Sutliff Tobacco Company Voodoo Queen #523

I've been smoking a pipe since 1972 - cut my teeth on English blends like Balkan Sobranie (white), Rattrays Black Mallory, Tinder Box Epicurean, Dunhill Standard Mixture, Nightcap, etc.. so over the years I think I've smoked 2/3 of the English style blends on the market. Never been a big fan of any Sutliff blends until now. One of the web stores had Sutliff on sale and I was wanting a break from Old Joe Krantz Red so I picked up a 2 oz package of Voodoo Queen. Man oh man - I instantly feel in love with this stuff.

First time to smoke was outside - upon lighting I discerned the grassy figgy taste of the virginia and of course the latakia - that wonderful sweet smoky flavor - the essence of English blends Then about halfway into the bowl the sharp, bitter, nutty taste of the burley and spiciness of the perique appeared - suddenly there was this really chocolate taste with a bit of spice and it combined with the smoky latakia for a truly wonderful smell and taste - exquisite. Couldn't really pick out the mocha until the last third of the bowl. The virginia had faded into the back ground and now it was just the bitter nuttiness of the burley, the spice of the perique, the incense like smell of the latakia and an overarching taste of chocolate and black coffee. I could hardly contain myself - this was just fantastic.

Second time to try Voodo Queen I was indoors - the characteristics were much the same but the chocolate smell & taste appeared earlier in the bowl and was more discernable.

This is a very complex blend and goes through many iterations in the smoking process that is worth paying attention to. Equally fantastic on the patio or in the den.

It burned cool (I'm naturally a sipper) - no bite whatsoever, required a few relights (once again because I'm a sipper), burned to the bottom of the bowl. Didn't really notice any nic hit but considering I've been smoking OJK Red lately, no surprise there.

Certainly could be an all day smoke, however, I reserve my smoking to after diner only - when I'm relaxing and pondering the day's events or perhaps tomorrow's. Would also be an excellent smoke to enjoy while reading.

Very light on the Latakia, my proper englishman has a much smokier latakia mix.

Really love this blend though, so far its my favorite out of very limited experience.

I must say that I did not expect this out of an Altadis blend. I opened the pouch and smelled what can be best compared to spicy gumbo. There was a notable amount of spice with a mellow undercurrent of earthy tones. It took a few tries to light this tobacco before it would give me a good burn. Ir started out mild with mostly earth and subtle coffee notes coming out. It soon graduated to a profile of chili powder and lime that you could tell was just starting to get comfortable. As this was beginning to remind me of Mexican food, the lime notes receded to a backup role and the chili pepper took control. This pipe tobacco covered my mouth with the spicy zing of Cajun food to the point that I needed a glass of water. Its intensity continued to increase until it abruptly dropped off at the end. Until the last puff of smoke had escaped my pipe, I sat at the edge of my seat waiting to see what would come next. This blend did not come out with the intention of pleasing everyone. I'm sure there are many who will not appreciate the bold, spicy character.

Whenever I'm in New Orleans I always make a point to drop in on Armando Ortiz's Crescent City Cigar Shop on Orleans Ave. in the French Quarter (directly behind St. Louis Cathedral). He has a good supply of pipe tobacco as well as cigars, and you're always welcome to sit and smoke. Along with several other tobaccos I picked up I had to get a couple of ounces of Voodoo Queen.

The jar note did say (though faintly) English, but I don't think this tobacco tastes or smells English at all. I would consider it a natural aromatic. There does seem to be a light flavoring but the taste and aroma are all natural. The initial taste as I blow it out of my mouth is a mildly sweet cream, but that dissolves into a spicy sweet followed by a tanginess. I know everyone else says it's a one-note tobacco but this is what I experience when I smoke it. The sweetnesses to it are all tobacco, not something added on top. At least it tastes that way to me. The after taste reminds me of what I get after drinking strong coffee with cream and sugar. The aroma is quite nice also, but if someone is a tobacco hater they won't like it.

Beware; it IS for sipping and will bite if you try to guzzle it.

Pack it loosely and you shouldn't have any trouble keeping it lit.

The Virginias seem to carry the flavor more than the other tobaccos, though they do make their presence known, and do add to the overall positive effect I get from smoking this blend.

Some people have said that the differing review you see on Altadis blends is proof of their inconsistency. I don't think this is the case. I've found them to be quite consistent whenever I get the same blend of theirs from different sources. I think the differing reviews are an indication that different people have different tastes and life different things. You will, after all, find differing reviews on every tobacco on this site that has accumulated any number of reviews. If we all filled our bowls from the very same jar I think we'd find just as much diversity in our reactions.

