Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Honor Blend

Those of you who have been reading these for a while now know that VaPers are pretty much my go-to. I like Latakia, but I always sit down with a pipe full of something like Bullseye Flake. I was very impressed with Dimond Head so I think Captain Earles may shine through again. I've been smoking it for about a week now.

When I opened my tin I found another well-pressed crumble cake. It looks like it contains a lot of decently sized ribbon. The tin note has some interesting smells. I can smell the red virginia, its tangy and citrusy. The Orientals are sour, and the Perique is giving some pleasant dark fruit. The cake is easy to rub out, and it stuffs nicely in the pipe. I find it has a decent moisture for smoking right out of the tin. It takes a light well, and requires only an average amount of relights.

Upon lighting I can taste the Red Virginia which is dark fruity, bready, and has a minor citrus taste. The Perique is obvious, it offers its characteristic dark fruit, while also giving the blend a healthy spice. The Orientals are in the background adding a tangy sourness. I do taste a little Cavendish toast and sweetness. I've pulled all these notes out slowly, but I have to admit the flavor profile is very simple.

The taste is a medium-full. There is ample smoke to fill your mouth and the flavor is robust. Lady N stopped by, and she wants to go out and have a few more drinks than normal. The strength is a medium-strong. I have smoked this on an empty stomach this week and while it didn't churn I did feel it in my head. So put a little food on the stomach before you light a deep bowl of this. I like this and I will say as VaPers go this is unique. I give it three stars.

Captain Earle’s Honor Blend seems like a good choice for when you don’t know what you want, but it’s not Latakia, and it has to be easier than differential calculus. Composition is light to medium red, to dark brown, short, slight ribbons pressed into a nice, easily managed krumble kake. The basic tin note is actually fairly deep and even intense, but there are significant overtones that are mostly rendered in a “higher frequency” that seems rather bright for the ingredients, like sourdough, paprika and cocoa over slightly earthy, moist hay. This tobacco smokes fine right from the tin, and better with some rest. The initial taste is a little saccharin for me, but not to worry, it settles down quickly into a nice, even smoke. Both strength and tastes rise to just over medium, with the slightly earthy, zesty, citrusy red VA providing the backbone. The Orientals are spicy but not really hot, likewise the Perique. Again, think, paprika, maybe some chili powder. There’s enough Cavendish to smooth and enrich the ample smoke. The lot is sweet, sour, and savory, also zesty at just above “mid-band”, and it only bites if you insist. The combusting scents and the tastes run parallel to the tin note, adding fragrant wood resins. Both the tastes and the scents deepen somewhat over the course of a bowl, and I like it better and better, to the last drop, which (hooray!) is easily gotten with regular tamping and even scant attention to cadence. Room note is better than tolerable. Aftertaste is a lingering best of the smoke.

If you (like moi) aim for four stars every time you smoke, CEHB can fill the bill without graying your hair. Just prime your chosen pipe with a “sacrifice” bowl or two, and you’re off to the races. 4 stars.

My sample is just over one year old. Upon opening, an overwhelming molasses scent makes it difficult to resist taking a bite. This is not a broken flake, or a crumble cake, but a very dense plug composed of relatively coarse ribbons. It is impossible to break off and must be sliced with a knife. So, technically a cake because it is made from cut leaf, but behaves like a hard plug.

If not rubbed out, it will require frequent re-lights. Very mildly sweet, but at times has a nutty flavor, and at times is rather harsh. Bites like a mad dog. Burns very hot. The flavor is strong, but boring and lacking depth. The nicotine is strong. Unfortunately, the best part of the experience is the scent in the tin.

I'm giving it a second star just due to peer pressure. I wouldn't buy it again, but I will not throw it out either.

Best sliced off thinly with a very sharp knife, fully rubbed out, and in a larger pipe. A churchwarden stem helps to cool the smoke.

Honor Blend is a very satisfying smoke, but satisfying like a cigar. It has a strong presence to both the smoker and those in the room. It starts with a distinct cigar-like quality to its taste, aroma, and body. By the middle of the bowl, the fullness lessens to a degree. The sweetness of the red virginia and cavendish does not emerge until the last half of the bowl, and it is about this time that I needed to be more careful in my technique--slowing down to avoid it getting too hot. This a stout, non-latakia blend--stouter than I like for an everyday blend, but I'll be looking for that open tin on a hot summer night or a cool Sunday morning (these are cigar moments for me). One note: I find it easy to pack Honor Blend too tight, so I try to pack looser than I normally would for the medium ribbon cut. Overall rating: B-, special occasion smoke, room note very earthy.

