John Patton Oriental Dusk

The description on this says that the flavors are doninated by the Turkish Izmir and cigar leaf. I don't find this to be the case. For me the various flavors come and go, first one to the front, then another. It might be that when one component leaf is burning you get that one's flavors, but whatever the reason the results are absolutley stellar. I'm a fan of Patton's blends (so long as they have very little or no Latakia, as I can't tolerate it any longer). I've been looking for the ideal combination of VA's, Perique, Turkish and cigar leaf (to me the ideal components) and even though this one lacks the Perique...it's darn near perfect. It arrives dry (thank you) and is easily packed and lit. Then as you smoke down the bowl it's very nicely managed and ends up as a clean grey powdery ash. I'm a sipper, and that smoking style works perfectly here. The flavors are bold and pronounced, making it anything but a light smoking experience...just what I look for. And the flavors are true to their component tobaccos as I can't detect any kind of flavoring. I will say, however, that just like with another favorite, Storm Front, I get a kind of apricot aroma from the wide mouthed jar when I open it...very slight, but there for sure. Well, since ALL tobaccos are cased at one point or another in their journey from field to pouch, I'm thinking that what I'm getting is the casing used on either the VA or Burley. Whatever it is, it's very nice...and I certainly can't argue with the end product. As I've gotten used to it, this has steadily risen to being in my top five blends. It appears that 4-N's is now carrying it as a regular item, which should be very good news to anyone wanting to try something solid, and a true undiscovered gem. My highest possible recommendation.

I recently purchased 4 ounces of JP's Oriental Dusk from 4noggins. Boy this stuff really blew me away.

I don't know if there is another blend out there quite like this in flavor. It has a sweet/sour/semi-bitter taste that is so close together that it's almost one flavor, but not quite. It's more like these primary flavors are on the verge of eclipsing one another. The overall result is both harmonious and a more opulent overall flavor and depth. Once truly lit and stoked up a bit, what comes forth is a lush spiciness that's subtle yet rich and somewhat potent both in aroma and on the palate.

Like with Storm Front, the cigar leaf is wonderfully represented. It plays host, laying a foundation for an array of exotic woodsy cedar & mesquite like flavors. Perhaps the most interesting flavor is this barnyard-like aroma that's intertwined with a rich melted dark chocolate tone. This aroma also permeates the unsmoked pouch aroma. I have made a lot of desserts from scratch in my time and it reminds me of melted Valrhona 66% cacao chocolate, or a high quality semi sweet Guittard. This flavor provides a base for other accent flavors that taste like a myriad of slightly different dark black pepper-like spice tones all crammed tightly together. I really couldn't dissect these spice flavors very easily, but I was more than satisfied accepting the experience for what it was and leaving it at that. Sometimes aspects of really great smokes don't need words to describe them, they're just that, Really Great. Moreover, this stuff is just plain fantastic. It's complex, powerful, densely-layered, mouthwatering, & yeah, difficult to put in words, but it's really something to behold.

How is it that this blend was unavailable (except for special order) up until recent?

Anyway, Rich at 4 noggins did a superb job blending this John Patton mixture. I only wish I could taste this blended by John himself. I only say that because this stuff really knocked my socks off. However since the latter is not possible, I'll gladly settle for another artist's (Rich's) rendition.

This is my favorite of the John Patton blends, though I’d say they are all well worth exploring. They have a distinctive style that you won’t find elsewhere, in part because of his knack for using cigar leaf in some unexpected combinations. One reason why most other blenders using cigar leaf fail (to my taste buds) is that they will use any cigar leaf indiscriminately. In my own blending cupboard I have four different types of cigar leaf, because they certainly do not all taste the same. But even if you are working with just one type, it takes a deft hand to integrate properly into a blend.

