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

The tin I received was bulging probably from the tobacco inside fermenting so I opened straight away. It smelled of stale yoghurt. I took the whole kake apart to let it breathe and dry a little as it was rather moist. It contains rough ribbon cuts of leafs of varying lengths, most deep brown coloured. I jarred the tobacco and came back to it in a few days. Now it smelled of earthy tobacco but the pungent sour lactic notes had not dissipated.

After the above treatment I tried the tobacco. Mechanically it behaves well, not fussy at all, it needs though a light packing to stay lit. But the tobacco is quite potent for me, smooth I have to say but very strong. Now I can handle strong tobacco for an occasional use but here I did not enjoy the flavors either. The most prominent of which is a stout cigar-like one backed by a good deal of black peppery spiciness. It has an ashy character as well. I can see how one can enjoy this blend but I didn’t. The tobacco is of good quality but I cannot understand to what the blender did aim when making this mix. The Orientals, if they contribute at all, it does not show (are they Cavendished as well?). This is definitely not an Oriental blend and I cannot taste Virginias either.if I wanted to be harsh I would call it a kitchen-sink blend. To me it’s like a Cavendish (which is not very sweet and in any case any sweetness is balanced by more bitter elements) blend with lots of Perique. Overall to me Honor Blend is overwhelming with no real redeeming feature. There may be something wrong with my tin which contained fermenting tobacco but either way I won’t be buying again.

Recommended only to those who seek a spicy cigar-like experience in pipe tobacco and do not mind strong smokes.

Update six months later: I seem to have got many things wrong with this tobacco of which I smoked less than half a tin and jarred the rest for six months, or else either it or I have changed significantly in this period. First of all, the yogurt smell has dissipated. Also, as I taste it again, I find that it's nowhere near as strong a tobacco as I initially thought and the taste I find now very aggreable to say the least. It tastes Burley-like, like a dark juicy cigar with a sweet honey/maple-like undertone which tastes very natural. It's also spicy and a little ashy but bitterness is counterbalanced by ample sweetness. I can now also discern the sour taste from the Orientals. Quite delicious. An upgrade from two to four stars. Still recommended to cigar-leaf aficionados.

Upon opening the tin I found a little square cake of tobacco that looked like a brownie. It smelled great, like a good virginian. The cake was drier and crumblier than most other cakes/flakes I have tried. On the tin they call it a "crumble cake" and that is a good description.

It is easy to break up and breaks up into fairly even peices, there is no "dust" that often occurs with other cakes/flakes. Once it is broken up, I noticed that it seemed a bit dry. I was dubios.

I smoked my first few bowls in a tall Radice.

It lit well and produced nice, white, dense smoke. Strong taste of virgina and possibly some burley, but not too strong. Good tobacco taste. Does not smoke wet and soapy as cake/flake tobacco often does for me.

Good strength and consistant taste all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

For me, this is excellent tobacco. I plan on smoking it alot in the future.

A solid blend. Has enough nuance if you choose to pay attention, but not so much you’ll feel guilty focusing on something else while you smoke. Nice full tobacco flavor, has just enough rough edges to give it a bit of honesty. I love how thick it the smoke is, it gives it a nice mouthfeel with no chance of biting. Orientals shine through with incense notes an a bit of sour, but nothing too strong. Overall, others have broken this blend down well enough. It’s one of my favorites, and I want to nudge you towards trying it. Not an all day smoke, but repeatable if you like a bit of extra nic.

A very nice Virginia blend with just the right balance of Orientals and Perique. The perique gives just a hint it's unique flavor. The unique profile of sweetnessm, spice, pepper, and a touch of wood. A tasty Virginia Blend. On my can it notes there is black cavandish which is part of the blend.

Tin note of sweet plum wine, sugar and spices. Tobacco is a brown, light brown and tan marbled Krumble Kake Moisture content is a little moist, some may want to dry it out a bit. breaks and rubs out with a little effort. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and mostly consistent, with notes of Rasin and figs, sour stewed plums, savory, floral, very woody, spiced bread, zesty orange peel, tart fruit, mild vinegary, sour hay, lemon grassy, very earth, acidic/spicy, a sweet tangy fermented background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Oriental/Turkish and Perique supporting. Cavendish is supporting from the rear. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is great.

Wowzers! This stuff is great! Opened the tin a few months ago, smoked a bowl and jarred it. The first bowl from the fresh can had a very heady, thick and oily smoke. Almost too much to enjoy, but I am a persistent son of a bitch....

I recently opened the jar and loaded a pipe with some crumbles from the cake and set it ablaze. To my amazement, this blend has become a new favorite! The periqey goodness coupled with the tangy Virginias and the Turkish to soften it up is rounded out with cavendish to add just a touch of sweetness to the finish.

Being a cigar smoker, this blend has plenty of flavor and nicotine to satisfy the toughest! Just ordered two more pounds....

I like this one so much that I emailed Craig Tarler to tell him so. It not complex but it's full of great VaPer flavor without being cloying or overwhelming. I'm usually overly sensitive to nicotine content but, strangely, considering some of the other reviewer's comments, this one didn't bother me at all. It's a little too heavy and too expensive for an everyday smoke for me but I'll surely be buying more of it including a tin ot two to set aside to see how it responds to age.