It took a while for me to encounter the Voodoo Queen. I had read about it on the Altadis website and was intrigued by the description: mocha slices, latakia, and perique, in an English Blend. Hmmmm. I like aromatics, and am also a big fan of those smoky latakia blends. Toss in a bit of spicy perique and....well, I went to search for the Voodoo Queen. It wasn't easy to find. I had to eventually go to Altadis, they very nicely sent me out a sample of it, and two other favorites of mine I had mentioned to them, Count Pulaski and H.Gray R.C.A.F. They also sent along a list of tobacconists who had purchased Voodoo Queen. I found mine while on a trip to Gatlinburg. It had been renamed "Royal English" by the shop, which I found troublesome to what Altadis was trying to depict with the Voodoo Queen name and component blend.

On opening the bag one finds a ribbon cut mixture of golds, reds, and browns, some as single ribbons, others as compressed thick slices (similar to Penzance but pressed ribbons instead of flakes) which I typically break apart before loading my pipe. There are also the sooty black ribbons and flakes of latakia and perique. To my nose it is a pleasant aroma of the mocha and smokiness of the latakia which predominate the pouch. Neither overwhelms. At the match, the mixture lights easily with a fairly tight packing. Too loose and the ribbon cut won't hold a fire. The burley and virgina emerge first with a sweet nutty note, sometimes as a green tea taste. It isn't long however that the latakia begins to express itself in typical smooth smoky tones, and spicy perique awakens the Voodoo Queen herself. As one might expect from a blend so named, perique is a healthy proportion in this blend and the push-pull of the smooth latakia and the spice of the perique becomes an interesting plot twist. Add to that the coffee overtones of the mocha slices of burley and virginia tobaccoes to bring it all together and the result is a fine blend. I find myself loading it into a pipe with increasing frequency. Burns down to a gray-white ash. I haven't sensed any carryover when switching blends in the same pipe...ie, no residual. Doesn't bite , even when smoked a bit quickly (but smoke it slowly and enjoy the nuances)...don't confuse the perique spice with tongue bite. Recommended for perique freaks and those who like latakia laced English blends.

I'm trying to articulate what this tastes like but I'm at loss for words, I'll try my best though.

Tin Note: You know how "balkan" blends smell a certain way? or how "acadian" or "VaPer" blends also smell a certain way. Well this blend smells it's own way. It's not a combination or amalgamation of different Tobaccos that you can discern, rather they all combine to form something new and different entirely. It does not have that leathery latakia smell that many english and balkan blends have, nor does it smell hayish or grassy from the virginias. Closest thing might be if you were in the middle of a swamp and there was a dead tree, if you peeled the bark right off and smelled the bark.

Taste: Terms like "woody" and "earthy" don't mean much to me, but for lack of better words I'll use them. It smells as if there's a touch of mint (not menthol) in the smoke. This sweet-tree bark smell permeates the smoke, almost like sassafras bark. The perique is there and causes a non-burnning white-pepper taste; retroinhale doesn't burn and no notes of pepper there. Although the perique is very heavy it somehow is not overwhelming. As you go more down and down the bowl the perique becomes more peppery.

There's a certain uniqueness to this english blend that I have not experienced any where else. It's full bodies, rounded, has many many flavours to explore (and is an extremely complex smoke).

This goes in my top 5 blends of all time. No I am not joking. HIGHLY recommend.

This tobacco is dryer than most, so you won't have to take any steps to prepare it. It's not for everyone because of the liberal amount of Perique in the blend. It's is one spicy smoke. A smoky, chocolate flavor is barely present in the background gives it it's unique flavor. It's a decent smoke that pairs well with a cup of coffee. I will.order it again when this pound is finished.

Great for an English, you can taste the mocha and its very woodsy like. Reminds me of camping. Burns nice with very low moisture not wet at all. If you like perique then I highly recommend it.

Best way to describe it is a spicy mocha. More spice than mocha but on the after taste you’ll get that deep chocolate flavour. Very good blend. Don’t mistake Sutliff for being the king of aromatics ONLY, they definitely have tricks up there sleeves, THIS being one. Easy to light, burns all the way down, but can burn a little hot. Could be the nature of the slices and it’s out of the bag dryness. Not a problem though