Sutliff Tobacco Company Count Pulaski

I notice a slight bit of warmth upon initial lighting, but this quickly settles down into a nice cool smoke. I don't really notice any strong burley characteristics either. My overall impression is a light natural type flavor which is modified by the presence of the Latakia. Speaking of which, I find just a hint of Latakia, it just barely peeks through in the background. Of the rum and anise flavors, all I can say is that they just meld in with the rest, and I really don't notice them while smoking this. Everything seems to be in balance here for the most part.

To me this seems pretty mild, yet it does have a pleasant flavor. This is definately an "all day" kind of smoke especially owing to its minimal bite factor, and good yet subdued flavor. You can pretty much puff away contentedly with this without putting much thought into what you are doing. Instead of a flavor overload, this blend slowly builds up, but it does fill your palatte with a nice natural tobacco type flavor. This is comparable in price to the cheapest drugstore burleys, but it really has more in common with tinned English blends. It seems best in a large bowl, and as cheap as this stuff is, you can load 'em up as often as you want.

Overall, this is a pretty light mild-mannered blend, and I can't seem to find anything that I don't like about this blend. So, given its budget bulk pricing, this is an excellent deal. I'm giving it a solid three stars after some consideration. I recommended as a "go to" or "general purpose" kind of smoke. It's good stuff, just not super outstanding or unique in some way. I think it is better than most blends, but not absolute top-shelf. It's worth giving it a try sometime at least.

Picked up a sample of this based on pipestud and OSR's reviews. I liked the sample so much i bought a pound from www.pipesandcigars.com. The blend has every cut imaginable and has a wonderful musty aroma that makes my mouth water! Reaching into the bulk bag one can grab a handful of tobacco and your fingers will not get sticky as the moisture level is perfect (at least in my sample) and it will dry out which means there is no humectants or at least very little. I have been smoking this blend in a Ben Wade freehand as previous bowls in smaller pipes did not give the different types of tobacco room to burn and lost some of the complexity IMO. I actually smoked a bowl yesterday on the New Jersey Turnpike while driving under the Pulaski Skyway which was also named after that revolutionary war hero so that was kinda cool. The aroma while burning did not offend anyone in my home and one can taste all of the different tobaccos at different times while the bowl burns. This blend is indeed Altadis' best blend and is comprised of top notch tobacco. The quality is outstanding! Why is this not tinned?

Smoking now:

This is the newer Sutliff version of Count Pulaski. Bag note smells more like an English, a fermented odor, earthy burley, and some rum/anise.

Lit and burned just fine. I did find that it burned a bit hot this first time and I lost a lot of the taste. So DRY IT at length. It’s an aromatic it needs to be dried a while. After that it burned just fine.

This is a strange one for me. I can see why this is a polarizing blend. It’s not like a savory English but rather has a sweeter and earthier smokey taste. It’s heavy on the burley which gives it a mellow earthy woody molasses quality but it also has that latakia herbal smoke that is very noticeable and on the retroale the Virginia. The topping is evident and I find it to be quite nice. But I could see how it would throw you off. It’s a sweet, relaxing, and creamy type of smoke, more complex than I would think. This blend has grown on me the more I smoked it.

If you’re a sweet / aromatic smoker and want to try something different I would recommend this very much. If you’re a cross over / sweet English smoker this should be on your list at once.

*update 12/21/20*

There’s a sweet smokey herbal earthy quality to this that I fell in love with. Maybe it’s my Polish roots or my love of crossover blends but if I could give this 5 stars I would. It’s something else and I haven’t found a blend like this. Easily my top 3 blends.

Za wolność Waszą i naszą!

The reviews here are quite mixed and as a I loaded my first bowl I had some trepidation as to what I would encounter. Would this be a a nasty mixture that would foul my pipe? Or, perhaps would this be a pleasant addition to my rotation? Fortunately I had the later experience of the two. CP is an enjoyable and singular take on the "American/English" variety of pipe tobacco that I've been enjoying these days. It's a Burley forward blend with not much noticeable Virginia, a nice taste of Latakia and an aromatic topping that seems more rum than Anise, nice and sweet but not overly prominent. CP does have a unique flavor that separates it from others in this category , which is a plus. No tongue burn, smooth but I found that it required a number of relights. Very nice indeed.

The rum/anise topping is very tasty and ample, but not too strong. Nearly all of the natural tobacco flavor is provided by the Burley and Virginias in roughly equal amounts. The Latakia is light, but just right for this blend. A very pleasant smoke that is relaxing and delicious.

Mild to medium in body. Flavoring is mild to medium. Taste is medium. Burns very well and burns cool.

This was a delightful surprise. A tasty departure from the fuller body blends I usually smoke. Burns cooly and evenly.

This tobacco has serious bite even after drying for a few days. It burns hot no matter how slowly it's smoked. None for me thanks.

The latakia shines through the burley and virginias in this mixed English blend. I was able to detect a slight anise flavor, but not quite as much as other reviewers have.

As an aromatic and burley smoker, English blends don't usually do much for me, but this is one of the better ones in my book. For the price, it is probably the best English I have tried.

If you are looking for a low priced, latakia laced tobacco, then this just might hit the spot.

This was a wonderful surprise. Thanks to the previous reviewers for rating this blend so highly, especially Pipestud. The anise and latakia both vie for attention in this tobacco. There is virtually no harshness at all. The smoothness of this predominately burley blend is a real treat. The latakia is not overpowering and the aromatic casing isn't over-done or cloying in any way. This is very satisfying! The tobaccos used belie those normally associated with bulk blends and Altadis. I'll be ordering more of this right away.

Update: I tried adding 4% perique to this blend and I like it even more. I've just ordered some from www.pipesandcigars.com. I think that this blend will stand the test of time, unlike most blends that I initially like.

Update: June 16/06 This is still my go to blend. It's probably the best base blend I've ever tried, as adding 4% perique or 8% cigar leaf, or both,gives this blend multiple personalities, and all wonderful. This is the first time in my 42 years of pipe smoking that I'm not looking for the perfect blend, because I feel that I've found it.

Update: October 16/07 So much for everything I've said previously. After smoking this blend for the last couple of years, I have to downgrade my rating to 3 stars. I've been finding the taste tiring of late and don't plan to buy any more. It's still a good blend, just not great.