Hearth & Home Black House

I've received another parcel at last with a second sample of one of Hearth Home's tobaccos. So this is my tobacco review of Black House; also on my YouTube channel.

The description on the tin sates that this was a winning blend fromtobacco review of black house the a pipe show in 2011 and is a tribute to a highly rated tobacco of the past - Balkan Sobraine 759. It was judged to be the closest overall to the dark balkan-type mixture it was to emulate. Its a complex blend of Kentucky, Balkans, Turkish, Virginia and Black Cavendish.

I haven't had the chance to smoke the original Balkan Sobraine or any of its successors, but enjoyed this blend a lot.

Tin: A complex smell of oriental, incense-like with notes of earthiness, smokiness, woody and a hint of cocoa beans. Just a touch of sweet flavours too.

Aroma: On first lit, it was just a wonderful balanced taste of Oriental/English. Mellow Latakia but surely English/Oriental. Sounds like a contradiction but its not; just shows how well balanced all the different components are.

Overall a very enjoyable tobacco which I will give 4 Stars.

http://youtu.be/IkUBI_kkQYw

This is a very good blend. It checks all the boxes for me. It is definitely a balkan blend as the orientals are out front. I don't know how many varieties are used in the blend, but it seems to offer all the unique flavors that come from these strains of tobacco. There is some sour, some spice and of course, those campfire notes you get from latakia.

What really makes this one chime for is how smooth it is and I believe credit for that lies in the other elements, the Kentucky in particular. The cavendish helps smooth this one out, the virginia adds the sweetness, but the Kentucky gives it that earthy feel and adds a good amount of nicotine. This is something I appreciate in a Balkan blend as Oriental and turkish strains offer little nicotine. Without the cavendish and Kentucky, I think this would be a little too edgy for me.

As to what this is meant to emulate, I have no clue. I have had the pleasure of trying some House of Sobranie BS blends, but I can't remember which of those blends I tried; however, in each of those occasions, it was clear I was not experiencing those blends at their peak. The lat was flat. And that is pretty much what it all tastes like at this time. It is irrelevant how this compares as this is a great blend on its own merits. I highly recommend it.

Simply marvelous ... it's one of those English blends that stands out, meeting all the expectation one has from a classic English with some added complexity. The general note is the smokiness that the latakia gives (which in my opinion is top quality), alongside a very pleasant sweetness which I would guess is due to the cavendish more than the virgina. While you progress through the bowl the note turns a bit spicy, an oriental spicy that I suspect is being a bit amplified by the perique in the mixture. I am not sure what role the Kentucky plays in this whole deal, but over all I consider this to be a state of the art blend - I only wish I could get more.

I'd like to think there's a perfect blend out there for everyone. Something that represents the ideal tobacco that a smoker dreams about at night. Most blends fall short in one way or another, leaving us slightly disappointing. It's that feeling that drives us, however, onward to the next tin and so on, in search of that perfect smoke.

Well, you can probably see where I'm going with this. Black House is, for me, that perfect blend. It is nothing short of the ideal English is my eyes. Solid Latakia base and just enough of this and that added extra for the perfect compliment. The flavor gets leather and wonderful at the end of the bowl, while it starts with a very herbal, grassy, elusively wonderful flavor.

I have tried a lot of English blend- all the Dunhill stuff, various Samuel Gawith, Frog Morton, and many more. Black House just does things with flavor the rest can't. Please, go try a tin if you love English blends. You'll be satisfied and resting on your tobacco quest...at least for a little while.

This is a fine Balkan blend of the highest order, the smokiness of the blend interplay ed well with the orientals, which were blended about right. I thought my tin was a bit dry, but nothing that took away my pleasure in smoking it .

Disclosure: I only smoke bent pipes outdoors (yes, the wife objects to indoor smoking) and cannot speak to "room note" as such but the aroma from the burning tobacco hitting my nostrils is what I enjoy the most about pipe smoking.