The Virginias and Cavendish here are the top sirloin, with the Orientals and Perique being the seasoning rubbed on top, then pressed together in a crumble kake that's easy to break apart into your bowl.

This blend is like a good steak: rich with flavour and perfectly seasoned. Thoroughly delicious and not your typical Va/Per. Easily a 4/4 blend.

I did not enjoy this blend. Tastes acrid, in an herbaceous way. There is no sweetness from the Virginia, or even spice from the perique. It’s all just muddled together and bitter. Maybe it will be better with some age, but I wont be reaching for this anytime soon.

Hand's down my favorite tobacco blend. It does smoke a little bit dry, but it's still sweet and full flavored. The perfect Va/Per, with a bit or Turkish. Sweet, savory and s touch of spice from the perique. The cavendish is so mild, I suspect it's only there to add some body to the smoke. The dominant flavors are the Virginia and the Orientals, with the perique adding just enough not to subtle spice

Lightning may strike twice, but eventually it won't. Likewise, it was inevitable that Captain Earle would eventually produce a dud. I'm unsure if there are severe consistency issues at the factory, or if our funny family of reviewers has wildly different tolerances for different tobaccos. Out of charity to the good Captain, I will lean towards the latter. This is not a bad blend, in any way. Its sole fault is a lack of "Wow Factor". Sadly, given tobacco prices today, that puts it on my "Do Not Reorder" list. Life is too short for "Just OK". A smoker of primarily straight Virginias would enjoy this, as that is the primary profile it offers. The additional tobaccos are present only as buffers and accents. The unsweetened Cavendish provides some slight toast notes, while reducing acidity; The Perique serves to bolster the nicotine content while accentuating the fruit notes of the base Virginias; the Orientals don't seem to do much of anything, beyond the occasional musty note. The general tasting notes are of dry grass and small amounts of orange peel. Nicotine content is moderate; right in the range that it will be too much for some, and not enough for others, namely myself. Despite my notoriously-terrible Virginia technique, this smokes without bite. Occasional tanginess comes through, and the general profile leans towards sweetness. The room note isn't terrible, but isn't great; reminded me (and my wife) of unfiltered Camels. Nostalgic for me (my grandmother smoked Straights), noxious to my wife. Smokes to the heel without relights or gurgle, even in a full-bent Bones. This could be a nice departure for fans of Capstan or Escudo; Perique fiends would do well to search elsewhere. It could even be an all-day blend for the right person. Unfortunately, I am not that person. In summation, remember your Dante: those "Whose lives earned neither honor nor bad fame" were still banished to the gates of the Inferno.

This crumble cake is a sweet, but not cloying red Virginia that is skillfully enhanced by the other components of the blend. I would call the taste somewhat bread-like, with touches of woodiness and pungency to set off the characteristic sweetness of the red Va. Rather than being sharp and hay-like, it resides more toward the wine-like end of the Va spectrum. Despite the unity of flavor, it is not one dimensional. It possesses sufficient clarity to enable one to taste the Turkish and Perique leaf peeking around the edges of the base tobacco. I cannot say the same for the Cavendish. It must be in there doing its job – but it does not stand out at all.

The Perique in this blend carries the dark or bottom end flavor very nicely, and with little, if any, of Perique’s notorious peppery pinch. The Perique tingles do make a gentle appearance toward the end of the smoke, but I find it less distracting than the ashy taste that also appears just before the bowl goes out.

I think this is a very satisfying, full-bodied smoke with great mouth feel; it produces a great volume of thick, chewy smoke; and it is very smooth. It smokes coolly and dryly; it cannot be coaxed into biting; and there are no lighting and burning issues in this slow burning blend. For me, the only knock on this blend is the room note. Not really awful (to me it is kind of good) – but it is more cigar-like than the War Department would like to smell. If you have enjoyed Anniversary Kake and Marble Kake, you will find Honor Blend to be an uncommon and tasty variant on the theme; and I recommend that you try some.