Sutliff Tobacco Company Blend No.5

I bought this tobacco over 2 years ago and tried it then was not at all impressed. It was very non descript, lacked any real flavor notes and only proved to be something to smoke. However in clean out some boxes at the hoouse this weekend AI found the tin long forgotten. I pack a bowl and lite it much to my suprise it has developed a flavor and has become very note worthy. The latakia has bloomed and has taken over it has now dominated the blend. It has become a strong and full bodied smoke. If you can buy this, store it for a couple of years it seems to develop into a fair smoke. I personally dont like to store my baccy that long.

I got this blend as a freebie. It has the necessary ingredients for my favorite tobaccos: Latakia and Virginia (they also add Burley to the mix which is okay). On opening the tin it really reminded me of Frog Morton, with it's earthy, rather rich smell that I associate with English tobaccos. It was easy to pack, a little dry but not too bad. Easy to light. Harder to smoke. I'm a puffer and it can burn hot and burn hot really quickly. It may be the Virginia in it but once its hot the taste is gone. With controlled smoking it tastes a lot milder than most English blends I've had and very sweet, again probably a buy product of the Virginia.

I don't think this will be a daily smoker for me, but a good every now and then smoke for sure. It would probably be a decent intro to English blends from an aro because of the sweetness in the tobacco.

Sutiff #5 .. In the process of making a Dunhill 965 replacement, the blenders succeeded in making a OK standalone mixture, tin aroma and all. I find its strength noticeable and satisfying, with a bevy of nice flavors to enjoy. My tin needed only minimal drying time. Just pack, apply the 2 step light up and off you go into a cool, no bite smoke. This stuff has good possibilities, but my tin seemed a bit green, so I'll come back in a year or so and see what happens, as is, IMO it's kind of raw. My personal rating 2/5

Another sample from Altadis, this time around it's something I can smoke! I'll call this an American rather than an English blend, for the addition of Burley to the mix.

The description passes this off as an homage to 965. Why, it's hard to guess...there are no Orientals, this is clear. If anything, the brown Cavendish can be described as Burley, before the treatment. Perhaps Altadis is suggesting the blend has a nutty sort of taste, I don't know.

Do not object just yet--No. 5 will grant you a sizable portion of Latakia. Opening up the tin I could see roughly 40 to 50 percent, and that comes through in the smoke. The other half of the blend is a mixture of Burleys and Virginias, but I can't tell them apart, to be truthful. The smoke is somewhat sweet, and people have talked of a casing. I can't say much about that either.

No.5 came to my door in an oversized tin, labeled as 1.5 ounces. That's a bit peculiar, I say, but the packaging and presentation are both very nice. Inside the tin, the contents are dense--could there be more than 1.5 ounces?

No. 5 will grant one numerous questions. In consideration, I can only commend Altadis for trying a bit harder to meet our requests. If anything, you should put those memories of pouches full of cased abominations behind, and approach the product with clear thoughts.

I will finish this.

Four of Five.

Altadis does it again, the fail at making a tribute blend, and at the same time making a decent blend on its own right. The blend has absolutely none of the nutty taste that is so famously what makes 965, but does indeed have a nice balance of natural tobaccos.

Received this as a sample from Altidis. I must say I love their Montecristo cigars. I will also say that sooner or later they will rule the pipe tobacco world. Just a matter of time.



First: I review based on what I like. PERIOD! To me a blend is either in the pipe or in the garbage, there is no other choice.

I don't care who made it or what category it is in. I do not want to read its website, I could care less where the leaf comes from, its quality or quantity, its musical or acting ability, who mixed it or if it tastes like a fruitcake.

The bullshit stops when I light my one pipe per day. I like it or I toss it.



And this is no longer in my pipe. No smoothness, not at all supple and with a heavy flavoring that makes the aftertaste last for hours. Basically to strong (robust, harsh) for me.



If you choose to try this blend, try to smell the tin first, because that is the taste that will be in your mouth for many hours after you smoke it. Maybe rum? Hard to tell.



Second: Try Count Pulaski for a similar blend from Altidis, but milder, smoother and with a more subtle flavor.

Third: Pray Squadron Leader returns. At this time there is none available in the USA except on eBay.

PS: Is it my imagination, or do prices seem to be going up about 10% a month lately?

My first review, and I decided on what was a ho-hum tobacco, No. 5. I am new to the wonderful world of English blends, but not that new. Without an Oriental presence, this falls a bit flat IMO. Room and tin note are acceptable; it is the taste, however, that I find lacking. To me, there was an insufficient melding of the various tobaccos(or, I keenly missed the Orientals)...I didn't sense a homogenous mixture so much as a mish-mash of ingredients, if that makes sense. That said, I didn't abhor finishing the can. It isn't that bad, just a bit thin. I bought a second can to cellar, if only to see if aging evens it out. Since I found the 1.5oz cans for only 2.29 a pop, I figured: Why not? My recommendation? Well, English snobs would best pass it over. However, oriental haters and newbs looking for English on the cheap may well take to this weed. 2 stars overall.

I received a sample in the mail, and when I opened the tin, could smell the Latakia in the mix right away. The flavors are typical English with a bit of a sweet after taste. The Latikia taste is not as strong lit as in the tin and the flavors are not overwhelming. No bite, but I did receive a strong nicotine buzz about half way through the pipe, so strong, I got a racing heart and the shakes, much like smoking a strong cigar. If you are into getting a heavy dose of nicotine (which I'm not) but like a mild English mix this one's for you. Will I go out and buy it, no, I'll stick with Boswell Northwoods or Frog Morton, because I smoke a pipe to mellow out and like a little more Latakia in my English blends.

Addendum March 13, 2010:

I though I might be missing something with this blend, as per Pipe Studs review (whom I usually trust and agree with). I have let the can mellow for a few months. My opinion has not changed, there is something in this that just does not agree with me. It might be a preservative or would they add nicotine? Strong stuff like Billy Budd does not bother me. This does.

I received this from a friend who knew that I sometime smoked 965. It has been my experience that knock-offs of latakia/oriental blends are best smoked after aging. I did try one bowl in a Dunhill tanshell; cloying and harsh! However as noted above, I will be giving this a try sometime after Thanksgiving. Post Thanksgiving dinner. I wish I had stopped after the candied yams.