Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Diamond Head

Hermit Tobacco' - Captain Earle's - Diamond Head.

A multi shaded kake which crumbles with ease. I find the moistness suits my smoking, it's a touch damp but not wet. The tin-note smells quite rich but doesn't imply 'Lat Bomb'.

The smoke has quite a rich flavour but doesn't give me a punch in the face of Latakia; the Lat' leads, but doesn't monopolize the smoke. The Orientals give a definite support to the Lat' whilst the red Virginia sweetens things up. The burn from it is exactly as I like: cool, slow, giving a bite-free smoke.

Nicotine: a spot above medium. Room-note: not the nicest.

Diamond Head? A pleasant smoke, but not good enough to highly recommend. Three stars:

Recommended.

If you're looking for a good, cool-smoking English, you should try this. To me, this was a peculiar blend. When I opened the tin, the aroma of Latakia hits you right in the nose with a bit of dark sweetness like that of sorghum or molasses. It was very smokey though, and I thought at first that it reminded me of C&D Pirate Kake. The plug was very uniform in shape, and very dense. Others have described it as a crumble cake, but honestly I don't see where the "crumble" factor comes into play. I could peel layers off of it, but not really crumble it up. Therefore, I took my knife and sliced off a very thin slice and rubbed it out. It wasn't as moist as I thought it might be, which I found to be a good thing. It packed amazingly well with a three-step packing method after I rubbed it out good. I smoke this in smaller bowls since it burns very slowly (I like to smoke on my 25 mile drive to work, so smaller bowls work better for me a lot of the time). It takes a flame fine, and it produces a very hearty and flavorful smoke. You'll definitely taste dark Virginias and Latakia right off of the bat. I also found notes of oak, wood smoke, and leather in there as well. It wasn't very high in nicotine, but it satisfies. It wasn't as tasty as Pirate Kake or Gaslight, but it was perhaps the driest smoking tobacco I've ever had. It reminded me of drinking a very dry wine - not in flavor, but in mouth feel. I'll continue to smoke this throughout the cooler months as an early-morning wake up. If you like Latakia, you should try this fine blend.

Upon opening a year and a half old tin of Captain Earle’s Diamond Head I was greeted with a very dense crumble cake in brown and black shades married together giving an overall melted appearance. The smell of charcoal and smokiness greeted me along with an indescribable sweetness that had a bit of a tang. The moisture level was about right, moist but on the drier side.

An unlit sip brought the smoky Latakia to my mouth as did the initial light which also brought an underscore of a creamy sweetness. I found the overall smoke to be well balanced and not overwhelming in the least. It was a good slow smoker that did really well in shallow wide bowls. Rarely a sour note would come into play, but it was all to brief as I tend to enjoy those quite a bit. If I puffed it too hard it left me with a burnt, bitter taste. It had a rather short finish and the room note didn’t seem to bother the cat, then again she never complains about anything.

I enjoyed the experience of smoking this blend, though I don’t think I need to get another tin, it just didn’t seem robust enough. Maybe if I had smoked it younger it wouldn’t have been so mellow, but I have other strong English blends to fill that need already. I think anyone who enjoys a good slow burning light to medium English would enjoy this blend.

I like Diamond Head. It arrives as nice single brownie in the tin and was very easy to krumble off what I needed per bowl. It is not heavy on latakia but is complex while remaining a smooth smoke. Not too heavy in the nicotine department and it definitely ages well. Worth keeping a couple of tins on hand.

A decent medium-bodied English

The Turkish tobaccos hold the main portion of the flavor profile—being sour, floral, and slightly spicy. The Cyprian Latakia comes in next with its cedar-smokiness. The red Virginias are earthy and tangy. Overall, Diamond is nice, but the sourness and tanginess can be a bit much all together.

*This review is based on a small sample and limited life experience.

Lovely crumble kake, very creamy full taste. Orientals provide a nice hint of spice and the Virginias add a touch of sweetness, but otherwise it's a great full bodied English. Perfect moisture level out of the tin, burns nice and cool and doesn't bite at all, though it will taste rather sour if you let it get too hot. I've had 3 bowls consecutively, but I'd say it's just past being an all day smoke. My only gripe is I had to pick out a lot of stems, other than that this will make a fine addition to the cellar.

I found this do be a good all day smoke for me. It was very rich but not overpowering. I am sorry I am not the best reviewer. I just could not believe this had not been reviewed yet and want to put in a good word. It is a good smoke.

Tin note of sour fruit wine and smoke. Tobacco is a marbled dark brown, black and tan Krumble Kake. Moisture content is a little high, some may want to dry it a bit. Rubs out easily and burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of smoky, musty fermented sour vegetation, toast, herbal spices, wood, leather, floral, mildly spicy, zest citrus, acidic, earthy, orange peel, incense, a lemon grass background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish supporting and Virginia supporting from the rear. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.