Hearth & Home Ten to Midnight

I wanted to be angry about comparisons to penzance, believing penzance to be a unique and superior blend unparalleled and alone in its greatness. I purchased a sampler pack along with a pipe recently, including ten to midnight and Larry?s blend, based mainly on the reviews here. The two ounces of ten to midnight came in a single brick, moist enough to crumble easily, dry enough to smoke immediately. Except that Penzance comes in moist rectangle flakes, ten to midnight could fool me in a blind taste test, very similar, and after experimenting with a few bowls it might even be a bit more versatile and interesting than Penzance (e.g. crumble some to dust some in small chunks and it burns differently, the flavors change). I continue to be impressed by the folks at pipesandcigars, with their customer service and with Russ O?s blending genius. Next time I visit my folks in Mid Michigan I?m taking a day trip to their brick and mortar store.

Although the dominant taste of Ten to Midnight is latakia, something elusive in the background (perhaps the Turkish) keeps me coming back for more. As to preparing this tobacco for smoking, I break it into small pieces and give it a brief whirl in the coffee grinder. Wonderful stuff.

A very warm and tasty English crumble cake. I would like to call it crumble plug because the bulk version is too dry and takes me a long time to break and prepare.

Tin note: just fragrant Latakia smokey aroma.

I totally disagree with Mr. big's review: There is no any bite and bitter aftertaste at all.

When smoking: burn slowly and cool; lots of campfire aroma; very creamy and as smooth as a train gliding effortlessly through the late night hours; not too much deep and complex.

Highly recommand all Latakia fans to buy the tin version because the bulk version is too dry.

DEEP flavor...a richness fills the mouth with a heavy smoke that leaves a mouth feel reminiscent of a bold cup of black coffee. This tobacco needed some tending to when I first lit it but after 10 minutes of fiddle faddeling it started to burn quite nicely and required zero relights. I enjoyed this tobacco outside at 2 am watching the dogs do dog things while drinking spiced dark chocolate raspberry hot cocao. Talk about a match!!

An enjoyable Balkan style blend! Latakia is strong and has a nice high note. This burns pretty good after I left it in the can for a while before jarring it.This one is just what I was looking for in terms of an enjoyable lat bomb. Latakia is the star player for sure but it comes through with a great flavor and the room note is pretty good.I can't set the pipe down with this in it because it's so good! I am very impressed with the Latakia used. I have to say that if you like Latakia, you will like this. It's not complex but it hits the spot perfectly some times.Fantastic and smokey. It actually smokes like it smells in the tin which is a rare occurrence. I am very glad I bought the big 8oz tin. I will definateley be visiting this one often! Non complex and it makes for a pretty long smoke. Really don't get much in the nic department and that may be one of the only negative things I can say about it. From start to finish you get a very consistent flavor and you may have to puff a bit faster than normal to keep her going but I like to puff fast anyway so it works nice for me. Currently rated as a a 2.9 star blend which isn't right. I came back to this after one year in the jar and i can't say it changed much but it burns better than it did. I'll give TTM the four star because it does what it's supposed to for what it is.

I am finishing a can of TTM and it has been pure delight from the first smoke to the last. An incredible and tasty blend with an intoxicating tin note that is balanced Latakia, Virginias and Orientals. I could just smell the tin all day long and never get tired of it.

The real magic begins when you light it up of course. Fragrant, smooth, absolutely bite-free, and cool. No heavy casing or topping. Consistent delicious tobacco tastes from the char light to the last wisp of smoke. You can taste each component tobacco as you smoke, but they are so perfectly balanced that it's just a very enjoyable smoke without one component dominating and overpowering the blend.

I smoke a lot of the more "pedigreed" English blends like Dunhill's and the like, but Ten To Midnight remains a special treat in my long rotation list.

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.

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.

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