Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Ready Rubbed

Summary: easy-going bulk Burley/Virginia mix that tastes like hot cocoa with marshmallow. Still too much goop for me.

We all like the idea of the simple life. Roll out of bed on a Saturday, head on down to the corner store for a paper and a packet of tobacco, then load the pipe and go for a long drive. As far as OTC blends go, this one is fairly archetypal: a sweet-nutty flavor with a chocolate and vanilla flavoring that contributes a great deal of sweetness. It burns easily and delivers consistent flavor, so if you wanted something to smoke while thinking of entirely different things, it is perfect because the blend basically smokes itself. The only glitch is that it is light in nicotine and still too heavy in goop, which makes it sugary instead of having any depth of flavor. This is where it falls to "Prince Albert," although it would be great if that (stronger, less gooped) tobacco came in this rough cube cut! "Ready Rubbed" could be a top-ranked blend if not for those little glitches, but as it is, I wish it were available in the shops because sometimes you just feel like something uncomplicated.

What I am about to say is probably tantamount to heresy…I hated this blend. I am clearly in the minority, but my observations are quite similar to the few haters out there.

The pouch note is a pleasant melange of prune, raisin, and molasses. The cut is almost like a crumble cake that has been partially crumbled. Ribbons mix with cubes, larger chunks, and dust. I can see the comparison to grape nuts with the chunks and cubes. I have found that many Sutliff blends are dusty. Unfortunately, this dust and tiny flecks make their way through the stem and into the smoker’s mouth.

The tobacco is a little sticky to the touch. The molasses topping is detectable and I did not find it pleasant. The smoke tastes of plastic and chemicals at times. There are some notes of toasted marshmallow and some pleasant bitter notes. Smokes wet and needed way too many relights.