E. Hoffman Company Spilman Mixture

I do this review by memory. I don't think it's fair to review a blend while smoking something else, (Margate in my case) but I just stumbled upon it and felt the urge to write a few words about it.

Back in my beginnings as a pipe smoker, I've read that they are recreating this old school blend, and that it's going to be exactly like the old one was. There were very unlikely alive people that remember it from "back then", so we believe the advertising that it is just like in the old days. I was curious to try what the old days tasted like, so I ordered a big tin of it. The packaging was old style, I liked that. Everything else was just.. bad. There was constantly some aroma that you can't define what it is exactly, that is present all the way through your bowl. Other stuff, (tobacco) was somewhat mediocre. Or it was there, but was constantly muted by that undefinable note. I gave it however, to a friend of mine, and he liked it immensely. Enjoyed every last puff of it. Therefore I don't want to be judgmental, there are people that like this stuff. And they like it a lot. Not my cup of tea however. Cheers!

Spilman is advertised as a sort of "throwback" blend, something your great grandfather might have smoked. Well, it tastes and smells kind of musty and old and there's nothing modern quite like it that I've found. That's not a bad thing, though. Full English-style mixtures are my favorite things, but they don't necessarily make the best all-day smokes. They can fatigue your taste buds a bit. Spilman Mixture doesn't have a lot of Latakia; a musty Oriental/Turkish seems to be the dominant flavor, tempered by somewhat sweet Virginia and a little Burley nuttiness. It's mild enough to enjoy multiple bowls in a day, but complex and flavorful enough not to bore you to tears. I think it could appeal to smokers both new to and experienced with English mixtures, though it probably won't win you any new friends in the room, and might be a little off-putting to be a true crossover. I really, really like it, though, and plan to keep it in somewhat heavy rotation.

Turns out great grandpa knew a thing or two about pipe tobacco.

Very nice.

Sweet and light English mixture with little to no fuss or drama.

Perfect all day English, maybe even a summer English should you want one.

The star of the show is the sweetened Lat, the back-ups are there but nudge gently.

Can find nothing wrong with it, nice for a bit of old-fashioned piping.

Not special or loud enough to enter the 4-star region.

One of the coolest burning, if not the coolest burning tobacco I've ever smoked.

A pretty well balanced blend, no one component really dominates... the burley is an ever-present base and latakia is in the middle to back, never out front, but definitely there. Flavor does shift some throughout the bowl. Has a good finish that for me didn't really seem to linger.

This blend does have a little different taste that pokes it's head out from time to time, and it took me quite a few bowls to put my finger on it, because just when I almost had it pegged, it would subside back into the profile, or disappear altogether. At first I thought it was vanilla. Then I thought maybe the particular turkish / oriental they were using created that taste. Figuring out this flavor became an obsession (I even actually ate a little bit of this tobacco...gosh) over the course of several bowls, and then it dawned on me... licorice! I think this blend, or at least some of the leaf in it, may be lightly cased with licorice. Or maybe I'm nuts?? YMMV.

Overall a decent and flavorful blend. Don't expect it to be a typical english. Not quite as much nicotine as I usually like but a good change of pace.

I picked this up as a sample when I stopped by the Iwan Reis & co. store in Chicago. Great Town, Great folks and Great shop, what can i say. This mix was offered to me by Kevin himself on the basis of me mentioning Ruins of Isengard, and what a great match. Spilman mixture being a much more complex take on a non-aromatic, i hesitate to call this an English blend, but it certainly doesn't have any flavoring. It begins sweet, and has a familiar sweetness through out like Erinmore flake, hearty tasting but mild. the Latakia begins to show through midway in a more pronounced fashion, and finishes the bowl with the incense tones mixing with the sweetness creating a caramel swirl in the more mature flavors. it doesn't bite in is crisp and clean smoke with a lingering taste. this is a good one, like many tobies i try which i am not convinced i like I kept thinking of this later wonder why i wasn't smoking it. It is quite good- all day and all night really.

I would smoke it every day, but I can't afford it. I usually make it my first bowl after dinner and then smoke straight burley for the rest of the evening. Very flavorful and interesting. Nice cut, burns well. If you like Connecticut wrapper cigars then this is the blend for you!

BTW, E. Hoffman Company is the predecessor to Iwan Ries & Co. and is now just their pseudonymn for reviving old brands for their hundredth anniversary.

Ok I know some of you will think I am off my rocker but I found

that mixing half Spilman Mixture with half Old Gowrie makes a great all day pipe, just love it. If I want to smoke it as is

I do but really like the 50/50 blend.

Purchased the larger can from an online retailer and cracked open over a year ago. It came very moist. Coarsely cut with an hearty tobacco aroma. Does best with some drying time and in the largest of pipes. This blend is extremely well balanced and made of quality components. Very medium and middle of the road in flavor and strength. Not a powerhouse if that is what one is looking for. Just consistent flavors that meld well. Believe a smoker of C&D's Old Hollywood would like this very much. Smokes cool, but will sting if puffed to hard. Good to have in the rotation when one wants something a bit lighter than a med heavy English, but isnt inclined towards aromatics.

An interesting blend, one worth a look if you like the old american blends from way back that combined burley and VA with latakia and various "other stuff", in this case turkish.

The quality of the leaf seems very good. My initial impression, that the moisture level was "about right", was actually off: it was hard to light and that first bowl smoked hot, steamy and bland. Proper drying (about an hour) of future bowls took care of that. For the first third of a bowl the turkish and latakia seemed to be a little more front and center. After that the rest of the bowl mellows into a smooth, somewhat complex all tobacco taste with a good burley base playing against the rest. I know a lot of my colleagues will call this "american english" and I'm not one to quibble, but this blend is as wholly american as mother and apple pie. If you enjoyed some of the old HOW blends (i.e. Revelation) you might want to try this, though this is smoother, milder and seems to have no casing/topping. I will definitely keep this around.