Benjamin Hartwell Signature Blend

I bought this tin on a recommendation that it was a very good Virginia / Perique blend. I can't really detect any Perique. The tin aroma is indeed reminiscent of "a certain company" as Evil Catfish notes. I found this a bit off-putting, but hey, the tin is open and the pipe is waiting.

The colorful broken flake rubs out a bit and packs easily. A charring light and then in to the bowl. This stuff has a great somewhat sweet flavor, one of the tastiest of the few Virginia flakes I have fired up. Signature Blend smokes very cool, no bite here - just smooth and very tasty.

I'm glad I got past the tin aroma, the smoke is very rewarding. I guess I found a Virginia that like me. The feeling is mutual. Good stuff indeed! If you get a chance to try this blend, do so even if you aren't a big Virginia lover.

This tobacco is again available. It is to purchase at 4Noggins. The flake is now packed in a flat tin, that is often used by tobacco producers.

In my opinion the tobacco is not different from the old one.

I am always surprised how people on this site review certain blends. This is an excellent straight virginia./ In fact, perhaps one the best now out there since McClelland has gone away. These are stoved darker virginias...probably several varities. It comes in broken flake of perfect moisture. Its smooth, cool, and relatively sweet. I detect no topping. Nic hit is mild...perhaps a tad over mild. There is some. Just not a lot. Room note is very pleasant. Whats not to like? A HUGELY neglected blend.

Signature Blend is the last of the BH blends that I recently purchased since I have been smoking Evening Stroll for many years and decided it was time to try the other two in the series. As I stated in my other reviews, the tin states this is manufactured by Altadis (Sutliff) but I am convinced that McClelland actually produced it since I know of no other Pipe tobacco producer that has that classic vinegar, Ketchup, tomato scent that McClelland has... Signature is a mild broken flake comprised of only Virginia and is a nice sweet and easy going Virginia that I think would be perfect for a newbie that wants to dip his or her toes into Virginia's since it Is very mild Nicotine wise and is also very forgiving of poor technique. Burns somewhat cool and dry with a nice clean ash at the bottom. Not the best of this genre but certainly not the worst. I really enjoy the BH series and wish that they expanded this series.

Having liked the Evening Stroll so much, I tried a tin of this from my local B&M shop. When I started to write this review, I could not remember anything about this blend even though I had smoked it several times over the last few weeks. I guess that is a review in itself.

So I lit up another bowl and THEN remembered what it was like. I am first hit with an almost-sour taste that was both off-putting and refreshing. I wouldn't say it was sweet, but there was a balance to the sour that made it enjoyable. The smell kinda reminds me of an old tobacco shop. That smell that hits you when you first walk in the door.

The nose exhale was fine and it burned very well. I would describe the flavor as robust with a cool sourness to it that keeps you puffing. It is easy to put it between your teeth and go about doing other stuff in the room. The flavor is bold enough that you can continue to enjoy it but it doesn't distract. It doesn't knock my socks off but it doesn't bore me either. I am undecided about keeping this in stock or not. I guess I can decide that when I finish the tin.

Kinda like sweet and sour. Not the best va around. Not the worst either. A little vinegary smelling to me. Kinda makes my eyes want to water sometimes from the smoke smell.

Scotty's old red is superior for less money in bulk though.

I have been looking at this tin on the shelf of my B&M for over 6 years. I have intrigued by the tin and had no preconceived notion of what to expect. I opened the can and found the smell to be unique and strong. I liken it more to a honey hickory smoke smell. I liked to look of the flake and its easy to rub out. It packs well in the bowl and takes a prelight well. I find the smoke itself to be cool and rewarding. I am able to get copious amounts of smoke and I can tastes the slight undertones of sweet hay and some spice. Its a predicable smoke as for me it does not change much throughout the smoke session.

For me its a damn good light VA blend that will see regular rotation in the day.

I am reviewing a tin from 1997 so please keep this in mind. I have never seen so much sugar on a tobacco before; about half of the tobacco is covered in white crystals. The standard McKetchup smell is there but its a little muted and joined with a musty odor. The smoke has a similar musty odor and taste which is a little dissapointing. Overall, a nice straight forward virginia with a little pepper to boot.

aj

This is a copy of a review I did in alt.smokers.pipes. The tin. Typcial pop-top 50g tin. Black label with Silver print. The tin description reads: "A balanced mixture of smooth refined virginia tobaccos, naturllay sweet with a little zest. A broken flake to be rubbed to taste. Light enough to smoke in the morning, rich enough to satisfy after dinner."

Popping the tin. The description is accurate, an amount of reddish broken flakes reside in the tin. The appearance reminds me of McClelland 2010, but has more the color of 5100. The tin aroma is nearly identical to 2010, or to say...catsup. The broken flake seems a bit moist, but not excessively so. Rubbing. I opted not to fully rub the broken flake, but to partially rub some of the smaller crumbled flake. The bowl loads and packs fairly easily.

Flame to bowl. Charring light..... The initial flavor is that of bright but somewhat stoved virginias. The smoke is typical white/blue.Not overly sweet, and if there is a topping, I can't detect any. This seems to be good straight VA.

Tamp and a Relight......smoking... Honestly, I can't tell the difference between this and 2010. While both are a good VA smoke, I prefer 5100. The flavor/palate is very bright and indicates to me that this would age well, and sweeten over time.

Required relight. Approaching Midbowl, the flavor is rounding out nicely, the brightness is still there and is indicating the possibility of bite and some good ole' VA sweetness is coming on. The ash is fairly course and gray mottled with black. I suspect this is due more to my not having fully rubbed out the flakes than to the leaf itself.

No more relights required even after setting the bowl down to type and take a drink of coffee. Mid to bottom bowl. The flavors of good VA's are really coming on. The sweetness is also coming on very well. Our lady nicotine is making her presence known , but not strongly. The brightness is subdued a bit, but still present. I am really enjoying this bowl as I contemplate what to type next and altnernate adjectives I might use.

A little gurgle and a pipe cleaner.... Bottom of the bowl. There is some moisture present and I swab with a pipe cleaner, there is little steam with the smoke, but the pipe is fairly dry. I suspect a little drying after rubbing would alleviate this. The flavor is sweet and rich with what VA lovers smoke VA's for. That wonderful rich flavor is present, but makes it's appearance late in the bowl.

Comparisons For the money, I will stick to McClelland 2010 or 5100 for a good reliable VA smoke. Rated on it's own merit, Altadis has done a nice job with this blend. I recommend fans of VA's to give it a go. I will not however be buying more tins of this. If Altadis where to sell it bulk and price it to be competitive, I would consider adding it to my cellar for aging. That is where the remainder of this tin is going. I will probably revisit it in a year or so. I bet that it will age wonderfully.

Overall, this is a good smoke in the traditions of what a pure, straight virginia should be.

'baccy'ho