Sutliff Tobacco Company Balkan Luxury Blend 957

I bought a tin from a local tobacconist when I was in the US, before i found out I could order almost any tobacco known to man online.

I was not very experienced at the time, but i struggled to like this tobacco. I found it too greasy and somewhat 'chemical'. It's very hard to savor the components, it tastes like a latakia-flavored black cavendish. It lights easily and burns slowly, probably because chemicals keep it moist and greasy. It's not BAD, I just couldn't enjoy it, except one time i came home drunk. Absolutely disgusting if smoked in a cob.

I repeat, it's not bad, but there's so much better stuff out there that I wouldn't bother.

Altadis's Sutlifee blends seem to be all across the board in quality. This is a 2.5 Star blend. As another reviewer noted, there seems to be a slight topping of vanilla on this which, IMO, masks the Oriental and Latakia components. Faintly peppery Perique comes through on occasion. Not a bad smoke but it needs some refining.

The tin description reads "Orientals, Perique, Latakia, and Black". It is mostly black mixture with the soft tin note of mild vanilla. I could not detect the orientals or latakia. The perique is far in the background but the overall flavor is pleasant. The black cavendish seems to be unsweetened but hints of vanilla. Towards the end of the bowl the perique lets your tongue know it was there with a slight peppery tingle. As with most of the blends I have tried from Altadis it is pleasant, friendly and will not offend. Worh a try.

This was the first English tobacco I smoked in a number of years. But when I bought the Sutliff can, I thought I was buying a Balkan. Why not? It is named Balkan Luxury Blend. But TRC classifies it as English.

Reading the ingredients again triggers the discussion as to when is an English a Balkan. Is English the genus and the Balkan a species or do Balkans stand on their own? And what is it about pipe smoking that so encourages the obsession with classifications and categories?

Well, regarding the particulars, I liked the Sutliff Luxury blend. Even though I hadn't smoked my pipes in a few years, as a fan of finer cigars, my taste buds and senses were still attuned to fine tobaccos. The Latakia flavors were still instantly recognizable, even though I hadn't smoked the leaf in a decade or more. And the peppery perique floated in the stream, dotting the thick tasting cloud of Latkia with explanation points of brightness.

I really couldn't identify or appreciate the Virginians or orientals during the first few sessions. So, I smoked a few bowls of GLP Union Square, a straight Virginian, and some GLP Embarcadero, an Oriental/VA blend. After refamiliarizing myself with some of the base flavors, I went back for a couple of more sessions, this time packing a pot.

Now, I like to think I could detect the foundation flavors. I have to admit, the Latakia doesn't grab me like it used to. Or maybe it wasn't the Lat.

The thickness seemed to have a razor thin layer of almost cloying perfume or the ever-so-faint whiff of soap about it. Maybe the black cavendish? Or was my imagination running away after reading too much about Lakeland blends. (To be clear, I know this isn't a Lakeland)

Mouth feel/finish was good. Requires brushing twice to get rid of the after taste. No tongue bite at all. As for room notes, it was strong verging on unpleasant. I'll know for sure when the daughter-in-law brings my grand-son for a visit.

Another thing. I know pipe tobaccos are not cigars. But the pipeweed ingredients stood out sharply and distinctly compared to the tightly entwined, subtle, nuanced blend of a decent cigar. Going forward, I hope to find cigar blends as sophisticated as the better cigars. But at this stage, as I begin to explore the world of pipe blends, I'm not sure I would appreciate the perfect pipe blend - if there is such a thing.

I'm cutting this review short - ok, too late for that - but will come back and adds some notes after I have smoked a couple of dozen or more pipe blends of different styles.

As stated earlier, I think I like this but I like it sometimes better than others, in some pipe better than others. It is also quite possible I'm beginning to like VaPers and Virginians more than Lats. I really like very much SG Navy Flakes and Escudo.

On my personal scale, I give stars as follows: One Star: trash it Two stars: Smoke it - Smoke the the rest but probably won't buy any more Three stars: Buy it again Four stars: Buy and Cellar a supply

On this scale, I'm tentatively giving this two stars but I reserve the right to change my rating after I have better educated my palate.

Pax

Well, all Altadis blends have something in common: the chemical taste of whatever humectant they use. I have tried many Altadis blends, and a few others by a different brand but still blended by Altadis. At this point, I don't think I will bother anymore.

Of the whole Altadis line up this is the most smokeable one. A good attempt at a cross over blend with a strong aromatic flavor and Latakia in the very background, almost unnoticeable.

Ubnfortunately, you cannot taste the orientals or anything else because, as it is customary with Altadis, the blend is doused with who knows what chemical they use as a preservative.

Worth the try for those who want to avoid high doses of latakia, or those who do not mind a tobacco humectant that tastes like Tinactin.

Now that MacBaren bought out Sutliff, I would like to see if they have enough sense to clean up the fungicide taste. At some point, when all the Altadis crap is gone from the shelves, I'll try again. For now, only two generous stars just because it is slighly better than the pencil shavings Altadis markets as pipe tobacco.