Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Ready Rubbed

(3.20)
This is a match to the old Edgeworth Ready Rubbed. Smooth, but rich mahogany burley has been specially processed with a subtle top note for a comforting flavor that can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Details

Brand Sutliff Tobacco Company
Blended By Carl McCallister
Manufactured By Sutliff Tobacco Company
Blend Type Burley Based
Contents Burley
Flavoring Cocoa / Chocolate, Molasses
Cut Ready Rubbed
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.20 / 4
21

22

5

3

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 51 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 14, 2012 Mild Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
A straight burley blend that is nutty, earthy, and woody with a definite molasses flavor and a little cocoa. Has a mild nicotine hit. The strength is mild, and the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. Won't bite or get harsh, though it does have a rough edge, and a slight sharp note from the white burley. Burns a little slow due to being a cube cut; cool and clean with a very consistent taste. Requires a few relights, and leaves very little dampness in the bowl. Has a very pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. An all day work and play smoke that may not be complex, but has enough going for it to hold your interest. A good starter burley blend for someone who has never tried the genre.

This Match is very close to the original. I spent a weekend comparing the two versions. The original seemed a little fuller, deeper in the molasses taste, and that's the only difference I can tell. The cut and look of the tobacco is the very same. In a blind taste test, it would be very hard to tell which was which. I gave four stars to the original.

EDIT: The batch I got in the Spring of 2015 tastes as I have described it above. However, the cut was changed to a rough cut with some small chunks, and the tobacco is lighter is color. This version burns slower, but at least it tastes the same. Others have reported the same change in cut.

10-20-2016 Update: Apparently, Sutliff has listened to the complaints as the productions of this year's Match ERR are exactly like my original description.

-JimInks
56 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 23, 2014 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
I was recently gifted about a half oz of the original ERR, and now I am smoking my way through about an oz of the Sutliff match. This match is very close. The original may have a slightly more pronounced bass note, but I would be challenged to tell which was which if smoking from two unmarked baggies. As a match this is a 4 star review.

The smoke is a burley forward mild Vabur with a slight mellow sweet note that is hard to identify. It is molasses perhaps. It is good but not very exciting. It presents as the OTC you wish you could buy in pouches at the grocery store and filling station. The flavor is consistent for me, and it had good light/burn characteristics.

It has smoked cool and dry for me in a variety of pipes, and I suspect it would benefit from a dedicated pipe with no ghosts to intrude on the mild flavor.

As a blend this is a 3 star smoke. If you enjoy this type of blend, get some now, and you will not be disappointed. If you need a flavor bomb to satisfy you, look elsewhere.
29 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 11, 2020 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
Sutliff's Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match.

Having only picked up the pipe in 2013, I never knew the original ERR.

Never have I purchased a tobacco that had more 3-star reviews than 4-star reviews, so, this was a first for me. What then would have motivated me to deviate from the norm to try a long-ago, discontinued, over-the-drugstore-countertop pipe tobacco that is readily referred to as a "Grandpa classic" and "Codger blend"?

There is a back story (which I have told before) that warrants re-telling here.




The whole reason I ever picked up the pipe in the first place was due to what can only be described as an otherworldly, paranormal experience I had when I literally awoke one morning to Richard Pryor’s ghost screaming inside my head: “P
PE!!! TOBACCO PIIIIIIIIPE!!! PIPE TOBACCOOOOOOO!!!”

It was the closest thing to a religious revelation that I have ever experienced in my life -- as if I had been commanded by a burning bush: “The redolent scent of Jack Lundy’s pipe, from the fertile fields of your earliest childhood memories on Loma Verde in Palo Alto, 1965 – that is what you shall seek, My Son” . . .

Within three hours of that awakening, I owned my very first pipe (a Peterson rusticated Donegal Rocky, a venerable workhorse, still in regular rotation today). And ever since that day, I’ve been searching for that most sanctified scent which emanated from Jack Lundy’s pipe, more than a half-century ago.

Back in 1965, when I was 4-years-old, Jack Lundy was our next-door neighbor in Palo Alto. To me, Mr. Lundy was “the milkman”: he worked at Peninsula Creamery, delivering milk and ice cream for a living. His daily work attire resembled a World War II officer’s uniform: khaki pants and shirt, with brass buckled belt, bow tie, and a crusher-styled aviator’s cap, replete with leather visor. I remember Mr. Lundy delivering “snowballs” to our home at Christmas: a round dollop of vanilla ice cream, covered in shredded coconut, with green plastic holly leaves at the base of a red candle that sat atop the concept.

