Hearth & Home Magnum Opus

I typically don't require two tins in order to have some thoughts about a blend, but this one was an exception. I'm not sure I'm very close to figuring it out even now. This seems to be about 60/40 of light tobaccos vs dark and the tin aroma is extremely intoxicating. Very oriental forward with the latakia riding shotgun. The blend came dry and the ribbon cut makes for easy loading.

This blend was seriously complex but wasn't brazen about it. The flavor was smoky and dry as opposed to sweet. I can't say I tasted the perique but I'm betting it's a big part of the overall profile. It definitely reminded me of blends from yesteryear but I couldn't determine which ones - John Cotton's #1 and 2, perhaps? But it's been too long since I smoked that one. At any rate, this was a very good blend but I'm not as taken with it as the other reviewers. There was a strong hint of bitterness underneath this offering, and I couldn't get that to go away. I'm also suspicious of blends that work only in briar pipes, and this bitterness was more apparent when smoked in my preferred meerschaum pipes. Briars tended to mute this effect somewhat. While this won't unseat blends in my rotation such as Charing Cross, Exotique or Bishop's Move, this is one I'm going to buy more of to experiment. There were several instances of my wishing there were more latakia, which is something I don't often do. I may try adding some myself.

All this said, there is something about this blend that smacks of blending genius. Like GLP's Abingdon, I may not smoke a lot of it down the road, but do add a 4th star if you're one who loves complexity and true art in tobacco blending.

I LOVE BlackHouse, so i thought id give Magnum Opus a try. As such, my review is skewed, since its mostly a comparison. MO seems to me to be a less full-bodied, spicier, less incensy, higher in Nicotine, dryer alternative to BlackHouse. It is a bit more subtle. It doesnt have this huge incense/maple taste that i find and love in BH. It is very dry, very spicy, but its taste is closer to a ''classic'' english than BH. The perique, to me, is noticeable in the taste, not as an individual component, but rather in the fact that the base notes of this blend are very VaPer-ish. The figs, pepper, spice and fuller mouth feel are there lurking in the background. For some reason, even though the cut and moisture level seem the same as my tin of BH, and even though i tend to smoke both in the same pipe, MO is a hassle. It is hard to keep lit, for unknown reasons. It can get harsh and bitter if pushed, as opposed to BH which can be abused with no real consequences. And after a bowl of MO, your mouth will be parched for sure. Overall, not as great as BlackHouse in my opinion, but still a great blend.

Naming a blend as your greatest achievement sets the bar quite high, so is Magnum Opus worth the hype? It is!

As good a smelling English as I've had the pleasure of huffing. The sharp spicy Oriental odor is intoxicating, yet reigned in with some Latakia wood smoke. A warm bouquet not overtaken by an English "charcoal" taste. Even non-smokers will likely smell the tin and issue forth a reluctant, "mmmmh." Veteran reviewers have noted there is no flavor added, yet my feeble brain can't accept something natural being so lively, so I defaulted to "very mild".

No complaints on the moisture or texture. Lit and performed without issue. Maintained a good beefy taste that satisfied without being overwhelming. For the hardened smoker, this could be an all day smoker, but is likely one-and-done for beginners.

Falls somewhere between two great smokes: McClelland's Frog Morton and Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe, and since neither is still available, Magnum Opus makes a great replacement.

This was a very good solid English/Balkan derivative the Mr O fashioned up as a reminder of a retired classic. A totally dark mixture, even ribbon, somewhat figgy and oriental in scent upon tin opening- I do appreciate their shift to older tin style.

So the only problem I had with this blend relates perhaps to how it was packaged vs how I fill my pipes. I've enjoyed my way through 75% of McCelland's Grand Orientals so I have a better understanding (as well as appreciation ) of that grouping of important leaf component, but early on it was all oriental, all the tin long.

For the better part of nearly half this tin the balance that was stated in reviews from those I would consider to be venerable experts wasn't what I tasted-bowl to bowl. Instead there was far to strong a concentration of Basma, Izmir to the point of having an almost menthol -like comparison, in draw more than flavor.

It wasn't till I set it aside and mixed and stirred the remaining contentsof the tin down that the blend settled down and ...behaved, rather nicely I might add. From that point orientals were muted, perique rose and the Virginias elevated-less of a Balkan and more English in its presentation. I will admit this Toby changed in flavor even then from bowl light to ash. That doesn't often happen in what I'm smoking.

So I have no idea-even after now 96 tins of separate tobaccos later, if I'm supposed to draw my bowls worth of tobacco from the top of the tin or mix the entire contents up upon opening to ensure its all evenly distributed. ..?

This tobacco has grown on me. Good, but note overwhelming presence of latakia, and the orientals add some nice spice. Much more comfortable with this Russ blend than Black House. (I've been on a bit of a jag trying his blends.) I ordered two tins of this as I do when trying blends. I've gotten through the first, will look forward to smoking the second, and likely order several in the future for storage.

updated 2016-01-27 I've had a tin of this and GLP's Charing Cross down in the cellar for about three years and just tried them back to back. I believe these are similar Balkans , but I do like Charing Cross better. CC is smoother and I like the broken flake cut better. I believe it is the Perique in the MO that detracts from its smoothness. Moved Mag O down to 3 stars

I'm halfway into my first tin and Wow, great stuff. The taste just jumps from one tobacco ingredient to the next. First a little LataKia, then the Orientals, like maybe Dunhills EMP, no like Margate, no wait it's back to Latakia, maybe Midnight Ride ,no here comes some sweetness from the Virginias, I'm so confused, delightful . Burns very slow, without a lot of smoke. I keep thinking it's going out but now I realize that's the slow burn , no heat ,no bite, maybe a very little spice from the Perique. I've reached for this as a first pipe and a last pipe of the day any, it all worked. I will buy more, hope it will come in bulk as it's a little pricey for H&H, but you don't pay for water weight .

3rdguy

Out of the tin I see a lotta latakia however this is a very well balanced English. The perique is almost none existent for me but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Really an enjoyable smoke and not much else to add to what has already been said to this fine blend.

First, I just want to say Russ is an absolute genius when it comes to blending tobacco. The man is an artist...….

Tin appearance is short chopped chunks, nothing close to a ribbon cut that I can see. Medium brown and black leaf makes up the majority of this blend, with light Oriental leaf spread about. Tin aroma of woodsy campfire, slight musty sourness from the Perique. Slight floral note as well. Packs with a ton of spring. I had to tamp several times during the initial lighting of the bowl, so I learned to leave some room for expansion.

Initial lighting you can really detect the perique in here. Not overpowering, but the spiciness tickles the nose and the tongue. The harder you puff, the more it shows. The Latakia stayed well in the background, but it was always detectable. Not as balanced as most of Russ' blends are. Personally, I would want just a slight bready note added to accommodate myself.

It has been a while since I smoked a blend with this type of complexity, so I had to really pay attention as to what was going on. I tried smoking this on the way to work in the morning, but I just couldn't concentrate on it. I tried the DGT on the way home from work, but it became very dry on the palate. I found it best as a "last call" pipe before bedtime. I have no problem offering 3.5 stars on this blend. It's a must try, but I prefer Black House with Black Cavendish and Kentucky to this.

The note in this blend that sticks out the most is the strong consistent soda flavor. It's really nice with the Latakia, which totally dominates the blend, but as usual Latakia smokes so thin (to my taste) that many puffs are like nothing but hot air. Not a complex smoke for me.