Sutliff Tobacco Company Barbados Plantation

Once we oldsters from the pipe smoking ranks were vaccinated, things began to happen: we actually saw each other in person, we actually smoked our pipes together and I (finally) was able to buy a collection of pipe tobaccos. In it was a single tin of Sutliff Barbados Plantation with peculiar black bumps on the tin bottom that I tested with a small probe. The biggest one went through easily on the first try and I decided to open the tin immediately. The tobacco was moist to the point of being too moist to light and I let a sample sit out all night to air out. The tin aroma was somewhat strong and reminded me of sniffing a bag of freshly roasted nuts with a little alcohol on them. I thought it was a pleasant aroma. The tobacco, itself, had a rather drab and dingy appearance of muddled brown to black and presented as a rough ribbon. Not quite four star material, smoking the blend was a better than a middle of the road experience. The peculiar, but pleasant, flavoring lasted down to the half way point of the bowl, where it gave out. From that point on it was an acceptable Va/Bur smoke. My only real complaint about this blend is how moist it comes and how long you have to let it air out to get a proper idea of what the base blend is like. So, all in all, I recommend Barbados Plantation at three stars as an interesting blend in the Private Stock line that is still in production.