But Mr. Lundy was more than just “the milkman” to me; more than just the next-door neighbor. Jack Lundy smoked pipes. He kept a round pipe rack on his end-table, just next to the family room couch in front of the fireplace and television set, where he used to sit, impassively smoking his pipes. I remember Mr. Lundy smoking his pipes as he watched boxing matches or baseball games on his black-and-white TV. When visiting their home, Mr. Lundy would hand me wedges of colored salts that I would then throw upon the logs burning in his fireplace – salts that would produce brilliantly colored flames of red, green, blue and aqua. Turning from the heat of the hearth, I would see Jack on the couch, cross-legged, pipe in hand, puffing ever so gently on his briars.




The oracular epiphany of that morning literally changed my life: I have been a pipe smoker ever since that magical, mystical vision came to me.

Jack Lundy was already an "Old Codger" when he passed away more than 30-years ago.

What pipes did he smoke? What tobaccos did he smoke? I wish I knew. I wish I could go back in time to 1965 and sit with Jack on his couch, and talk with him about his pipes and his tobaccos.

Back in the mid-1960s, I am reasonably sure that Edgeworth Ready Rubbed was perhaps something that Jack would have most likely sampled himself, and so -- this Sutliff match being so close to the original, according to those who would know -- I wanted to commune with this blend, using it as a kind of Ouija tobacco, in a séance of sorts, to see if this native American spiritual leaf could somehow transport me back in time . . .

I did not have high expectations for this blend -- I prefer ardent, robust tobaccos -- and I've had lots of bad experience with aromatics and "flavored" tobaccos, but I was going to try this one out.

Well . . .

If this wasn't called Ready Rubbed Match, it could have very well been called "A Charlie Brown Christmas Blend -- 1965".

There have been occasions when I have smoked back-to-back bowls of tobacco before. The untimely passing of close friend, or in times of great stress and/or great joy. But I have never smoked back-to-back bowls of something that I am trying for the first time (no matter how good the blend).

To say that I was "pleasantly surprised" by this blend would be The Mother of All Understatements. This stuff is amazing.

Maybe I just got lucky with a phenomenal batch of bulk when I ordered this.

As soon as I opened the box I could smell the chocolatey cocoa topping ("okay, this has definitely been topped" I thought, "We'll see how this goes").

The stuff looked good enough to eat -- it looked like some kind of enticing animal feed on my tobacco mat. On the char my very first thought was "Wow" . . .

Nutty, chocolatey -- nicely topped -- no goop, no moisture. Burned perfectly cool. I have two Peterson Dracula Rhodesians -- I smoked the first bowl in one of them -- and it was so amazing I smoked the second bowl in the other because I wanted to replicate the experience of the first as closely as I could.

The following day, I put this stuff in a Dagner cob -- and it just really pairs perfectly with a cob. This will definitely be one of my top 3 Christmas cob blends from here on out.

As I was smoking this, the thought kept going through my mind: "This tastes so familiar -- I've had something very close to this before -- what was it"?

Brashboy mentioned Watch City Deluxe Crumb Cut, and I thought to myself "No -- no, no, no -- that's not right, DCC has Cavendish and Latakia in it". But I went and grabbed some DCC from the closet and, lo, it was indeed very, very similar in flavor profile (so, yes, it was the DCC that was the familiar taste).

To put this review into proper perspective, I will offer the following tangential comparison between two things for the purpose of insuring that the bullet of my thought makes its mark.

Wild Turkey 101 is my bourbon of choice (I will drink other bourbons, but I only buy the 101), and I've been getting it for years at $14.99 a bottle from San Tomas Liquors. It is, by far and away, the best bang-for-the-buck bourbon money can buy, and -- IMHO -- to spend a penny more on any bourbon is simply throwing money away. The nose is sweet caramel, bourbon spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. The vanilla is pronounced and brings with it some sweet cream. The wood is a bit hidden until you add a splash of water and then it rolls out next to the vanilla. It tastes of caramel like a Werther’s original. Sweet corn is followed by vanilla and red licorice. Some citrus, a slight grainy malt and a bit of smoky ash round out the undiluted flavor. Add some water and the oak begins to express itself much more and the corn becomes even more prominent. Smooth and warm going down, with a slight burn, but overall a great mouth feel. It has a long finish, initially dominated by Caramel but fades to wood, sweet grains and dark fruit.

