Sutliff Tobacco Company No.150 Mark Twain

Surprisingly balanced bulk blend.

I took a trip out to California and needed some toby (and matches damn you, TSA) while I was there. Took a chance on a fine smelling aromatic and was pleasantly surprised at how daggum danish this blend turned out to be.

I smoked it outside in the presence of non-smokers and all agreed that it smelled quite nice. Tasted nice too. Nothing exceptional but it would make a solid go-to aromatic.

Generally speaking I don't smoke many aromatics so I usually tend to go for lightly topped aromatics when in the mood. [Like Orlik Golden Sliced or MB Plumcake for example] Occasionally when I feel like something extra sweet or a blend for social situations, Mark Twain will do nicely.

Although I'm susceptible to tongue bite [One of the reasons why I tend to avoid aro's] I can smoke a few bowls of MT without any bite.

The caramel is at the front with a touch of vanilla in the background & even my unrefined palate detects some spice. It has a very pleasant taste & room note. Those around me enjoy the aroma. Mild to medium with low nicotine [which suits me nicely]

Aromatic lovers should really enjoy Mark Twain as is. For my tastes, I blend in around 25% Daughters & Ryan Windsail Virginia. Although MT is not at all goopy, it is a touch moist [so requires a little dry time] Windsail is quite dry so blending in 25% to MT balances the moisture level.

For my personal taste MT is at least a solid 3 stars. My preferences aside, it's easy to see why aromatic lovers would give MT 4 stars. So 3.5 stars from me.

Very pleasant pouch note. Sort of a bakery- confectionery smell which translates somewhat to the smoke.

I detect a slightly spicy (nutmeg, cinnamon?) caramel flavor along with a hint of vanilla. It reminded me of coconut toasted marshmallows. Slightly sweet, but not sickening. The tobaccos begin to peek out a little about halfway into the bowl while the flavor fades slightly, but doesn't completely go away. Nice amount of smoke. Very pleasant light to medium room note. A little airing out gave a better smoke.

I experienced an occasional little tingle to my tounge. A decent aromatic. 3 stars (B-)

Sutliffe No. 150 Mark Twain

I bought this on a 20% off sale on Sutliffe bulk from Pipes & Cigars. I am always looking for a replacement for my beloved but these days expensive Carter Hall. This might do, although the toppings are just a bit heavy handed. Just a bit. I'll be the fourth 3-star rating for this tobacco.

In the pouch the mix feels too moist to burn properly, and I aired this for 20 minutes at 34% relative room humidity and 72 degrees F./22.2 deg. C. Even after drying, this tobacco still seemed to be very moist, although it loaded into the pipe without fuss and caught fire easily. One charring light, one real light and a re-ignite about 2/3 down the bowl. I will dry this longer for my second bowl. Yes, this review was written on first impressions.

Bag note is scrumptuous, rich with bakery notes, sweet bread, nutmeg. cinnamon and even a wee hint of clove.

While the aromas don't translate 100% into taste in the mouth, the aromas are readily apparent with retrohaling, French inhaling and other smoke play. Mouth feel is a creamy, medium bodied affair. The room note wins friends, even among anti-tobacco activists. I find this best smoked in a filtered pipe, as it did smoke a bit wet for my liking. I'll be eager to see how this performs after being dried for an hour or so. I'll let you know.

Leaves a very pleasant room note, aftertaste, beard aroma...and just a bit of goopy sludge, especially if smoked too hard and fast. This won't bite, although my tongue is now a bit numb after the first bowl.

While this isn't in my top 10, nor is it in my short list of desert island tobaccos, it is a stellar offering from Sutliffe and well worth even the non-discounted bulk price. Recommended. 3 stars.

MT is somewhat wetter than most danish aros I'm used to, but it's a pretty good smoke with a superb baking dessert room note. The bag aroma is amazing as well. The smoke is creamy and bite free, and I pick up mostly flavors of vanilla, caramel, faint cinnamon, and touches of cocoa. There's a little gurgle but I haven't ever found the blend to burn hot or harsh. Overall, I find MT to be a nice change of pace blend with a holiday sort of feel and a delicious aroma that allows me to smoke indoors when it's freezing cold out.

Fret yourself no how on “Roughing It” in the wilds there, cousin. Rousing in that lonesome downriver stretch sounds a welcomed clammer. Tis the sweet song of those faithful paddlewheels loudly slapping that dark deep watered delta. Coming with a full head of steam, chance floats a determined riverboat loaded with a right proper Missourian-spirited dandy. So, fella pipers, don’t stand there gawking. Go fetch that best Huck Finn cob and get ready for the sweet promise of a titillating aromatic delight. That surely handsome steamer bears us a cargo load of Sutliff’s No. 150 Mark Twain fixing to hit the dock.

