Hearth & Home Ten to Midnight
(3.00)
A dark, full Balkan style tobacco containing bright and matured Carolina and Virginias, a healthy mixture of Turkish and Orientals, and plenty of flavorful, fragrant latakia. A superb late-evening smoke that can stand up to a sturdy single-malt scotch, small-batch bourbon or hearty port.
Details
| Brand | Hearth & Home |
| Series | Signature Series |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | bulk |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.00 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 60 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 04, 2010 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Well, we all know Penzance is hard to come by these days. After perusal of the web and this site, I found a possible replacement to my beloved Penzance: Ten to Midnight.
Now I don't know if the name of the blend is in reference to the Bronson film of the same name, but I do know that Penzance this aint'!
But that isn't such a bad thing, after all...
It comes in big ole' sticks, with lots of fine tobacco dust in the bottom of the bag (I got this in bulk at Uptown's in Nashville). It smells almost IDENTICAL to Penzance, but looks like it has slightly less oriental leaf in the blocks of tobacco that I bought. The blocks will most likely make the novice (or the impatient) have a fit.
(How can you be an impatient person if you are in the Brotherhood of the Briar???? Strange, but they ARE among us!)
So, I looked at the tobacco a bit closer. Imagine a Twix candy bar. That's how this tobacco comes: in a little Twix shaped rectangle. I saw trouble rubbing this out...
Undaunted, I took my time preparing the tobacco, and loaded up my pipe.
The initial flavor rush made me think that I had FINALLY found my beloved, long lost Penzance. The intensity fades, sadly, as you progress through the bowl. It comes back and forth, in and out, and I have found I appreciate this after a few bowls.
All in all, though, I WILL be stocking up on this fine Balkan/English blend by Hearth and Home.
If you LIKE latakia and sweet, pungent orientals, then you owe it to yourself to try this blend.
I recommend this for the price and the quality.
Now I don't know if the name of the blend is in reference to the Bronson film of the same name, but I do know that Penzance this aint'!
But that isn't such a bad thing, after all...
It comes in big ole' sticks, with lots of fine tobacco dust in the bottom of the bag (I got this in bulk at Uptown's in Nashville). It smells almost IDENTICAL to Penzance, but looks like it has slightly less oriental leaf in the blocks of tobacco that I bought. The blocks will most likely make the novice (or the impatient) have a fit.
(How can you be an impatient person if you are in the Brotherhood of the Briar???? Strange, but they ARE among us!)
So, I looked at the tobacco a bit closer. Imagine a Twix candy bar. That's how this tobacco comes: in a little Twix shaped rectangle. I saw trouble rubbing this out...
Undaunted, I took my time preparing the tobacco, and loaded up my pipe.
The initial flavor rush made me think that I had FINALLY found my beloved, long lost Penzance. The intensity fades, sadly, as you progress through the bowl. It comes back and forth, in and out, and I have found I appreciate this after a few bowls.
All in all, though, I WILL be stocking up on this fine Balkan/English blend by Hearth and Home.
If you LIKE latakia and sweet, pungent orientals, then you owe it to yourself to try this blend.
I recommend this for the price and the quality.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 09, 2007 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
I'm a big fan of both Virgina tobaccos and Latakia, so Ten to Midnight is right up my alley. The taste of this tobacco is complex, with both the sweet Virginias and smoky orientals coming through with every puff.
There is one big drawback to TtM, however: it's really hard to light. As others have noted, it comes in rather hard cakes that take a good bit of effort to break up and crumble. I've found that adding some moisture and letting it sit for a day or two in a sealed bag softens it up enough to work more easily. Once it is lit, however, it's a really cool, long smoke. And, as with all PipesandCigars tobaccos, the price is right.
I plan to keep some TtM on hand from now on for when I get that Latakia craving.
