Sutliff Tobacco Company African Queen #500

I actually liked this crossover English very much. You taste the ORIENTALS throughout the whole smoke and yet it has an actual FUDGE quality to it. I would recommend this for people needing a change from Balkans. It is still a little too English for the Aromatic crowd. Good stuff.

I have no clue what Altadis was thinking when they wrote their description of this product because the African Queen I tried has nothing to do with an English blend. I'm pretty sure what I tried was actually African Queen because I know for a fact that the tobacconist I got it from stocks Altadis bulk blends. That aside, African Queen is pretty awful stuff. Along with such tobacco travesties as Lane 1Q, it was one of the "sniff and buy" mishaps from my early days. It burns like a furnace, bites like a viper and is goopy as hell. IIRC, it was an aromatic of the worst degree. Avoid!

First off, this is a very unique blend. It's not great, but it's smokable. I actually bought it by accident. I don't know how to describe it other than it reminding me of what one might find in those bags of scrap tobacco left over from the blending table and sold at a discount. I'll finish this bowl, but the rest of the 8 ounces bag is going in the trash.

I bought this while stocking up on one of my favorite blends, Sutliff's Voodoo Queen. The name caught my attention due to the similarity, but the comparison ends there.

This burns fairly hot and wet, and about 1/4 of the way into the bowl a distinct "off" taste comes into play. I can't place what it is, but it's very unpleasant and chemically. Play-doh comes to mind.

I would throw this away if not for the fact that I hate to waste.

This is a surprise from Sutliff. When this arrived, I had thoughts of it being a sticky mess. It's not! Yes, it is highly moisturized, but it doesn't have the stickiness I have found common with most Sutliff blends. That's a good sign.

Description states this is an aromatic, but no flavoring? Boloney. or Bologna. Either way, its a lie.

Pouch note has some alcohol aroma, along with sweetened butterscotch/vanilla type addition. Not one single leaf variation is detectable under the topping. appearance is mostly dark brown to black leaf, with a few specks of lighter leaf. The chunks of black leaf are quite large.

Initial lighting took about 3 rounds of light/tamp/light. I always took caution to not over heat this blend, as most Sutliff offerings will sear my tongue without much provocation. I packed this in a pipes reserved strictly for aromatics.

This kind of has that Captain Black Royal aroma if I had to compare to anything.

First half of the bowl is pleasant! That vanilla aroma definitely follows through to the smoke. Balanced, and rounded. I can sense this wants to strike, but I keep the puffing to a minimum.

Second half, the flavor starts to fade just a bit. This blend requires a lot of attention. Not because of burn issues and relights, but it will sizzle. If you puff too hard it will start to taste like burnt sugar. It's not a terrible taste, but I assure you not what is intended. Burns to a deep dark gray ash. Of course there is moisture it the heel, so I stop short in my smoke to avoid hitting that wet tobacco. This is an interesting tobacco for sure. I would love to smoke this without all the PG added to it.

This tobacco was great for the first bowl but that didn't last for the second or third or the fourth. It was so sweet and way too sweet for my taste. It was pretty nasty. Wouldn't recommend it.

This is an aromatic that I probably would have loved thirty years ago when I first picked up a pipe. Not now. It's been a while but I'm pretty sure it came from The Tinder Box,.....it tastes like it came out of plastic pouch from the Seven-Eleven.

It might be fun to try to add something to it to see if I can tone down whatever that topping is.

One positive thing I can say about it is.... it's got a really nice room-note for the bystanders who can't stand English or Vaper blends.

A mild sweet tasting blend that combines the natural aromatic Smyrna with a light topping ( in the bag I thought it was rum, my wife guessed vanilla) to make a very pleasant and familiar taste. Light bodied, if you are used to big clouds of smoke you may be disappointed. Evokes Lane 1Q but sweeter and more natural tasting with less zing.





A comfortable smoke when nothing else seems right. And you cigarette smokers may recognize the aroma of the smyrna.





PS: Back when Istanbul was Constantinople, Izmir tobacco was Smyrna. "A rose by any other name..." These tiny, top-grade tobacco leaves from mountainous Western Turkey across from the Island of Khios have long been prized as the most aromatic of all Orientals.

This tobacco is one that smells really great in the bag but it ends there. It would make for a nice room air freshener.

The taste is not there. It leaves your mouth feeling waxy. It is a goopy thing for sure.

I like aromatics. This is not one that I would suggest at all.