Hearth & Home Old Tartan

Old Tartan is Rush Ouellette's tribute to an old blend called Black Watch. Having never smoked Black Watch I cannot compare the two, nor would I anyway. What does come through is the successful creation of an old style aromatic from days gone by. I don't find the deer tongue overpowering and unlike some aromatics, the tobacco flavor comes through nicely. Mr. Ouellette's wide range of great blends only serves as more proof the he has earned a seat at the table with America's top blenders. Recommend.

Based on about an ounce. Mottled rough cut with the deer tongue coming thru loud and clear in the bag aroma with an undercurrent of toasty burley. Barest whiff of latakia, in the truest tradition of American English blends.

I made a nice discovery with this one. I smoked a bowl of it fresh and found in uninspiring. By accident, I failed to seal the baggie and when I returned to it a few days later, it was bone dry. Undaunted, I fired up a bowl and found it much improved. It burned faster, of course, and I had to be careful with my puffing cadence but the flavor really came forward. The burley was not only nuttier and tastier, but cleaner tasting as well. The deer tongue was still in evidence but subdued. Natural flavorings tend to stay when a tobacco is dried, where the artificial ones used in most goopy aromatics tend to dissipate. The latakia remained in evidence, with just enough of a presence to spice up the proceedings. Good bit of nic here, and even a bit of complexity. Crispy dry, this is an excellent 3.5 star blend. Having not really dried out my burleys (although most VA's get the heavy drying treatment), this blend reminded me to not only play with puffing cadences on new blends, but also varying levels of moisture. These kinds of discoveries are what pipesmoking is all about to me. I'll buy more of this and get it nice and crispy before I smoke it! YMMV of course, and drying out may not work with all blends but it's always worth a shot, especially if you find a blend ho-hum at normal moisture.

This is a fine, old fashioned blend.

Cubes and rough burley, a little cavenish and latakia, and the star but a small one is the herb Deer Tongue (DT), as the description says.

In days past there were many DT blends -- Edwards Arabian and Jaimaca, Draper's Commander (I think), Country Doctor (don't know if its comeback version has it), and of course, Harkness F and G, to name some. Even cigars had something similar but not herbal, green wrapper claro leaf in days past but few do today --Optimo Admiral is maybe one accessible left). I heard it is too difficult to harvest and cut the herb or no one wants to do it any more but C&D.

The DT adds a slight herbal (not vanilla but more vegetal) quality to the taste and that's the only aromatic leaf, if you call it that, in here. But its all natural!

This blend is a cross between Harkness F and G by San Antonio's Humidor, in my opinion. (One had a lighter base and showcased the DT, the other was made more heavy with Latakia.)

The closest comparison today is C&D's Crooner -- which is all cubed burleys and some DT. A fine example but milder. Not all like the DT thoughis

The blend starts cool and light and showcases the DT. By mid-bowl the little Latakia shows itself more but the DT still shines some. A delightful return to the past.

Recommended for us old timers but it is something truely different nowadays. I smoked my two ounces in an older Dunhill and "new" Huybrecht from pipes2smoke.

Just got a sample of this and it will go into the rotation for sure. Smooth blend, good tobacco flavor and then there is that Deer tongue. Great herbal flavor, didn't know what to expect-I had no knowledge of this blend prior to smoking it and when I tasted the Herb I immediately kept looking for it in every draw. Not overpowering, but it has some potency. I recommend this, but only if you like the incense type additives.

A blend I was very interested in for a while. I was actually suprised how mellow and mild it was. The flavors weren't out of control, but it was still a good complex smoke.

Burns even and another recommended.

This is one of the most unique blends I have ever tried. The deertongue stands out - in the tin, in the nose, and in the mouth! I've only smoked a few bowls of this, one in a meerschaum, one in a corn cob (Missouri meerschaum, of course), and one in my Peterson bulldog. It was a little dry, so I rehydrated it. It still tastes about the same: somewhat smoky, slightly nutty and buttery from the Burley, and the deertongue is present from start to finish. It is hard to describe the deertongue; it would be like trying to describe the taste of chicken: it has its own flavor. Once I get through my tin, I'll add a further note. As of right now, I'm enjoying this blend.

5/3/11 Here is my additional note. I still like this blend, though the reaction from others has been somewhat negative regarding the room note. I have smoked this while drinking a good beer and for some reason, unlike most other English blends, it was not a good combination. However, when I smoked it with a cup of good English tea, it proved an excellent combination. It is a good smoke and has smoked well in all of my pipes. This is one to be enjoyed in private, or in the company of other smokers who do not mind the stronger traditional blends.

To be brief: this half the amount of deertongue, this would be my favorite burley mixture. Excellent tobaccos, great smoke. Just a bit too overflavored.

Still recommended.

At first light this tobacco seemed odd, different. It was very dry out of the bag and that worried me. After I packed it into my Peterson and gave it a light it seemed tasteless at first. i went lightly on it at first due to it being so dry. After a few puffs I was greeted with a lovely aroma and an off sweet taste. The smoke billowed from my pipe and it became a very nice experience. One I didn't expect.

I have been smoking a pipe less then a year, but I feel I have been able to try lots of different tobaccos. This one was a nice surprise. I will keep it around for when I am looking for that something different.

It is very, very, nice.

Note: Significant other thinks the room note does not smell as nicely as many of my other tobaccos.

This is another truly unique blend from the pipers at Habana. Even though it has latakia in it, the "wife rating" is pleasant. My Mrs. does not particularly like the smell of latakia tobacco, but the room note of Old Tartan is mellowed out by the deer tongue. It smells similar to fresh cut grass or parsley; it has a fresh greeness aroma to it. The burley adds a slight buttery taste. It lights easily, burns well, and is gentle to the tongue. All in all, this is a very well-rounded tobacco. I give it a 4-star rating.

6/20/2007 I revisited this one again after several months in the cellar. It smelled and packed the same, however it scorched my tongue! Downgrading it to 3-stars.