Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River

I just tried this for the first time after reading all the positive reviews I wanted to try it for myself. I ordered a couple ounces in bulk to see if i liked it. Upon opening the bag it smells of rich high quality virgina and slight latakia which coincidentally smells just like ketchup. The crumble cake packs nicely. At first light the latakia pops out a little up front but then blends nicely with the sweet virginia once it gets going. This blend is best sipped to appreciate the full flavor and it will burn cool for a very long time if done so, puff it too fast and it can get mean. All-in-all a good relaxing smoke. I am not a fan of straight virginas but if blended properly with other types and smoked with the right approach they can be quite enjoyable. I may keep some of this on hand due to the fact that it is always sold out and I would like to enjoy a bowl of it from time to time.

This is a great smoke, very flavorful, a worthy addition to the Balkan style blends on the market. It's a perfect example of a nice Balkan. I agree with Steelcowboy, it is best rubbed out and dried a bit. It smokes in a very well balanced manner with the Virginians, Orientals and Latakia on par. The Parique was alive but in the background.

I have reviewed this before years ago, but I must have deleted. I've have Mississippi River in both the Pipes and Cigars .com produced and the sutliff produced versions.

P&C version:

Originally purchased in April 2014 in bulk. The P&C version used McClelland blending tobaccos. The bag aroma is mildly ketchupy, sweet, spicy, and creamy with just an extremely minor touch or a smokey undertone from the latakia. I'm almost certain the base Virginia's were 5100 and 5105.

From beginning to end flavors are consistent. Lots of sweetness, spice, and creaminess, but with more body than just red and stoved VA alone. The Orientals and perique add body while the latakia helps add the creaminess.

I still have a small sample left with 9 years on it. Aged, it's darker overall but mellow in flavor. The latakia is more present than new.

Sutliff version:

The tin note is like brownie batter and vinegar. Sweetness, cocoa, and tang from the vinegar. I noticed the longer the tin is open, the more pronounced the vinegar is.

From. Beginning to end, the flavors are consistent, but very different from. The original. Sweetness, very mild spice if any at all, the latakia is more pronounced in the flavor with its smokiness. The cocoa aroma does transfer to the taste. I suspect this version is heavily cased in some sort of cocoa casing. The vinegar also used in the casing doesn't not transfer to the actual flavor.

The difference IMO is night and day. I much prefer the P&C version over the Sutliff version. But of course, it doesn't matter since McClelland no longer exists. I don't purchase Mississippi River anymore due to the price.

Starts off with really bright Virginia sweetness. Similar to tart cherry or other stone fruits. The Perique is really only apparent on the retrohale for me, barely so, but I can tell it’s there. As the bowl burns down, the perique adds a little spice, and a touch more sweetness. Otherwise it is a pretty linear blend.

The main problem with this blend, is it makes my mouth water uncontrollably, so I’ll have to remember to have some pipe cleaners ready.

I got a chunk of this blend as a sample from my brother. It’s a pleasent smoke, that I would like to get in my rotation at some point.

Mississippi River is an auburn colored krumble kake with specs of tans and blacks. It’s soft and moist and crumbles very easily. I let it dry out a bit before I actually tried smoking it.

I have to agree with a lot of the other reviews in that the tin note is McKetchup. The ketchup aroma that I so often smell in the McCelland Virginia flakes.

Matured Red Virginias, Matured Red Virginias, Matured Red Virginias. For me this tobacco is all about the sweet slightly nutty flavor of the matured Red Virginias. The smokiness of the Latakia presented itself every once in awhile but was very mild and most of the time undetectable. The same is true for the spice of the Perique, very mild, every once in awhile, and mostly undetectable.

The sweet slightly nutty flavor of Mississippi River almost reminds me of some of the Burley blends that I’ve tried. I know it sounds a little odd comparing Mississippi River to Burley blends, but that is how it tasted for me.

02/16/2022 UPDATE: I cellared four 8oz tins of this stuff 7yrs ago back in 2015. I recently opened all of them and put the tobacco in mason jars. OMG that familiar McClelland McKetchup aroma is there as bold as ever! The tobacco is black with a reddish hue, very McClelland-esque. There is no doubt in my mind that at least the earlier Mississippi River was made using McClelland red virginias, probably some time prior to 2018 when McClelland discontinued their products. Brought back such memories!

I've been smoking quite a bit of this seven year old Mississippi River. It presents itself as an extremely smooth and mild VaPer. It kind of reminds me of a very mild natural Virginia Cavendish with just a pinch of Perique added to achieve a mild VaPer flavor. Nothing complicated, just a soft, mellow, and extremely smooth VaPer.

Enough has been said about this blend. All the good is true. Medium in strength coupled with a sweet and smokey flavor make it an exceptional all day smoke. A 3.8 for Mississippi River. Puff ...puff ...keep!!!

Absolutely great smoke from the beginning to end. This one really lived up to the hype, and I can buy it in bulk. Happy piping!

I got this in bulk and I didn't think it was a crumble cake. It was well-rubbed out, or had crumbled into ribbons, when I got it from the jar. It has that unnatural waxy moisture that polyethylene glycol adds to a blend, and the sweetness that PG seems to add. The blend is cased more heavily than most of my usual smokes. Despite being very moist, it lights and burns easily.

The flavor is almost light-English, dominated by the Virginias. It is a little bitey. There is a medium-high dose of nicotine which was unexpected, and was present from the beginning. It is a pleasant smoke. I won't go out of my way to get it, but when I am in the Seattle area, I might pick up a couple of ounces.