Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Argosy Black
(2.75)
A match to the original House of Windsor Argosy Black. Aromatic all black riff cut tobaccos with mild vanilla flavorings. Soft mellow taste.
Details
| Brand | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blended By | Carl McAllister |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Black Cavendish |
| Flavoring | Vanilla |
| Cut | Coarse Cut |
| Packaging | Bulk |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28, 2020 | Extremely Mild | Very Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I have never tried the blend that this match attempts to emulate, so I have nothing to add from a comparison standpoint and only rate this on its own merits. On its own, this is not very good, but does retain some positive attributes which save it from being at the lowest rating, but not by much. I will start with the bad and then move on to the good.
The bad part about this blend is that the topping is so light, it makes it apparent how flavorless the base tobacco is. It is an all black cavendish base that I assume to be made from burley. In the cavendish process, all flavor and nicotine potency was pretty much washed away. This is not unusual for an all black cavendish blend, but with most of these, the topping is so prevalent, that it masks the fact that there is no tobacco flavor. The lack of flavor and strength in this one caused me to inadvertently smoke this hotter in hopes of coaxing something out of it. I finally got wise and mixed in a bunch of blending burley which greatly improved the experience.
I should have prefaced this to say that I did purchase this bulk (I think it is the only way it is sold) and jarred it 4 and a half years before I opened it, so it is entirely possible that some of this topping may have flashed over that time in the jar. So take that for what its worth. If the topping was stronger, I may have jumped this up to a three star aromatic.
On to the good. This is not "goopy"; quite the contrary, it is very dry. It packs nicely, but does burn a little fast. As it is dry, there is no concern for gurgles with this one. The topping is pleasant to my tastes. It is a touch vanilla with some liquer that I cannot identify. Maybe Amaretto, or something along those lines. Whatever it is, it was very much to my liking, I had just wished it could have been applied a little heavier to help camouflage this blend's shortcomings.
IMO, this should just be used as a blending tobacco as it is perfect for adding aroma to a blend and nothing more. As I noted above, I added some burley to this and it became pretty good. It was at least better than either of its components on their own, which is, to me, a hallmark of a good blending tobacco. As a blender I would rate this as a three star as I can think of many uses for it in that respect, but on its own, it is a one star tobacco.
The bad part about this blend is that the topping is so light, it makes it apparent how flavorless the base tobacco is. It is an all black cavendish base that I assume to be made from burley. In the cavendish process, all flavor and nicotine potency was pretty much washed away. This is not unusual for an all black cavendish blend, but with most of these, the topping is so prevalent, that it masks the fact that there is no tobacco flavor. The lack of flavor and strength in this one caused me to inadvertently smoke this hotter in hopes of coaxing something out of it. I finally got wise and mixed in a bunch of blending burley which greatly improved the experience.
I should have prefaced this to say that I did purchase this bulk (I think it is the only way it is sold) and jarred it 4 and a half years before I opened it, so it is entirely possible that some of this topping may have flashed over that time in the jar. So take that for what its worth. If the topping was stronger, I may have jumped this up to a three star aromatic.
On to the good. This is not "goopy"; quite the contrary, it is very dry. It packs nicely, but does burn a little fast. As it is dry, there is no concern for gurgles with this one. The topping is pleasant to my tastes. It is a touch vanilla with some liquer that I cannot identify. Maybe Amaretto, or something along those lines. Whatever it is, it was very much to my liking, I had just wished it could have been applied a little heavier to help camouflage this blend's shortcomings.
IMO, this should just be used as a blending tobacco as it is perfect for adding aroma to a blend and nothing more. As I noted above, I added some burley to this and it became pretty good. It was at least better than either of its components on their own, which is, to me, a hallmark of a good blending tobacco. As a blender I would rate this as a three star as I can think of many uses for it in that respect, but on its own, it is a one star tobacco.
Age When Smoked:
4 years 5 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2014 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Sutliffe offered this as a match for Argosy when House of Windsor discontinued their line of pipe tobaccos. As a match, this fairly reproduces Argosy. The problem is, IMHO, that Argosy was a rather blah pipe tobacco, and so is this.
It is a black cavendish, pressed and steam treated to a very dark state. It is notably less moist that most black cavendish tobaccos. The chocalate/vanilla flavoring is similar to other black cavendishes, but less strong.
The cut is rougher than a typical black cavendish, something akin to a broad ribbon. Combined with the toned down flavoring, this is less goop prone than other black cavendish offerings. But the room note is definitely pleasant.
When all is said and done, there is nothing particularly wrong with this tobacco, except for pipe smokers who avoid aromatics. Although a mild aromatic, this is nevertheless an aromatic tobacco. My problem with the Argosy match is that I find nothing outstanding about it. It offers a decent light aromatic smoke, but there is nothing to excite me. It is relatively inexpensive, but I find numerous other tobaccos in the same or lesser price range to be better smokes.
It is a black cavendish, pressed and steam treated to a very dark state. It is notably less moist that most black cavendish tobaccos. The chocalate/vanilla flavoring is similar to other black cavendishes, but less strong.
The cut is rougher than a typical black cavendish, something akin to a broad ribbon. Combined with the toned down flavoring, this is less goop prone than other black cavendish offerings. But the room note is definitely pleasant.
When all is said and done, there is nothing particularly wrong with this tobacco, except for pipe smokers who avoid aromatics. Although a mild aromatic, this is nevertheless an aromatic tobacco. My problem with the Argosy match is that I find nothing outstanding about it. It offers a decent light aromatic smoke, but there is nothing to excite me. It is relatively inexpensive, but I find numerous other tobaccos in the same or lesser price range to be better smokes.
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