobbits were, as anyone who has read Tolkien knows, a rustic people. "They love peace and quiet, and good tilled earth."

Get this stuff while you can. The orcs are afoot, and who knows how long we will have the convenience of ordering pipeweed online and having it delivered to our door. This seems like an aromatic that cellars well, as my sample has not changed appreciably. (i.e. it has not improved like a good Virginia, but has not deteriorated either.)

Don't know why I waited so long to write this baccy up. Guess I was hoping that no one else would catch on as to how good it was. My current supply is 2 years old now and just gets better and better.

This baccy is hard to describe because it seems to be in a class all by itself. I 'think' it has some Virginia, but I wouldn't swear to it. It really seems to have mushrooms because the taste is so uniquely mushroomey. Latakia is there but it is so subtle that it just enhances the overall taste. I'm pretty certain that there is Burley present because at about 1/2 bowl, a Burley bitterness sneaks in but not enough to distract. Overall, the taste is rather bland except that it is so unique and pleasant that it absolutely holds my attention.

As received, this needed a few hours of drying out. It is slightly coarse but easy to pack. It lights easily with one false light and stays lit to the end leaving a very dark, dry ash. Never a hint of a bite but if leaned on, can smoke a bit hot. No bad after taste or odor, either in the pipe or the mouth.

This stuff is soooo good that I don't smoke it often, just to keep me from getting too familiar with it. It is right up at the top of my favorites and I consider a pipe full now and then to be a real special treat.

Allow me to say I am a late middle aged pipe smoker since college. Mostly a part time smoker. Weekends and holidays only. The wife has allergies,which curtails me some and I never enjoyed doing other things while smoking. So only when I could sit down and relax with a good book did I break out my favorite pipe. Now I am an unabashed aromatic lover. Not for me the soap tasting (at at least to me) English blends. Balkan Sobr. was the exception. BCA is my weed of choice. Still I wanted something a little different so I sent off for Shortcut to Mushrooms.

I liked the pouch smell. I wouldn't classify it as mushrooms myself, but I understand those that do. Very earthy. The first bowl was just ok. The second I didn't like at all. Maybe it was the accumalated residue of BCA. But I was determined to find out. Third bowl was a charm. This is good stuff. A very nice smokey (peat?) like taste with a light ghosting of the cavandish for sweetness but very light. Very tasty. Not at all what I expected. None of that soapish taste. Yesterday I smoked a bowl of BCA (always good) and yet couldn't wait to try another bowl of STM. Boys, it was worth the wait. A definate keeper.

Wow. I'd heard quite a lot about this blend and finally broke down and ordered up a small sample, which was followed the next week by a half-pound. This is without a doubt the most unique tobacco I've ever smoked. Not only does it actually taste somewhat like mushrooms, this improbable flavoring actually WORKS. Not only that, but it works in the presence of a decent amount of latakia, and I tend be to leery of latakia-heavy aromatics. I'd love to know what the component tobaccos are. Latakia and some kind of dark cavendish are obviously the backbone here, but I think there's also a bit of burley and most likely a decent amount of stoved Virginias as well (at least, I believe I'm tasting Va when I get past the first third of a bowl). It burns well and burns cool with little in the way of tongue bite. The room note is okay to me, but although this is an aromatic I still think this is one of those blends I'd avoid lighting up in a bar or restaurant (if, of course, you happen to live in one of those enlightened states where smoking is still allowed in such places). I doubt Tolkien would have approved, but this is highly recommended if you want to try something ... well, REALLY different.

So, this is why hobbits have a greedier passion for mushrooms than us "Big People." This is an extremely pleasant smoke, creamy, like fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter, finishing to a medium-rare steak covered in 'shrooms. This smoked wonderfully out of the bag, no drying out was needed. Great, fragrant billows of smoke, no bite, no burning, just a wonderful hour or so spent somewhere on Farmer Maggot's lands. The Latakia is enough for a magical taste, lending to an earthy, almost, but not quite sweet, blend. If you're looking for an introdusction to Latakia, this is for you. If Latakia is your primary interest, this blend will still make for a great change of pace. I enjoyed this with two or three pints of Sam Adams Black, and I'm sure it would compliment any ale, stout, or whatever your fancy. This was my first taste of a JFH blend, and I really can't wait to try the rest of their "pipeweeds" (yes, I ordered all of them).

Great folks at JFH. Willing to answer any and all questions about pipes, tobaccos, and smoking in general. They advertise pound quantities (and these Mushrooms might be worth it) but a quick call or email will help you get whatever you're looking for.

Well, they got the name right. This aromatic is incredibly direct. I can't quite put my finger on what has gone into this blend. When you open the bag, you are blasted with the small of fresh mushroom and perhaps a bit of mulch or soil. It is interesting enough in the bag, but when you light it you get a steady sweet mushroom taste. If you like mushrooms (and I don't) you may want to try this if for no other reason than it is very unique in its flavoring.

STM is a fantastic aromatic blend. It smells incredible and tastes fantastic throughout the bowl. The Latakia is just a condiment and sits in the background. It packs easy and lights easy. It burns great for an aromatic (which is odd) with few relights. This is now the only blend I smoke during social occasions. Everybody loves the room note, and I can smoke a giant bowl with no worry about nicotine sickness.

Stop reading and go buy a couple ounces!!