A dated recipe originally conceived by A&C Peterson with direct attention towards Mark Twain himself, this mild-medium Danish style blend is now crafted by the Sutliff Tobacco Company. Comprising a mixture of choice varietals that enfolds extensively processed Black Cavendish, assorted stock Burleys and a base component of Virginian leaf, this mix enters quite suitably encased with an alluring condiment of caramel, vanilla and miscellaneous embellishing spices. In themselves, the gathering of aptly applied dressings does serve to form the premier attraction of the blend standard taste profile as I soon perfectly discovered.

Opening the bulk pouch of this tobacco a cute aroma of creamy vanilla and regaled caramel took immediate notice of my senses. Gazing at the golden-brown and black speckled casting of coarsely cut chunks and meaty ribbon tobaccos, further confirmation of its contents was secured as a sugary nuttiness spiked with crisp aged grass further encouraged a disclosure of authority. Leaning more directly into this aroma, some lower soured tart and dark agitated woodiness lifted from the internals of its thick mass. From practical appearances, the optimally moist Mark Twain presented a preference to the contribution of the Burley and Cavendish as the recipe’s mainstay body. Striking the light upon my pipe, instantly a demonstration of warm buttery caramel prepared the original sketch of this mixture’s illustrative character. Its principal depiction graciously submitted as notably creamy and full of rich dark sugary scrumptiousness. Hugging closely to this leading buttered sweetness, I did record a soft supportive vanilla stream nudging through as it bundled with just a trace of diluted honey on the top wave of the forward registration.

Furthermore, with continued smoking, I came to suspect that a sweet cream-based additive might be hiding in the secret sauce of the unpublished coatings. And as these various elements combined in magnitude, the fused projection that followed was a familiar and agreeable accord at that. Namely, the rendering struck me as something very similar to the cloying delight of a crème brulee type dessert. Additionally, some lively seasoning garnishments were presented by the influential accents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and possibly all-spice as they performed a vital contextualizing effect.

The smoking trials revealed Mark Twain to be essentially a Burley forward endeavor as to the affluence of the constituent native strains. Although I must admit at time the weightiness of the Cavendish did stand up to fight toe to toe for an equaled footing. Nonetheless, with the Burley, the selections tended to center on a character patterned with a light brown sugared pecan nuttiness, while pulling in some tasty herbal wood undertones. It’s primary accenting was quite noteworthy with a strong molasses relishing and a node of gentle savory sourness. Regarding the cased Black Cavendish, the strain endowed sugary smokey earthiness, an interesting rich fertile dirt undertone, charred native wood, and little hints of captivating zest. While lying on the bottom, the Virginia supported the experience by markedly chambering itself with the passive shelving of bright, tangy, seasoned weathered grass, some minor bread notes, and a consoling touch of a diminutive floral quality. As smoked, these tobaccos staged to produce a meaningful plume of rich brown-gray vapors. Categorizing this production, I was a bit surprised by what I perceived to be a lighter medium bodied intensity. Chiefly, a very pleasant fragrance of cooked buttery caramel cream immixes with some brown sugar blissfulness. Moreover, the extent of additive spicing tendered with balancing concentration. Last, evidence of the native leaves showed modest notice with an offering of passive nutwood and roasted sweetgrass.

In response to the assessment of mechanical attributes, Mark Twain burned exceptionally well, in a nice cool, even cadence. What is more, I experienced no thankless harshness nor punitive bite with its presentation. The impact of nicotine leaves little for discussion as it was minimal in impact. One tick worth noting however, although the tobacco consumed beautifully on the whole, the blend did leave a considerable volume of pasted dottle at closure.

Peaceful and mellow to the core, Mark Twain entertained me with its gentle smokey savor as I found myself lost in sessions of easeful relaxed sipping. The celebration of its variable flavored streams solidly melded with delightful harmony and the cumulation of registerable taste held consistently for the entire bowl. In a word, in partaking this charming aromatic excursion, I fell into the pacified release of its good-natured company. That my friends, is what pipe smoking is supposed to be all about. And on that very point, I put my faith in the thought that Mark Twain would have personally endorsed this mixture, given his simple down to earth sensibility.

On a final thought, last week while in Florida, I found myself meandering across the sprawling beach of Clearwater taking in the wonders of the ancient seashore as I puffed away on a bowl of this featured mixture. You know given its settled age; it never ceases to amaze me how this physical thing of antiquity, manages to maintain an everchanging face that is seemingly excited by the endless sessions of rolling and changing tides. And as I watched the approaching break moving closer and closer to my feet, glistening off the gem-like fragments of lonely shells embedded within the confines of the restricting sand, a related thought did occur to me.

It is on rare occasion that one finds precious pearls lying upon the open shoreline posed for the free taking. No, the truth is you must leave the comfort and security of the white sand to ride the spontaneity of the waves. Only by diving into that uncertain water with the spirit of exploration can the principal ingress to discovering these hidden treasures be found. And in deference to my originating point of discussion, somehow, I think Mark Twain would have appreciated the epiphany revealed in that moment of time. 3.3 Pipes