Hearth & Home Namasté

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.

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!