Hearth & Home Mt. Marcy

A rich tasting Balkan with plenty of dry, woody, sweet and sour Oriental spice that's complemented by a goodly amount of very smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia, which is more obvious. The Virginias are minor players, but they do add light citrus and hay/grass notes. Has a mild to medium nic-hit. Won't bite or get harsh. Fairly creamy and smooth, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a consistent flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste and stronger room note, both of which linger a little. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Mt. Marcy arrives, like many of Russ' blends, a little bit on the dry side and pipe ready. The smell in the pouch is mainly of pungent Orientals and Latakia. The pouch scent translates to the flavors in the bowl. Mt. Marcy is a creamy Oriental blend that burns coolly and is very tasty. While the Latakia is in more of a supporting role, it isn't a minor role. I don't find the Latakia as far in the background as some of my fellow pipers do. Lovers of both Orientals and Latakia will find Mt. Marcy to their liking. The range of Orientals keeps Mt. Marcy interesting. Russ Ouellette has more than a few English/Balkan blends, but Mt. Marcy certainly stands out as a very good medium to full blend and since it's sold in bulk, it's a great value too. I am anxious to see what a couple of years in the cellar to do to smooth this out even further.

I purchased a sample of this, then a pound, and plan to buy several pounds to cellar. This is a truly elegant Balkan which has become my go-to blend for any time of the day. It is grossly underpriced.

I agree with AKSmoke completely. I do not understand how anyone could give this less than a four star rating. Russ' description is spot on. Over and over again, I think "elegant."

I disagree with joe tauro completely. That review compares this smooth and sophisticated Balkan to a Virginia/Perique, which I do not find fair or appropriate. This is far from a Latakia bomb. Frankly, I don't taste or smell Latakia at all. I would like Mr. Tauro to try Larry's Blend or Russ' other Latakia tobaccos, then return to Mt. Marcy to revise his review.

I've smoked about a half pound at this point. The Orientals are by far the predominant component. Mt. Marcy has a sweetness that is not attributable to the Virginias, in my opinion. It does not bite. The aftertaste is very sweet. It burns completely in my meers, but leaves some dottle in my briars. The flavors shift a bit through the bowl, but definitely not as much as Magnum Opus. Everything about this blend screams subtlety. (If one can scream subtlety.)

Reviewers have not commented on the toasting. This is a toasted tobacco, so it loads very easily and cannot be over-tamped initially. Toasting also leaves a lot of leeway with pouch storage because it is already far drier than most tobaccos. It may contribute to the sweetness, but may inhibit aging. I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I highly recommend this blend for people who like Balkans. For me, this has become "Old Reliable."

The Tobacco Road to Damascus

I got here via a long road. Quite a few years ago I worked in a barrio smoke shop that was full-spectrum, selling many different unsavory smoking devices and sundry items. Also there was a small humidor; it was at the height of the late great cigar craze. An avenue towards tobaccos non-cigarette yawned open for me. I never looked back.

After the store's one cigar expert left, I had to teach myself. Pipes made of wood weren't at all where most of this clientele was at. But we did have some briars, and I plunged in nevertheless. We carried P Stokkebye in bulk. The few tins and drugstore blends never did it for me.

For many years hence, I carried the Stokkebye gospel; thrift, quality and reliability being major selling points. I'd taken to Latakia blends like a duck to water, even though a former co-worker compared them to cat urine. Fortunately, I like cats. With the smoke shop long gone from my life, I kept on with "Proper this" and "Luxury that" and I never did care for that Balkan of theirs.

Then, a couple years or so ago via a JR cigar catalog, I read about Syrian Latakia. It was something I seriously had to try. A good deal on a pound of Mac Baren H&H Vintage Syrian changed my smoking perceptions almost as much as my first hand-rolled cigar.

Awake and no longer content, I smoked my Syrian judiciously, as an agitated proxy war infested that nation. Selfishly, I worried about the source of my favorite winter tobacco and where it would be in the future.

Epiphanies however awaited. The first was that Mac Baren's went up in price. The second was that not very much Syrian Latakia is in Mac Baren's Vintage Syrian. A great deal of the flavor had to be coming in from somewhere else in this decidedly lighter Latakia blend- think Turkish, Orientals; stuff I knew nothing about. That was the good news.

My tobacco was out there somewhere. Last fall I absent-mindedly perused my bathroom reading material, and after having glanced at the Pipes And Cigars catalog long enough, by the advent of winter the name Hearth & Home had lodged in my brain pan. I realized that the ubiquitous Russ O had created many L blends. That was a sign. It was time that I consider his prominence and the wealth of his goods.

I surveyed the spread carefully and Mt. Marcy beckoned immediately. I bought a half pound can of it along with one of Daybreak, and while both have been great investments, Marcy's is a bit more special. She's NOT Mac B's VS, but she should be close enough to satisfy those who enjoy the VS. Both do not hit one over the head (or tongue) with Latakia, but both provide subtle complexities that are always the sine qua non of the cigar world, though rarely fulfilled. To get this so abundantly in a pipe tobacco is a rare thing as well.

