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

The Hermit blends have an interesting presentation. They are pressed together in two oblong bricks and packed in a tin that the same size and shape as the GLPease tins. Interestingly, the tins are also dated on the bottom using the exact same stampings that GLPease employs. Perhaps they are blended/packed by the same company?

There is no need to rub it out, as with a flake. The tobacco can be easily crumbled from the brick and into the pipe. The blend is mostly ribbon-cut red virginia. There are some light brown pieces (I assume the cavendish and Turkish) and I assume the light touches of nearly black are the perique. The perique touch is light. The cavendish is only slightly apparent; along with the Turkish it smooths out the peppery note of the perique. It has a little more body and stength than most medium Viginia/Perique blends. The Turkish adds richness and smoothness, adding an interesting variation to the VA/Perique theme.

This high-quality tobacco needs virtually no relights, and burns to a fine grey ash. I've smoked this in a large Peterson Sherlock Holmes bulldog and a medium Sasieni 4-dot canadian.

I will order this again, as it's an interesting change of pace from my usual VA/Perique staples. But the cost with shipping is a little prohibitive: $36 for 3 assorted 2-ounce tins, postpaid. You can order it here: http://pipestyle.com/

If it were available for less at my local tobacconist I would buy it more often. This is a fine blend, but it's competing with my favorites from the U.K. and GLPease, and costs considerably more.

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.

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.

This is awesome stuff. Nice crumble cake. Nice nicotine hit. Nice Virginia sweetness to it. It was a little to tangy for my taste. really 3.5 stars. Very high quality tobacco.

Does not strike me a a typical VP , like Escudo , scottish cake .

If there is Perique in this blend its a very small amount. Other choice tobaccos add real complexity to the blend so there is a lot of flavor- more than i find with
VP blends or with straight Virginias.

Lost of smoke production and very dry smoke- no bite at all.

My two tins both came ready to smoke so no real drying time required.

Packaged in a small plug which is similar to lots of C&D plugs .

I think the description is spot on as as coming from a lot of English / Lat forward blends one can get used to lots of flavor with minimal effort.

This blend has lots of flavor with almost no effort and I can just puff away - easy.

Would be a 4 star for me but its tends to get dull in the final part of the bowl.

That aside I would reckon those that like VP blend but are sensitive to lots of Perique may like this blend.