Recently I discovered Mellow Corn: A 100-proof, Bottled in Bond corn whiskey (Moonshine!) made the same way as always by Heaven Hill since 1945, and it is THE most absolutely out-of-this-world hooch I've ever had: notes of vanilla and corn, with ethereal notes of spice, citrus, honey and a fruitiness that reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum. Vanilla taffy, Juicy Fruit gum and corn lead the way on the palate with airy notes of toffee, spice and citrus coming in behind. The finish is vanilla, Juicy Fruit gum, marshmallows and corn run it’s course on a medium finish. This is 100-proof 'shine that is smooth-as-silk, with none of the sharp edges one would expect, and virtually no heat; it goes down like wine (which makes sense, because it is, in fact, high wine). I get this stuff at Total Wines & More for $10.49 a bottle (less than one would pay for a cheap bottle of wine).

The point being that Sutliff Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match is the Mellow Corn equivalent of pipe tobacco: it's old school, it's unpretentious, it's undervalued, and it's a damn good Burley blend that's been expertly and discreetly topped for a deliciously nuanced, aromatic-non-aromatic tobacco.

I cannot believe this does not have more 4-star reviews than it currently does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y9WucVyPOI

19 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 29, 2014 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Edit 1-31-2018

I really just wanted to update this to add that I have since smoked a bowl of the Edgeworth Ready Rubbed from the 70s. The topping flavor of the match is very close to the original or what was left on the original anyway. The years were not too kind to the box I bought. I do have another box in the cellar that will hopefully provide a better smoke. Still, it wasn't terrible as some other tobaccos I have had in that age range.

I also recently finished up the last of the match that I had in the cellar and there is really nothing else that needs to be done to amend the original review as I feel the same as I did before.

Original Review 9/29/2014

I have never tried the original ERR'd, so I have no point of comparison between the two blends. I likely never would have tried this, but our esteemed Mr. Inks got tired of me bashing Sutliff and was determined to change my mind. This is one of the three blends he sent me to do so.

Overall, I did like this blend. It is an easy going burley smoke along the lines of Lane's BLWB, but substantially better IMO. It won't bite and will give you an enjoyable smoke when your mind may be elsewhere. This one won't spellbind you with complexity while you contemplate changing flavors. It is a codger burley, plain and simple, and a good one at that. It has the nutty type of profile one would expect from a burley that is amplified by the light topping. Don't let that lead you to believe that this is a sugary flavorless Aromatic though. There is plenty of burley adding some body to this one letting you know that you are indeed smoking tobacco.

I wouldn't put this up there with the comparable Uhle's blends, but I do recommend it. It is a great smoke at a great price.
PurchasedFrom: gifted sample
16 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 21, 2014 Very Mild Mild Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
I decided to try the 'grandpa classics' of the pipe tobacco world. Stuff like Prince Albert, Half and Half, and Edgeworth among others. To my dismay the original Edgeworth line had been discontinued but I heard there was an almost exact match by Sutliff, so I went online and got myself some.

I will be getting more.

This stuff is a little strange but darned good! It smells like chocolate out of the bag and made my mouth water. The cube cut is something that I had never seen before and didn't quite know what to do with, but I loaded my pipe as is and was surprised at just how well the little chunks burned. It isn't overpowering or complicated in taste, being just a chocolate sweetness with some walnut. No bite, no fuss, really tasty flavors. Now I want another bowl!
Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Legend
PurchasedFrom: pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
16 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 19, 2016 Mild Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
Sutliff Tobacco Company - Match Edgeworth Ready Rubbed.

It's listed as ready rubbed but as well as the fully rubbed pieces there's also a lot of cube-cut pieces and broken flakes. There's a slight chocolate aroma from the baggie but nothing heavily aromatic. It's a steady medium brown in colour and the moisture's good.

After a few bowls I increased the rating from one, to three: be careful when you load this, and watch your tamping, otherwise the cubes can easily block the mouthpiece's hole. Providing it's loaded, and tamped correctly, it gives a good burn with a cool smoke. To me, the added flavours' are medium, with the molasses easily trumping the chocolate; it gets very sweet as it burns down. Where the tobaccos' are concerned, I get a lot more nuts compared to Virginia-grass; it makes the general flavour a bit like a nutty chocolate bar.

The nicotine's mild, and the room-note's pleasant.

Even though this is a good smoke, it becomes a bit boring quickly; hence, three stars, not four.