I'd not call Marcy a substitute for VS; rather it stands on its own merits. VS is earthier, but Marcy has more sparkle- along with more sweetness and higher notes, not that I'm detecting topping, but it's possible that one ingredient or other might have it. Not a crime in my books- the idea of purity is for bozos. Kids like candy, but it's not just for kids. Marcy is however not anything like candy. It burns very well and finishes nicely, with little dottle left; pipers frequently laud this when I've usually found little proof in the pudding they're raving about.

I'd point out the elements that give the sparkle- a bit of pine, perhaps, camphor, maybe. Pine nuts? As a gin lover perhaps this is why I gravitate towards Latakias, and now that element is reaching a further expression, as in juniper. I frequently enjoy a Latakia blend along with gin, so I don't think that's a coincidence- maybe it's my Euro genes firing.

Mt. Marcy is as fabulous as Vintage Syrian, at first tastes. What remains to be seen is how gracefully it ages- VS has done so nicely. Also worth considering is something I've no way to judge- how consistent will the blend be on a year-by-year basis?

I only go this far to say that Marcy is a keeper I hope to be enjoying for years. Russ O's blends are new to me, but I would be forward enough so far to state that he likely knows the whole Latakia/Oriental/English/Balkan oeuvre very well. An unequivocal 4 Stars for Mt. Marcy

caveat as per early 2015: As much as I love this blend, a year or so later without it having gone dry, I have found that the remainder of the can is not nearly the flavor powerhouse it used to be. It's a shelf-life problem, but I can't say that this situation would be the same if I'd never opened the can to begin with. Similarly, the fresh can of Daybreak I opened tasted better than I ever remembered. If you tend to plow through a good blend like this because you can't put it down, you probably won't have to worry. But if you use your favorites sparingly so as to not wear them out, this could be a problem if you still have part of a can left a year after you've opened it.

Not up for typing at the moment but wanted to give this unsung gem its due. When descriptions fail I revert to comparisons, although this tobacco stands strongly on its own merits. Take Dunhill's EMP, Standard Mixture, MM 965 and a bit of London Mixture, blend, and I think you've got something like Mt. Marcy. Of the H&H offerings it's more English/Latakia than Daybreak and Sunjammer (both personal favorites) and lighter than Blackhouse and Magnum Opus (also favorites). Right at the mid-way point on Oriental to Latakia ratio. Take Early Morning and make it Late Morning. Anyway, a great all-day smoke if you, like I, enjoy lighter English offerings with both Orientals and Latakia present and a modicum of pop from the quality Virginia base.

I contribute this four star review in hopes of pulling the average for this well deserved blend in the right direction. I recieved 2oz in a sample from Pipesandcigars.com, and I have a pound in the cellar for future enjoyment now. Mt. Marcy is very high in my rotation, and finds its way into my pipe twice or more each week. Mt. Marcy has the perfect light English/Oriental balance. There is no bite, perfect moisture and burning characteristics, and a wonderfull delicate assortment of flavors to explore. It is a bargain to boot. Another bullseye from my favorite tobacconist.

A couple of things stand out in this mixture, the fragrance of the Dubec and the texture of the blend.

The delightful aroma of the Tobacco greeted me even before I opened the bag. This has a musty, spicy and mysterious, delightful aroma which, to my way of thinking, is what a Balkan blend should smell like. Visions of Sherlock Holmes, 19th century political conspiracies and intrigue fill my mind.

The texture is a coarse cut of light and darker strands along with some larger chunks of dark weed. Toasted and dry to the touch this Tobac packs well in a larger bowl, lights easily and burns cleanly. The flavor is a wonderful mixture of tastes. The Orientals predominate but not to the exclusion of the other components which work their way into the prodigious smoke; there is a delicate sweetness provided by both the Turkish and VA leaves. This is a mild to medium blend which I can and do enjoy all day. 9 out of 10 stars.

First off let me say that this is not my typical choice of a blend. I do enjoy orientals from time to time and I also really enjoy latakia. I just don't usually prefer a oriental forward lat blend like this. Having said that. I found this blend really enjoyable. This blend has a smooth buttery texture that never even remotely tried to bite. Like I stated before it is a oriental forward blend. The orientals really stay at the forefront through the entire bowl. It burns to a decent ash and leaves a bit more moisture/dottle than other blends in this genre. I would recommend this blend although I will probably not purchase anymore. There are just too many tobaccos similar to this that are better.

I've been tagged a Venerator, as most of my reviews are 4 star. I don't bother usually unless they are either four or one. I leave the other more complex ratings to those who have more sensitivity than I.
That said, I agree that MtM is a true 4 star. Over the last ten years, I've had several iterations of it, and the new stuff is GREAT. Lights easily, even in a big bowl, and just punches through a whiff of all major components straight away.
First third is Va-Lat heavy, slightly pungent, wood-fire smoky.
Second third is more Va-Or forward, getting sweeter as it burns down
Bloom of flavor at end includes all of these both together & in sequence, never a hint of bite, smooth to the grey ash finish. Lovely stuff.

If you are searching a creamy, sweet, oriental forward Balkan blend, Mt. Marcy might be the answer. The latakia plays a major role here, but not in the lead. The mixed oriental leafs contribute the flavor mainly and dance in good balance with virginia and latakia.