Hearth & Home Sunjammer

This is called a "Scottish" blend (whatever that is) but to me it's a light Balkan, and part of a continuum created by Russ Oulette in the Heart & Home series- the half pound cans of which I can't leave alone since I discovered the brand.

Just to sidetrack a bit, I'd like to say that this is the first summer I've ever spent smoking Latakia throughout. Some months (maybe a year) ago, someone wrote an article about how Latakia is smokeable in the summer if one opened his mind. And while I did retire Mt. Marcy in the spring, I did keep up with Daybreak, and that led me to American Heritage, and eventually Sunjammer. It's been quite nice! This all came from my abandonment of total Lat bombs to begin with, and since then I've not looked back.

I've not had Dunhill's 965, so I cannot offer a comparison on that account. However, I do find this to be a sister to H&H Daybreak. But where Daybreak is grassier, lighter and burns quicker, Sunjammer is more substantial, with more deep notes to it. Much more suitable while I'm reading at night, Sunjammer burns longer, perhaps due to the Cavendish or more Virginia in the mix. The orientals are there, but maybe not quite as much as in Daybreak.

Perfect balance and no tongue bite either, this could be an all-day smoke for those so inclined. Four stars.

8/15- Let me try to clear something up; those reporting sourness on this blend are not sourpusses or poor sports. It's happened to to me as well, and my theory is that it happens to bowls near the end which have been relit and/or tamped. I have a faithful basket dublin that the blend went sour in the other night. I'm sticking to narrow bowls with this for a while- after all, there's Virginia in it. My Peterson Rocky Donegal Lovat 53 showed off this blend very nicely. Don't let the sour stories scare you off; this tobacco is good most of the time, but it might have its quirks.

I know that this one was made to emulate Dunhill's famous 965, but I think this blend really is stronger and more full bodied, too. I got the nutty, rich Latakia taste that I expected, but was pleasantly surprised at the strength of the blend and the lack of harshness, despite the fact that the tin I smoked was so fresh. I picked up several more tins to cellar and will certainly go back to Sunjammer in a couple of years. Great stuff!

Pipestud

I bought 4oz. in bulk. This is a great summer time blend, which was just what I was looking for.

I first tried this blend 4 years ago at the West Coast pipe show in las Vegas.. I liked it right from the first bowl. They say that it is. Along the lines of 965 and yes I would agree. For me it's a bit softer and easy to enjoy. Ash burns down to a nice fine powder with a grey and white color. I will be ordering more as I am running low on my supply . Highly recommended. Also the lady's seem to like it. Agree with it being a nice " Summer " blend. Way to go. Russ !

My tobacco tastes have been rather fickle over the years. I started out with "drugstore" aromatic and burley blends and smoked them for many years before discovering premium tobaccos via the internet. When this happened, English blends became my favorite, with Virginias and Va/Per blends running a close second. Then once again my tastes changed and I went back to burleys and aromatics, although I still smoked some Virginias and occasionally an English blend. Now Russ Ouellette has me back in the English camp, first with his Distinguished Penguin and now this. Sunjammer is one of the best tasting English blends I have ever experienced.

The main players in this blend are the Latakia and the Oriental tobaccos, with the Virginias in the background adding some sweetness to the smokey main flavors. The Orientals are most prevalent in the first 1/3 of the bowl before the Latakia takes center stage and stays there for the duration of the smoke. I smoked Sunjammer in my favorite English pipe, an S&R Dublin that is dedicated to English blends. I smoked several bowls before taking my notes in order to get rid of any "ghosts" that might be there from other tobaccos.

Sunjammer lights easily, but seems to take more than an average amount of relights during the smoke. Speaking of which, it makes prodigious clouds of fragrant smoke, which may mean it won't win you a lot of friends in the non-smoking camp. Latakia blends have a way of doing that.

All of the Hearth and Home tobaccos come in bulk, which means you can stock up without taking out a second mortgage. Just get some Mason jars and cellar some of this, that is if you can keep from smoking it all up first.

Now for Sunjammer's scores; Flavor- 18 out of 20 points, Lighting and burn rate- 7 points, Value- 8 out of 10 points. That adds up to 33 points and a solid **** rating for Sunjammer.

This is simply a delicious blend. It's got a spiciness that you notice at first puff, and it stays with you for the entire bowl. It's well-balanced with no rough edges. It really shines at a slightly hotter temperature than a light sip would give you, but it lost its complexity when the bowl got really hot. That feature is kind of perfect because I found it hard to put this blend down.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable blend. This is easily near the top of my re-up list as I get through Russ's catalog.

Nicotine is there and it comes in near the bottom of the bowl. The intensity of the nic-hit is slightly below what you'd think for the strength of the flavor profile.

This blend did not impress me at first. A restrained English blend with medium flavor. Therefore I put it in the back row of my cabinet and just forgot about it. About 1-2 months I revisited it, I was amazed! It became smooth and rich, without harshness or any bite. I can relate to that some reviews compared it with MM965. As a mild to medium, sweet English blend, this will be my No. 1 choice!

This is one of my go-to blends. It is a great medium strength English blend many have compared to Dunhill's 965. To my taste its like 965 with the extra ounce of latakia dropped in, as the latakia is much more pronounced. I keep a minimum of a pound of this in my cellar at all times.

This blend didn't bowl me over, smoking it the first time didn't create a sensual experience akin to good sex but.....after several bowls I do think that it is mild enough to smoke all day yet tasty, flavorful enough to be enjoyed while smoking it all day.

A bit milder then most of my 'regular' tobacco's which tend to be heavy in latakia and/or Perique, and which also require me to spend longer between bowls this is a keeper which I will add to my supply of everyday smokes.

The latakia is there but not dominent. There is a touch of sweetness but not the sickly sweet, just pleasant. The aroma didn't chase any of my friends away which some of my favorites do so I'm guessing it isn't bad (I can't smell what I'm smoking like I could if someone else was smoking it).