John Patton Dark Horse

Update 12-23-2019

I finally was able to smoke through a couple of ounces of this and will tell you, there is no way to really get to know a blend off a few bowls. In going through two ounces, I can definitely say there is no Latakia in the blend and the oriental is the first element to assert itself after the burley. It gives this a sour touch.

All other elements are pretty light and meld together in a blend that is pretty light on the palate overall. The description certainly makes no false claims as it is squarely called out as medium in taste. I originally had this in the medium to full for taste, and that was also inaccurate. In fact, if there is one knock I have on this, it is the fact that it is too light for my tastes.

Even with these changes in perception, I will still keep this at 3 stars as it is a good tasting blend that delivers what it promises.

Original Review 7-13-2015

I liked this blend. I received a sample that contained probably around four bowls. What I got was a very classy American English type blend. There was a strong sense of the burley in the blend with the nutty sweetness one would expect. There was also a smokiness to it that I took to be Latakia. Looking at the contents listing, it merely states that it contains Turkish/oriental. While Latakia is a Turkish/oriental with some special treatment, I am not sure that it is actually latakia bringing in the smokiness.

It may have just been the combination of all the other ingredients of which there are many. I had toyed with the idea of putting four stars on this one immediately as I enjoyed this blend and it is not directly relatable to any other blends out there; although, Purple Cow from C & D is kind of similar, but since I have only had the small sample I will leave it three stars for now and will revisit after I order more. That is, if it is still available. I see that 4 Noggins is starting to do away with some of the Patton blends which is a shame since all the ones I have tasted to date are so good.

John Patton - Dark Horse.

Earlier this morning, when I lit my first bowl, the first thought to come to my mind was "damn, here we go with another blend that tastes like a cheapo cigar!". That was my first impression of the smoke, but it didn't take long for the Cigar Leaf to die down and let the other tobacco's come through; it's present for the whole journey, but it doesn't push the others out. The different tobacco's are combined together in a way to make the smoke quite a complex experience. I get a creamy and earthy base, with a touch of wood. The Perique offers a fruity quality, whilst the Burley gives the smoke a slightly coarse feel. Surprisingly, even though the other flavours are quite powerful, I still manage to get a decent hit of Virginia sweetness. The nicotine's quite medium, and the room-notes a bit boring!

An area where this falls down, for me, is the subjective one: tongue bite. This reduces my liking of it a fair bit. That said though, it's still worth three stars for flavour alone.

Recommended.

Compared with my favorite John Patton's blend: Stormfront, Dark Horse has similar characteristics with some differences. They all share sweetness, cigar spiciness, burley nuttiness, but this has been added with oriental and perique, which bring some sourness and slightly fruity air. I think whoever love stormfront will appreciate Dark Horse.

This one was an easy buy for me, but I am not so sure on it right now. Had my first bowl earlier today, and it certainly lives up to its' name as an "other". Upon lighting, I just didnt like it. Super harsh, and burned super-hot. Let it go for a bit and kept at it but just got heat and cigarette type smoke. Then, I put the pipe down and walked away for a bit. When I returned and re-lit, it came to life. Honestly, the reviews that indicate that this is a mix of flavors and tastes are dead on. To me, it tasted like and smoked like a crushed cigar placed in my pipe. I kept after it and had some taste stops along the way that came through clearly. Cigar leaf, followed by burley, followed by a brief check-in at orientals. I dont see this being a regular go to, but a certain one for a shake-up from my norms. Worth adding to the rotation for certain.

I've been trying cigar leaf blends lately and that is what led me to John Patton's Dark Horse. I'd also been looking to add Burley blends to my cellar so that it might be more well balanced. And, of course, Matches860....

This delivery came to me from 4noggins and upon opening the bag I was surprised by how mild the bag note was. I was definitely getting cigar but very mildly. The bag smelled heavily of Burley and spicy Oriental and Perique. A very subdued sweetness and a bit of Autumn baking spices.

This tobacco was dry, and bordered on too dry, but as I soon found out it lit on the initial match and didn't require any relight. Just burned straight through to a clean white ash. A very easy and well behaved smoke.

The nicotine is mild/medium. No bite, though I did take my time with it, and savored as I could the retro hale and really tried to pick this one apart. I think my palette is inexperienced, but I was able to find some mild sweetness and some pleasant spice. The cigar leaf and condiments are what grabbed my attention with the blend. The Burley and Virginia providing a strong foundation.

I recommend this one. And I love the idea of supporting lesser talked about blends and blenders like JP's. Sure, this blend gets some love on YT and the forums, but not as much as some of the more widely distributed and advertised blends.

Get some. Just get it in a jar ASAP as it comes ready to burn!

When I first received my shipment I divided into two jars, the first jar I consumed over six months, the second jar I let sit untouched for five years! So, I’ve been getting to know it again now over these past few weeks. It’s still a fairly rugged he-man kind of a blend even after five years of aging. If you like Bob Runowski blends like Haunted Bookshop, or if you smoke cigars regularly, you will like this. It has some spicy nuances that remind me of a dark Nicaraguan cigar. I remember from when it was fresh that I tried a tweak using 5% Sutliff Aged Maduro Cavendish and that added some needed cushion on the palate for me. I called that tweak “Black Stallion” and just that little nudge put it up to four stars for me. If it isn’t cushion you seek, but sweetness, you could always add a pinch of BCA, which everybody has laying around. I guess I’d call that version “Pony Rides,” LOL. If it’s even more earthiness you crave you could always add some dehydrated potato peel. Ok, enough joking around . . .

I have to wonder, reading some of the other reviews if Rich made some adjustments to either proportions or changes in suppliers, because either when fresh or when I evaluate it now after five years, this is certainly not a Turkish-forward blend with floral overtones as some have said. In fact, unless we’re talking Black Sea Sokhoum I don’t taste any Turkish/Oriental at all. For me the predominant character stems from earthy dark Burleys (not especially nutty) and cigar leaf (dark and spicy). Coming in third would be Perique, but not of the peppery or figgy raisiny type, more of the musty earthy type. I also get some salty pan-scorched butter (that possibly from toasted Turkish leaf). I agree with one reviewer who said that the retrohale was like oak leaves in Autumn, but that was more so when fresh, not so much now that it has mellowed with age.

I much prefer Storm Front, but this deserves three stars for its distinctiveness and for those times when you want something a little more rugged. I find it pairs nicely with a strong dry red wine like Italian Aglianico.

Here's a good burley blend that really satisfies. Burley at the top of the pyramid of flavors, followed by the Turkish and oriental. The Virginia is unnoticeable, but the perique seems to hold it all on the darker side. A very tasty and rather cigarette style flavor. Lights easy, burns to the bottom and easy to smoke all day.

A tobacco that is full of flavors, earthy, spicy with a slight sweetness and sourness. If a bit on the dry side, it smokes without a glitch and the taste is that of a full bodied cigar in a pipe smoking way. Cigar leaf mixtures are hard to balance but this one is a winner. Works nicely on a colder day or after a meal.

Virginia lover