Hearth & Home Larry's Blend

I've smoked a ton of English blends so far, but never really got into the Balkans. I guess they're just not as popular. But it seems the Balkan fans out there are far more vocal about their tobacco. The top of the ladder is of course the somewhat recently deceased Sobranie. Did I get that right? There's Odyssey, which seems to occupy the top rung, for now, and finally, Larry's Blend--which happens to be gaining ground fast.

That's the way I understood it, at least. So I picked some up from Pipes and Cigars for an amazing price. Russ has won accolades, many times over, and there's little wonder why.

Larry's Blend is a heavy hitting Latakia powerhouse with a sharp, intense taste, yet mellow enough to negate the fear of a painful bite. It arrived in seemingly beat up shape. I got mostly crumbs and a few ribbons in my bag, very dry in consistency. I tend to cut bulks some slack, though. But those two factors seemed to add up to a pronounced plume of billowing smoke rising into the air, and a burn rate with consistency and a complete lack of gurgle.

I'd say that Larry's blend seems to be a bit stronger than Odyssey, with a fuller taste, and a greater portion of Latakia. I don't know that to be true, however. It's just my opinion. And if you care to hear the end of it, I'll tell you. This is on the immediate list. Great taste and an unbeatable value.

Four of Four.

Larry`s Blend is one of the best bits of news for lovers of Balkan blends. To my palate it ranks with the best - not only the best currently being produced, but also the fabled Balkans no longer produced. Every bit as opulent as Penzance or Odyssey, the peculiarity of Larry`s Blend is that it leaves you wanting more, not satiated. Some mysterious alchemy has been at work.

It is incredibly smooth, very slow burning and consequently very cool. My supply arrived dry in the bag in a cut which is most accurately described, if you please, as ready krumbled. Simply gravity feeding the blend into the bowl suffices. Pure Balkan pleasure from beginning to end.

Superlatives can be depressing, but the three blends I have tried from pipesandcigars.com - Anniversary Kake, Sunjammer and Larry`s Blend - have passed all tests with flying colours. I only wish the company shipped to where I live.

I cannot speak enough praises of this tobacco- the Latakia's interplay with VA's and orientals grants phenomenal top-notch taste. This is one of my favorite blends that I will always have on-hand. Amazing-delicious!

It needs to be packed with a light hand so as not to compress the bowl into a hard draw.

It chars the tastebuds a bit but I'm thinking that is just a byproduct of the amazing flavor. I enjoy Two Friends' Bed & Breakfast as a lighter all-day version of this; however, this tobacco remains at the pinnacle.

This blend evokes images of undead zombies rising from their graves, reclaiming some vendetta long-forgotten by the living, successfully ascending to an earthly throne.

Another fine blend from Russ. This is very rich and oh so tastey. There is so much happening in this blend. So many flavors come through with every puff. I would recommend taking it slow so you can enjoy every blast of flavor.

Wow! This is a perfect example of a stout Balkan blend. Not as single minded as SG Commonwealth this blend has much more going on with it. Dark and heavy with many undertones of flavor this is one for late in the day; you could wear out your taste buds if you smoked this too many times in a row. My wife won't come near me when I'm puffing this; it's definitely a wife repellant. 8 of 10 stars

What a unique and wonderful experience this is! A real Latakia festival with the wonderful balance of Orientals, Carolinas and Va's; an evolution from Ten to Midnight, another of Russ?s blends reviewed here that I like very much. I immediately jar all of my tobacco, especially bulks, as soon as I get delivery of them (or open the tin). The smell is of Va?s and Latakia, unmistakably, a very rich and smooth after note of the Turkish comes through, however, very nicely. Lights well and stays lit, with only one relight and minor tamping & a light gray consistent ash. Room-note seems very pleasant for a Latakia blend. It demands my attention, not because it is overbearing or too immature or that the flavors are ?stacked?, I dislike that very much. It is just very good, not simple or one note, I just want to savor it. After dozens to, I don?t know how many, bowls of this I feel the same way I did after the first bowl? I need more! There is just one pervasive thought/feeling that I have when I smoke this... FULL FLAVOR, and when I am done, "I don't think I got all of that". I must smoke some more of this? then I will get a handle on it. Why do I feel the need to keep trying to find more in this blend? Why the call to that next smoke? Because it is blended so very well; full and subtle at the same time, it comes tasting & smoking aged. As with all of the Hearth & Home blends that I have tried, they are very interesting and you get a consistently outstanding unique parfait of, again, full tobacco flavors. This is clean and fresh yet not youthful or green, not at all; but serious on the Latakia, if you don?t like a lot of it, stay away, this has it (good, good Latakia) in spades. However, if you do like Latakia and Balkans (I know? I know, bear with me on this one) I just can't see you not loving this wonderful blend, and the price just cannot be beat. This is my ?go to smoke? when I cannot decide on anything else or am going to be out all day and need to pack the big pouch, period. In a couple of months I have a lb in an apothecary jar that will be one year old. Half will be mine and the other half will go to friends. In a stack it does things that are almost magical, seriously... it does not grow, change, or expand... it "transforms". It is like it changes from one wonderful Balkan to another, each better and better, transcending from/on elements from the last, but you never really know when/how it happens... suddenly you are all "wow... how did I end up smoking THIS"! Each pipe smokes it differently and I keep saying "hey, this is a great Larry's pipe", though I tend to do that with larger bowls and not wide bottoms (pots, yuck). There is a clean element that you cannot describe to someone who has not smoked Larry's blend. A pureness on the palette that I have never experienced with another blend. True, I often talk highly of Russ and Scotty and Hearth and Home... This is different. I would gladly give-up all other pipe tobacco, without hesitation, for a lifetime supply of Larry's, if it were a done deal. And I will put that in MY pipe and smoke it.

Namaste'

I just don't like this blend and I think it's the kind of Latakia used and the amount of it too (which is a lot). I simply can't get past the taste of the Latakia to find enough orientals or VAs. And the result is very smooth and buttery but somewhat mired, lacking the woody and nutty overtones I like so much in the older Dunhill blends I have stashed away. This does not have the milk-chocolately smoothness of Penzance either. However, it is much less expensive and of course Murray's NC isn't made any more.

This would be better with some (or more than some) Perique, then it would remind me a little of Ashton's Artisans blend, and that's a compliment.

Buttery and smooth are good adjectives to use for this blend. It was full-flavored, without being overwhelming in any sense. This has the latakia flavor, without being so over the top like Penzance. This is a delicious tobacco blend and I highly recommend it.

Larry's Blend is truly a scrumptiously delcious Balkan smoke. A very nice silky full billow smoke. When I think of packing a bowl of supreme smoke this is one I hope is on my shelf. If you like Balkans this is a for sure must try. I will be ordering more of this...right now!