Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Victorian

This is a match to the old Murray's blend of EM, which I never had the pleasure of smoking, so I will compare it to the current blend from Peterson. I find it to have a little more flavor in all area's than the current version. It's a little more figgy/fruity and just slightly more citrusy, with a slightly deeper flavor than the current version of EM, however the nicotine content is less than the current version. All of that being said, I think it is a good tobacco, a little different from the current version, but I highly recommend it. I will give it 3 stars, it would be 4 if it were not for the weak nicotine content. Enjoy!

For starters, let me state that I have never had the pleasure of trying the original Dunhill iteration of Elizabethan Mixture, so this will not be a review of comparison between the original and the match. This review will be based solely on the qualities of the smoking experience.

I have had this one kicking around in a jar for a while. I never purchased this, it came as a free sample somewhere along the way.

The smell of the tobacco is what you would expect of a Vaper blend. Dark fruits, raisony, figgy, and a sharpness from the bright virginia. This is a traditionally cut tobacco, with a mixture of both darks and lights, but mostly a darker looking blend.

It packed well, but took me a fair try to get it lit, which was puzzling for me, as this tobacco was not wet at all, nor does it have a goopy casing to be evident.

Once lit, it performed as one would expect. The perique is very evident upon first light up. It is up front and tangy, good flavors on the palette and a strong tingle in the nose. This tingle would settle down as the bowl progressed. The second half of the bowl produced a lot more dark rounded flavors, as is often the case.

Overall, a decent blend, but nothing to right home about, or buy more of in my opinion. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to celebrate per se. Too many great Vapers out there for me to spend much time with this one.

"In some ways, maybe the newcomer to the pipe is more fortunate than we old guys are, since they have fewer lost loves to shackle them."

-- G.L. Pease

With a lifetime supply of tobacco cellared in the hall closet, I have no business spending another penny more on the stuff, but ardent holiday spirits moved me to click on this blend, and I'm so glad I did (I suffer no buyer's remorse).

Having never smoked the original Dunhill Elizabethan Murray’s version, I can only review this blend for what it is.

As soon as I opened the box (with the tobacco still tightly wrapped in a plastic bag) I was immediately struck by the most delectable aromas of plum, fig and chocolate -- it was right there.

Based on some of the earlier reviews, I was expecting a perique pepper bomb, but (curiously) that was not at all the case. While the plum, fig and raisins came through from the perique, I found the pepper profile to be mild-to-medium. I had some difficulty discerning any citrus, grass, or anything real tangy from the Virginias (dark fruit is what prevailed throughout). And though this is perique-forward, I found it to be a wonderfully balanced blend (obviously, it would not be the same experience without those Virginias in the background). Burns nicely; burns cool. Wonderful stuff this is.

Bulk. Arrived moist, lots of dry time needed for my taste. Aroma of vinegar and some spicy perique. Rough cut with some large chunks and some springy ribbon. I break the large pieces up before packing. This blend takes the flame well and stays lit easily. Once lit the perique is spicy and figgy. The Virginia's are somewhat sweet and grassy. I get some citrus and some lemony zest if sipped slowly. The flavors stay consistent throughout. The strength is medium and the nicotine is a touch below medium. This could be an all day smoke.

One of my go-to tobaccos. I have never tried the real thing but if it's better then I will definitely be putting it in my rotation. A definitive VaPer, sweet and spicy. If you get too excited it will bite. This is a one-light tobacco and one of my favorites.

I have been smoking quite a bit of this over the last few weeks in a Rattray filtered pipe and my weekly meerschaum. Have moved to only smoking in my dedicated Virginia Rattray filtered pipe as I was getting a bit of tongue bite towards the end of the day with the meerschaum pipe.

This is the first Va/Per I can say I honestly like, in that the Virginia grass/hay is discernible from the Perique. Tin note is vinegar and sour with light fruit poking through, the deeper you inhale the more sour vinegar is present.

Packs easily following pinch and stuff, to thumb loads to palm spirals, I have found that the lighter I pack this though the better the smoke flavors can develop down the bowl.

Earthy Virginia starts the smoke with the faintest of fruit. Musty earth is the primary base flavor. But as you change your puffing cadence the grassy hay aspect of the Virginia’s poke through and the Perique shifts from pepper to plum. The shifts are at time subtle but not exclusively, as spots do have soft Perique fruit or strong grass/hay coming to the forefront. The shifts do not last long but I feel the blend gives you the smoker an incredible dynamic range of flavor based on how your cadence shifts over time with the bowl. Which for me, is a different and enjoyable experience as I can shift the smoke taste consciously.

I know when I hit a pocket of Perique as it will tingle your nose but then one can shift to a fruitier Perique flavor by just slowing down on the cadence.

Slightly sweet, slightly sour, musty earth with grass/hay and dark fruit. And this is a bulk blend.

I smoke exclusively outside, so can not comment on room note, but you will need to air out a bit as the tobacco smell can cling to you and result in a musty Virginia scent following you around. The finish is short, which is unfortunate and the after smell is enjoyable to me but I have received disapproving frowns from the Mrs.

This will be part of my rotation with GH Scotch Flake and a nice break from my Kendal Flake. I find that through a filtered pipe I can smoke 5 to 6 bowls a day but in my meerschaum 2 is the max before the bite starts to kick in.

When I read the rating it tells me "somewhat" recommend, which sounds about right. It may only give it a couple stars though which I think its better than that, I just only "somewhat'" recommend the stuff.

I've only had the current Dunhill Elizabethan. It kind of resembles that blend at times. It's a fairly light VA/Per and resembles it to a degree, but its also different.

The Dunhill Elizabethan I enjoy is kind of citrusy/grassy in the Virginia realm of its flavor with a dousing of tasty perique. Compared to many of the VA/PER blends I've tried, not many have the high end where Elizabethan does.

This one doesn't quite get there at the high end. It's clearly different Virginia tobacco with some of its own nuances. It doesn't quite go into Red or dark flavored Virginia at all, so it keeps itself from being that type of VA/PER.

If there's a range of Virginia taste from high to low end, I'd put Elizabethan at the high end, and this one at mid-high, but never grassy citrusy high. Maybe only slightly grassy with some other mid type flavor not prominent in the current Elizabethan blend. This mid high flavor I taste quite prominent and if its in the current Elizabethan mixture by Dunhill, its a background player, not at the forefront like in this blend.

Like other Sutliff blends, it has a very slight, really slight, mustiness to it, maybe attributed to an older, or lower grade of tobacco than in most modern tinned blends.

It's basically an Elizabethan blend with lower grade of tobacco, maybe. Maybe not, and its just Sutliff's flavor, I can't quite say as I'm no tobacco expert.

It might be good enough to have on hand if you really just need a cheaper alternative to Elizabethan in bulk. It's not bad by any means and is quite smokeable, but calling it a complete match isn't accurate to this modern Dunhill rendition.

It may taste more like the Murray's version I've never tried. I bought 8 ounces of the stuff and was somewhat disappointed in the first bowl I smoked through a cobb. I've given it more of a chance in some of my favorite briar pipe's and have to say its growing a bit more on me the more I smoke it.

I do love the Elizabethan profile and this has it maybe more than other va/per's out there, so on that alone, its pretty good. If you love elizabethan just that much more than everything else and want a variation of it, this could be a top choice, but don't expect an identical copy to the current version.

This is a good utility VaPer if you like them. I have ordered it a few times, I recently ordered a whole pound to be jarred up because I want to try it with some age but I keep smoking my supply before a couple months. Its not the best VaPer, but it definitely scratches the itch well. Always on hand.