pipesandcigars.com Scotty's Trout Stream

Full marks for a velvety soft, flavourful smoke with a pleasant room note! The polar opposite of bite! I agree with other reviewers - this one is super easy to smoke. It burns by itself. This mainly Burley tobacco (with a little Virginia and Black Cavendish added to keep things interesting) is mild but quite tasty - not bland like so many Black Cavendish aromtics.

Both the pouch smell and room note are that of butterscotch. Most non-smokers like it, although I can understand how one reviewer's lady friend could describe it as stale. Butterscotch, by its very nature, provides a warm, almost stuffy aroma unlike the freshness offered by certain vanilla tobaccos, for example Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream and Dan's Blue Note. Nevertheless, in my experience most non-smokers enjoy the room note.

I usually run from aromatics, but I try to keep at least one at home for using when smoking in public or even to satisfy my mid-afternoon want of sweet, sometimes.

So I decided to give this blend a try and the only thing I can say is that it made me have hope again in aromatics. They can give really something more than compliments from other people. They can really give you a deep smoking pleasure (I´m refering only to this blend, or others of this level, if there are any).

I usually don´t tolerate smoking more than two or three bowls of even nice aromatic mixtures in a month, but this one invites me to smoke almost one after another.

Someone complained below that this was difficult to smoke. Not at all. Of all the bowls I´ve smoked, only one relight was needed almost at the bottom. And no dottle produced, by the way. The appearance of the mixture reminded me of Vanilla Cream, which made my tongue remember (and fear) the Mac Barren curse. But no... there was no tongue biting at all.

A nice aromatic with a caramel-butterscotch-maple essence. Initially it comes a little moist for long term storage by the purchaser. It benefits from some air drying (you can leave it for a few good hours since there is a token amount of PG). This is a socially appropriate blend that will reward you with a core tobacco flavour-- thus it not only smells great to others, but satisfies the smoker. The tobacco flavour comes through only when you hit the zone. I smoke this in a lovely fully bent Butz-Choquin, and surprisingly, the bowl is left dry at the end with scarecely a plug of dottle. It burns on its own and offers a good volume of smoke. I rate the strength an HPH 1.5 to 2.0.

If you like aromatics, and enjoy both saucing and tobacco flavour , try a few ounces. You won't be disappointed. I'd be willing to bet that some of you might get away with smoking it gliding through the house if your family enjoys lovely aromas and those comfort essences such as fresh-brewed coffee, muffins baking and a wood-burning fireplace.



Update 02/08/08 After a hiatus from Trout Stream, I must say that this blend is worthy of us pipesmokers smoking more and more in public and amongst family or friends to endear those of the modern intolerant age to the sensory pleasures of lovely aromatic pipe tobacco. The smoker is never left unsatisfied, but bystanders are also intrigued by the lovely aroma. Cool smoking, no dottle and self-burning; what this blend lacks in high-nicotine is made up for by full mouthfeel and a latent genuine tobacco flavour for the piper emerging by progressing though the bowl. Please get some and validate the esoteric art and pleasure of pipe smoking for future generations of mankind. It is my belief that tobacco may not be legal forever, and blends like these may yet demonstrate that some forms of tobacco are indeed benign. To put it in perspective, I am a great fan of VA, VAPer and English blends, yet I love this.

This tobacco is the best aromatic I've ever smoked. It is absolutely delicious. Unlike other aromatic blends this one tastes consistent throughout the bowl. That means one thing folks, quality leaf used in this blend, not the garbage used in most aromatics. TOP NOTCH!

I didn't realize that I was such a big fan of butterscotch until trying Trout Stream.

This is a very mild tasting cavendish blend with a fairly strong casing. It's simply delicious.

Although it burns relatively cool for an aromatic, my Kirsten traps quite a bit of moisture from this blend.

A strong candidate as an all day smoke for the aromatic lover and another winner from the folks at Habana Premium.

Truly the Holy Grail of tobacco. Smoked well right out of the bag, great flavour, cool burn and welcoming room note. The butterscotch aroma in the bag is almost sickeningly sweet which belies it's pleasureful tobacco taste in the pipe. A 'non-goopy' aromatic. Truly a mouthwatering delight; I'm anxiously awaiting my next bowl.

This is a great smoke. It smells great in the pouch, stays lit and does not have any real bite to it. Although it is mild, the smoke has a full body and is very satisfying. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys good tobacco. You will enjoy this.

Incredibly high-quality aromatic---no goop, no bite, just tons of lovely, light flavor that still tastes like tobacco and smokes uncharacteristically well for an aromatic (much fewer relights required than a 'standard' aromatic). The Mrs. even lets me smoke this one inside she likes it so much. I have a newfound respect for aromatics thanks to the brilliant blenders at Habana Premium/pipesandcigars.com.

Well I stopped into Habana Premium and asked for a light aromatic with caramel or butterscotch. This is what Russ recommended, so I bought 4 oz. I had to smoke more than other tobaccos, before I felt I could write a review...I just wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

Aroma & Appearance: The pouch aroma is one of the best I have ever smelled, copious amounts of very pleasant caramel or butterscotch aroma. It appears to be mostly golden ribbon cut with some black cavendish sprinkled about.

Pack & Burn: Trout Stream does not pack as well as other tobaccos I have smoked and it needs some more relighting than others, not enough to make it annoying, but just enough to make it noticeable. Considering that this is a aromatic, it burns relatively cool and dry. Does benefit from drying out.

Taste & Room Note: This is a mild aromatic blend with, what I find to be, the perfect amount of casing...enough to taste without overwhelming. I did not steam my tongue or receive any bite. There seemed to be a little bit of zest underlying it all...just peeking in and out throughout the bowl. The aroma got many comments for passing pedestrians.

Conclusion: If you like English blends, you will hate this. If you like aromatics, this might be your next favorite. I will buy this from time to time as a change, whether or not this receives a place in my regular rotation has yet to be seen. Good aromatic smell and taste, but I think its burning qualities will be its least liked feature.

I will have to say that I find myself smoking this more and more, especially in the morning. It is something that I will be buying again. The flavor of caramel/butterscotch is really comming through nicely and I am having fewer and fewer problems with relightings. Just take your time to dry it out well and take your time to pack the pipe properly.