Drew Estate Meat Pie

Blended by Lane who is owned by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

This blend is simply okay nothing special and in my view not worth the extra $$ per tin, nor the scarce availability. It kind of reminds me of Peter Stokkebye English Oriental. There are many other brands which are better and less expensive: Samuel Gawith, Esoterica, DAN and more.

I won't be buying another tin of this, not recommended.

Oh, Boy! Another English blend. These were the first thoughts that crossed my mind when I received a trial tin at the Chicago show. Side note: In today's market, with SO many blends out there, I belive coming up with something different is difficult to say the least. Hence, my skepticism. On opening the tin, the latakia hit me right between the eyes. The odor was enticing. However, after loading my Cannoy and lighting up, I found nothing in the smoke that I hadn't had many times before. I tried a few more bowls, then set the tin aside and forgot about it. Fast forward to three months later. I had put the tobacco in a ceramic jar with a good seal. It never ceases to amaze me how just a little sitting time can change a tobacco. This time, it seemed I was smoking a different tobacco! There was something that just wasn't there when I opened the tin originally. Damned if I can put my tongue or nose on it, but Meat Pie definately had a slightly different taste; a taste that separated it from all the other English blends I smoke. This tobacco will be in my rotation (much to my wife's chagrin!).

The very smoky, woody, earthy, musty, incense-like, herbal, floral, sweet, lightly spicy Cyprian Latakia is the dominant component. The Orientals provide a fair amount of earth, wood, floralness, spice, herbs, vegetation, sourness. some incense, and mild buttery sweetness as an important supporting player. Their effect prevents the blend from being a Lat-bomb. The Virginia offers mild tart and tangy citrus, sugar, bread, vegetative grass, floralness, and a pinch or two spice in the background. There’s a very mild sugary citrus casing that tones down the tobaccos a mite. The strength is a couple of steps past the medium threshold. The taste is a slot short of full. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. It won’t bite, but it does have a little roughness, and fast puffing may result in a harsh note or two. I recommend a slow puffing pace. Deeply rich, it burns fairly cool and clean at a moderate rate with a very consistent smoky, floral, spicy campfire flavor that extends to the long lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is very potent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

Purchased a few tins when these first were introduced in October 2013 and enjoyed a tin right away. I cellared the other two tins and cracked one open today (1/2018) after doing inventory of my collection. My previous notes were that this is a very nice blend, typical English with just a little something more. I noted the room note was just a tad pungent, but nothing major and if was a medium bodied smoke. For the most part those notes are still correct with the exception of the tobacco has become a lot smoother with age. Of course smoking it in my cob added a hint of sweetness, and ironically it smokes best in my Ukrainian Pear wood bent pipe. There's a bit of creaminess to it, and I really like the way it finishes. Completely recommended to all level pipers.

Wow what a blend, everything anticipated and delivered with plenty of smoke, if you like great English this is for you. Pleasantly smooth, no bite and draws perfectly through the entire bowl. Not too wet but i left it out overnite and had a bowl after breakfast, what a way to start the day. A bulk offering would help those who pick this for an everyday smoke. Never had a bad DE cigar and it looks like their quality has come through again.

This is a temperate, by the book, English/Oriental mixture. Nothing spectacular, yet highly satisfying, full of flavor and very well balanced. None of the individual components dominates the other. There's enough Latakia here to quench any devotee of this leaf, but the Turkish/Orientals and Virginias stand their ground with ease. It's by no means a mild blend, but it doesn't overwhelm the palate. It's a cool smoke, at times creamy, al times sharp, but never dull. This is somewhere in between London Mixture (but with a stronger Latakia accent), Old Dublin, and Squadron Leader (but more refined). I honestly believe the Danes are finally getting it right. Masters of aromatic blends and straight Virginias, their rendering of Englis/Orientals usted to be, in my opinion, lacking in character: either too mild or too monochromatic. Not anymore. The recent versions of London Mixture, MM965 or Durbar speak of better, more complex and diverse blending components and techniques. Good news!

Highly recommended.

Outstanding and highly recommended. As a lover of good English blends, I rate Meat Pie highly for the terrific quality of the leaf, the perfect moisture level, and the ease with which it smokes. But it's the smooth, pleasingly delicious flavor of this English that really gratified. Not too much of any single element, but a delightfully harmonious balance. Tobaccos like this remind me of why I fell in love with the pipe so many years ago. I could savor this one all day.

Drew Estate has a great reputation in cigars, so I thought I'd try some of their pipe tobacco. I'm partial to English style tobaccos, so I gave Meat Pie a try. It's a good English, but slightly milder than I'd like. My gold standards are Dunhill 965 and Perfection. I give this one a 3.

The perfect classic tasting english imo. Love this stuff. Not too Light, not too strong, this is pretty much the perfect balance to me. recommended!