Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding
(3.46)
Plum Pudding is an English Balkan blend like no other. Rare tobaccos, crafted and pressed carefully together. Many pipe smokers say it is their perfect tobacco. Nirvana, said one reviewer. Master Blender Joe Lankford created this treasure for the Seattle Pipe Club our perfect tobacco. Delicious, smoky, spicy and positively addictive. Truly an exquisite tobacco to share. Enjoy this original cake of six rare ingredients: Latakia joins with Turkish Orientals, Virginias, cavendish and perique. Crafting the most sought after small batch blends in America since 2007
Details
Brand | Seattle Pipe Club |
Blended By | Joe Lankford |
Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
Blend Type | Balkan |
Contents | Black Cavendish, Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia |
Flavoring | |
Cut | Krumble Kake |
Packaging | 2 or 8 ounce tin weight |
Country | United States |
Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
3.46 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 198 Reviews
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 04, 2019 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
As of the time of me writing this there has been 131 reviews for this blend. I agree with everything 99% of the other reviewer have to say about this tobacco. With so much said already, I only bother to add my two cents for the sake of giving my own impression, and have something to do on a lazy morning.
When I'm in the mood for a nice pronounced Latakia blend, I can be picky. I love blends with Orientals and Latakia, but I don't care for overly sour tasting blends. Some like the sour, I don't. I initially liked Plum Pudding for the same reason I liked Gaslight, it has a certain sweetness that doesn't come through as an added topping. Although, I say that Plum Pudding is sweeter than Gaslight. Plum Pudding is sweet with a natural tobacco sweetness. It's smokey, but the smoke is soft and inviting like driving up on a BBQ where some side of meat has been slowly smoking for many hours over a smoldering fire. It isn't a sour smokiness and the taste isn't sour at all. The Perique doesn't jump out at you and try to show off. It's subdued and tempered by the other tobaccos in the blend. Which is nice, because Perique doesn't usually work well in English or Balkan blends, at least to my tastes. It works here, no doubt providing part of the natural sweetness which this blend highlights. There is Cavendish tobacco in this blend, which initially was the reason I was reluctant to try it. However, I feel that it is being used masterfully in this blend. It's working with the Perique, and Virginia's, to round out that natural tobacco sweetness and blend it with the smokey Latakia. All the components are playing nicely together.
The crumble cake was a bit moist when I opened it. I went ahead and loaded up a bowl anyhow and smoked it. It worked, but did require many relights to get it going. After allowing the tobacco to dry out, this problem went away. Allowing it to dry also improves the flavor and cools the smoke down substantially. It wasn't really a hot smoke when it was overly moist, but could easily become hot if you became impatient with it and started puffing too hard. After drying out, slow smoking this came naturally with no effort at all.
Several reviewers noted that they feel this smoke works better in a corn cob pipe. I've smoked it in several of my cobs and I find that it does work exceptionally well in my medium and large cobs. I attribute this to the nature of the crumble cake. Unless care is taken, it's easy for very small pieces of the crumble cake to partially block the airway on a typical tobacco pipe. The design of a cob provides a much larger airway at the bottom of the bowl, providing better airflow. Otherwise, there isn't any real difference in which pipe you choose.
I highly recommend Plum Pudding to anyone who enjoys English or Balkan blends and wants a sweeter smoke with less sour notes.
When I'm in the mood for a nice pronounced Latakia blend, I can be picky. I love blends with Orientals and Latakia, but I don't care for overly sour tasting blends. Some like the sour, I don't. I initially liked Plum Pudding for the same reason I liked Gaslight, it has a certain sweetness that doesn't come through as an added topping. Although, I say that Plum Pudding is sweeter than Gaslight. Plum Pudding is sweet with a natural tobacco sweetness. It's smokey, but the smoke is soft and inviting like driving up on a BBQ where some side of meat has been slowly smoking for many hours over a smoldering fire. It isn't a sour smokiness and the taste isn't sour at all. The Perique doesn't jump out at you and try to show off. It's subdued and tempered by the other tobaccos in the blend. Which is nice, because Perique doesn't usually work well in English or Balkan blends, at least to my tastes. It works here, no doubt providing part of the natural sweetness which this blend highlights. There is Cavendish tobacco in this blend, which initially was the reason I was reluctant to try it. However, I feel that it is being used masterfully in this blend. It's working with the Perique, and Virginia's, to round out that natural tobacco sweetness and blend it with the smokey Latakia. All the components are playing nicely together.
