John Patton Storm Front

This is another regular in my rotation. I smoke it a lot when Im out and about. It is surpisingly sweet...(there is some kind of very mild casing...very very mild but its there). The nicotine hit is around medium. Its a smooth cool smoke but if you puff too fast it can get harsh. Its the best Patton blend in my humble opinion and one you should try. A quality burley blend.

Not at all a "full" cigar blend but a medium one. This tastes and smokes like a Middleton product with extra smokiness but not extra strength. Also a step up in quality and perhaps a step down in nic. The cigar leaf provides interest, but you have to like OTC style burly. Faint sweet topping. Perfect moisture. No off tastes like with some Middleton or Pinkerton. A great all day smoke for those inclined toward codger burly. I used to like these (PA etc) but they don't do it for me any more, but that's a personal thing.

I'm writing this based on two bowls on a sample that I received from the blender. I've made a point of not reading the other reviews.

I am a fairly long time cigar smoker (15+ years) and relatively new to the pipe (just over a year).

I did not detect anything cigar like about the blend in the pipe.

I did find the blend creamy, relatively smooth, definitely richer than a straight Burley like PA would be. Somewhat sweet as well without being overpowering.

As with most Burley blends, it turned a bit ashy towards the end, which was fine as most of what was left was fairly hard chunks of charcoal dottle.

The blend is well behaved in the pipe, no goop, clean dry smoking.

I have not smoked any other cigar leaf blends. This blend definitely uses it as a condiment, at least to my taste buds... don't be put off by the ingredients if you love Burley but don't like cigars!

This was good enough that after my initial one ounce sample I ordered more to see how it would develop. That first ounce I remember having to tweak with a pinch of 515 red Virginia to soften the slightly hardcore edge. But the second batch that has been set aside and untouched in its sealed jar for five years has developed nicely, and needs no tweaks to earn its four stars. Don’t expect nutty notes or molasses from the Burleys, this has a different flavor profile derived from a synergy of Burley and cigar leaf that is difficult to draw an analogy to, but it has a deep, mellow, ‘creamy’ taste that is almost addictively good!

I don't reach for this often, but given the right mood, in the evening, with a dark ale by my side, this is a special smoke. I talk about mood, and by that I mean that if I’m riled up about something or my mind is hyper active with thought, this fights against me. If I’m a little down, this is not cheerful enough to bring me up. It seems to require a very centered state, calm but not tired, and it requires that I go to it, because it doesn’t come to me. Does that even make sense to anybody?

For once I was stumped to describe the flavors, so I read through all the other 45 reviews here. Amazingly only one reviewer described what I’m tasting as I smoke it right now, the others left me scratching my head in bafflement. First off, the maker’s description of “meaty, sweet, and smoky” just doesn’t resonate with me. It’s definitely not sweet, and it certainly not smoky like a dfk or Lat blend. Finally when I read SecretAgentMan and how he describes pecans and pretzels, that rang the bell for me. Yes, I get mostly very dark toasted pretzels and a little bit of unsweetened pecans. That’s probably why I like this so much with dark ale. It’s a bit too firm for coffee in the morning (nothing going to sway me from my morning ritual with Country Squire’s Cowboy Coffee!), but in the evening with a dark ale, yeah, that’s the ticket!

If you like Burley, if you like cigar leaf, you’ve gotta try this. As a bonus it ages splendidly!

This is an amazingly good burley blend! The cigar leaf is barely noticeable, while the burley pumps out that chocolate burley tatse. Mild to medium with no bite. Lights and stays lit. The only draw back to this blend is the price, which will keep me from giving four stars.