Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Victorian

Is a blend of Virginia with Perique. During smoking, the Perique is easily scented, peppery, very peppery. After a few minutes, you may note the Virginia. Is a decent Virginia-Perique. No complexity. The components easily separated If you enjoy a mixture not complex, when the Virginia and the Perique can be easily noted, try this.

I too find this to be similar to the older Dunhill Elizabethan, which I used to smoke, but with the following exceptions.

1) This has less nicotine which to me is not a plus. 2) This has a faint sweetness which I feel is something added. I like this quite a bit.

What set the original DE apart were the austere, astringent, yet powerful (with bite potential) and subtle Virginias. That's not what you get here, but then you can't expect Dunhill's signature Virginias to appear in a bulk match blend 20 years after the fact.

Overall, I like it for what it is.

I had bought this back in March of this year along with the Match 965, EMP, and Nightcap. I happened to see it in my ‘cellar’ and decided this would be what I was going to have this evening. I tried some when I first bought it and even wrote some notes down but nothing different than what I am going to say. This is to me a rough cut and has a very sweet smell to the tin (jar) but not of an aromatic nature. This is a very smooth smoke and has a nice spiciness to it which may be from the Perique. I am guessing some of the components are of the red Virginia leaf but that is just an educated guess and not to be taken as gospel. It has been a long time since I have had the Elizabethan and am not even going to attempt to compare the two. I will say the more I smoked this the better it got. I used a pipe that was one of my first that I bought back in the late 90s from a guy who had a tobacco and cigar shop in Carlsbad, CA. It is a Butz Choquin Calabash 2000. This was around the time that Carl Reiner had that First Five Proposition that added an extra 50 cents tax per pack of cigarettes for the children. Anyway I am getting way off point but from what he told me and not sure if it was connected to this particular tax he had only been in business not even a year and was required to pay additional tobacco taxes on his inventory and could not afford it and decided to close the doors. Every time I smoke this pipe, I think about the fun time I had stopping by there and when I bought one of my first pipes and really sad to see this man’s dream of owning his own Cigar and Pipe store not reach fruition.

I’m smoking this back to back with the Dunhill Elizabethan from the newer Danish maker (purchased in 2011).

This mixture is coarse cut with some whole yellow leaves in it, while the DE is ribbon-cut.

While I find that version of DE sweet, fruity, bright and Virginia-forward, this Sutliff match is full, tangy, rounded, mature, and has a more generous helping of Perique.

I can taste the fermented, spicy, "machine oil" flavor of Perique in every puff, while it was quite subdued in the DE.

This smokes cool and doesn’t bite, though it tends to tingle my tongue; Perique tends to do that to me.

It also has a stronger nicotine presence than the DE.

It is complex and spicy, and the VA leaf is more subdued in this one.

I’m not sure this blend is for me, but lovers of strong Perique will certainly like this blend.

Ah...A lemon cello vinaigrette kind of smoke. Citrusy, tart, sweet and slightly peppery. Smooth and easy on the pallet. Straight and forward yet unique vapor. I don't smoke much of this blend but it calls to me every now and then. Quality tobacco and makes me think of old world.

Match Elizabethan

Perique is strong with this one. Almost offensive in the retrohale and lingers in the nostrils afterward. Which is up to the smokers preference to decide whether that good or bad.

The VAs are muted out by the perique but when they do come through they’re sweet (and not naturally but topped-sweet to me) I detect a similar topping to Carter Hall based on the bag note: cocoa, rum raisin. Which may just be the perique but it’s slightly chemical and artificial to me.

Anyway, Match Elizabethan Produces a large amount of blue grey smoke and nice white ash.

Maybe an all day VaPer for some. Room note is pleasant and sometimes sweet.

Perique to VA proportions would really work if there were more stoved red Vas or whatever kind of Vas are bready and naturally sweet/thick

On its own it’s kind of harsh... Paired with a ginger ale it’s sublime. Highly recommend pairing.

Weakness: it lacks depth and complexity. The flavor is primarily carried by the Perique. And IMO the Virginia’s should elevate and enhance the perique and vice versa in a VaPer. Not a lot of “conversation” happening between the two components here. Just the Perique yelling at the VA’s while the occasional small voice of the VA’s can be heard.

Strength: Despite its uneven, chunky ribbon cut, this blend burns very well. White ash all the way down and consistent flavor throughout.

Would recommend as a first time VaPer

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!

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.

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.