The crumble cake was a bit moist when I opened it. I went ahead and loaded up a bowl anyhow and smoked it. It worked, but did require many relights to get it going. After allowing the tobacco to dry out, this problem went away. Allowing it to dry also improves the flavor and cools the smoke down substantially. It wasn't really a hot smoke when it was overly moist, but could easily become hot if you became impatient with it and started puffing too hard. After drying out, slow smoking this came naturally with no effort at all.
Several reviewers noted that they feel this smoke works better in a corn cob pipe. I've smoked it in several of my cobs and I find that it does work exceptionally well in my medium and large cobs. I attribute this to the nature of the crumble cake. Unless care is taken, it's easy for very small pieces of the crumble cake to partially block the airway on a typical tobacco pipe. The design of a cob provides a much larger airway at the bottom of the bowl, providing better airflow. Otherwise, there isn't any real difference in which pipe you choose.
I highly recommend Plum Pudding to anyone who enjoys English or Balkan blends and wants a sweeter smoke with less sour notes.
Pipe Used:
cobs and briars
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2014 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woodsy, earthy, musty sweet, and is a team player with the Orientals and Virginia even though it is the lead component. The woody, earthy, floral, herbal, vegetative, herbal, dry and lightly buttery sweet, spicy Orientals are an important supporting ingredient. The Virginias have a little grass and light tart citrus along with a bit of earth, wood, bread, and some tangy, piquant dark fruit with a touch of “barbecue” in a secondary role. The spicy, raisin, plum, earthy, figgy perique is a minor player that lurks in the background. The unsweetened black cavendish adds some smoothing brown sugar, and seems at times to hold the overall flavor together. A pinch or two of gold cavendish barely adds any toast. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. The amount of strength is a slot short of the medium threshold. The taste does reach the medium mark. It won't bite or get harsh, but does sport a slight rough edge here and there. The expert blending provides a very consistent, mildly sweet, rather savory, campfire flavor from first draw to final puff. If you break it up a little, but leave it in small chunks or layers, you'll get more of what you're supposed to get in addition to a slow, cool burn, though you'll have a fair amount of relights. Regardless of how you prepare it, there won’t be much dampness in the bowl. The pleasant, smoky after taste will linger a little, and stronger room note lasts a little longer. I would not classify this as an all day smoke, but this is a blend you can repeat with ease.
-JimInks
-JimInks
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2014 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
After drying Plum Pudding, I break up the kake into smaller chunks being careful to not turn it to dust. At first light I get a smoky sweetness right away. Through the bowl the underlying sweetness from the Cavendish actually makes my lips sticky, which is something that I like. It balances out the Latakia nicely. I haven’t been able to pick up any of the saltiness that others have experienced. Plum Pudding is a very rich, smooth smoke that builds in strength throughout the smoke. I find the flavor remains consistent. I definitely could see Plum Pudding in my regular rotation!
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2013 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
An outstanding blend! Spectacular tin note promising all kinds of goodness inside. And this blend delivers.
All English smokers owe it to themselves to taste this. And non-English smokers will more than likely appreciate it just as much. A lot going on here, with the nice added touch of Perique harmoniously blended in and a bit of sweetness from the Cavendish.
While a lover of Perique, I often find myself struggling with Perique-infused English blends. The combination of Latakia and Perique seems a very difficult one to pull off, with the two distinct flavors battling each other rather than creating something new and better than each in its own. The challenge to the blender: How to combine the Virginas, Latakia, Orientals, Perique, and sometimes Cavendish and/or burley in a manner that creates harmony rather than discordance among the constituate tobaccos?
Many blenders try, some succeed. Yet I often find myself, ironically, preferring the non-Perique version. Good examples are Pipeworks & Wilke No.5 vs No.13 (with Perique). I enjoy both, but find myself preferring the non-Perique version. Similarly, Frog Morton on the Bayou - a good blend. But I find myself going back to the original Frog more often and getting my Perique fix from traditional VaPers.