Recommended.
Pipe Used: Enricoro Big Freehand
PurchasedFrom: 4noggns
Age When Smoked: Two weeks
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 10, 2015 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
This is a really delicious version of ERR! I do prefer the new Lane version in the blue tub that was recently released but only by a small margin. Sutliff's version having larger chunks that burn slower and is available in bulk at a lower price is also a 4 star blend in my book. I just love quality Burley's like this with their nutty, cedar, #2 pencil taste and aromas! Some molasses and cocoa topping perhaps but nothing too dramatic. A very old school aromatic... A small MM Washington gave me the best smoke. Pack It super loose until it is dry, then pack lightly.

I purchased my 8 ounce's from Pipe and Cigars and the moisture was a tad too high but honestly I would rather it arrived like that than dry and crumbly, for one thing some tobacco's lose their essential oils when dried too long and two cube cut tends to turn to dust when dried too long... Price, aroma, flavor... ERR Match is a winner for me! ERR and its Matches bring me back to the 1940's, FDR Fireside chats, Tube Radio's and The Andrew Sisters.... Enchanting!
Pipe Used: cobs of all sizes
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 19, 2012 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
UPDATE 4/26/15

Downgrading this a star, as subsequent batches have been inconsistent. The last one did not taste much like ERR'd. Hopefully Sutliff corrects this down the road, as this was an excellent match blend. Still good, but lately it's not as good.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 2/19/12

Based on a sample received from a friend, perhaps 3/4 - 1 oz. Another ERR'd match blend - how boring. It's been done to death, and never correctly.

But I smoked a bowl of this and was so intrigued that I trudged down to the cellar (yep - my cellar is in the cellar!) and grabbed a small jar of the real deal for comparison. The look was a bit different - the ERR'd was darker and the plugs were smaller. But the aroma was the similar cocoa and nut. The darker color could have been age, as my ERR'd is all at least 7-10 years old.

Is this the same as ERR'd? Well, blindfolded I'd have a great deal of trouble distinguishing them. This had the old familiar flavor of nutty burley with the slight cocoa finish that made it slightly sweet. It didn't bite the tongue and was consistent in flavor throughout the bowl. Almost zero complexity, but that great flavor to the end. No ashy taste or harshness, unless overpuffed. This is close enough to ERR'd that any differences are largely irrelevant to me. I smoked a bowl of ERR'd right after I finished this and noticed no glaring differences, while being uncertain about different nuances. May have been some present or it may have been in my noodle.

Four stars for an Altadis blend - is the sky falling? 🙂 But if this sample is any indication, they nailed this match blend where so many others have failed. Four resounding stars!
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 12, 2018 Mild Medium Medium Very Pleasant
There is little to add to what has been written, except that I first smoked Edgeworth in 1972, when it was produced by Larus & Brother, its creators, and it was the slices, not the ready rubbed. This Sutliff match is very, very close. The now-unobtainable Wessex Slices claims to be the "original Richmond recipe." It isn't. Not by a long shot. The even-more-unobtainable Solani Aged Burley Flake comes a lot closer. And the Lane Ltd. version of the Ready Rubbed, available until Sutliff bought the rights to the name, was just about spot-on. The current Lane Ready Rubbed tastes just about like Sir Walter Raleigh, at twice the price.

This Sutliff Match is just plain good, except when it isn't. The quality, or the taste anyway, can be rather uneven, and that has to do with a deficiency of the cocoa-molasses toppings. When Sutliff skimps on those, or the Burley does not absorb them, this can be pretty blaahh.

But, when all goes well...there's no better Burley smoke at any price.

****UPDATE***** I had experienced this before, but forgot to add it. For a real treat, and an advanced tutorial into what this tobacco has to offer: Smoke 1/3 of a bowl (or so) and set it aside for a couple of days, then fire it up again. SUBLIME!!!!!

Also....others keep referring to this as a "Va/Bur." It ain't. It is 100% Burley. That, from the head blender at Sutliff.
Pipe Used: GBD, Missouri Meershaum
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 06, 2017 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
My rating & comments are based solely upon the merits of this Sutliff rendition as I have not tried the original Edgeworth Ready Rubbed. From the accounts that I've read this "match" version is purported to be most like the original with regard to the tobacco's presentation (cut) and smoking qualities. This is a good quality blend that delivers a delicious light nutty & molasses flavor. Nothing complex here ... but IMHO there are times when one desires a simple smoke that's easy to enjoy without a lot of hoopla ... and this is a very good one for that purpose. I can see this being an all day smoke for me. If this Sutliff ERR match is anything close to the original blend I can understand why the old codgers liked it (I said that as though I'm not an old codger at this point in my life)! I will try the Lane version as well for comparison ... but me thinks this one is quite darn good!
Pipe Used: Briars, Meerschaums, & Cobs
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
9 people found this review helpful.
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