Hearth & Home Larry's Blend

This is one of my favorite blends. It easily ranks within my top ten.

The tin note is a deep leathery, smokey, and somewhat earthy smell that has just a bit of straw smell deep in the back. The ribbon cut is just right and packs easily using my favorite method of packing, the Frank method.

On first light that wonderful latakia comes alive with thick savory clouds of smoke. The Virginia doesn't exactly play second string like in some English blends. The subtle sweetness of cherry is what comes to mind, but in a good way. The Orientals are not all that detectable until about mid bowl, when a bit of tangy goodness comes out in the back ground. The entire blend is a full symphony of flavor and is best enjoyed looking deep into a blazing fire while lost in thought.

I keep this one in my main rotation and I am always glad when it's time to light up some of Larry's Blend once again. If you are a lover of English Blends with a bit of extra sweetness I think you'll love Larry's Blend by Hearth and Home.

This is a Lat.bomb! Mellow,not jarring like some do.Enough Virginia to keep it in check. Well balanced and really quite delicious.I love this stuff and will definitely be ordering some more

What a Balkan! The second I popped open the can I swear I could smell salty sea air and spiced lamb. I recently purchased a 1938 Yello-Bole Imperial Giant Billiard at an estate sale in Cape Cod. When I got my first whiff of that massive tin note I knew what weapon was required for the job.

It tastes like how a Merlin V12 Spitfire engine sounds.. If that makes sense.. It has the "boom factor". I would absolutely call this a "lat-bomb". It tastes salty, briny, and smokey. I would consider this a blend best smoked before bed. I often save Larry's Blend for a chilly, rainy evening best savored by sitting in my gazebo and listening to the planes overhead.

This blend is clearly of the highest quality and I highly recommend it. I tip my hat to Russ! Outstandingly good blend.

Edit: The woman has informed me that this does not smell pleasant at all. She doesn't smoke - but she enjoys the smell of almost anything that isn't a "lat-bomb".

05/2015 - Just got done enjoying another bowl of this blend and have placed another order. I find this best when you can sit down, relax and enjoy a slow smoke.

Being the analytical type, I like things that make sense to me. With so many tobacco choices; while I’d like to try some, I don’t want to have a bunch of different blends on hand. To my way of thinking, that just complicates matters.

So I’ve been in search of 2 standby blends (one English and one aromatic) and then others (as specialties) that fills a rotating third slot in my line up.

Larry’s blend was suggested to me by some folks from the forum, www.pipemagazine.com. I had posed a question as to what I might consider for this rotating 3rd slot.

Larry’s blend is most definitely a winner! From the very first bowl I found this enjoyable. I’ve now smoked about 6 bowls and find very pleasant. The Latakia is evident but not over baring. It packs nicely and smokes very well. It has a great smell in the bag and billowing smoke that tickles my nose as I smoke it. My wife enjoys the smell of the smoke.

I can see myself buying more of this blend to rotate in and out of the coveted 3rd slot position, while Dunhill’s Early Morning Pipe and Hearth & Home’s Vermont Meat Candy remain my everyday English and Aromatic smokes.

Sorry to come late on this... what a miss !!! Kind of a fabulous and unique Latakia blend, extremely "creamy" and palatable... worth a whole symphony of praise ! However, to keep it short... just buy it, smoke it, and fully enjoyment is with you !

Yuch! I think that just about describes this blend. They should rename it Larry's Butt, but that's just me. Im no a latakia liker, and I hate licorice, maybe that has something to do with it. In the bag it smells like burnet rubber, and lit it smells like an electrical fire. The smoke is harsh and after about 15 puffs I had a mild soar throat. This is worst than Balkan Supreme by Peter S. You can read my opinion on that one also.

I really can't understand why latakia blends get the highest reviews here. As I have mentioned before, reviewing tobacco is useless, because one mans trash is another man treasure.

To be fair, I tried this in a new cob, and a semi new briar. The cob was more tolerable however.

I think Larry should find a new career, and stay away from blending anything.

*** BIG UPDATE *** One year later... I love this stuff. I really don't know what happened to my taste buds, must have adjusted, since I had never been a smoker. I did not give up and kept at it, and after being a pipe smoke for a year, I have come to LOVE latakia blends. I now prefer English blends and don't like aromatics as much. I would absolutely discourage any new pipe smoker from trying anything but mild aromatics until your taste buds adjust and you acquire a taste for stronger tobaccos. Or else you will hate everything you try. I guess you have to learn to swim first, before you try the deep end. Happy smoking.

With the demise of the Murray's version of Nightcap, this tobacco has become my favorite currently available blend. Even when "real" Nightcap was still available, it was pretty much neck-and-neck. A very full, rich flavor, with spicy tones weaving in and out through the bowl, puts this one at the head of the class. If you love Balkans you can hardly help but be taken with this blend. If Latakia is your thing, this may be a religious experience.

I have three negatives to mention about this blend: it's one of the "twiggier" blends I've smoked, with a larger than usual number of big woody bits; the high Latakia content makes it a more effective wife repellent than a steady diet of beans, broccoli and microbrewed ale; and the temptation to smoke it constantly can lead to a "leather mouth" condition, where my tongue and palate become not burned, but numb. If I succumb to that temptation, I can sometimes spend two or three days with a seriously impaired sense of taste.

That said, let me say that it's worth it. I have simply not found any other blend like this one. Twigs are niggles, my wife is forgiving, and oversmoking is my own darn fault. Larry's Blend is - for now - MY blend, the one I reach for before any other.

This review is based on a good sized sample (about 6 or 7 bowls) that I received and jarred up about 7 yrs ago. I finally got around to smoking it and was pleased with what I experienced. This has everything I like in a latakia blend. It is perfectly balanced, to my tastes. YMMV

I find this to have that creamy texture that I like with slight sour and tangy notes from the oriental varietals that run smoothly within the leathery smoke. I did not find this one to be very edgy nor did it have any of those more noxious tire fire notes that some oriental varietals tend to expel.

As far as performance, I found no issue with it. It easily took a light and remained so needing few, if any, relights. No chance of a bite. I wish I had more of this, and if I was still buying tobacco, I would add some tins to the cellar. It is for this reason, I am giving it four stars. Great blend.

I obtained this tobacco around 2011 jarred from an estate. I tried this one some time ago and more recently today. This is a fantastic latakia blend that smooths smooth, spicy and yet still remains so throughout the bowl. Some have called this a Lat bomb and others have compared it to being close to one. There is a tremendous amount of Latakia in this one and is one I enjoy during the day when I have time off and also in the evenings. I smoke outdoors only but upon returning inside my girlfriend says what is that? You stink. Then I knew I had a winner on my hands.