There is one big drawback to TtM, however: it's really hard to light. As others have noted, it comes in rather hard cakes that take a good bit of effort to break up and crumble. I've found that adding some moisture and letting it sit for a day or two in a sealed bag softens it up enough to work more easily. Once it is lit, however, it's a really cool, long smoke. And, as with all PipesandCigars tobaccos, the price is right.
I plan to keep some TtM on hand from now on for when I get that Latakia craving.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 20, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
First let me start with the fact that I am an aromatic smoker, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. When people first drink wine they start with sweet whites and switch to dry reds. When the drink beer, they start with lagers and progress to stouts. Thats is how I feel about this. I know this a great blend even if I may not fully appreciate it....yet. The pouch aroma is strong and distinctly reminicent of smoldering campfire. It is as hard as granola bar, with about the same consistancy. Took some work to get it broken down. It packs well and lights well. Burn the entire pipe without relighting and it buns cool, all the way down to ash. Definately something I have never expirenced. The taste is the hardest to describe, remember I smoke primarily aromatics, but I will try my best. Definate smokey taste that last the whole bowl, almost incesnse in character but no chemical ting to it or anything negative....very pleasant and very enjoyable. About mid-bowl I for some reason kept thinking of dark bitter chocolate. There is NO chocolate flavoring at all present, but for some reason that kept comming to mind. The end more a true tobacco taste...reminds me of the taste left in my mouth by a fine Ashton. No way my wife will let me smoke this in the house. This is however something that I will smoke when I walk the dogs at Ten to Midnight.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 18, 2006 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
After trying a small quantity of Ten to Midnight, I immediately ordered a pound to place in my cellar. Not the strongest Balkan, but a delightfully complex and rewarding smoke. Like most good Balkan's, it goes beautifully with Scotch or a fine Port. After trying this blend and reading the reviews on this site, I'm anxious to try Larry's Blend by the same blender. If you enjoy Latikia blends this is definitely one to try.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 23, 2005 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
I chose to add my voice to the chorus of favorable reviews that have gone before me. I like pressed blends and this one is no exception. Initially, the 2 oz brick I obtained seemed unduely hard, almost plastic like. I went to work on it with knife and cutting board following up with a few days of hydration. My efforts were richly rewarded even as the initial flame was put to the first bowlfull. This is a rich, flavorful yet exceedingly smooth creation of sublime understatement. It has quickly become a worthwhile addition to my library of blends. Like other blends from Russ, the initial fragrance from the bag quickly diminishes over time, but the character of the smoke remains a justified pursuit. If you enjoy balkans of character and silky presentation, get some of this and smoke it.
Meerschaum Man Smoking a Fischer Meerschaum
Meerschaum Man Smoking a Fischer Meerschaum
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 05, 2005 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The other reviewers have done a good job of describing the different flavors in this blend. The way all the tobaccos work together to produce a mild, yet very flavorful smoke make this blend outstanding. I particularly like the way the Turkish is dominant at the start of the smoke, it is a wonderful way to begin a memorable experience. When the Latakias make their way to center stage, they do it in a gradual way, gently nudging the Turkish to one side while the Virginias are in the background, adding body to the blend. This tobacco always reminds me of Cornell and Diehl's #416 Plantation Evening. While they don't have exactly the same ingredients, they are both outstanding medium English blends. As much as I like P/E, I must say that I like this one even better.
Packing, lighting, and number of relights are all better than average. I'm not sure how he has done it, but Russ has produced a wife-friendly Latakia blend. My wife remarked that it smelled good to her, which is pretty high praise. Pricing on TTM is also good, even though Pipes and Cigars had a price increase last summer. You get what you pay for, great tobacco.
Ratings for Ten to Midnight: Taste- 18 out of 20; Packing and Lighting- 8 out of 10; Value- 9 out of 10. 35 out of a possible 40 points equals a big **** rating for Ten to Midnight.
