Just For Him Shortcut To Mushrooms

Haxan is spot on.

If you were to crunch through the kaleidoscope of colour that was the floor of an otherwise muted forest in October, you might suddenly catch a whiff of this tobacco, and turn to see a wizened old hobbit sitting on a knarled root, sipping it from his churchwarden, smiling at you warmly.

Earthiness, savoriness, and smokeyness, lace a cool, creamy billow of smooth, sweet, spicey, mild smoke. It burns at the bottom of the bowl very nicely, and leaves you content to share that root by your new friend, not saying a word.

As a disclaimer, I'm somewhat new to pipe smoking. However, I've thrown myself into the hobby with my usual gusto and have tried blend after blend after blend in the last four months, and this blend tops them all. In other words: this is the best blend I've ever tasted. I happen to be lucky enough to live in Springfield, Missouri, where this fine tobacco shop opens its doors. I've sampled a lot of their blends, and while their quality is (usually) above tinned tobacco, Shortcut to Mushrooms is honestly a very special blend that rises above the hundred others I've smoked from popular tins and famous big-name retailers. I won't say much about flavor or room note or any of that; I've found pipe smoking to be highly subjective and personally interpretive, and I won't try to paint a picture of how you should smoke this. Just do yourself a favor and give it a try. Personally, it's the only tobacco I've considered good enough to buy a pure dedicated pipe to enjoy. There's a lot of praise on this site for blends from Boswell. And they ARE great--especially their aromatics. And I mean great, not just good. But one of their blends that gets a lot of reviews is "Northwoods." Let me tell you this: Northwoods is the idiot little brother of Shortcut to Mushrooms. If you read the reviews for Northwoods, keep in mind that Shortcut is the blend that Boswell intended Northwoods to be.

Have you ever taken a walk in the Autumn on a warm but crisp day? There is a sweet smell of decaying leaves and somebody burning a pile not to far away so you can smell in the air a smokey sweet earthy smell. This is Shortcut to mushrooms to me. All summed up.

I sense a hint of white sage when smoking this as well. There is a very stong feeling of the old forest, I feel like this tobacco takes a person where no tobacco has, we are reminded of all things primitive and free. A touch of the old world resides in this tobacco with it's unmistakeable earthy aroma.

Do not expect an over all sweetness to this tobacco, instead expect a bit of smokey, robust, earthy taste with just a hint of sweetness.

Of course some will not like it but others like myself will fall in love with it. This is one of my "go to" tobaccos, I hope they will always make it.

I got a sample from a friend for whom the smell was too strong. I hadn't smoked any English blends before, so when I tried this, I was expecting a taste as powerful as the smell.

Pros:

- No tongue bite at all

- Very pleasant taste

- Fuller flavor

- Smooth & creamy

- Burns well down to the bottom of the bowl.

Cons:

- My wife doesn't like the smell, so I have to choose between kisses and the tobacco.

Shortcut to Mushrooms is the perfect gateway into English blends.

My sample pack arrived last night and this was the first I choose to smoke. I lit my lastest additon pipe for this a Design Berlin sandblast billiard , I must say I was very impressed with the blend. The earth tones were outstanding and the sweetness on the back end was pleasant. It went very well with one of my homebrewed California Common steam beers. Very pleasant overall. If the rest of these Middle Earth blends equal this one I have found some more go to tobaccos.

Update ... smoked the last of this and ordered more. This is by far one of my favorite blends. The more I smoke it the more complexities come out of the blend. I upgraded the room note on this as I really do like the way this smells. I can almost imagine sitting at the Gaffers in a room filled with this smoke....

This is my standard "go-to" tobacco. I have tins and 4 oz bags of my other tobaccos, but literally have a pound of this on the shelf and in the rotation. When I first ordered the just for him LOTR sampler I was skeptical, and after the first few I tried, was pretty disappointed. Then I tried shortcut. The smell from the bag was a smokey latakia smell, with a hint of BBQ. I am a pretty new tobacco smoker, and find this to smoke very easy. It stays lit well, produces almost no tongue bite (even for heavy puffers like myself) and my girlfriend loves the room note.

The taste is hard for me to describe, but it is very smooth to me, with strong latakia notes, and a hint of something you just cant quite place. It's as mystical as the fair folk from Rivendel 😉 to me the taste also seems to change as you progress through the bowl, which I haven't really experience with other tobaccos I've tried. Give it a go, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

DT

Always have some STM open and cellared as whenever I'm not sure what I want to burn thats what I grab and am always glad I did. don't let the foolishness of the naming or mushroom jokes put you off, this is a truly highly enjoyable smoke. But put it in a big bowl as it seems to burn fast and is gone just about the time that your really into it.

This is another good blend from Just for Him. This shares the characteristics they are now known to me for smoothness, thick smoke and creamy texture. my sample of this was good, soft and lighter in flavor. It did share the light Latakia used in Ruins of Isengard, but this is a bit sweeter and not as incense-like as Ruins is. nothing not to like, but a bit shy on the flavor it wants to take. yes the earthiness is felt and mushroom like quality but the sweetness peeks through and it does assert itself as in many blends. This is certainly more rich than Long bottom, Old Toby, and Tree- beard, this is not as distinct as ruins, my fave of the LOTR offerings. That said I will order a small bag to horde for contemplative mornings or evenings when i would be in the mood for this and my meerschaum.

I am reluctant to like this, but I do.

Has a really nice undertone that carries throughout the bowl, with a woodsy smell and taste that is very pleasant and slightly spicy.

This is not in my regular rotation, but I save it for the times I am able to pack a big bowl and spend some time with it.