Low Country Pipe & Cigar Black

The red Va. is a tad more obvious than the other Virginias, and offers tangy, dark fruit and a little earth. The sweetness is fermented in the McClelland manner with some familiar barbeque notes. I detect a bare hint of grass with minor spice hits here and there from the bright Virginia. The Cyprian latakia is a moderate addition, and noticeable for the smokey, woodsy sweetness you expect from it. Whatever the topping is, it's sweet, though I suspect that attribute comes as much from how the Virginias were processed than how it was topped. Has a slightly more than mild nic-hit. Won't bite or get harsh. Well balanced and very consistent in flavor, it burns at a moderate pace with not many relights, but it leaves a slight bit of moisture at the finish. It also leaves a very pleasant after taste. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

If this blend were a woman I'd marry her. It's that good. What makes the blend shine for me is that little touch of sweetness. It's such a startling contrast to the rest of the blend. Outstanding.

Black is sweet, musty, and strong.

In body and bouquet it is the most cigar-like blend in my cellar. I can't place the topping but, again, think "cigar" rather than "aromatic." There's a cinnamon and cedar spiciness to it, and the strong latakia component provides the dark oomph that underlies those flavors, rather than standing at the fore. Instead of the "savory campfire" that defines many of the latakia-heavy blends I enjoy, Black might better be subtitled "blackened Cajun gingerbread." It is a unique blend that, to my tastes, doesn't fit neatly into the traditional English category.

If provoked, it can bite. But smoked carefully, it provides quite a heady bowl of incendiary voodoo. I'll be very interested to see how it ages. At present, I'd give it 3.6 out of 4 stars.

Low Country - Black.

I had a battle opening it, the ring pull snapped off so tin-opener to the rescue! Once the lid comes off a very coarse blend is revealed, one where I can easily identify some pieces of flake. It appears a 50/50 split between brown and black tobaccos, and the moisture's faultless.

Where the taste is concerned at first I get quite a fair divide between sweet and smoky, making it an exceptionally smooth English. Once the bowl's stabilized the smoky addition easily overtakes any sweetness; it's still remarkably smooth, but smokier. Regarding the sweetness I'd be inclined to say there's the presence of a topping, it seems a bit too much to be natural. It burns cool, and only bites slightly when REALLY strained.

I'm one of the few who like the room-note, and I find the nicotine above medium.

Low Country Black easily warrants four stars:

Highly recommended.

My tin of Black is from 2009 and I have not smoked it new. Based on that, this is a very tasty blend. The flavor is sweet and smoky. Although I am sure the Virginias have sweetened with time, there is definitely some added casing or topping to Black. But that serves the blend really well. The tobaccos seem to be in perfect proportion and in addition to the sweetness; there is a noticeable spice component to Black too. It doesn’t bite but it can burn hot if puffed quickly. That is the only thing that takes away a star for me. Black could be considered an aromatic English or a “crossover” English blend. Regardless of the category, this is a delicious tobacco and kudos to Smoking Pipes on this fine, somewhat unique blend.

Having been partaking of a 2014 version of this blend and a well-aged tin of Bombay Court, I much prefer Black.

Tin note is signature McClelland's, and hits the nose with wafts of wine, fruit, bbq'd meat, and smoke.

At the match, the dark fruit comes through, in a syrupy sort of way, bringing to mind flavours I find in a blend such as Dark Twist, quickly followed by a smooth, smokey push from the latakia. The tastes darken to a degree as the bowl progresses, but don't deviate far from the sweet, smoky profile that is evident at lightup.

I found I enjoyed this most when I'd consume 1/3 of a bowl, and then leave it alone for a day or so. Coming back, all the flavours had concentrated, offering a deeply satisfying taste experience, with a moderate amount of nicotine. Medium flavoured +, but very well behaved.

This is nice stuff, and unique, as noted by other reviewers. Recommended.

Smoky and swarthy are good descriptors for this blend. At match the initial flavor presentation is olive / bitter olive - elegant in its way but not suitable for a main course. The olive is gradually joined by a sweetness that starts small and builds until the sweetness is plump and beautiful at center stage like a big rack of ribs in the middle of the table smothered in tangy barbeque sauce - the sweetness stays here for the rest of the bowl. There is quite a bit of spice in here too - tasty and tangy, nicely paired to the sweetness. And at some point mid-bowl there is a solid but not overwhelming jolt of nicotine.

The sweetness sets this blend apart - special indeed. Unfortunately the spice is slightly too much for my palate and leaves my mouth sore the next day. If it weren't for that aspect I would smoke this all the time.

I discovered this blend on smokingpipes.com only to realize this was their "house" tobacco (I believe). Buying it on a whim with very little to go off of other than the description, I decided to give this lesser known brand a try. In the tin, I was very surprised at the strong scent of BBQ, which I have gained familiarity with when it comes to latakia. The main point of separation was the intensity of this smell, as well as the addition of other foreign (but pleasing) scents -- I was very eager to light up as soon as possible. To my dismay, I was not dazzled with it upon my first few puffs down to about a quarter of the bowl. Described as "swarthy," I was expecting to be blown away from the first puff, not rolling my eyes at its lack of strength. I was very wrong. Like a boxer warming up with his first couple of jabs to test his opponent, I was not prepared for the knock-out uppercut about to be delivered mid-bowl. Suddenly, all the latakia burst forth and hit me like a freight train. This coupled with the nicotine really left me hurting -- with pleasure, that is. From this point on, the blend only continued to astound: it became very "charred" in flavor, and the stoved reds only gave it more nicotine fuel. Yet despite all the power, there was still a very predominate "spicy-sweetness" that took shape and gave me the impression that I was smoking BBQ chips (no joke)! I must add that I was drinking black coffee, and was smoking this in the morning on an empty stomach. However, I feel this only added to the wonderful time I had smoking this blend, all the way to the bottom of the bowl (which burned to a fine, black gunpowder, I might add). Needless to say, I was rather dizzy and grinning like a fool drunk on his favorite brand of spirits by the end. This tobacco has not gained much recognition yet, but I have a feeling as more lovers of full, dynamic english blends give it a try, it is sure to make its mark in the tobacco market. I highly recommend!

I will start by saying this: When my favorite retailer gets with my favorite blender and makes a blend- its as good as sold. I have all but the X-mas blend that I didn't know existed until today. This is my new favorite all-day english blend. It hits all the right spots on my palate and satisfies my desire for sweet and salty all at once. It comes very user friendly and perfect for instant packing. The smell is like a warm spring hike through the meadow by the Little Rock River. In the tin and on the air it hints at dark soil and moss, wood and leather. In one of my own handmade pipes, this blend burns consistantly from first light to last puff with never a bitter suggestion or fowl aftertaste. If you like english blends occasionally or constantly, I couldn't recommend one more highly at this time.

I'm reluctant to go against the crowd , but I just didn't find this one special. I find the blend mild but burns hot, reminds me of something ??? maybe a Dan's tobacco product, not very interesting. Has a light vanilla topping that I find distracting, not what I want on my tobacco, although it produces a nice scent.. This blend lacks body, is light on latakia and seems to need aging . Too many middle of the road latakia blends out there to buy this one again...

I agree with reviewer "Wellpipe ", " Unfortunately the spice is slightly too much for my palate and leaves my mouth sore the next day"