Hearth & Home Capitol Stairs
(2.48)
Named after the famed Million-Dollar Staircase in Albany, NY's State Capitol building, it is a truly unique combination of mild, nutty burley, sweet Virginia and perique, and finished off with Deer Tongue (a vanilla-like herb). The result is a non-aromatic blend (no added flavorings) that has an almost French toast-like aroma, and a lightly sweet, smooth smoke that you can enjoy all day.
Notes: According to a recent (07/21/2014) informational request, Deer Tongue has been removed from the blend.
Details
| Brand | Hearth & Home |
| Series | Signature Series |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Pipes & Cigars |
| Blend Type | American |
| Contents | Burley, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 1.5 ounce tin, bulk |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.48 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 27 of 27 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 24, 2007 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Recently, pipesandcigars.com tobaccos have been getting lots of ?press? on the ASP Forum and Newsgroup. Mostly people have been talking about Russ Ouellette's efforts. A friend sent me a sampling of several of the blends I'm most curious about and Capital Stairs was among them.
Deertongue is said to be a ?natural alternative? to the casing agent many use for vanilla. This is my first experience with it.
Appearance: A nice selection of Red Virginia, Burley and Perique with a smattering of deertongue. It is varied in cut yet mostly medium ribbon cut.
Aroma: This mixture has a deep sweet aroma very enticing. Immediately one smells a deep hay-like quality, not of hay in neat bales stacked in the barn; rather of freshly mown hay, slowly drying in the summer sun. Deep, sharp and earthy. Carmel tones and nuts are evident, as deertongue with a scent similar to vanilla but there is something about it which reminds me of White Sage being burned as well.
This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing.
For this review I've chosen an Armellini Freehand dedicated to Virginia mixtures.
Lighting is very easy, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way each time. As expected, the initial flavor very Burley, with a thick silky mouth feel, a nice nut-like goodness. Hay-like tones and smells and flavors of Autumn are abundant with deepening flavors of nuts and butter interplaying in a fascinating way. A very slight vanilla taste is also noted. Combustion is very self maintaining as promised, this very nearly smokes itself every time. There is more to deertongue than just vanilla as I expected, there is a sage-like quality as well, very appealing.
Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build the toothsome mixtures of Red Virginia and Burley develop in strength slowly along predictable lines. The Perique begins to develop more of the deep fruity sweetness adding to the Red Virginia. The slight vanilla continues steadily though, being dominated by stronger flavors. The nuttiness becomes more pronounced and the grassy hay like qualities build as well. The room note is fantastic and though billed as smelling like ?french toast? what I smell is just a very nice natural tobacco aroma, slightly sweet with vanilla tones.
Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, complexity abounds. This blend smokes remarkably cool and evenly, not requiring the more "refined technique" of other Virginia mixtures. The final third has matured nicely with all the flavors working in deepening harmony. One can enjoy this blend without the rigors of concentration, however, there is plenty of subtleties to concentrate on if one so desires. I really didn't know what to expect of deertongue, people either seem to love it or hate it. Put me down in the ?love it? column. It adds another dimension to tobacco mixtures without the artificial tastes found in so many vanilla mixtures. The Perique, while becoming more pronounced, never really takes over the show as some others claim. I find this to be a fascinating and well balanced blend of fine quality.
Supplemental Notes: Capital Stairs has earned a place in my cellar. I find myself craving it. Rating for those interested in numbers ***1/2 stars
Deertongue is said to be a ?natural alternative? to the casing agent many use for vanilla. This is my first experience with it.
Appearance: A nice selection of Red Virginia, Burley and Perique with a smattering of deertongue. It is varied in cut yet mostly medium ribbon cut.
Aroma: This mixture has a deep sweet aroma very enticing. Immediately one smells a deep hay-like quality, not of hay in neat bales stacked in the barn; rather of freshly mown hay, slowly drying in the summer sun. Deep, sharp and earthy. Carmel tones and nuts are evident, as deertongue with a scent similar to vanilla but there is something about it which reminds me of White Sage being burned as well.
