Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River

This blend has a unique tin note to it. Can't say it's inviting or puts you off, I'd say it's interesting since I never really had a note like it. Almost like a subtle tangy bbq. Nonetheless, the smoke it what counts and it's a good one. It has some great balance, the Virginia seems to pull through nicely with a sweet tangy nuance with the latakia balancing it out.. the perique isn't overpowering and let's you know it's there in the background. The Orientals definitely bring interest. I like how the sweetness seems to become more prevalent to me as the bowl burns down. A nice blend I think anyone would enjoy. Have kept this in my rotation for more than a year now. When I seem to not know what I am in the mood for, it's a staple I draw on regularly. I think this is one of those blends everyone should try at least once. It has enough uniqueness to it that separates it apart from so many others.

Packing didn't seem to make a huge difference in flavour. I used mostly wide bowl pipes but the odd bowl in a small diameter pipe was still good. It burns very slowly when fresh but ok with a bit of drying. Drying does diminish flavour a bit.

The flavour is predominantly sweet and fruity with a bit of complexity. The smell is definitely a strong part of the experience for the smoker. Flavour is very consistent, strong up front and reducing slightly after halfway, but still quite tangible. It picks up a bitter note near the end. I've been dumping it at around 40 minutes when the flavour is still mostly good (I'm an occasional pipesmoker and don't worry about getting every last drop). It turns starchy with fast puffing and goes bitter if you burn it hot.

I am finally finishing up this tin, and I must say, I think it gets better and better. Usually Lat blends of this genre don't benefit from aging, but this being a Va forward blend it has aged nicely. The Va's have become much sweeter and balanced with the Latakia. The Perique does make itself known when exhaling through the nose. I have always loved the sour/sweet Virginia tobaccos from McClelland, and this is what makes this blend so special. I like to smoke this as I ease out of the summer VaPer's and make my way into the fall English blend rotation. Pick up a tin, you wont be disappointed.

This, in my opinion is the first, if not the only blend that mixes the viginias, latakia, orientals, turkish and perique, all together in a superb way, resulting in a nice cool smoke. Practically you can sense all the elements without having them in conflict. If you like English and oriental, or if you want to make a step in to English or Orientals, I recommend to start with this one.

I struggled for a few weeks to properly understand the flavors of this tobacco. The flavors of Plum Pudding are a bit easier to pick out I think. Mississippi River has a sweet grassiness from the Virginias and Orientals, a smokiness from the Latakia, and a spiciness from the Perique, but what flavor stands out as unique, albeit in a subtle way, is a fishy, steak sauce-like umami flavor. It's somewhat of an anchovy or a lake fish gut smell and taste when, which sounds like a bad thing but is so subtle and well balanced that it works perfectly. It also has a hint of something like paper or cardboard, again which is a good thing in this blend. That fish-like character mixed with the taste that is like the smell of paper or cardboard was the thing that kept me from reviewing it earlier because it's kind of vague and hard to define exactly. The tobacco smokes slowly for a very long time. I find that while Plum Pudding is more complex, I'm not sure I can say one is better than the other.

Ok ladies and gentleman SPC and Mississippi River are highly recommended by most. I recently just got two 2 oz tins of this from pipes and cigars and needless to say I should have bought more. This crumble mess is just such a great smooth and tasty smoke. The tobacco is actually fun to work with but does leave a little goop on your fingers. The light is pretty simple and after a false light stays lot very well. This is a very slow burning blend and will last you a good hour with a moderate bowl size. The taste of this tobacco is very sweet and about mid bowl you will notice a salty taste to this. I absolutely loved this blend so much it made my main 5 rotation. I say 5 stars for sure but 4 is all I got.

Couldn't wait to try this blend but I wanted to finish the whole 2oz tin before my review. The tin note is musty and fruity with a mild ketchup twang. It is a beautiful dark mottled krumble kake that breaks up and packs very easily. A little drying time is all that's needed and away you go. The mild Virginias add a real honest natural sweetness to the smoke. High quality tobaccos are very evident in the blend. There is just the right amount spice that is not overwhelming. The nicotine level is slightly more than medium but not a head spinner. Overall a great tobacco that I enjoyed more after dinner than earlier in the day. Medium bodied but rich and mouth filling smoke. Highly recommended.

Joe Lankford is my hero. I have smoked all kinds of different blends of pipe tobaccos in my life time . That being said my 2 favorite blends are Ashton Artisian, and Robert Mconnell Oriental mixture. River is not even close in taste or aroma to either of the latter mixtures. But what a smoke. Wow what a suprise this mixture is. There is an amazing butter Carmel and chocolate taste and smell with a hint of Lakeland floral. It is sweet yet slightly smokey. Lights fairly easy. Is rich and creamy. And I truly have found my new favorite smoke. Kudos to Mr Lankford. Peace

This blend upon opening the tin reeked of bbq. It reminded me of a Kansas city bbq sauce actually. This was a bit off putting as i have never really smelled that in a blend before, but as you know, the tin note and flavor are often quite different. This aroma settled down after a day or two, and it smelled more like a sweet and smoky english blend.

My first attempt at this blend was after a bowl of McClelland's Balkan Blue, which I LOVE! This was a really bad decision, because all I could taste was Virginias after the Balkan. It was actually kinda gross and I was disappointed. I decided to try it again the next day on it's own, and I'm glad I did. The second time around was much more pleasant and worthwhile, though still not really what I was hoping for. It's still decidedly a Virginia forward blend as far as I can tell, but the Orientals and Latakia start to build around mid bowl and create a very interesting, sweet and smokey flavor that is quite complex and satisfying . . . for a Virginia. That being said, it's not really my favorite flavor profile as the Virginia's tend to dominate, at least to my palate.

Another downside to this blend for me is that it is quite wet, and does not dry out very readily. I let a bowl full sit out on the tin lid for 3 hours and it was still almost as moist as when I pulled it from the tin. It may have some propylene glycol or some other moisture preserver mixed in, I'm not sure, but I ended up zapping it in the micro for about 15 seconds to get it to the moisture level that I wanted, which worked like a champ.

It burns medium hot once dried, but it's still heavy on the Virginia, so I took it slow. It is not super strong in the nicotine department either, which is a plus for me.

All in all, not my cup of tea, but if you're a Virginia lover looking for something different, this may fit the bill for you. If you're like me and you love Balkans and fuller English blends, this may not be what you're looking for. I am going to cellar the tin I bought and let it mellow out for a few years before I crack it open again. I probably won't buy another tin either.