Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River

This is a superb blend and a go to top shelfer for me. Love the balance in this blend. Absolute all dayer English blend. Just the right amount of spice from the orientals and enough smokiness from the Latikia to keep me interested but not so much that it extinguishes the sweetness of the Virginia's. If you're a new pipe smoker or new to English blends you should try this. This will always be a part of my rotation for sure!

I love this blend! Once again, master small batch blender Joe Lankford came up with a winner. I thought it would be similar to Esoterica's Penzance due to the contents and the fact that it is in Krumble Kake form. However, it is more Virginia forward with the Orientals, Perique and Latakia playing very deep in the background. This one stands on its own merit as a somewhat spicy offering that is a real palate pleaser for those who appreciate Latakia in small doses that compliments rather than overwhelms a blend.

Pipestud

This is simply awesome! Not being a fan of Latakia, I shied away from this blend despite all the rave reviews of it. Finally giving in to peer pressure, I ordered a tin. Amazing... The Latakia smokiness is prominent at first light, but quickly fades into the background( which is great for me). What remains is a sweet, caramelized sugar flavor from the Virginias, with just a tiny hint of smoke. The only bad part of this blend was when I reached the bottom of the bowl and realized it was gone.

I was pleasantly surprised by this tobacco. I was expecting the typical english blend from the description on here. This rings more closely to a Va/Per. The spicey, sweet, cool smoke is intoxicating. The complexity of flavors changes throughout the bowl which makes this blend even more appealing to me. There is the underlying Latakia leathery and smokey notes, but you can't help but me enthralled with the spicey sweetness of the Virginias and Perique.

This is definately a must have for me.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the bulk bag is the smell of a mild, sweet BBQ sauce. Similar to the McKetchup smell, but not the same. The sweet part of the smell was akin to molasses.

After lighting, the Virginias took the lead and held it for 2/3s of the bowl. The Latakia and Orientals were balanced in second place. The Perique was light but discernible. There's an extra bit of sweetness from a casing or topping. There are also some nice fruity notes. In the last third of the bowl the Latakia and Orientals achieve a balance with the Virginias providing a more "traditional" flavor profile which is held to the finish.

An excellent blend. A great, satisfying smoke. Mild to medium in body with medium flavors. Just a great all-around smoking experience. Loved it.

Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River.

Another blend I acquired in a recent trade with Gentleman Zombie; Franck, you've made my day again! I haven't been as excited over opening a blend since I obtained Haunted Bookshop on a previous trade and I've not been as satisfied since my first bowl of Black Frigate; it's such a shame it's unavailable to us in the U.K!

I adore krumble Kakes, I love how tactile they are and this scores even higher marks than usual as it's not just one or two blocks in the tin, there's a mixture of big and small blocks with some of the blend being broken so it's loadable straight away. The colour's mainly dark brown, there are some light and dark specks but as a whole it's dark brown. Just the tin note alone hits the spot, it's very satisfying! Due to the tin being quite spacious my mixture's breathed a little and the room inside has aided some of the kake in breaking up to a smokeable texture, so lets move onto the actual smoke:

My, oh my; this is the apotheosis of satisfaction! There's masses of thick smoke with a deep, rich and buttery flavour; it's very luxurious. I simply love it! Unlike a few other folks I struggle to detect any form of topping, I get a slightly fruity, slightly woody, slightly grassy and slightly sweet taste but I'd expect all that to hail from the tobacco's used. The one expected flavour which eludes me is any smokiness from the Latakia, albeit it says it only includes a smidgen! The nicotine quantity is very agreeable, for me; just enough to be identified yet nowhere near enough to turn my guts! And finally, we have the burn: steady, cool, even and leaves a fine white ash; perfect.

I can't recommend this highly enough; this steals the crown of 'the worlds best tobacco' from Black Frigate for me!

Highly recommended

A million star blend!

Firstly, I would not say this is an English blend, so don't let that put you off if your anti-English. I've smoked it in straight VA pipes without the standard Lat ghosting. Although present, the Latakia takes a background in this blend and doesn't in any way try to out-do the other tobaccos. I have smoked and shared many tobaccos but this one I hid when others were around to preserve it all for myself. A real top-shelf treat. The sweetness of extra mature Vas are so balanced with the spicy perique and smoky Latakia in a marbled looking little crumbly brownie that's as visually stimulating as it is tasty! Buy some and you won't be sorry.

This blend is one of my absolute favorites! It attacks my taste buds in all the right ways. It's spicy, sweet, smokey, and tangy. I still remember the first time I had a bowl of this. As soon as the flavors opened up, I shook my head in disbelief that I had found something so good! I think this blend is a great one whether you prefer aromatics or non-aromatic and English blends.

First let me start off by saying that this is an incredible blend deserving of every bit of the hype that surrounds it. Now, with that out of the way, I will begin my review. The tin that I am reviewing is one of several two ounce tins that I purchased this past spring with the intent being to age several of the tins, but they have continued to be pulled from the cellar at an astonishing rate. That should be a testament of how good this truly is. The tin note of this tobacco is very bright, being both sweet and bready from the Virginia, and slightly smoky and leathery from the Latakia, although I will say that the Virginia’s seem to steal the show at least as far as the tin note is concerned. The cut of the tobacco in this tin was more of a crumble than a cake as it seemed that none of the cake held together, however, I have gotten a few tins that were much more of a cake with small bits and pieces smattered in at the bottom of the tin. The tobacco is definitely a high quality tobacco and I have yet to find any twiggy or woody bits in any of the tins that I have purchased and smoked. The moisture level of the tobacco is generally just about right for my liking, however, this tin seems a little on the damp side and therefor I have had to rub the tobacco out completely and then let it sit out for fifteen to thirty minutes at a time before packing a bowl and enjoying my smoke. Once rubbed out and dry, the tobacco packs easily into the bowl and takes the light with minimal effort. The first thing that I am greeted with upon lighting the tobacco is that wonderful yeasty, and bread like Virginia taste, which is followed by a mild smoky, campfire like taste from the Latakia. To me, the Latakia remains mild throughout the entire smoke and plays a supportive role to the Virginias and Perique. As for the Perique, there is a mild peppery note that I can detect in the smoke, but it mainly lets me know it is there by mouth feel, as there is a slight spiciness that can be detected on the tongue. Do not let this last statement confuse you, there is no tongue bite here that will stay with you for hours or even days, but yet there is a mild spiciness that is detectable kind of like that of a mild spicy pepper. The blend remained bright, clean, and very consistent down to the bottom of the bowl. Nicotine levels were moderate, at least to me, leaving me feeling as though there was no need to light up another bowl. In the end, the tobacco burned well with no need for any relights, and burned down to a fine white ash, which made for easy cleaning of the pipe. I have to say that I am very satisfied with this blend and will continue to purchase it as often as possible so that I can possibly cellar some, and have enough to smoke anytime that I am in the mood for it. I would recommend this blend to anyone who enjoys a mild English blend where the Latakia is not overpowering, or to those that enjoy Virginia and Perique blends but want something to spice it up a bit.