Drew Estate Meat Pie

Nice mix of blacks, browns and tans, seductive aroma of a classic English blend -- smoky, woodsy, spicy with a hint of tire fire to it. Variety of shag, flecks and ribbons show off the diverse components in this blend.

Packs easily, has needed some relights in my experience (more drying time before packing perhaps?) but smokes well overall.

At times (especially middle third of the bowl), this stuff is magical. But I'm struggling to enjoy the beginning and end of a bowl. Maybe I just haven't found the right pipe for it, but I also suspect the particular oriental components might not agree with my palate.

High quality blend and components, just not a personal favorite.

A very solid Medium English. I'd say it has a more pronounced smokiness to the Latakia component. Earthy as well. My tin was dry as a bone as it lost its vacuum seal somehow. Not a huge problem, but was surprising. A bit of hydration added and I was on my way. Burns even and all the way down with a fine salt and pepper ash. No bite. A good blend.

This is my first review related to tobacco but definitely not 1st latakia blend I've smoked. The only reason I want to share my review in here is because this one specific blend giving me very pleasant smoke. Filling tobacco into chamber is easy done (Frank Method) and easily lit up, smooth with large volume of smoke. The longer and deeper I smoke, the better taste appeared, really enjoy it when draw deeper down in my throat, giving some kind of cool sensation, with ZERO tongue bite. Once finished smoking, it will left some unique & cool sensation in my mouth for quite sometimes and that make me smile and feel like want to smoke again continuously all day long. Really enjoy and satisfying, definitely one of the best blend out there! highly recommended! The only draw back for this tobacco; price is slightly stiff for my wallet.

here is some list of Latakia blend I've smoked, (1-5 with 1 is lowest rate and 5 is top shelf): D.Aperitif - 4.5, D.Durbar - 3.5, D.Nightcap - 3.5, D.E meat pie - 5, Erinmore LS - 3, Peterson Balkan Delight - 3, Peterson Old Dublin - 4.5, Rattray's Red Rapparee - 5, Sillem's Black - 4.5

An English blend of the standard variety. And to this I say great work to Drew Estate. Usually they produce something totally unique and it polarizes people. This blend seems to be just plain good with any fan of medium level English blends. Now I will say this. The tin note is worth paying extra attention to. A full out leathery blast awaits you should you care to get down in there with your sniffer. It loosely translates to the smoke. But it's a bonus upon cracking the tin. Enjoy it and thank me later.

The first time I tried this tobacco I wasn't impressed. Tried it again tonight indoors in a different pipe and have come to appreciate it more. The latakia is at a moderate level; just enough to taste but not overwhelming. The oriental tobaccos provide ballast and character to the mix. This mixture smokes fairly cool. The first time I smoked it I was overwhelmed by a taste of something like creosote, but now don't detect it, only a satisfying meld of the Virginias, Orientals, and Latakia.

I sampled this blend a while ago. I cannot lie, the Blend name made me hesitate for a bit. I genuinely enjoy the names and descriptions of Drew Estate's blends and found this to be a curveball. The creativity of Drew Estate stands out in the origination of this name and backstory. Apart from the description and blend name, the tobacco itself is simply vivacious! It packs well, the moisture is optimal. The rich complexity of this blend is it's draw. It's very smokey with a leather like smell as well. Hints of coffee and some sort of sweetness enters the palate midway. I found that not every bowl is consistent though, it keeps the smoker guessing and on his/her toes. At times, it completely lacks coffee notes, and is supplanted by cocoa like hints. It might be bitter-sweet at the beginning of one bowl and at the end in another. This is not bad, the term vivacious applies. It burns down nicely and even. Not much of a vitamin N kick, or at least in my opinion. It's a rich blend in flavor but very smooth and mellow, much like Dunhill MM 965. However, I find this blend to be a bit more like G.L. Pease Westminster in its robust characteristics. I find it goes well with a porter. All in all, I recommend.

Drew Estates claim they dare to be different with this one. This couldn't be more true. This blend is just kind of weird. Smoky and sweet. Really unlike anything I have tasted. I rather enjoyed it.

I had a small sample of this, probably 4 bowls in total, but I have already bought another tin. I am going to put three stars down now and plan to come back to this review later as I think I may up this one to four later.

10-27-2022 Update

I just finished that single tin I cellared, and I am holding at 3 stars. I think I have just smoked so many latakia blends over time that I no longer find this that unique. One thing that has changed in the 7 years since my last review is that this is no longer made. I do not think this is worth paying big bucks to obtain, but if it is available at a reasonable price then I still recommend it. It is a solid english/latakia blend.

Funny thing about Drew Estates: once their name is mentioned, everyone snaps to attention.

Like many people, Drew Estate Meat Pie helped bring me to the world of pipe smoking. I had a couple pipes, and I'd enjoy them from time to time, but not nearly to the extent I do now.

I was excited as soon as the Drew Estate tobaccos made it to my B&M. I was looking forward to the Meat Pie (the only non-aro that is reasonably easy to find) and snatched up the first can. Opening the tin I was immediately greeted by the "last night's campfire" aroma of the Latakia, much as I suspected. I thought the tobacco was a bit damp, but nothing that couldn't be remedied easy enough.

The first bowl (in a fresh MM) was a bit of a let down. While it presented a solid mild English blend, I had hoped for something a bit bolder. I left the tin in my truck and relegated it to light duty. Some time later, I loaded up a bowl into my VA Stanwell and things changed. The Latakia became a bit more pronounced and there was a bit more sweetness. Meat Pie produces a healthy amount of smoke as well. I found the second, and subsequent bowls, to lean to a bit more medium bodied than the first. Thank goodness for that.

In the end, Drew Estate Meat Pie is not an amazing smoking. It is, however, a very solid English Blend. I'd go so far as to call it a good benchmark English Blend to judge other English Blends. There are many that are better (and cheaper) and many others that are worse. DE Meat Pie is just a good textbook English.

OM to the G this Drew Estates offering is top-shelf! I am now smoking my first bowl of this amazing English and think that I have found a new fav. I can't stop French inhaling, it's that good. The thing that I have found with DE tobaccos are the perfect smoke right upon opening, no need for drying, non goopy, even burning smoke that is very consistent bowl after bowl.