Hearth & Home Sweet & Savory
(3.00)
This new blend is hard to describe, but its name comes close - Sweet & Savory. We use a variety of yellow and red Virginias for sweetness, Yenidje and Basma for a naturally floral note, Perique for its “plum and pepper” character, and smoky, spicy dark fired Kentucky for complexity and “kick”. This is a blend with a “whole mouth feel”, meaning that all of your taste buds are involved while smoking this unique combination What we found most surprising is the cross-section of pipe smokers who enjoyed this tobacco. People who prefer straight Virginias, Virginia/Perique, Burley and even Latakia and aromatic smokers said they enjoyed it. Even better, many wanted to know how soon they could buy some of their own. Whether you’re looking for a flavorful treat to add to your rotation, or an all-day, everyday type of blend, see what Hearth & home Marquee Series Sweet & Savory has to offer.
Details
| Brand | Hearth & Home |
| Series | Marquee Series |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Scandanavian Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Virginia Based |
| Contents | Kentucky, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2oz Tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.00 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 2011 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
Well, I was in the focus study Russ put together for this one and a few others that would become the Marquee line. I remember this as my favorite of the bunch, originally assuming it was composed of Golden Virginias, Orientals, and Perique--I totally missed the Kentucky, but now it seems a bit obvious, as this mix has a ton of kick, which isn't quite evident on first light.
I described it then as a kind of dry smoke which later develops sweetness toward the bottom bowl, with a pronounced strength a product of the Perique, and I guess I can still see my original thinking there.
Truth is, I can't think of a blend like this one. The Golden Virginias add a lightness that plays well with the Orientals, some of the rarer kind (Basma and Yenidje) that are slowly working themselves into the newer artisan blends, which have such a spicy, incense like punch. Your senses will quickly overwhelm by the sheer exotic novelty of Sweet & Savory--there just isn't anything out there right now that approaches the experience. It reminds me of drinking some odd tasting foreign tea, fragrant, light and still very rich with an undefined essence.
I contrast this with the relatively tame Sunday Picnic by C&D, a sweet mix of Virginias and Smyrna, or McClelland's Tudor Castle, which, like S&S, contains Yenidje. Both are excellent smokes of a similar genre, yet they are rather conventional, by comparison. Perfectly capable, they seem to do nothing new. What makes S&S, rather, is the sheer strength of the Oriental component, so pronounced in its strange flavor as to demand further attention and exploration. We live in exciting times for the pipe smoker--so many wonderful choices, and the newer stuff keeps getting better, in huge strides.
I described it then as a kind of dry smoke which later develops sweetness toward the bottom bowl, with a pronounced strength a product of the Perique, and I guess I can still see my original thinking there.
Truth is, I can't think of a blend like this one. The Golden Virginias add a lightness that plays well with the Orientals, some of the rarer kind (Basma and Yenidje) that are slowly working themselves into the newer artisan blends, which have such a spicy, incense like punch. Your senses will quickly overwhelm by the sheer exotic novelty of Sweet & Savory--there just isn't anything out there right now that approaches the experience. It reminds me of drinking some odd tasting foreign tea, fragrant, light and still very rich with an undefined essence.
I contrast this with the relatively tame Sunday Picnic by C&D, a sweet mix of Virginias and Smyrna, or McClelland's Tudor Castle, which, like S&S, contains Yenidje. Both are excellent smokes of a similar genre, yet they are rather conventional, by comparison. Perfectly capable, they seem to do nothing new. What makes S&S, rather, is the sheer strength of the Oriental component, so pronounced in its strange flavor as to demand further attention and exploration. We live in exciting times for the pipe smoker--so many wonderful choices, and the newer stuff keeps getting better, in huge strides.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 27, 2023 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Tin note of plum, floral, and sweet. Tobacco is a mix of tan, light brown, brown and dark brown ribbon/course mix cut. Moisture content is ok. Some may want to hydrate it a bit first. Burns fast (moderate once hydrated) with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and moderately consistent, with complex notes of savory sweet, spicy, Autumn leaves, slight buttery, rich earth, very floral, very dry, mild leather, oak wood, orange bitters, herbal vegetation, fermented vinegary sour, acidic, mild lemony, bready, spices, a stewed tangy plum background note, and a peppery retro. Oriental/Turkish is leading with Perique and Virginia supporting. Kentucky is supporting from afar. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.
Pipe Used:
2016 Northern Briars Premier Rox Cut #4 Prince
Age When Smoked:
10 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 01, 2012 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Full | Pleasant |
As stated before, this is something of an unusual blend and highlights Russ's creativity with blending tobaccos. I'm not a huge fan of oriental forward tobaccos, but the orientals in this blend are offset by the other components and are complimented by those other componenets. This is truely a unique blend and worth a try. I have a Castello Old Antiquari pipe of the year that I absolutely love the look and feel of, but it tends to overly mute the flavors of most tobaccos so it never gets smoked much. I loaded it up with Sweet and Savory on a whim and the pipe really shines now largely due to the big flavor explosion this blend offers. Four stars for a high quality unusual tobacco.
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