Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River

A deep, rich looking Krumble Kake that begs to be smoked. I prefer to fully rub it out and let it dry. The Virginia's lead the show here. More sweet than sour, but not overly so. I prefer Plum Pudding by the same blender for a little more Latakia. English lovers that are fond of a stong Virginia component should give this one a try. Recommended.

This is my fist posting on this forum, however, I and my wife have enjoyed pipe smoking since 2002. We found ourselves getting back into pipe smoking in the last few months and this has been an interesting experience. During my quest to “get current” with the tobaccos blends and the general hobby/lifestyle, I started looking at YouTube and reading this forum, as well as cruising the internet and my chatting up my local B&M tobacconists. The Seattle Pipe Club blends have certainly received some nice write-ups and accolades, so I took a chance from Pipes and Cigars and ordered a sample of 4 oz.’s of MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Ok, on to my notes concerning SPC Mississippi River -

Taste: Excellent flavor of the initial light and first few puffs. I could immediately taste the Latakia and the smooth VA and the Orientals. The Perique hid the back until about mid bowl and then I caught the taste in subtle manner. The Orientals seemed more pronounced to me than the Latakia throughout the bowl. All together I think it is a mild to medium English blend with some unusual spicy smoothness and a faint brandy note. This mix never had a bite and was consistent in taste. I just can’t figure out the secret flavor that makes this blend so unique tasting. Is it the pressing? Nice finish with no lingering unexpected flavors.

Mixture: The mixture was smooth and well balanced all the way to the dottle. I really appreciate the married flavors that did not compete with each other or change as the smoke progressed. Again, is it the pressing and resulting marriage of the components that adds this nice touch?

Texture; My sample came as a solid brick! There was “some assembly required” to get the weed in a smokable condition. Others have commented that there is no known casing, but the moisture content was high after breaking the cake. I let it dry for an hour or two on a clean poster board before placing in a glass air-tight jar. After that I’ve had no issues with the moisture content.

Smoking notes: I lit nicely and stayed lit with normal sipping. I didn’t have to honk on the mixture to keep it lit. As other have stated, it finishes in a nice white ash. Reminds me of EMP in that respect. Great smoke with limited aggravation to my nose.

Summation for the jury: I really like this blend and plan to keep it in my regular rotation I prefer English and Balkan mixtures in general, but this SPC blend stands apart from most all that I usually enjoy. I think it is the uncommon smoothness and unique flavor for this type of blend. Additionally, with my Dunhill favorites I do not have the added task of rubbing out the blend.

Recommended.

P.S. I have many blends that have been cellared for over ten years that I will be sampling in the coming months. Some of these well-known international blends are no longer being produced or distributed. Stay tuned.

I had no idea what to expect with this one, especially after having just smoked a tin of it's stable mate Plum Pudding. So, I popped the tin and saw a mélange of pieces of a rather dark and mottled tobacco that looked like an irregularly rubbed-out flake. My initial sniff test caused me to think - what? It smelled like several things all at the same time; but, mainly sweet and somewhat spicey and, yes, latakia. The semi-flakes rubbed out easily and the loading and lighting was also easy. The sweetness seemed subdued during smoking and the frequently encountered English pair of tobaccos, latakia and perique, played nicely together. All in all, a rather pleasant smoke that I enjoyed; however, I don't see it as a mainstay blend. I have been including it in my English microblends to great success and enjoyment.

What we have here is, in essence, an aromatic English. I have no problem recommending it to smokers for both smoking and blending. Three stars.

Nice, dark crumble cake with inviting tin notes of plum, leather, and a background aroma that would be familiar to Copenhagen dippers (although that last one dissipates with a little drying time).

Needs some tending and an occasional relight, but burns well overall.

Some nice spicy and earthy notes from the orientals, but the Virginias are still very much in front. Personally find them a little thin in the smoke and taste departments, and the flavor is a bit too much like a (quality!) cigarette.

Nicotine level is pretty solid.

Similar, but doesn't quite measure up, to Pebblecut or Tudor Castle, imo. (And those two are a lot easier to get your hands on!) But fans of these types of VA-oriental blends will almost certainly enjoy this. It's pretty damn good for the genre, just not my cup of tea.

