Hearth & Home Distinguished Penguin

Hunter's "Wood shavings, or oatmeal and raisins" is right, that's exactly how this tobacco looks. Mine was fairly dry (bought in bulk) so only 10-15 minutes spread out on a plate was required to get it where I wanted it. I put it in an MM Washington. It bit immediately, and kept biting and biting and biting, but that's because I tend to smoke too fast and too hot. I toned myself down to very small sips from the stem. The tobacco smoothed down instantly into an experience of natural peanut butter, walnuts, and molasses with small busrts of "neighbors burning fall leaves" tartness. (You may be shouting at the monitor, "Idiot, that's how you're supposed to smoke all of them!" No doubt true, but then this is the tobacco that taught me and so I record my gratitude here). Whether sipping slow or sipping fast, there was no more bite. This was one of the most comfortable smokes I've had.

In an ideal world, this would be available in every drug store in 14 ounce honest-to-gosh tins for five bucks under a brand name like "Hunting Dog" or "Chatauqua." This tobacco is mild, flavorful, and, well, distinguished. But it's also simple and easy to appreciate. The barber shop I use has a cast iron stove and a burlap bag full of peanuts to accompany the conversation; this tobacco fits with that image. Like everyone else, I enjoy being "blown away" by amazing, fantastic flavors and star-spangled smoking experiences. But I don't want that every time I smoke a pipe. Sometimes (most of the time) I want something that's entertaining but happily takes a back seat to whatever else I'm doing, like reading or working on a hobby. For that, this tobacco is perfect.

You know, this is just an easy fun smoke, if that makes any sense........ It can be a bit of a challenge to pack, as it is a bit confetti-like, but once lit it requires little fiddling and burns nicely. Every bowl has burned clean with virtually no dottle. The taste can be a bit tangy, the tiny bit of latakia lends a different note.....it just works. Frankly I didn't have very high expectations for this blend but have to admit I really enjoy this. It would make a good noob's blend as it takes some effort to get it to bite even a little. It tends to burn a bit quickly, so it works well for a quick smoke......put it in a pug or something similar and you have a superb 15 minute smoke break. It's wierd, it's hard to define and the description sounds like Russ mixed it from leftovers but it just plain works. Don't expect some amazingly complex smoke......just a nice and easy tasty smoke.

A friend of mine raved about this tobacco so I had to try it. When I open my package and saw this baggie I thought to myself 'what the hell, they sent me some wood shavings'. When I opened the bag I thought for sure I was right and this was some kind of a joke. The stuff was so dry I was hesitant to light it up inside for fear of starting a fire in the house.

Well, sophistication is not something people associate with me. I either like something or I don't and I can't tell you that I think the smoke flavor of the camel dung mixes superbly with the delicate cow patty - hell I don't know all that intellectual stuff.

This surprised the hell out of me. I like it. A bowl smokes pretty fast, and while there is a tingle of a bite, it isn't a real bite as it disappears after about a third of the bowl. There is sweetness and some kind of different flavor from most tobacco's I've smoked. Like I say, all I know is I like it and will keep it around for at least a bowl or two a week.

Update: I am uping this to a four star...I have placed two orders of this stuff since the review...I love it!

Ah the Distinguished Penguin and distinguished it is! Upon opening my baggy full of this stuff I noticed it bore a slight resemblance to the tiny wood chip bedding you might use for a pet hamster and upon sifting it I also found it to be a lot like fish flake food. Very interesting first impression, very distinguished.

The penguin, fortunately, bears none of the above qualities while smoking. The bird has a slightly complex smoking pleasure to it and gets better as the bowl burns on. Depending on how you puff this weed the VA and Lat can come out nicely and the Cavy takes the back seat for a background note...like a gentleman.

Combined with the look, feel, and smoke I rather enjoyed a bowl or two of this. I just might keep some of this around...hum.

