Low Country Pipe & Cigar Cooper

A moist thinly sliced, predominantly dark brown flake veined and mottled with lighter streaks of brown, chestnut, and dark tan. The tin nose offers a rounded, quintessentially 'English' aroma which is musty and slightly sweet. Quite moist in the tin, it packs and burns well, being a mixture whose smoking characteristics can, as an added bonus, be manipulated through various styles of preparation. This reviewer prefers it moderately rubbed out.

Described on the tin label as a medium English flake, Cooper offers a flavorful combination of sweet, mild Virginias coupled with musty Oriental and just enough smoky Latakia to bring it all into focus. Flavor notes run as one would expect from such a mixture, although the sweetness of the Virginias has a tendency to play a dominant, although not altogether unpleasant, role. For its part, the Oriental adds appreciable notes of spice and earthy, pungent sourness whereas the Cyprian Latakia contributes an persistent yet subtle undercurrent of pine, camphor, and wood smoke. While used sparingly overall, the Latakia component does tend to grow in intensity towards the end of the bowl but is never heavy or cloying. Medium to full bodied, Cooper has a flavorful, slightly tart and smoky finish which tends to leave a bit of sweetness on the tongue.

Overall, Cooper is a nice middle-of-the-road English mixture which should fare very well in the tin for some time to come. Produced by Cornell & Diehl for the good folks at Low Country Pipe and Cigar, it is a fine example of contemporary American pipe tobacco blending and is certainly worth a try by fans of the genre.

This is very nice tobacco, and possibly worthy of one more star. I found the virginia a little snappy.

In the tin, dark, wet flakes that need a bit of air. It smells really strongly of Cyprian. Tin note is similar to some really dark blends like Old Ironsides and Commonwealth. A much denser, darker presentation than most "medium english".

Jam a flake in and light it up. There is an initial bite or tanginess from the virginias, but it settles quite quicky, balanced by the latakia. Reminds me of commonwealth in the bowl, but with the orientals at play, it's a bit more interesting. There is a similar 2 flavor interplay though. Drifts toward Pelican, but stays dirtier the whole time. Yum!

Smokey, woodsy, and calming. Very well behaved tobacco. I should think that a bit of age will really improve this one, yielding an even sweeter and more friendly smoke.

I find this much more like the latakia-bombs of yore than I do a regular "medium english". I don't find it delicate, I don't detect traces of nuts, or flowers, or any particular essence. Good, solid, heavy Balkan.

Low Country - Cooper.

The blend was obviously a flake, and some of it still is, but it only needs a very delicate crumble to ready it for the bowl. The tobacco virtually disintegrates under the gentlest of touch's. I opt to just stuff some of the broken flakes in, otherwise it gives too fast a burn. The moisture content's good.

For me, the flavour deepens as I work my way down a bowl. At the beginning it's a smoke that's comprised of virtually only Oriental tobaccos. A third of the way in the smoke develops some depth: the Latakia adds a rich, but subtle, woodiness. Don't get me wrong, the Orientals are running things throughout, but the Lat enriches the flavour. Any trace of Perique that other reviewers notice eludes me, so I can't comment on that! I find the Virginia has quite a light flavour, but it freshens the smoke.

The nicotine's medium, and the room-note's nice: heavy, but pleasant, to me!

It's a good blend, and I can see why so many folks adore it, but for me it's a little too weighty with the Orientals to get four stars.

Recommended, three stars.

Nice English blend, a full 2oz. and ready to smoke after some rubbing. Three stars now but I think this will age great and be a 4 star in 2 years.

Just noticed reviewer "Pipestud 12/09/2007" who claims there is Perique in this blend. I can't disagree with that, as there is a spice, and for me it would be better without and/or with a touch more Latakia.

Updated 2014-10-25, It's been a year in the cellar and the spice is still present but I don't think it's from Perique ). I seem to detect a bit of Kentucky spice , flavor and body in this one.The latakia is added like GL Pease would add it, also subdued, in say Meridian or Chelsea Morning. I find it a little light on the high notes and sweetness but it starts as a creamy strong Balkan ( with the Kentucky bottom ), I find this a little stronger in "N" than my fellow reviewers and the spice builds giving that "Tobassco heat". For me, 2 1/2 stars

A dark to mid brown broken flake. The tin note is Lat forward with a sweet molasses type aroma, some mushroom notes suggestive of stoved Va and some spice notes.

This is a slow burning tobacco of considerable depth and interest. It is sweet on the tongue and the Lat is barely present, to my nose at least, during the actual smoke. There is a fair amount of pepper on the tongue as the bowl progresses. I think there is a whisper of Perique in this blend as well as some Burley, giving it a strong backbone.

I'd call this an American English, and it should please smokers who are fond of dark Vapers and Vaburs and Lat light English mixtures alike. Naming the baccy after confluence of rivers seems appropriate.

If you say this is a GL Pease's offering upon a blind test, I wound not doubt a bit. The flake presentation, tin note and flavor, remind me a lot of Pease's Meridian. It produces a lot of smoke, salty campfire, like summer BBQ gathering.The Cyprian latakia is the leading, but not overpowering, and interacts well with sour oriental and subdued brighter virginia sweetness. It doesn't change much through the end, less complex compared with Pease's works.