Well it took me 3 tins to really figure out what Mississippi River was all about. That’s an odd opening sentence, but this is not a one dimensional blend. I always knew there was something there hence the 3 tins, but now I can properly relay my experience very well. Firstly if your looking for a sweet tooth Virginia forward blend this is not it, the Red Virginia does however add a subtle nuance of both dark fruit and a pleasureable spice note. The Perique is muted, but noticeable just how I like it. The interplay between the Latakia and Perique is very nice, and the Turkish leaf lends a bit of a sour yet tasty element. In my estimation the Latakia and Turkish leaf are the main players with the aforementioned as condiments. Now why did this take 3 tins ? It’s all about the Kake ! The krumble Kake is probably the best I’ve seen, but as expected was always moist. You can smoke this straight from the Kake, but I found out over 3 tins it really doesn’t shine as many reviewers describe it. This blend needs to be broken down and dried a LOT ! A good 2 hours or, until it feels almost too dry. Once the moisture is muted, the real Mississippi River comes out to play very very nicely. This now has become something I’d buy again and again. I wouldn’t say this is my top shelf go to, but I will visit this at least a few times a month or, whenever I can spare the time to wait for my pipe fix. An easy 3.5-4 stars now that I learned how I enjoy this blend.

A somewhat barbeque flavored blend that could be accompanied with a smoked beer. Creamy, smooth and spicy, smoking very well to the last draw. No tongue bite. It is funny how latakia and perique can blend so nicely, giving pleasure in equal parts. As I have not yet discovered any similar blends, I would highly recommend it.

I reach for this when I want a treat, great from top to bottom. I love it when I purchase a blend and open it straight away and its everything I expect it to be. The virginias are top notch and seasoned to perfection with the orientals. Sweet, buttery, salty, bbq smokeyness that is wonderfull for me at night while I reflect on the day and week. Flavor is balanced I can taste every tobacco used as they burn untill the last third of the bowl then the tobaccos marry into a wonderful rich medly of sweet goodness. Thankyou seattle pipe club and pipesandcigars.com! Now if the rest of you smokers would quit buying it all up LOL

Upon opening the tin I found several pieces of cake that are extremely easy to crumble into a fine shag of tobacco, that look mostly brown with flecks of dark gold and black mixed in. The smell, as another reviewer has mentioned, reminds me of a McClelland VA blend. The smell is sweet & sour with a bit of earth, pungent, and some sweet fruit flavors.

This tobacco is so easy to prepare and load right from the tin. Easy to light and stays lit with light but firm (at the end of the bowl) tamping.

I was surprised by this tobacco. I was expecting it to be stronger on the latakia/English side of things....I'm not sure why exactly. This is definitely a VA forward blend, which really lends itself to my liking, especially of late. I've been on a serious VA kick. The smoke is creamy, smooth, and soft with mild to medium flavors. After smoking a few more bowls, it's a very mild flavor. It tastes like a typically sweet red VA blend, bready, a bit sour, dark chocolate tones, dark fruit, and woodsy. The smoke also has hints of the normal incense spice from the orientals, but just lightly, and just a tiny touch of campfire from the latakia. The perique is very mild, but discernible in the dark fruit tones. It's quite a nice relaxing, mild blend that seems to be great for an all day smoke. I would recommend this to those that are VA fans and who are looking to dabble into the English blends. I can see why so many people rate this tobacco so highly.

** Update ** I decided to deviate from the pipe I had dedicated to this blend. I wasn't enjoying it as much as I thought I would and my experience didn't seem to align with the majority of reviews that are out there. Including some of the reviewers that have tastes very similar to my own. I loaded up my oldest pipe that is well seasoned, a Savinelli 602. Not sure if it's the cake or the bowl size, but HOLYSMOKES!!! Totally different experience! This is really really good stuff. Sweet and sour and smokey flavor in tons of smoke that is almost creamy and very soft and gentle on the palate. I absolutely loved smoking this blend in my Savinelli and it is definitely an all day smoke. Upgrading to 4 stars.

A word of advice, if you find a blend that seems 'eh...' try switching up the bowl and pipes with different cake. Still, with the light flavor I have to give it 3+ stars, instead of the full 4.

This is amongst the sweetest non-aromatics available. The Virginias are abundantly sweet and tangy. The Turkish leaf is woody and slightly sour. The Latakia and Perique are subtle but give smokey and fig flavors. Every component combines to create a sugary tart desert like smoke. Definitely worthy of a spot in the cellar.