This is an interesting tobacco because the flavor reveals itself in stages, or I guess some would call it complexity. Upon lighting, a medium Latakia flavor presents itself, a nice creamy smokey flavor that tickles your taste buds. About the time you have settled in to enjoy this sojourn, a sweetness from the Virginias and the Black Cavendish takes center stage, another delightful diversion for your palate. This lasts for a few minutes, then gradually the Latakia note comes back, combining with the flavors of the Va and Cavendish to form a lovely creamy sweetness that lasts for the rest of the bowl. As the other posters have noted, this is an easy packing, lighting, and burning tobacco. The only possible negative is that Pipes and Cigars has had to increase prices on their premium blends in the last couple of weeks due to increases in their own costs. Still, a tobacco this good is a value even at a premium price. Distinguished Penguin is an outstanding blend that all English smokers should try. Scores: flavor-18 out of 20, lighting, packing, and burn-9 of 10, value-8 of 10, total score-35 of 40 and a high recommendation of four stars.

Silky smoke on your tongue, velvety in texture... just like that and it stays with you. That & spicy and sweet, kind of like La' Red but more "present". The way I described Red as BBQ, very similar, but not as much a Turmeric flavor, more the Smokey Molasses flavor (not in a cased way at all, but in the way the natural tobaccos present themselves subtly, they bloom on your palette). There is a wonderful ?clean? nature to the smoke and it is the easiest pack and light I have ever experienced, not that it is an issue, just a plus. No maintenance to worry about bite that I have found, though I have found a world of difference when I slow it down and sip this, a whole different complexity from it opens-up. The coolest looking tobacco I have ever seen, like tiny checkerboard squares. Mainly the Penguin is delicious, unique, inexpensive and just an all-around great smoke.

I will bet a dime on a dollar this is very different for each smoker. It does not leave an aftertaste the way many of the more strongly accented regional tobaccos do, but it definitely has a "memory" in the nose that is beautiful and, at least for me, relaxing, thought provoking, and somewhat distracting in the best sense of the word.

I can only imagine how heavenly the room note on this must be & I don't care that it does have Latakia in it. I will write an honest review later, I hope you don't mind this rant; it is just my free-access impression after my first few months? smokes. There is no structure to it other than how I feel about it as someone who lives through their palette. Namaste?

Not an aromatic and nothing like any known Capt. Black, unless their new version has Virginia tang and Latakia's smokiness. A very different blend, and I mean different in a good way.

Bone dry when received. flaky as described, larger than fish food more like a cereal flake. As a matter of fact the blend looked like some granola, oat flake with bits of dark dried fruit and kind of smelled the same!

First time I was to ty it I made a mistake and hydrated it with towel over bowel method. Bad idea; leave it as it comes. Packing was like packing springs. Tamp down and it springs back. Tamp again, boing!

When lit it thrashes around, swells and seems to come alive. Tamp then relight then tamp again. Then you get the flavors that lie within. Smokey background hints at the Latakia, but never does it bull through and come to the front of this stage. I sip, I pull hard and each changes the flavors presented. A tingle or spice, sweetness but not a lot of nicotine or tongue bite here.

I like it! I could smoke it all day! It burns almost to nothing and begs for a refill ....

Beware, for this Penguin threatens to addict and bind you! 😉

After trying a plethora of Scottish Blends/Mixtures/Flakes on the market, I found Nirvana in this Hearth & Home offering by Russ Ouellette. This mixture of Carolina and Virginia flake-cut, stoved Virginia, a light amount of Latakia, and a bit of unflavored toasted Black Cavendish, has a unique cut that looks and feels more like fish food than tobacco. However, it has a wonderful in bag aroma. It comes dry and packing is easy, pretty much a gravity feed into the bowl. Lights easy, burns cool, clean and dry into the fluffiest white ash I've ever seen. The flavor is silky smooth and creamy, smoky and sweet. This is one very fine smoke that is well behaved with lots of character.