Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Stimulus Package

How can there only be 7 reviews on this masterpiece? Maybe we should keep this to ourselves, eh? I'll just keep this short then. This crumble cake is about as well balanced as you can get it. It just doesn't get any better than this. If you are a true lover of English blends you will, without a doubt, enjoy this one.

Stimulus Package is a whale of a good smoke for those times when only a stout Latakia without the harshness will do. I find that a lot of Latakia laden blends being released the last few years are from blenders who are just tossing in any grade of the stuff they can find. Hermit, known for finding the good stuff, did so again here and wove in some mighty fine stoved Virginia to boot!

Pipestud

This is a real gem, if you're a fan of a full English and very Latakia forward, then this is for you. I would caution new combusters it may ruin your pipe experience, kind of like an Islay Scotch can for some people. A rich dense plug, requiring a serrated knife. I did not rub it out fully since I prefer them a bit chunky, a longer cooler smouldering burn.

The moisture content was just right and ignited easily. It's not overly complex but does what it does very well, rich and mellow Latakia yet full with some creaminess and a nice whisper of Orientals on the top note. Tastes great all the way down and I especially enjoy the last third the subtle complexity gets deeper. I prefer this considerably over Ten Russians or Pease's Gaslight.

It's been quite sometime since the Murray era of Dunhill, the same goes for the last time I packed any; however, this stuff vaguely harkens back to those days mostly on the rich Latakia side of things. I actually prefer this one a bit more; deeper with complexity. There's a moderate nicotine hit yet very well behaved, not a brute, mind you earlier on during the day on an utterly empty stomach a different tale may be told.

Certainly worthwhile to have some tins in the cellar albeit not something I'd smoke day in/day out, and the plug is great for the outdoorsy folks who prefer something compact and not too fragile. It also tastes great outside although losing some of it's subtleties. A fine blend for sitting in a treestand on a snowy day or puffing away in your ice-fishing pop-up, yet refined enough for a quiet evening shared in good company after cigars and some nice malts.

Now this is a tobacco that I can get behind. Jay and Louise are wonderful people and I try not to let that get in the way of my objective reviews of their tobacco... The blend is packed into cakes and upon opening the tin you are confronted by bricks of Latakia latent tobaccos (yummy). The blend was entirely too wet when initially opened but after a day or so of drying out it became very easy to smoke. The blend reminds me very much of Pirate Kake, but with a twist. It seems the mild Virginia and Oriental tobaccos of Pirate Kake were replaced with fragrant rich and delightful tobaccos. This blend has officially replaced Pirate Kake in my typical rotation.

Hermit Tobacco Works Co. - Captain Earle's - Stimulus Package.

I've smoked a fair few of the Captain Earle's blends and Ten Russians was the only one that I found a bit overpowering: too much Latakia. This, like Nightwatch, is a fabulous smoke.

The kake isn't too tightly compressed so it crumbles with ease, there's even a bowl's worth already broken at the bottom of the tin. It contains about an even quantity of black to brown leaf. The smell isn't a surprise: a heavier English aroma.

I fail to see how any incorrigible smoker couldn't adore this. The flavour's immense: lots of Latakia, with any possible roughness smoothed by the buttery, creamy, Orientals. Although, if the Orientals weren't present I still couldn't see any severity developing from the Lat'. The Virginia's pretty much redundant, the other two aren't up for sharing the playing field; they're far too formidable. The burn from it's even and steady, and the cool smoke doesn't bite.

Nicotine: medium, only higher at a push. Room-note: quite heavy, but I like it!

Stimulus Package? An unequivocal four star blend:

Highly recommended.

Wow, what a find ! The plug is easy to work with; if you first pull it in half thickness wise, then slice it in 3/8 inch wide cuts and rub it out. As you do this, you will have no problem determining that this blend has Latakia in it, you should be able to smell it from 6 feet away, nice.

I tried this back to back with JLP's Odyssey and they are similar but SP I like better ,which is pretty high praise. There is a full flavor blast that stays the whole bowl, powerful but smooth and no bite. What I especially like about this blend is an absence of "Burley Bitters" that I find in many similar blends. This might also have a small touch of Kentucky but it just makes this creamy. I like this blend the most of all the Capt. Earl blends.

One word of caution, after rubbing , take some additional time to further rub out the "Little nuggets" that remain. Otherwise you will have problems with the burn and will require many relights.

The tin note on this one is nice, strong, slightly sour and smells like a good grade of tobacco. It comes in a soft easy break apart square and smokes exceptionally well. Some have compared this to Pirate Kake and I can see their point. I have smoked quite a bit of this lately and do not tire of it. I always smoke outside and was talking to my neighbor and she even said that it smelled pleasant. I have had Nightwatch, 10 Russians and this is as good as the other two.

I normally only smoke Latakia blends, so when a new one comes along, I am always interested. I normally don't try a great number of new blends, since I have many already in my rotation. That coupled with the fact that I am not normally a fan of tinnings by Cornell & Diehl, made this tobacco a surprise. I first tried it at the 2010 Richmond show and immediately liked it. I bought the last tin that Jay & Louise had at the show. Since then I have been able to get an additional tin. I am not sure if this tobacco will be added to my normal rotation, but I am sure I will be buying more of it, it is very enjoyable.

The pressed cake is very easy to break-up, it lights easily, and burns very consistently, all the way to a nice ash.

Oh yeah?......oh yeah!

This stuff is almost a month old since I've cracked the tin and the Virginias are sweetening up real fine! Wow. I'm glad I got this and I think i will again. Although I want to try the other blends in the series, as well.

It's a potent Latakia blend that really delivers. I can taste all the components of the blend which makes it interesting and delicious.

Do it, to it.