Hearth & Home Cerberus

HOW's Barking Dog with more flavor, better leaf, more strength and more Burley. I think it is a blend that traditional English fans may not go for, but those who enjoy Burley and Latakia will appreciate greatly. The Perique is far off in the background but can be detected. A very cool burning smoke.

I himmed and hawed for two days about ordering a few tins of the IPSD 2012 offering and it proved too long a delay as they sold out quick. So I jumped on ordering a couple tins of Cerberus upon its release. Just finished the first one and cracked the second one after a 7 month rest.

I enjoyed the blend and do recommend, but was surprised to see this one carrying a four star rating. It is high in Latakia, but that shouldn't be a surprise as it is clearly stated as such on the description. It is pretty smooth however with the proper cadence. The quality of the product is great as one would expect from this blender. It lights and smokes great, cool and a bowl last s along time.

To me it has an incense like quality that I found very unique and I do recommend it as such, but It doesn't quite hit the four star for me. Perhaps my mind will change as I near the end of this tin. I have found it growing on me with each bowl smoked as I think I would be at a touch over two stars on my first bowl. But with anything unique, the first bowl is kind of a WTH is this type of moment. YMMV of course. Only way to find out is to try and do recommend so doing.

A few light pieces of ribbon, otherwise very dark in the tin.

Smell is campfire, burnt cedar, leather. Lots of smoke and leather.

Thick plumes of naturally full-flavored smoke. Took a match well and didn't need many relights. Solid dose of nicotine.

Strong/complex flavor and aroma with a rough edge; borders on a cigarette or cigar-like taste and aroma. Suspect the Kentucky, but who knows? Could be the Orientals and/or Perique too.

A bit too heavy for me; I prefer Russ' slightly mellower Magnum Opus and a good bit mellower White Knight to this one by far. Quality product though, and definitely something lovers of Kentucky and especially stout English blends should try.

(Steel Cowboy opined that this is not as strong as Black House. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison, but based on memory, I found Black House a bit mellower; probably due to the lower KY component? But he'll get no argument from me that this is yet another fine example of Russ's blending skills.)

I agree with reviewer Lit a Kia 2014-12-14 that this mixture is somewhat like Mac Baren's HH Vintage Syrian, but narrower in range. HHVS certainly has more perique than Cerberus, but the other difference is in the lighter colored base tobaccos in HHVS that cover a wider range and give it a sweeter roundness. I also agree with reviewer Pipestud 2015-03-04 that most of us will not identify Cerberus as a traditional English blend. Opening the tin you see a mixture that is very narrow in it's color range; almost uniformly a monochrome dark umber brown. The smoking qualities of this blend are also confined to a rather narrow range at the top of the bell-shaped curve. Compared to HHVS it smokes somewhat flatly and never strays very far from that median taste and aroma position already mentioned. I don't find anything overtly wrong with this blend but, on the other hand, I don't find anything that makes it stand out from it's very crowded medium English field. I don't feel that Russ Oulette has erred here but, more, that he designed this mixture to satisfy those English smokers who desire a middle-of-the-road, lower perique, higher latakia, burley-dominated smoke. I prefer HH Vintage Syrian to Cerberus - three stars.

Hearth & Home - Cerberus (Marquee Series).

Cerberus is mostly dark ribbons (about 20% lighter brown ones), the cut is quite coarse, it smells musty yet sharp, and on the low side was a touch dehydrated.

The Latakia has the most intensity, to me. The Kentucky's fire-cured flavour works well alongside the smoky Lat', causing quite a full flavour; again, in my opinion. There's a butyraceous, smoothness, from the Orientals, which brings a luxurious quality to the smoke. The Perique, although a lesser ingredient, gives enough spice to get noticed. Finally, the Virginia... completely lost in the mix. The other's seem a bit too bold for the Va to compete with; but, that's just my opinion! The slight lack of moisture hasn't caused too fast a burn, and I've had no bite.

Nicotine: quite strong. Room-note: not nice.

Cerberus? A blend I'll happily recommend:

Three stars.

Hearh and Home Cerberus- Cyprian Latakia forward blend but not a lat bomb . The Orientals are close behind with savory sweet and sour slighty buttery and spice . The Virginias add just enough sweetness. The Kentucky is obvious from first light to the end . I barely taste any perique to be honest . I have been smoking quite a bit of HH Syrian lately and this Cerberus is similiar but not as smooth and refined and rougher around the edges IMO . This is a little heavy on the Latakia and Kentucky for me . I do like it though . Russ does some nice blends but they are TOO DRY out of the tin ! I had to hydrate this as it was unsmokeable out of the tin . Not good for aging either . I like to age my tobaccos and this is not the first time I have encountered this problem with the Hearth and Home blends . I cannot buy any more until I hear this problem is fixed . I will give it 3 stars because it is good .

This one is a big, Lat-heavy blend, with the spicy and robust Kentucky playing a major supporting role. To me, it's more of an American English and reminiscent of a few Pease offerings.

The Perique adds some body but is eclipsed by both the other dark-leaf varietals. It's dry and savory, but a bit ponderous and not as complex as I was expecting. It's more of a brute force, in-your-face, dark leaf composition. I prefer Blackhouse and Bengal Slices over this from Russ.

I received my tin of Cerberus in the mail with a few other tins. I noticed the Cerberus tin wasn’t concave on the top and bottom like the other tins. So I gave it a slow easy twist, and sure enough the seal was broken. I opened it up and the tobacco was drier than a box of Corn Flakes. I carefully poured it into a mason jar, added a half dozen or so drops of distilled water, sealed it and waited. A few days later I opened it and the moisture was just about where it should be. More fluffy than crunchy.

I immediately taste the smoky Latakia, the sour spiciness of the Orientals, and the musty earthiness of the Perique. The Virginias seem to be of the bright variety, I taste a citrus note which enhances the Orientals. I’m not sure if I taste the Dark-Fired, but I’m sure it’s there complementing and strengthening the Latakia. Russ did an excellent job in creating this delightful blend. Another fine addition to the Marquee series!

I’m not sure how much effect drying it and rehydrating it has on the flavor. Another reviewer, HobgoblinTA96, had the same problem and thought it tasted “brass-like” after rehydration. I suppose the sour spicy Orientals together with the Bright Virginias might be described as brass-like...

The three heads of the Cerberus are the Latakia, Perique, and Dark-Fired Kentucky. The body is the Orientals and Virginia…

Very smoky, and a bit peppery. Tin note smells unique. The taste is really rich , deep, and dark. Goes good with a Coke or Root Beer. Everyone should pick up a tin of this when they get the chance.