Plum Pudding, however, is an English blend with Perique that doesn't just get it right -- it's a masterpiece. Harmony, balance, thick creamy smoke, just the right amount of sweetness and deeper, earthy flavors. Slow, cool burn. The slowest burning, coolest blend I have ever smoked. Don't miss this one. My only complaint would be a relatively thin mouthfeel compared to other top-notch blends of this genre. But an enthusiastic four stars nonetheless.
Edit Oct 2016: after years of consideration, I will submit this blend as my second favorite tin note of all, behind only Wilke's High Hat and among a field of fierce contenders for the Tin Note Crown.
All English smokers owe it to themselves to taste this. And non-English smokers will more than likely appreciate it just as much. A lot going on here, with the nice added touch of Perique harmoniously blended in and a bit of sweetness from the Cavendish.
While a lover of Perique, I often find myself struggling with Perique-infused English blends. The combination of Latakia and Perique seems a very difficult one to pull off, with the two distinct flavors battling each other rather than creating something new and better than each in its own. The challenge to the blender: How to combine the Virginas, Latakia, Orientals, Perique, and sometimes Cavendish and/or burley in a manner that creates harmony rather than discordance among the constituate tobaccos?
Many blenders try, some succeed. Yet I often find myself, ironically, preferring the non-Perique version. Good examples are Pipeworks & Wilke No.5 vs No.13 (with Perique). I enjoy both, but find myself preferring the non-Perique version. Similarly, Frog Morton on the Bayou - a good blend. But I find myself going back to the original Frog more often and getting my Perique fix from traditional VaPers.
Plum Pudding, however, is an English blend with Perique that doesn't just get it right -- it's a masterpiece. Harmony, balance, thick creamy smoke, just the right amount of sweetness and deeper, earthy flavors. Slow, cool burn. The slowest burning, coolest blend I have ever smoked. Don't miss this one. My only complaint would be a relatively thin mouthfeel compared to other top-notch blends of this genre. But an enthusiastic four stars nonetheless.
Edit Oct 2016: after years of consideration, I will submit this blend as my second favorite tin note of all, behind only Wilke's High Hat and among a field of fierce contenders for the Tin Note Crown.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
This one lives up to its reputation in my book. I received a fairly fresh tin a few months ago and finally got around to opening it. Not normally a back to back Latakia smoker, I did down a couple of bowls of this in a hurry. The Perique is far in the background, the orientals smooth out any roughness and what I really found to be a terrific addition was the cavendish that gave Plum Pudding a full body.
When I first saw the name Plum Pudding, I was sure it was an aromatic. Strangest name for an English blend I've come across. It smokes evenly, burns well and does indeed leave a bit of a Latakia breath hanging around the mouth.
When I first saw the name Plum Pudding, I was sure it was an aromatic. Strangest name for an English blend I've come across. It smokes evenly, burns well and does indeed leave a bit of a Latakia breath hanging around the mouth.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2014 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a superb full flavored blend that satisfies on all levels. Like C&D Pirate Kake and the Captain Earle blends, there's something gratifying about working with a firmly pressed Latakia mixture. In the realm of krumble kakes, Plum Pudding is about as densely pressed as they come. You have to really dig in and get your fingers dirty to properly prepare this for smoking. The tactile nature of the process is quite satisfying and the various crumbled bits and pieces created by the effort rewards the meticulous with an incredibly complex smoke, one that takes many twists and turns along the way and everything about it is absolutely beautiful.
From charring light to finish this blend is delicious. It starts off creamy, spicy and fragrant. It begins firing on all cylinders about a fourth of the way down the bowl. At this point it's smooth, rich, bold and flavorful, tangy, smoky, sweet and spicy. By mid bowl to end, the perique really comes into focus. The piquancy is quite a treat. Zesty and full, the smoke nips at the tongue in the most delightful way, heightening the experience of this remarkably flavorful & cool smoking-mixture. Frankly, Plum Pudding is a thrilling & luscious olfactory overload.
The only downside with this tobacco is that it can be a bit challenging to keep lit. I found that rubbing it out thoroughly, allowing it to dry for a spell and gravity filling it, while being sure to tamp lightly along the way really helped. Altogether it’s not a big deal. Plum Pudding is so good that it’s worth the effort. A must try for Latakia lovers.