Packing, lighting, and number of relights are all better than average. I'm not sure how he has done it, but Russ has produced a wife-friendly Latakia blend. My wife remarked that it smelled good to her, which is pretty high praise. Pricing on TTM is also good, even though Pipes and Cigars had a price increase last summer. You get what you pay for, great tobacco.
Ratings for Ten to Midnight: Taste- 18 out of 20; Packing and Lighting- 8 out of 10; Value- 9 out of 10. 35 out of a possible 40 points equals a big **** rating for Ten to Midnight.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 22, 2005 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
When I smoked this it was what I always thought of as ?Balkan? in my head. Though I prefer Larry?s blend for my every day smoke, this is something I come to from time to time for a wonderful smoke that is much brighter and when I want to have a smoke with the varitiels more ?present? early in the smoke, not just in the high note. I love this in a larger pipe after dinner with a Guinness or a big glass of ice water. It is very dark and beautiful, flavorful(full), smoky and (to me) comforting. If Balkans are among what you like you cannot go wrong here, the price is right, their service is wonderful, they ship overseas, no reason not to. Namaste?
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 01, 2005 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Full | Very Pleasant |
Russ Ouellette at pipesandcigars did a great job with this one! You can see direcly from the bulk that it's loaded with a fair amount of latakia (very positive indeed...) but when you open it all your potential doubts are thrown away by that wonderful smell! Tons of latakia! The packing is easy and the smoke proceeds cool and even till the end, no need to relight. The taste is full, wonderfully full; to me, a little more strenght would have been the perfection, but it's a marvelous smoke the same! Try that!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2015 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
What happens when you mix Plum Pudding, Edgeworth Ready Rubbed and a smidgin' of Balkan Sobranie? I'd like to think you get something like Russ Oulette's Ten to Midnight (I'll have to try to blend those other baccy's up one day, just to see).
Of course, this blend gives you even something more, something of it's own, but what exactly that is, remains indefinable to me. None of what I've said about this blend is meant to denigrate it in any way, it's just when a blend tastes like something else, I can't help but mention it.
There's no doubt I liked this blend, though I did have a bit of a time getting it lit, but if you rub it out well enough (as I did the second time around) you'll have no problems keeping it going. I don't smoke cakes often, as I prefer flakes, but, this is one cake I could see smoking for a good long time. Really, I preferred this blend over Plum Pudding proper—Ten to Midnight is milder to my palate, mildly complex in nature, and a true pleasure to snork. It was a delight to smoke!
Recommended!
Keep on Piping!
Of course, this blend gives you even something more, something of it's own, but what exactly that is, remains indefinable to me. None of what I've said about this blend is meant to denigrate it in any way, it's just when a blend tastes like something else, I can't help but mention it.
There's no doubt I liked this blend, though I did have a bit of a time getting it lit, but if you rub it out well enough (as I did the second time around) you'll have no problems keeping it going. I don't smoke cakes often, as I prefer flakes, but, this is one cake I could see smoking for a good long time. Really, I preferred this blend over Plum Pudding proper—Ten to Midnight is milder to my palate, mildly complex in nature, and a true pleasure to snork. It was a delight to smoke!
Recommended!
Keep on Piping!
Pipe Used:
Boswell freehand
PurchasedFrom:
P&C
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 01, 2014 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
I have seen this compared to both Penzance and Abingdon. These are two of my favorite tobaccos and I see absolutely NO similarity to either of them. The first time I tried this blend it was in the small tin, and was a lump in a plastic bag. I am not one of those who likes dealing with kakes; all I got was dust and smaller lumps, and it did not burn smoothly. I did like the taste though. Others here have covered that quite well. HOWEVER -- In the 8-oz size it is presented in flake form and is FAR easier to deal with. It burns quite well if packed loosely and is far more enjoyable when smoked slowly. I think this would be a better cool weather smoke; it is a bit harsh when smoked outside on 90-degree humid days.
Pipe Used:
large bowls
PurchasedFrom:
P&C
Age When Smoked:
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