Sutliff Tobacco Company Byzantium #525

I tried this as one of a group of English blends in a sampler (most if not all from Sutliff). This was the strongest Latakia smelling of the blends. I decided to devote a new pipe to it - a smallish Tim West. Maybe I wasn't doing it justice by trying this in a new pipe, so I waited until the pipe was well broken-in before posting a review.

I definitely taste a Balkan here. The tobacco is ribbon cut, and the pouch aroma leans toward the Latakia - as I allude to above. This blend came rather dry in the pouch - much dryer than even most Sutliff/Altadis English blends. The Latakia dominates the flavor of this blend. The blend smokes fairly clean, and I hardly had to run a cleaner - maybe a couple of times. I don't understand those who don't; even when a blend is bone dry, I usually have to run one mid bowl.

I have smoked about a third of a 2 oz package, and I am thinking this really isn't my cup of tea. The tobacco is good, and the blend smokes well (I don't get the bad reviews or some of the comparisons in other reviews). It's just not really my cup of tea. I prefer something that works as an all-day smoke or something that goes well with other flavors. This has a lot of heavy flavor to it. The blend doesn't overpower with Vitamin N, but it does manage to have a very heavy flavor - not a warm weather blend for me.

I think this would work best as an evening or after-dinner smoke. Like an oaky cabernet, you wouldn't want to go back to a lighter tasting blend after this. You're not going to be able to taste much afterward.

If you like heavier English blends that lean toward the Latakia component, this may be for you. It at least deserves a try.