From charring light to finish this blend is delicious. It starts off creamy, spicy and fragrant. It begins firing on all cylinders about a fourth of the way down the bowl. At this point it's smooth, rich, bold and flavorful, tangy, smoky, sweet and spicy. By mid bowl to end, the perique really comes into focus. The piquancy is quite a treat. Zesty and full, the smoke nips at the tongue in the most delightful way, heightening the experience of this remarkably flavorful & cool smoking-mixture. Frankly, Plum Pudding is a thrilling & luscious olfactory overload.
The only downside with this tobacco is that it can be a bit challenging to keep lit. I found that rubbing it out thoroughly, allowing it to dry for a spell and gravity filling it, while being sure to tamp lightly along the way really helped. Altogether it’s not a big deal. Plum Pudding is so good that it’s worth the effort. A must try for Latakia lovers.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli Prince
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 01, 2014 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I won't detail the frustration and experimentation I went through trying to figure out how to get the most from this smoke. I'll just say it smokes best, for me, bone dry and firmly stuffed. Not terribly complex, probably due to the marriage of the various components during the making of the cake. What I got was a smooth, smoky, spicy, sweet Latakia flavor. Quite good and appealing. Medium bodied and flavored. Consistent from the top of the bowl to the bottom. Enjoyable, but it didn't knock my socks off.
Pipe Used:
Various cobs and briars.
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh bulk
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I have been smoking this on and off for the past year and a half and I find that it is the Krumble Kake that I keep going back to most often. I prefer it fully rubbed out and on the dry side. Although I like Penzance, IMHO Plum Pudding is simply better. It has a broader range of flavor and its easy to come by. The small amount of Cavendish lends just a slight sweetness to the blend along with some fullness. I find the Latakia, the Orientals and the Cavendish carry the day here with the Virginia'a and Perique in a distant support roll. I enjoy is best in a smaller bowl and sipped slowly to extract all of the wonderful flavors. Recommended.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding.
At first, I didn't care whether or not 'Plum Pudding' indicated this was an aromatic, I just loved the name! So, because of my fairly vacuous reason for being endeared to it, I requested trading some with Gentleman Zombie. As accommodating as ever, he sent me a two ounce tin recently. I wanted to wait until I'd burned the Mississippi River he sent me before cracking this one open, and decided today would be the day; well, I blooming love it!
The first thing I find agreeable about the S.P.C. krumble kakes I've had, is unlike a lot of others, the tin contains a decent amount of tobacco that's smokeable straight away, it doesn't ALL need to be crumbled. This tin was also of a good moistness, so I filled and lit, asap!
I find the smoke very satisfying, that's satisfying without having many flavours that jump out; I'd expected a Lat-Bomb but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Latakia offers only a semblance of piquancy; it seems to me, a mild Balkan taste. In that respect, it's similar to Mississippi River.
For a Balkan, I find it a bit bizarre the way I get actual sweetness from the Cavendish. The word Balkan normally conjures up thoughts of wood, smoke, and an occasional bitterness: instead, I get woodiness, smokiness, and a nice sweetness, with nothing harsh, nor bitter.
Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: nice.
This is one of the best blends I've filled with: satisfying, very cool burning, thick smoke, and the ultimate in luxury.
Franck, thank you so much buddy!
Highly recommended.
At first, I didn't care whether or not 'Plum Pudding' indicated this was an aromatic, I just loved the name! So, because of my fairly vacuous reason for being endeared to it, I requested trading some with Gentleman Zombie. As accommodating as ever, he sent me a two ounce tin recently. I wanted to wait until I'd burned the Mississippi River he sent me before cracking this one open, and decided today would be the day; well, I blooming love it!
The first thing I find agreeable about the S.P.C. krumble kakes I've had, is unlike a lot of others, the tin contains a decent amount of tobacco that's smokeable straight away, it doesn't ALL need to be crumbled. This tin was also of a good moistness, so I filled and lit, asap!
I find the smoke very satisfying, that's satisfying without having many flavours that jump out; I'd expected a Lat-Bomb but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Latakia offers only a semblance of piquancy; it seems to me, a mild Balkan taste. In that respect, it's similar to Mississippi River.
