Hearth & Home Namasté

I can't believe that this weed has not received more attention. There is some serious blending going on here!

Namaste (pronounced "nah-MAS-tay") is the Hindu greeting spoken as one places palms together near the heart and gently bows the head; it can also be used as a gesture to symbolize the bringing together of spirit (right hand) and self or the lower order (the left hand). It is a perfect name for this balanced but complex smoke.

This is comparable to Gordon Pym, both of which use air-cured virginia, latakia, and orientals in a ribbon cut. Namaste is a smidge softer, burning quicker with fewer (no) re-lights.

smoke density (body): 3/5 -- smoke volume: 3/5 -- nicotine strength: 2/5 -- flavor depth: 5/5 -- flavor sweet: 2/5 -- flavor fruity: 1/5 -- flavor flowery: 0/5 -- flavor smokey: 4/5 -- flavor musty: 3/5 -- flavor nutty: 1/5 -- flavor peaty: 3/5 -- flavor tangy: 3/5 -- flavor spicey: 1/5 -- bite: 1/5 -- room aroma: musty-tangy -- mositure: perfect (sl. dry) -- packing: fine -- lighting: no-relights -- DGT: not yet tried (can't put it down)

Namaste' to you.

I've had this is mason jars in my cellar for a bit- decided to skip my morning ritual of Autumn Evening or EMP (yes- opposites of the spectrum)- and grabbed a bowl of this instead.

This is fantastic- I do not understand the naysayers on this one.

It's delicious, gentlemanly, and elegant with that amber/musky aroma that one can find smoking EMP in a nice briar. Smoke it slow and steady- savor the smoke and the red Virginias mix in a nuanced and elegant dance with the oroentals.

This is not a powerhouse smoke- it's not meant to be. I'm an EMP fan and this is in that vein, scaled back by a few chords.

EMP packs a big a heady punch, betraying its utility as an example early morning smoke- but this certainly fits that bill nicely.

Suprisingly a blend from H&H that I really did not care for, appeared rather flat in taste, and seemed after smoking this I had cotton mouth. Duuno.

I recently inventoried my tobacco cabinet and came across a small jar of H&H Namaste that I had cellared back in 2008. It was fairly dry so I hydrated it with some distilled water but decided to smoke a bowl of it as is.

The predominant flavor was that of the spicy orientals. There was also a bit of soapiness; not like a Lakeland tobacco, more like Ivory soap. The Latakia was barely noticeable and I did not taste the Virginias at all.

The orientals (and the mild soapiness) dominated for the first half of the smoke. After that, there was very little flavor. Most disappointing. The tobacco also burned rather hot, probably because of how dry it was.

I'll try it again after the moisture content is corrected and amend this review if this makes a difference.

Hmmm...I'm not sure if there's a quality control issue, or if I have an older sample (it was gifted to me), but I'm going to write the first positive review of this tobacco in 4 years.

The smell is nice and woodsy, the pack and light are easy, and the flavor is divine and deeply woven. The Virginias are bright and right up front where they should be until about the second third of the bowl, when the smokiness of the Latakia comes out to play. There's a bit of Vitamin N here, but nothing that will make you dizzy. If anything, my one complaint is that it's too mild; however, that means there's no bite either, so maybe that's not all bad.

This is a great, light, very enjoyable smoke.

This is not Russ' best by a long shot. Something not right about this blend. The latakia takes center stage but isn't overly powerful. In fact, this is a very cool smoking blend that lacks any real flavor that I can discern. Smoking it in a meerschaum further muted any excitement this tobacco might have to offer. And unfortunately, it bit my tongue as I struggled to extract flavor from it.

I've smoked several of Russ' other blends and have been very pleased and very much in awe of his expertise. Either he or I badly missed the boat on this one. Recommended for those who like a mild, cool blend and enjoy the taste of latakia, but who don't want to be overpowered by bursts of flavor.

Namaste is the greeting of the spirit and the recognition of the holiness in others. It's the embodiment of an entire philosophy, millenia in age and vast in scope.

Namaste tobacco, on the other hand, is a hot, peppery blast of pencil shavings and plastic chips that offends every sense and blasphemes the entire concept of enjoyable smoking. Novocaine is a better term for it, since it WILL numb your tongue after biting it severely.

I got this bulk after paying a considerable amount in both shipping and duty and so I was eager to dive in and do this right. I got a thick-walled bent and packed carefully. This tobacco is perfectly dried and packs well. It lights like a dream and smokes like the ether surrounding the stars...but then that is when the nightmarish snorting of the Latakia Hellhorse overtook me.

The best way to describe this blend without all the above exaggeration is "Borkum Riff without the flavor." It appears to be some sort of golden and dark blend of finely-cut ribbons, but it smokes like old, shredded cigarettes and whatever could be swept off the floor. Dumped all over the top is a spiky, sharp, shredding Latakia that overpowers all else and immediately begins attacking the back of the throat and the tongue. Were it not for the valiant efforts of the 9mm charcoal filter I had between me and this fell beast, I would have surely not survived to write this review. Although it smokes cool, you would not know by the brimstone-like blasts of hot, acrid pepper that sting your senses. It has one note to it, a nails-on-a-chalkboard Latakia punch to the mouth. I got about halfway down the bowl, sipping the smoke and praying for it to get better, but then I could take no more. The brave filter faltered and I spared it the misery of contending with 15 more minutes of this awful blend. I ran home to brush my numb tongue, used mouthwashes and whatever else I could think of to get the taste out. I also administered emergency care to my poor pipe. It's in the kosher salt and spirits critical care unit in serious condition.

This tobacco wants to be full, rich and complex like British Woods, but it falls WAY short of the mark. I have 4 ounces of it and I can't bring myself to pollute the earth by throwing it away so I will just hold it until I can find someone who revels in smoking paint chips and rubber tire shreds. I love English blends and I also like Latakia as a flavor and a top note among robust Virginia bases....but this was too much for me.

God Help Us All If This Cannot Be Stopped.

DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMENDED!

It is like nothing I have ever had before; sweet, citrus, perfectly spicy, nice and smoky (thank the gods for Latakia)... just awesome, a regular smoke if there ever was one... Larry's has a brother for when I want somethin' not so powerful. If I was honored before, and I am... there are no words for how I feel now having this delicious stuff in my honor. This blend is a real favorite. The more I smoke it the more I am enamored of how the early bowl is an interplay of the oriental and citrus flavors and then the mid-bowl to later the smoky nature of the Latakia takes a role; smoothly transitioning, while the other flavors don't take a back-seat, just a different style of the dance of the flavors and smoke. It is a real enigma, in the best way, acting like a VA in the sweet citrus & tangy notes through the bowl, yet you still get a full-flavored smoke that gives you all the hearty/spicy satisfaction of a Balkan? all this without feeling any dichotomy at any moment. It fits perfectly, meant to be that way, I never questioned it. Something that is my favorite part of the nature of Hearth and Home blends, they evolve without completely changing into something else... masterful and beautiful? never just a one-dimensional smoke, an experience for your palette. Larry?s Blend has a little brother that is slowly supplanting it? not a bad thing. Russ is a genius, but you knew that. Namaste? Robert

To me this tastes like a more subdued, milder Morley's Best. I like the cut of this tobacco better than MB but the flavor is more in the background.

Hard to believe I am the first to review this blend but here goes nothing. I really like this blend, it was very easy to pack, light and keep lit. The smoke was very pleasant and never got hot for this newbie smoker so tongue bite was not an issue. I will leave it to the experienced smokers to expand on the review, but in my opinion everyone should pack a bowl of Namaste' and enjoy a very special smoke.