This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a gentleman? method of layered packing.
For this review I've chosen an Armellini Freehand dedicated to Virginia mixtures.
Lighting is very easy, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way each time. As expected, the initial flavor very Burley, with a thick silky mouth feel, a nice nut-like goodness. Hay-like tones and smells and flavors of Autumn are abundant with deepening flavors of nuts and butter interplaying in a fascinating way. A very slight vanilla taste is also noted. Combustion is very self maintaining as promised, this very nearly smokes itself every time. There is more to deertongue than just vanilla as I expected, there is a sage-like quality as well, very appealing.
Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build the toothsome mixtures of Red Virginia and Burley develop in strength slowly along predictable lines. The Perique begins to develop more of the deep fruity sweetness adding to the Red Virginia. The slight vanilla continues steadily though, being dominated by stronger flavors. The nuttiness becomes more pronounced and the grassy hay like qualities build as well. The room note is fantastic and though billed as smelling like ?french toast? what I smell is just a very nice natural tobacco aroma, slightly sweet with vanilla tones.
Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, complexity abounds. This blend smokes remarkably cool and evenly, not requiring the more "refined technique" of other Virginia mixtures. The final third has matured nicely with all the flavors working in deepening harmony. One can enjoy this blend without the rigors of concentration, however, there is plenty of subtleties to concentrate on if one so desires. I really didn't know what to expect of deertongue, people either seem to love it or hate it. Put me down in the ?love it? column. It adds another dimension to tobacco mixtures without the artificial tastes found in so many vanilla mixtures. The Perique, while becoming more pronounced, never really takes over the show as some others claim. I find this to be a fascinating and well balanced blend of fine quality.
Supplemental Notes: Capital Stairs has earned a place in my cellar. I find myself craving it. Rating for those interested in numbers ***1/2 stars
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 18, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I'm a fan of VaPer tobaccos, but I wasn't too sure how the burley would play. I enjoyed this tobacco very much, the burley seems to soften the edges of the Va and perique. I guess I must like deertongue since this was my first experience with it. The tobacco arrived a little dry and I smoked it that way; it was fine. I have since added a little moisture and found no real difference in the taste. I'll definitely order more of this blend.
Follow up: After smoking a few more oz of this blend, I can understand the comments about it having an effect on your throat. It does seem to have some bitterness that lingers in your throat. I don't know if it is the deertongue or some element in the tobacco. I'll have to drop this to a 3 star blend; recommended but with reservations
Follow up: After smoking a few more oz of this blend, I can understand the comments about it having an effect on your throat. It does seem to have some bitterness that lingers in your throat. I don't know if it is the deertongue or some element in the tobacco. I'll have to drop this to a 3 star blend; recommended but with reservations
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 01, 2006 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This tobacco was really a stumper for me. The first few bowls I really enjoyed (and I usually don't like blends in which burley is a major component). The deertongue provided a very interesting, not-quite-vanilla flavor. After a few days when I revisited it, I found that something in this blend seemed to catch in the back of my throat in a quite unpleasant way. While I still enjoyed the flavor, I can't stand that sticking in my throat. I am assuming it is from the deertongue since I smoke blends with the other components and never have this reaction. BTW, This was one of the few blends that pass the "wife test".
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 01, 2006 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I won't take a lot of time with this review as it's rare that a blend delivers just about all of what the blender claims. This blend packs easily, burns cool, and leaves a pleasant aftertaste and room note. The natural sweetness and deertongue gives it an almost aromatic quality. This one's a keeper.
F. Prefect
F. Prefect
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 08, 2006 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A coarse cut of mostly light burley and Virginias by the look of it, with no casing. The greenish flecks of deertongue are there but not prominent. There is an interesting pouch aroma of Perique and Deertongue which gave me high expectations. Unfortunately, the smoke was mostly a let-down.
Capitol Stairs can smoke dry and harsh to the point of catching in the back of the throat. I don't sense any sweetness as noted by the blender and I expected more of a vanilla-like room note due to the deertongue, but it was very subdued.