For a Balkan, I find it a bit bizarre the way I get actual sweetness from the Cavendish. The word Balkan normally conjures up thoughts of wood, smoke, and an occasional bitterness: instead, I get woodiness, smokiness, and a nice sweetness, with nothing harsh, nor bitter.
Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: nice.
This is one of the best blends I've filled with: satisfying, very cool burning, thick smoke, and the ultimate in luxury.
Franck, thank you so much buddy!
Highly recommended.
Pipe Used:
Chacom Robusto #193
PurchasedFrom:
Traded with Gentleman Zombie
Age When Smoked:
One month
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Based on a sample of about one ounce. Crumble cake of mottled color, focusing on the dark. Nice snootful of latakia in the tin with a hint of perique and oriental. I appreciate Seoul Sister's review because for my first bowl I did just what she said not to do - I rubbed it out too much. And since I couldn't correct it, I went ahead and filled the pipe and smoked it. I got a lot of dust in my mouth, had to empty and refill the pipe to fix blockage and had a less than stellar smoke. I should have just tossed that bowl immediately but I hate throwing away good tobacco!
Overall, and based on my limited sample, this one promised more than it delivered. It was a decent smoke that I can certainly recommend, but it seemed fairly ordinary in a crowded field of this type of blend. The latakia was to the forefront but only slightly. The orientals took a backseat and the perique was there but only occasionally, at least in the taste. I got a very slight sweetness from the Cavendish but I got the impression that it was there more for added body and fullness. The taste was on the salty side and rather bitter. That's not a negative - GLP's Charing Cross has a strong bitter note and I enjoy that one immensely. But I would have preferred a stronger oriental component here.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 but I could have just as easily rounded down to 2. Recommended but not destined for my cellar, nor did it justify an occasional tin. But certainly a worthy blend for those that prefer English-type blends over strong Balkans.
Overall, and based on my limited sample, this one promised more than it delivered. It was a decent smoke that I can certainly recommend, but it seemed fairly ordinary in a crowded field of this type of blend. The latakia was to the forefront but only slightly. The orientals took a backseat and the perique was there but only occasionally, at least in the taste. I got a very slight sweetness from the Cavendish but I got the impression that it was there more for added body and fullness. The taste was on the salty side and rather bitter. That's not a negative - GLP's Charing Cross has a strong bitter note and I enjoy that one immensely. But I would have preferred a stronger oriental component here.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 but I could have just as easily rounded down to 2. Recommended but not destined for my cellar, nor did it justify an occasional tin. But certainly a worthy blend for those that prefer English-type blends over strong Balkans.
Pipe Used:
meerschaum
Age When Smoked:
1 year
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2014 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Well this stuff is right up my alley, just like a Peaty Scotch. I prefer to leave it a bit chunky not fully rubbing it out, gravity pack with a very gentle tamp. A bit more time to get it combusting fully and well worth it in my view. I really like pressed and flaked blends for their long smouldering burns, this one goes for a long time and never hot at least for me. The moisture content is perfect.
It's not a huge Latakia bomb and actually quite gentle on the palate with a nice full/round creaminess for me that's the pudding part. The Perique is there and melds-in just right.
This one does change a fair bit down through the bowl and for the better, deeper and more savoury, showing balance all the way down and does not stumble at all. Slowing down even more it really sings, combusting to a powder white ash with nothing left at all. Something extra is a gentle topping not sure what it is, kind of reminds me of black Cardamon, ever so slight and works well.
If you enjoy Boswell's Northwoods or Compton's York or their No. 10 you'll like this one too . . . a most comforting blend on a snowy evening.
It's not a huge Latakia bomb and actually quite gentle on the palate with a nice full/round creaminess for me that's the pudding part. The Perique is there and melds-in just right.
This one does change a fair bit down through the bowl and for the better, deeper and more savoury, showing balance all the way down and does not stumble at all. Slowing down even more it really sings, combusting to a powder white ash with nothing left at all. Something extra is a gentle topping not sure what it is, kind of reminds me of black Cardamon, ever so slight and works well.
If you enjoy Boswell's Northwoods or Compton's York or their No. 10 you'll like this one too . . . a most comforting blend on a snowy evening.