Drew Estate Harvest on Hudson

As a fan of aromatics only when they are NOT heavily topped, I really enjoy this tobacco. Nice ribbon cut packs and smokes easily. I enjoyed it much better with 4 months of age, probably because it was slightly drier. It needs a few minutes of air if fresh out of the tin.

The sweetness of the cavendish and virginia work really well with the mild hint of apple that you can taste when testing the draw while packing. A little extra kick from the burley makes this just a little more than mild, and it has an excellent room note. Tin note is extremely fruity with hints of apple and apricot when fresh, but it mellows out with age, as does the overall quality of the smoke--for the better. This is my first taste of DE, but I would recommend.

I've come to appreciate the Drew Estate blends. They do a great job using quality tobaccos with some interesting color/flavor mixes, topped with fragances that are anything but boring. By my experience they all have this in common: After the initial popping of the seal they begin to settle down and come into their own with some really surprising delicious pipping pleasure. Just so happens I had the honor to meet Jonathan Drew just a couple of weeks ago as he stopped at the Tobacconist in my hometown. I had a chance to tell him in person how much I really enjoy his blends.

This new Harvest on Hudson tin is no exception. Taking advantage of CyberMonday I ordered HoH with free shipping and within hours loaded my large Peterson XL305. I've been smoking HOH ever since and can't get enough of it. It's bright, sweet and fruity. You get the very top note of apple every so often and if your tongue aint leathered up you can taste it in the underlining of an easy draw.

This blend is in the same flavor-profile-ballpark as Grand Central and 7th Avenue Blonde, and Peterson's Nutty Cut. This blend is sweet, bright and fruity, lively and very tasty. No tongue bite. A beautiful looking tobacco of color with bright Va's next to brown burley, mixed with Black Cavendish. If you like Aromatics or bored of the same old English or Virginia blends, throw this one in the mix. I couldn't imagine any piper new or experienced being disappointed with this one.

Another quality blend from Drew Estate. Not my favorite of the line, but good quality tobacco with an excellent tin note and flavor. Best if dried slightly and then sipped. It will smoke hot if you aren't careful. The apple does come through better with age. I usually don't go for apple or cherry blends, but this one will stay with me for an alternative to my usual selections.

The tin description mentions a hint of crisp apple - along with Black Cavendish, Virginias, and Burley. I think this blend really has it right with the description. It can bite and add some gurgle to your smoking experience if you puff too quickly. This one is a 'sipping' blend. It seems I tend to like the blends that go out of production and I'm saddened that this one is no more.

Hummm.....I really wanted to like this. Did I? Well yes I did but I was left wanting for more taste. Tin note is a bit of apple and sweet Virginias. Light up took a bit of time due to blend being just a tad damp. It needs to be opened for some time to dry out. I expect more dry time will enhance the flavor somewhat. First couple of puffs are wonderful with sweet apple flavor. This tends to decrease as you smoke through the bowl to the point of really no taste at all near the end of the smoke. As with any aromatic, smoke slow, sip and keep the bowl no more than just warm. Room note has a hint of apple and is a pleasant non-offensive aroma. It is a good aromatic blend that crys out for more taste throughout the smoke.

Nutty Burley, a small dose of Virginia and some Cavendish(slightly sweetened, I feel) and a subtle top note of sweet and sour apple. Not a heavy, goopy aromatic by any stretch. This is what an Aromatic should be, quality tobacco with a deft touch of topping. Well done indeed. Have smoked new and well aged in a mason jar. Aging for my part benefits this blend. After smoking this other apple blends are sucking hind tit! Will buy more!

It was ready to smoke right out of the tin, and possibly a little drier than I've experienced with most aromatics. The tin note reminded me of the smell of hard cider; Predominantly fermented apples, but not so much that it would turn me away. it was actually quite a pleasant aroma. I used a gravity fill with light tamping as it seemed to compress easily on its own.

The initial light was extremely underwhelming to me with little to no flavor, but as time went on it definitely picked up to the point of being rated medium/strong. The best comparison I can give for the flavor of this blend is the artificial apple cider powder you would use to make hot apple cider (spice/ cinnamon); it is one of those things where you'll either really enjoy it, or you probably won't enjoy it at all. About halfway through the bowl I started to get hits of a very pleasant candied green apple taste. It wasn't consistent, but occurred enough to keep me intrigued throughout the entirety of the smoke. The room note stayed consistent with the tin note, except with a hint more sweetness.

Overall, I really liked this blend. It stayed consistent throughout and only had to be re-lit once or twice with a clean burn to the bottom of the bowl. The flavor, although starting out slowly, picked up and never left creating an enjoyable experience without the random fluctuations other aromatics sometimes go through. This is an aromatic I can see myself purchasing again.

I'm loving Drew Estate blends quite a bit and I'm really loving this blend. First things first, they know how to sell me a tobacco. Give it an interesting name, put a lil backstory on the tin, love it! When I first looked at the blend name, I thought about the Hudson River to be honest, saying to myself, "Ha, it's gonna be a lat bomb." Turned it over, gave me a lil tale, brought me back to my childhood. Anyway, tin note is absolutely what you would think. Green apples, sweet and a lil sour, maybe a little caramel. The moisture was right for me, packed well. The initial char and re-light didn't produce much flavor. A few sips and it intensifies, apples are present, a tiny hint of nutty comes through. Some sweetness from the Virginias work their way in the mix. This flavor plateaus and remains consistent throughout the entire bowl. It stays lit rather well, all the way down to a white/light grey ash. A little dottle at the end, a tad wet. Overall, it's not wet tobacco, it doesn't goop but it ghosts a bit. It doesn't last long though. Not much vitamin N, a tiny kick and that goes away rather quickly. All in all, I highly recommend.