Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding

This was my first taste of an English/Balkin blend, I am trying to broaden my horizon as a smoker. When I opened the tin the scent of the tobacco about knocked my socks off. It was a very earthy smell and the fact it was pressed cake, I had never smoked a cake before so I wasn't sure, I used to smoke christmas cheer 2000 so i rubed it out like i would that. loaded it up in one of my bent apple shaped pipes and lit. I had a hard time keeping it lit it took me 4 char lights and then i got it going for about 5 minutes and then had to re-light and re-light. Altough i think the tobacco was moist hence the trouble keeping it burning it never gurgled in the pipe. The flavor was out of this world though. I enjoyed what i associated with a nutty kind of flavor like the after taste of a cashew, and that spicy sweetness you get from the virginia's, The people around me didn't seem to mind the smell of it burning, I think I am going to mason jar cellar this tobac for a while and then dry a little bit before i get carried away with it. Definately would reccomend this as an early morning with first cup of coffee kind of blend or maybe an after dinner kids are going to bed and i am about to head that way after my pipe kind of smoke.

I have just uploaded a picture of an opened tin of Plumpudding as this should show why it is called so. Nothing further to add to the reviews here but I will mention that I do not detect any aromatic flavouring of any kind.

Plum Pudding is a very good English/Balkan krumble kake that has the requisite smoky latakia body but with a mild sweetness that persists throughout the bowl, likely due to a topping as well as the contributions of the cavendish. It falls just short of my four-star mark, though, for perhaps the same reason that non-balkan smokers may find this one more to their liking: The sum total lacks a bit of the pungent oomph and cheese-like complexity that I savor in my favorites. But, again, it's very good and worth trying. It's not wimpy by any stretch, it just lacks a slight edge that would push it into the realm of greatness for my palate. I am sure it will hit the sweet spot for many pipesters, particularly those who would like to like Balkan blends, but have found them too Balkany (Balkanish? Balkanized?).

As a krumble kake, this stuff requires rubbing out and considerable drying, unless you need to burn down your stash of matches. (I was impatient with my last bowl which, consequently, ended up using an entire box.)

Edit, 2-22-15: After 6 years, this is still one of my absolute favorites. Thick and spicy says it all.

This is a cool, slow burning balkan with no bite or harshness whatsoever. The spicy, sweet flavors begin to kick in about 3/4 bowl for me and last till the end. The after taste is even sweeter and last well into the following morning after an evening bowl. I like the plastic tin cap because it seals drum tight and no moisture is lost.

Although its reputation precedes it, SPC's Plum Pudding is a stellar blend. I'd go so far as to call it the Platonic ideal of English blends.

That said, Platonic ideals are kind of boring. After your first few rodeos with it, you know what to expect and are going to get it every single time. Sure, it's a little sweet, a little tangy, and doesn't bite. It packs easy and requires little to no relights. Smokes great in a cob. I could go on and on about everything that's right with this tobacco.

But.

It's just kind of boring. The flavor's nice, but it's nothing to write home about. There are other, more interesting English and Balkan blends out there. Perfect for getting started with the genre, but maybe explore the other offerings too.

How it took me so long to try Plum Pudding is a mystery. I feel like this blend has quickly become part of pipe tobacco blend lore. For a very long while, everywhere I looked, be it pipe forums, youtube channels, or pipe blogs everybody was extolling the virtues of this magical blend. Yet for years, and not purposefully, I never gave it a whirl. Well, I finally joined the masses and here are my thoughts.

This is a thick chunky crumble cake style of tobacco. Very easy to rub out, and I would find, very easy to rub out too much. The tin note is what most balkan style blends usually are. Dark, spicy, smokey, inviting. There is a slight dark fruit impression in the tin that intrigued me. I found this one a little moist right from the tin, but not by much. About 30 minutes of airing out was perfect to my liking.

What I found when I smoked this blend surprised me. Based on the raving this blend has received, I expected to have a euphoric moment from the second I fired this blend up. Instead, I didn't really understand what all the hype was about. Do not get me wrong, this stuff is very good, and of premium quality, but it did not make me swoon over it. That is, I didn't swoon over it at first. Here is the thing. I was expecting some amazing flavor point to jump right out, and for me to say "Wow, that ______ taste is amazing!" I didn't get that. I got a good balkan blend. I would come to find that the magic in this blend is in the subtlety. See, this blend is amazing because it is perfectly balanced and blended. It is smooth, full of flavor, and performed well. The genius, is in the fact that it is so well blended, it all sings together in harmony. No one flavor jumps out and grabs your attention. The more I smoke of this blend, the more I realize how amazing it is. This is a perfectly balanced and blended balkan. It's damn good. As a musician, it reminds me of a really good ensemble. There may not be one musician in the group that makes you say "Wow, that horn player is phenomenal", but the sum, is greater than the whole of the parts. Highly recommended, but I believe it takes an experienced piper to fully appreciate the genius happening here.

SPC- Plum Pudding

This blend jarred from 3Mar19 was something I recently revisited, hidden away, and neglected due to the big brother special reserve taking the spotlight from it.

Providing the same dynamic and changing flavor of its bigger brother, this blend smokes well and provides great volumes of smoke, a year later this blend still needs a little time to dry, the convenience of the smaller chunky slices vs it’s big brother crumble kake is much appreciated.

If you are wondering what blend to start with, if you want a sweeter Balkan go with special reserve if you want sweet but not over the top grab this, the price point may also make a difference.

Balkan lovers should enjoy this quite fondly, it’s combined parts make for a great smoke.

I smoke this on occasion but have recently picked up a slight soapy almost Lakeland flavor on occasion from the plum pudding blends, as though it has a floral or licorice type additive, while not a deal breaker it is slightly off putting.

I will not rate this higher than special reserve the drying time makes it something to plan to smoke versus packing and smoking.

This is a English blend with the cavendish being a large part of the flavor profile. Yes the cavendish is flavored. Almost too much for me. But it never gets there. The smoky latakia and the spicy perique really help balance this blend to the point of being a work of art. Very well done. Not an all day smoke but makes a great night cap on a cool night. Smoking experience inproves the more you let this dry out. Also, this really smokes great with a balsa filter, which I normally don’t use. But it protects the tongue a bit if your sensitive to cavendish in a blend.

Nice tin aroma of figs and smokey latakia . The latakia and orientals work well with the perique and The cavendish seems to smooth it out making it slightly creamy . Needs a lot of drying. I get a mild plum and red wine taste and taste the perique when exhaling through the nose very slowly. Nice mild english but is it a great blend ? It lacks the Oriental presence I like in a balkan blend . 3 stars would be the highest i would go . I had to try it though .