The particular variety of Turkish leaf used here really sings with the Connecticut cigar leaf, and all the ingredients as a whole seem in perfect balance to me. The first half minute always seems light and bright and a bit underwhelming to me, but after the charring light and a good tamping, the delicious flavors emerge, mostly toasted sunflower seed amplified by nuttiness from the Burleys. As I look back at my notes, the one negative I’ve found when the tobacco was still relatively fresh, was that the finish is bone dry, leaving a slight irritation at the back of my throat, and leaving me parched for a drink. This is probably just my own tasting chemistry, or the fact that I enjoy this mostly as a summer blend, so I might have been slightly dehydrated. Using a cob helped a little bit, or having a side drink at hand, but to really remedy the throat irritation issue I tried this in a 9mm pipe and the problem was taken care of as easily as that.

The 9mm filter slightly reduces some of the delicious toasted sunflower seed flavor from the top-grade Turkish, but otherwise all the flavors remain intact, with no trace of irritation. Speaking of Turkish varietals, the taste I get here reminds me of the very finest vintage Izmir and Samsun that I’ve worked with, which have a natural earthy sweetness that I don’t find in any of the stock blending Turkish tobaccos offered by Sutliff, Stokkebye, Lane, or Cornell & Diehl. Makes me wonder if John Patton had this leaf made to spec just for his use.

The Burley used here is not of the rugged variety, and the Virginias more of the sweet and gentle type, rather than savory and rich. What that means is that this may be a little light for some tastes during the colder months, but it does make for a perfect summertime blend, or even better, for those unseasonably warm Autumn days . . . the sun baking the fallen leaves, and the scent of Oriental Dusk permeating the air! For me, this has a distinctiveness and enjoyment level that propel it to four stars without question.

Finally, I will say that this blend ages wonderfully. I’ve set aside a good amount, and having just tried some that I’ve had in jar for 18 months the Virginias and top quality Turkish leaf has mellowed and melded superbly. No more dryness on the finish. I’m going to buy some more while I’m thinking about it!

From the jar, a dark and full aroma of dark dried fruits like raisins, and dark brown leather. Been told it smells like qurut or kashk.

It envelops the tongue with a medium to thick smoke, and a medium to full bodied taste of leather, dried dark fruits, and other earthy and woody notes. Not at all overwhelmingly prevalent with the cigar leaves. A really good every day smoke, that could also substitute a cigar for special occasions.

This was different. It had a bit of everything and not too much of anything. Initially tasted the cigar leaf (it seems to be the first tobacco I always taste) then went to an earthy (Burley) slightly sweet taste (the virgina coming into play) but there was this slight salty taste as well. I assume this came from the orientals John has added but it was all very good and it all worked together beautifully. This tobacco burnt well but did not have any bite at all and smoked to a fine ash to the bottom. Some tobaccos nearing the end of the bowl taste acidic but this was nice to the end. When I did inhale by accident and exhaled through the nose the orientals left a tingling sensation and it was very pleasant. I was going to DGT this bowl for the next day but it was such a great smoke I finished the bowl, maybe next time 🙂

From the markets of Istanbul to the streets of Dubai, the orient gives rise to certain unique, not always pleasant, aromas. East of Suez, generally, the tobacco of choice is Marlboro, but occasionally you get some Egyptian Cleopatras or shisha scents.

To the flavours of the orient I would add JP's Oriental Dusk. Having lived in this part of the world for almost 20 years I can attest to having smelled something very like Oriental Dusk in places as far apart as Jeddah and Jerusalem. Somehow, they all came together in Ohio. This blend achieves an amazing combination of Turkish (?), plus indefinable ingredients. I think I tasted burley, Virginia and cigar leaf -- perhaps none of them. Like the orient itself, Oriental Dusk mystifies and enthralls, occasionally, again like the orient, sharp and flagrant while at other times quiet and well behaved.

I have tamed this particular blend in several pipes, and found it the most consistent of JP's blends. Sometimes the Turkish is a little stronger and comes to the fore; at others, the mystery components are more powerful. But it inevitably settles down to a kind of average of eastern variety.

This is not the oriental of the Balkans; this is altogether from somewhere farther south and east, and less well-trod. Best smoked sitting on a carpet in a tent while reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom or watching Lawrence of Arabia, drinking Turkish coffee.