Over a year of occsional bowls of Capitol Stairs, my impression of it has improved a little bit. As a natural, uncased aromatic this blend has a lot of potential but I think the percentage of Perique is too high and the smoke is unncecessarily harsh as a result.
Maybe 2 1/2 stars... but it could have been a contender.
Capitol Stairs can smoke dry and harsh to the point of catching in the back of the throat. I don't sense any sweetness as noted by the blender and I expected more of a vanilla-like room note due to the deertongue, but it was very subdued.
Over a year of occsional bowls of Capitol Stairs, my impression of it has improved a little bit. As a natural, uncased aromatic this blend has a lot of potential but I think the percentage of Perique is too high and the smoke is unncecessarily harsh as a result.
Maybe 2 1/2 stars... but it could have been a contender.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2005 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
Having read a lot of raving reviews about some of the "Hearth and Home" blends I ordered some for myself. I've seen a lot about "Louisiana Red", "Virginia Spice" and "Old Tartan" but I've not yet heard about "Capitol Stairs" so that was the first one I tried today.
The pouch aroma smells like a freshly-mowed lawn on a Summer evening. Packs easily and stays lit with little effort. There was no bite at all regardless of cadence tempo. Taste is slightly sweet with a light grassy note. The Perique makes itself known but works in tandem with the other leaves and never hogs the spotlight. The deertounge enhances the Burley-driven grassy flavor by rounding it off and cooling it down. The Virginia gives it some high notes but even they remain restrained. Very smooth with subtle changes throughout. Room note was pleasant but not overpowering. Left the pipe clean, dry and me wanting more. A truly sophisticated blend great for an all-day smoke.
The pouch aroma smells like a freshly-mowed lawn on a Summer evening. Packs easily and stays lit with little effort. There was no bite at all regardless of cadence tempo. Taste is slightly sweet with a light grassy note. The Perique makes itself known but works in tandem with the other leaves and never hogs the spotlight. The deertounge enhances the Burley-driven grassy flavor by rounding it off and cooling it down. The Virginia gives it some high notes but even they remain restrained. Very smooth with subtle changes throughout. Room note was pleasant but not overpowering. Left the pipe clean, dry and me wanting more. A truly sophisticated blend great for an all-day smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 11, 2005 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
Capitol stairs has a wondeful pouch aroma of tobacco and spiced vanilla. Yum!! It packs, lights and burns easily and its coarse cut provides a slow, cool and even burn. It's taste is mildly sweet, nutty and smooth.
Unlike vanilla extract cased blends, this has a wonderful natural aroma and taste coming from Deertounge that pleases the smoker and everyone around them.
The Virginia and Burley play very well together and the light touch used with the perique is perfect. While barely detectible in the flavor, the Perique's mild and soft spiceyness compliments the blend in the way a condenmental should, tying it together, giving it a truly supurb balance of flavors.
The balance affords a true complexity that can be enjoyed in "auto pilot" mode, without demanding your full attention. Its behavior is supurb even when puffed aggresively. No bite, sweet nutty and smooth. Always fullfilling, never boring and perfect as an all day smoke. Highly recommended for those who do not care for aromatics, but want a blend with truly complex and balanced tobacco flavors and a great natural aroma.
Unlike vanilla extract cased blends, this has a wonderful natural aroma and taste coming from Deertounge that pleases the smoker and everyone around them.
The Virginia and Burley play very well together and the light touch used with the perique is perfect. While barely detectible in the flavor, the Perique's mild and soft spiceyness compliments the blend in the way a condenmental should, tying it together, giving it a truly supurb balance of flavors.
The balance affords a true complexity that can be enjoyed in "auto pilot" mode, without demanding your full attention. Its behavior is supurb even when puffed aggresively. No bite, sweet nutty and smooth. Always fullfilling, never boring and perfect as an all day smoke. Highly recommended for those who do not care for aromatics, but want a blend with truly complex and balanced tobacco flavors and a great natural aroma.
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