I have found this blend to be slightly sweet, smooth, subtle, sophisticated, and satisfying without smashing you with latakia or nicotine. It does not have sensational aroma but enough to please me. I think it is a splendid blend and I give it an S+.

Wow. I last smoked the "real thing" in the late 1970's and I still have a distinct memory of the spicy, strong, almost perfume like hit I got in lighting up. I was extremely interested to try this new interpretation.

I was not disappointed. Not in the least. Too long for a direct comparison, of course, but the pure, strong flavor hit, the bright, clear tastes definitely remind me of the earlier experience. Unlike any Latakia blend I have tried since the original Balkan Sobranie.

More detail: lovely ribbons, easy to pack and smoke to the bottom of the bowl, great, sharp tin note, ecstasy in a bowl. I wish there were more than 4 stars to award.

This too shall pass.

Drawing rooms and old leather, single malt, neat, maybe a brandy, deep and portentous discussions concerning the state of the Raj and what to do about the "sick man of Europe"... how else can I describe Black House? It is elegant, refined, and so very, very rich that lighting a bowl almost requires setting fire to a $100 bill.

My experience with Sobranie goes back to my college days in the late '70's. My uncle worked a B&M back then. Being from Scotland, he steered me hard away from anything that wasn't a "real tobacco." That meant a heavy dose of English, Balkan and Virginia mixtures. I wish i had appreciated my "tobacco upbringing' more at the time. i drifted from pipes to cigarettes (although, in my defense, they were Camels, Sobranies, and the occasional pack of Players or straight Virginia's). I do remember that late 1970's incarnation of 759, though. Like a ghost on the edge of a dream, it has toyed with my memory for 30 years, and I've never found any blender who managed to capture that ghost.

Until Russ Ouelette, that is. Black House isn't the 759, but it is darned close. Greg Pease wrote an outstanding article describing that perfect smoke. Mr. Ouelette delivers that with this blend. I sat through an enchanted hour with this paragon of a Balkan blend.

On opening, the tobacco weaves it way through your senses. It is ready to smoke right out of the tin, no drying need. Its aroma is a fine incense, a tribute to the blender's art. It is black, and brown, and golden. It feels like it wants to be smoked "right now." really, it smells so good, the temptation is there to snack on it.

I chose an egg meerschaum for this, but I'm thinking of dedicating and expensive briar (donations accepted to assist in this research goal). It took the first light immediately. i could have probably stayed with that, but I settled down and gave it a second light after the char. No further lighting was necessary. black House burns evenly, with a light gray ash, all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

The smoke is heavy, fragrant, and luxurious. yes, there is Latakia, but the Turkish varietals provide that heady incense. As for flavor... if you eat steak, you'll know what a perfect rib eye or prime rib will do for you. I felt the same with black House. It's full, smoky, and sweet. The Virginia and Orientals weave in and around the Latakia, while the Kentucky provides a solid foundation for the whole. The sweetness is evident from the first of the bowl until the end. And, like any great meal, try not to gulp it down. it's hard not to, but patience really does reward this smoke.

Oh, hey, absolutely no bite, whatsoever, in case that's a worry.

My wife says I've spent more time writing this review than i do on the garden, so I'd better stop. Still, even she enjoys the tin note, and is looking forward to sitting with me during a bowl. plusses there, too.

Anyway... 5 out of 4 stars for a more than faithful recreation of the 759. I've started cellaring Black House. It's going to be that sought after in years to come.

This is the best representation that I recently had between Balkans. Probably , because I never tried, the best imitation of the BS?

I compared three types of Balkans :

White Knight HH Balkans MacBaren BH

This is the one that smokes better. It leaves a great great taste in the mouth, It is as well-balanced between the different types of leaves, Cyprian Latakia indeed represent a great part of this blend but also other orientals plays an important note.

When smoked a slow pace it gives more aroma and it's just an overall experience.White Knight is a step lower than this as well for the HH Balkan.

I didn't realize I reached to bottom of the bowl. And I am kinda of sad about it otherwise I would continue to smoke it for hours.

4 stars.