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 1 - 6 of 6 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2022 | Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
I purchased this during a H&H sale at P&C along with many other tins of H&H blends I had yet to try. The reason I chose this particular blend was to give deer tongue another shot since my only other experience with it was crooner by C&D; which I did not like. I found the DT quite overwhelming in Crooner. Well, I was let down when I found out that this no longer contained DT, but I kept an open mind nonetheless.
In the end, I would say this is just a "ho hum" Virginia Burley blend. the ingredients claim there is perique in the mix, but I did not really pick up on it. I found the blend to be pretty weak and it tended to get bitter quite easily. When you get the tempo right there is some nice nuttiness, but it is fleeting and does not add enough enjoyment to the smoking experience as to make it worth the effort.
two star blend for me. It performs well, but the blend lacks soul.
In the end, I would say this is just a "ho hum" Virginia Burley blend. the ingredients claim there is perique in the mix, but I did not really pick up on it. I found the blend to be pretty weak and it tended to get bitter quite easily. When you get the tempo right there is some nice nuttiness, but it is fleeting and does not add enough enjoyment to the smoking experience as to make it worth the effort.
two star blend for me. It performs well, but the blend lacks soul.
PurchasedFrom:
P & C
Age When Smoked:
4 years 7 Months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 2007 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I received a small sample of this from Russ O. Upon opening the pouch I recognized a very sweet smell. Probably the VA's and the deertongue. I was very excited as I expected a sweet smoke for a change in pace.
TOP OF BOWL: A very good char light. It smells GREAT. Even makes me hungry a bit. The first thing I noticed is a very mild sweet taste but it came along with a harshness.
MIDDLE BOWL: The taste is getting more to the tobacco although I haven't recognized any Perique yet. The harshness is still there. It is becoming more complex as I notice the VA's flavor coming through but the deertongue along with the burley seems to add some depth to it.
BOTTOM OF BOWL: The Perique is coming through but instead of the normal peppery or spicy taste it has along with it some very odd flavor (Deertongue). I did not like this mix and the harshness is still there. It does burn fairly clean though.
SUMMARY: It is a good smoke. It would be very good if it wasn't so harsh. Although if you sip slow this will help. The taste is sweet without losing the tobacco flavor and it burns very nice with an excellent room note. But it is still hot and harsh so I can only give it 2 out of 4.
TOP OF BOWL: A very good char light. It smells GREAT. Even makes me hungry a bit. The first thing I noticed is a very mild sweet taste but it came along with a harshness.
MIDDLE BOWL: The taste is getting more to the tobacco although I haven't recognized any Perique yet. The harshness is still there. It is becoming more complex as I notice the VA's flavor coming through but the deertongue along with the burley seems to add some depth to it.
BOTTOM OF BOWL: The Perique is coming through but instead of the normal peppery or spicy taste it has along with it some very odd flavor (Deertongue). I did not like this mix and the harshness is still there. It does burn fairly clean though.
SUMMARY: It is a good smoke. It would be very good if it wasn't so harsh. Although if you sip slow this will help. The taste is sweet without losing the tobacco flavor and it burns very nice with an excellent room note. But it is still hot and harsh so I can only give it 2 out of 4.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 20, 2009 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Very Pleasant |
I haven?t smoked many aromatics in the last few years, the only one I can stand to smoke an entire bowl of has been Karl Erik?s #16, and I only smoke that because I love my wife, mostly, and no one complains. I wanted to try capital stairs because I?ve heard so much about deertongue as a natural flavoring and my main objection to smoking aromatics is the casings, smoking sugar in my fine briars is like throwing American cheese into my revereware and cranking the heat to high. I can?t say I fell in love with capital stairs, but I didn?t hate it, which is saying something. My wife waxed nostalgic, it reminded her summer days laying in the grass, a sweet hay and floral scent with a very mild vanilla. I?ve been smoking Larry?s blend, Reiners Long Golden flake and Solanis aged burly of late and so capital stairs tasted rather dull and a bit like hot air to me, but mainly because I?ve been smoking things with such rich flavor. Compared to other aromatics I?d give this four stars easily, I will smoke more of it, especially when I need to apologize to the wife for something I did or am going to do. For my regular smoking habits and out of respect for the genius of Russ O I?m going to give it a liberal two stars. Not my cup of tea, but not horrible, tolerable which is saying a lot. Too much maybe.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 20, 2008 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
Deertongue ? French toast-like aroma ? What are these people talking about ? I found this blend to be fairly dry and pedestrian. Not offensive, but not really anything. If you want something vanilla like with a French toast-like aroma buy an aromatic, you won't find it here.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 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.
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