Sutliff Tobacco Company Molto Dolce

To my taste, Molto Dolce may very well hold the record for the sweetest, creamiest, and quite frankly the most flavorful "candied" American style aromatics that I have come across. The tin note is a heavy, almost boozy sweet spiced-vanilla flavor that translates quite nicely when it's smoked. Molto Dolce is very moist out of the tin so it's best to give it adequate dry time, otherwise the overall flavor profile takes a turn for the worse past the mid bowl point.

Upon opening my tin I was convinced that I couldn't smoke this blend. I'll try anything once and I am happy I did because I was wrong. I like this stuff. It tastes good, performs pretty well & smells very nice. It's sugary but has no bite. I will definitely continue to smoke this on those occasions when I want something that is uncompromisingly sweet and simple.

You get what you paid for, and it is exactly as it is advertised: an aromatic. The tin note is precisely the room note. I would describe it as "cinnamon pancakes." The taste is incredibly sweet, and the natural flavors of the tobacco are overpowered to the point of nonexistence. Over all a very good aromatic blend, and a terrific dessert smoke. But it wasn't what I was looking for. It is a more potent version of Cornell and Diehl's Irish Blessing.

First opened to a sweet honey molasses flavored tobacco, dark mix. It sort of reminded me of what I imagine a candy factory could smell like. Upon lighting, I gave it no drying time, it took to lighting well, though it felt a tiny bit oily.

I found the smoke to be enticing. I caught hints of fruit, molasses, medium strength clove, honey, and a nice nutty sweetness. I felt no tongue burn, but did sense a tingle like smoking clove cigarettes. The after taste was nice, it did not last long... I love sweet tobaccos, and this was a great beginner tobacco beginner. I think I will keep this around for a bit.

Sutliff Molto Dolce provides a very fine aromatic for those who enjoy aromatic blends with considerable strength. Hold in mind that Molte Dolce is Italian for very sweet.

The blend is burley, Virginia, and black cavendish, the cavendish also being burley. The nougat like flavor includes vanilla, honey/molasses, and caramel. I suspect there also is a dollop of alcohol, rum or whiskey. Open the tin and you find a dark ribbon that is very moist, so much so that it will stain your fingers when you load the pipe. The aroma is delightful, and as the name signifies, very sweet. The mixture benefits from a little drying, but don't overdo it, or it will lose some of the scrumptious note.

Despite the moisture, after the charring light the blend fires up without difficulty, although you get an occasional pop from the moisture. The taste of the smoke mimics the smell in the tin to a degree that is unusual for a pipe tobacco. The taste of the burley and Virginia is lost in the aromatic casing and/or topping. The room note can only be rated as superb.

Many of the pipes I dedicate for aromatics are Dr. Grabows, which I smoke without filters. Even so, I find no problem with this tobacco biting so long as it is puffed gently, which you can do and maintain a light in spite of the high moisture level. The nicotine level registers low.

Molto Dolce is a big seller, and those who presume good selling tobaccos are automatically mediocre will suspect the worst. In fact, as an aromatic, Molto Dolce is a high quality offering. For those who dote on aromatic blends, the decision as to which flavorings push a mixture into regular rotation is highly subjective. But I cannot imagine a pipester who loves aromatics not being happy with this offering overall.

Some pipe smokers simply do not care for aromatics. (I use the term "aromatics" for tobaccos that have a clearly discernible flavoring; in fact nearly all, if not all, pipe mixtures have small amounts of casing in one or more of the constituent tobaccos.) The pipe smoking community also includes a considerable number who use aromatics as a change of pace. I suspect that some in that number will find Molto Dolce overly flavored. Hence I rate this brand as a three star "recommended" rather than a four star "highly recommended." But if you are an aromatic lover, add the fourth star.

MacBaren acquired the Altadis pipe tobacco brands in 2013 and reverted to the name Sutliff, while greatly reducing the number of tinned offerings. But among the bulks still produced under the Sutliff name, Creme Brulee offers a near clone to Molto Dolce.

I was really trying to find a tobacco that would be have an appealing aroma to others and also have some flavor for me. Molto Dolce fits the ticket. I don't smoke many aromatics except when out and about and this is one that everyone should give a try.

Upon opening the tin you are greeted with what smells like a candy shop or bakery. Extremely moist to the point of goopy it stuck to my fingers while loading my pipe. You can smoke this tobacco hard with little or no tongue bite. I would think that if you are breaking in a new pipe that this tobacco could help build up your cake rather quickly. I smoked the whole tin before I came here to tell you what I think... It is OK. Extremely sweet, heavy on the caramel and vanilla. Great for aromatic lovers.

From the the tin, Molto Dolce is ribbon cut, very dark, and comes very wet. The tobacco is oily and sticky to the touch. The descriptions says it flavored with vanilla, caramel, and honey. I find this true, and I also pick out notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. I can’t pick out a tobacco aroma from the tin

Upon lighting, the flavors are soft, creamy, and sweet. The vanilla is up front, while the caramel and honey are tied. The cinnamon/nutmeg note is present but light. It stays consistent throughout the smoke and the toppings do not burn off. The flavor is reminiscent of drinking a crème brûlée. I could not pick out any actual tobacco flavors.

Molto Dolce smoked cool and offered no tongue bite. It will leave moisture in your bowl and did need some attention to keep lit at first, but once it gets going it behaves well. I’m sure you could dry it and help the burn but you would be loosing some flavor, so I prefer to deal with the initial relights. It has very little nicotine and could be an all day blend if someone has a strong sweet tooth. 3 out of 4 stars.

Presentation: Beautiful tin, as are all in the Sutliff Private Stock Series. Similar tin to C&D blends but much wider.

Cut: Chunky ribbon cut. This blend will likely arrive sopping wet out of the tin. The moisture has an oily, slightly sticky feeling, and this will be substantially slower to dry than a normal moist blend.

Tin note: I smell honey, vanilla, caramel, and dare I say some maple and wood.

Tasting notes: Woody, creamy, maybe a bit tart at times along with the topping flavors of vanilla, honey, and caramel. The topping flavors are definitely there, albeit faintly. They will more apparent by sipping the blend.

Mechanics: For an aromatic it is surprisingly cool smoking. Maybe rough to light, but once lit, it will smoke well. Do not be shocked if you hear it crackle while smoking, that's just the nature of this blend. Sip this blend! You might need to run some pipe cleaners through your pipe while smoking this blend because it will emit moisture.

Extra Remarks: This is an enjoyable aromatic blend. That should carry extra weight coming from someone who has not liked many aromatics. It actually tastes somewhat how it smells and it smells amazing. 3 stars.

Disclaimer: I am not a regular aromatic smoker. I like them once in awhile or I smoke them when I want others to enjoy the experience more than me. Molto Dolce is talked about frequently and is seemingly loved by most so I figured I had to try some. Well, sometimes the mob is right. This review is all in the context of "this is good for an aromatic", compared to non aro blends there is no comparison. I am reviewing it for what it is. The tin note is really nice. It smells like something you should eat, not smoke. Vanilla and strangely enough I get a minty scent along with it. The taste was quite good, but it didn't taste much like tobacco. I was sure this was going to bite me but it didn't. Sweet smoke, Vanilla custard, caramel a bit of toasted bread here and there. You get a bonus of rice krispie pops that come from the bowl while you smoke it....I just hope that isn't some bug larvae making that sound! Nice aromatic that will make the whole room smell great!