Bufflehead Old Squaw

Years ago I bought several tins of Old Squaw simply because I liked the name. I don't know whether this was the only straight Burley blend in the Bufflehead line - but I think it was. Nutty and light in the flavor department. And man, did this blend burn fast. I gobbled up three back to back bowls in one sitting the first time I opened a tin. I have a brother who, before he quit smoking cigarettes, did the roll your own thing and I gave him a tin of Old Squaw to try. He loved it! I didn't.

Pipestud

I have two standards when measuring burley tobaccos; C&D Morley's Best and Pipeworks and Wilke's Nut Brown Burley. Both of these have been my favorites from the many burley mixtures I have tried. The description of Oldsquaw on the Bufflehead website intrigued me, so I ordered some. The first positive impression you get from this blend is the pouch aroma, which is marvelous. It has an aroma like a coconut creme pie (and I love those). It makes you wonder for a moment if Dave has mistakenly sent you one of his aromatic blends. Firing up a bowl will dispell that impression when the first nutty overtone of the fine burleys hits your tongue. A subtle sweetness lurks in the background that is the proverbial icing on the cake. It really begins to blossom at the 2/3 bowl mark, then stays there till the smoke is nearly done. Packing and lighting are above average and it smokes down with a minimum of relights, even at my slow puffing pace. The room note is pleasant, and I heard no complaints from my better half. This is a good one to use for breaking in new pipes, and is also a really fine cob smoker. Bottom line? My MB and NBB are feeling a bit neglected these days, as I'm reaching for the Oldsquaw on a regular basis. Highly recommended!

Sad footnote: Dave Windsor has gotten out of the tobacco business and Bufflehead tobaccos are now only a part of history. I will miss both them and doing business with Dave, who was a really nice guy and first-class businessman.

OldSquaw is one of those blends that match the catalogue description quite well. The quality is definitely there but that's just part of it. OldSquaw is easy to pack, easy to light and keep lit, burns evenly and pretty dry and cool - with only minimal attention from the smoker, and I really like "cruise control". It's a nice Burley blend to use in smallish "walkin' around" pipes that have somewhat thinner bowl walls and can overheat in a heartbeat. Have smoked several bowls in the rather petite Stanwell "Sixtus" pipes and was easily able to keep them cool enough to hold comfortably. Have also smoked several bowls in a medium-to-largish poker and it performed like a Champ. In fact, it was just fine in 5 or 6 different pipes of assorted sizes. Which brings us to Taste. The taste of OldSquaw is natural, high-quality Burley - and there is a sweetness, just a tad, that is also natural-tasting. I like it. It conjurs up memories of hard cider and the crisp air at late-October trap and skeet shoots in northcentral Ohio. It tastes like the burley I imagine Mark Twain or Aldo Leopold would have smoked. Bufflehead's OldSquaw is a qood blend of good-quality leaf with a good natural taste that will stay enjoyable bowl after bowl. Since it is a bulk offering from Bufflehead it won't break the bank either. And it has a cool name too. All-Around Good Job, Mr. Windsor!!!!

Tiger