Sutliff Tobacco Company Voodoo Queen #523

A complex broken flake, ala latakia. Has a slight topping, plenty of smokey latakia, and never a dull moment. Reminds me a lot of dan tobacco's old ironsides. I bought this on a whim from tinderbox, as it looked and smelled "out of the box" in a big glass jar on the top shelf.

Was worth the buy, as this is one creamy latakia bomb. The room note is its only weak point; it is aweful. An outside only smoke for sure.

Topped with some sugar or molasses. If you blow a puff into an enclosure then step in, you can smell a tinge of caramel.

This is one of my 'go-to' blends. It hits the right notes for my daily dose of shag. The Virginias and Burley are the key players, but you know there's some Perique and Latakia leaf in there. Sutliff calls it an English blend, but I'd lean more toward an English/American Hybrid. At it's price point, it's hard to pass up on this honest tobacco.

Unique would be the best descriptor I could use for this tobacco.

You cannot ignore the Perique, yet it's not what keeps me coming back. The thing I love about these Voodoo Queen is the subtle use of the smokey Latikia.(Stick with me here.) It taste like you're standing upwind of a morning campfire on a misty morning. You can smell the smoke and feel the warmth of this tobacco. You can almost taste the hot chocolate or coffee from the kettle. I mean I take one whiff of this and I instantly start to unwind and think of days spent on river banks or under a canopy of evergreens.

The room note has me torn. It definitely hangs around and is noticeably. BUT IT SMELLS LIKE A MORNING CAMPFIRE. I just can't imaging anybody that is into pipe smoking enough to be on this site would mind that one bit.

I read some of the reviews on this and finally had to break down and order it. I really enjoy this tobacco, it is the essense of why I like to smoke a pipe. A real tobacco taste with some complexity, I think of it as in the same class as Midnight Ride. It has a musty smokey latakia sweet thing going on that makes it such a pleasure from start to finish as the bowl is smoked. The slight trace of perique was a nice touch also. It has cheered me up from some bleak winter blues. My only complaint was not being able to find it locally and having to pay shipping on it.

So far, I've smoked 10 pounds of Voodoo Queen #523 over the past few months. Yes, this has become my daily pipe tobacco. Soon, I will order another 5 pounds of this tobacco. Did I mention, I like this tobacco? No bite, no moisture at the bottom of the bowl, and it smokes cool without any tongue bite.

The tin note has a lot of Latakia smokiness, as well as some barnyard funk.

The tobacco flavors coming through give woody, slightly earthy flavors with some floral notes (heather). The Cyprian Latakia shines nicely.

On top of that you have some black pepper, dark chocolate, coffee notes, courtesy of the perique and mocha slices.

The broken flakes make the experience varied from bowl to bowl, and even during a single bowl you might get different flavors at different times (specifically the peppery Perique comes and goes in waves). It might also burn a bit unevenly, but with some readjusting while tamping and relighting, it will burn nicely.

Overall, a nice and full flavor profile, with some body to it; richly textured smoke, and an aftertaste that lingers a bit -- and that's a good thing in this case.

I strongly recommend this to people who like English or Scottish blends that are not too one-dimensional. A great evening smoke.

Saw so many reviews I had to try this. Bought 4oz. for a test and am well pleased. The exotic name does not match this baccy for me, too much of a neutral Balkan flavor.

Good: No sticks, just the right moisture as delivered, packs well, lots of nice Balkan flavor, smokes cool, no sign of a bite, goes to the bottom with no defying strength increase or gurgles, no real need for relights once it gets going, no bad after odors or taste left in pipe.

Bad: Just a little too coarse cut - needs a little extra rubbing to get it down to size (Use pipestud's method with a blender). Probably too much sugar - keeps getting crusty around the side of the bowl and needs constant attention with the tamper/scraper. Although the room note is nice for me, the wife can't stand it (as with all Balkan and English blends).

This is definitely a keeper and I will be ordering more. Reminds me a lot of Larry's blend, Our Best Blend and Margate.

Nice, well rounded tobacco with a pleasant room note. Mine had some larger pieces that needed some breaking up, but the bulk price can't be beat. Four stars.

I got a 2 oz bag of this as a gift and now that I am reaching the last few bowls I have left I have to say that this has really grown on me. I only smoke in the mornings on my days off from work and this has been my go to smoke....great with coffee!

The mocha isn't really noticeable but might peek through once or twice during the bowl.

really good stuff, I will get more!