Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Nightwatch

Mmmmmmm, latakia!

This is definatly a latakia lover's blend. The blend is full of dark rich black strands of the wonderful weed. Additionally there is a fair amount of what looks to be red virgina and several other dark brown tobacco's. The scent is intoxicating for latakia lovers. Full of the leathery richness that marks the leaf.

Upon the first match, the a deep musty latakia smoke pours though the pipe. Dominating the taste buds. The flavor stays at the forfront of the blend throughout the smoke. Every now and then the virgina's chime in. Not an overly sweet note, but more like along the lines of SG Full Virgina Flake. Near the end of the bowl, the orientals show a bit.

The blend burns cool, and seems to do better in larger pipes. Bringing out a bit more of the complexity (though not a very complex blend) to the palate. The ash is powerdy gray and leaves a nice dusting inside the bowl. This would be a nice blend to break a pipe in with.

Nightwatch. A mans man kind of Latakia blend, but not overpowering. Not overly complex, but extremely rich and satisfying. In working my way through the entire Hermit catalog, this one is not the strongest, but is has found its sweet spot with me for the time being. Its best enjoyed in times of contemplation, study and deep thought. I imagine this was the kind of smoke enjoyed by Hemingway when conversing with FSF or Gertrude Stein. Like the rest of the Hermit lineup, the brownies present extremely well. Buy the 8 oz. versions, its well worth the experience. There is nothing quite as satisfying as unpacking brownie after brownie of luscious goodness. The tin note, the presentation, the way it slices with a nice sharp knife, this is an experience, not a pedestrian smoke to be soon forgotten. I could not say which Hermit blend is my favorite right now, they have such a strong offering that matches each mood and desire as the day brings. If this review is more literary than my standard, I apologize, the pairing of this blend in a large chunky author has stirred recesses in my brain long forgotten or avoided. The smoky, salty, sultry smoke has worked its magic upon me this evening. This is a superb offering, and needs to be sampled, if you are a serious fan of Latakia or the Hermit lineup. As I puff away, glancing at my jar full of gorgeous square pucks of deep black and brown cake, I cannot help but imagine how they will age into something more sublime and succulent. This is just another home run from a blender and life long piper that understood what it meant to enjoy lifes pleasures to the fullest. Thank you Jay (RIP) and Louise, I cannot convey my admiration and gratitude fully here. Cheers and congratulations, I hope to meet you one day be it here on earth or on another plane, you are truly blessed and held in great regard.

The tin note is really nice: smoky barbecue, darker with way more pepper than, say, the classic worcestershire McClelland smell. There's a bright, fresh note of something like menthol.

The crumble cake (especially if you jar it) retains flavor and moisture level, which I should say is perfect right out of the tin. It breaks apart and packs very easily. Every now and again you do find a stem, but I don't really mind that. All CE's blends will burn clean down to white ash with one or two lights if you pack 'em right.

There's a good bit of flavor here right from the first draw. Although you couldn't write a dissertation about the flavors and tasting notes, by no means is this a one note, "conventional" English blend. There's a deep barbecue sweetness here that I really, really like. The latakia is full, smoky, and peppery. Orientals change shade throughout the bowl, ranging from musty and floral to sweet. Perique comes and goes. The bowl sweetens halfway down, which surprises me every time. I could definitely smoke this all day.

Aromatic fans and those who cut their teeth on McC Frog like I did will find this a bit stronger than what they're used to. Bolder C&D, Pease, and Ten Russians fans might find this a bit lacking in strength and complexity.

Is this blend a lat bomb? I would say no. To me, a lat bomb has to really wallop you with. We're talking leather belt in the face. The VA, orientals, and perique make this sweeter than a lat bomb ought to be. But add 10% more latakia and yea we'd be talking lat bomb.

Like I said, I cut my teeth on Frog Morton's Cellar. I dearly miss it. When it came time to find a new numero uno, the last thing I wanted to do was find something too similar. I liked FMC because it was FMC. I didn't want my new favorite to be FMC light—I wanted it to be its own thing. This is definitely bolder and way less sweet (I did want to grow up and move on), but it still has a similarly mellow, easygoing vibe to it. Ten Russians this is not. TR is a great blend, but I just don't need that much flavor most of the time.

My ideal blend is less of a fine wine, more of a faithful whiskey. Something like Mississippi River Plum Pudding, one of those mountaintop stunner blends, is usually just too bright and fancy for me most of the time.

This is my favorite among the Captain Earle's blends I've tried so far (Nightwatch, Ten Russians, Private Stock, and Mystic Blend). In fact, this is my favorite blend right now period. It's more complex than the faithful Frog was, dare I say it. Rest in peace, ol' Froggy, but I do think I like this better.

A consistent 80% dark cocoa smoke with a pinch of honey added. For a Latakia lover this is plenty of flavor with a smooth, well rounded performance. Not complicated but consistently soothing for that lat bomb itch.

This blend is mainly focused on incensey Latakia. Its good. The Virginia gives it body and keeps it from being monochromatic. But the primary element here is Latakia. When you open a can it looks like a brownie. It is a crumble cake for sure, but you can easily pinch portions off of. Don't be put off. Anyone who loves Latakia knows that you can have 10 blends centered on Latakia and each one will taste different. It can taste and be perceived many different ways regardless of the concentration. When you light night watch that is what you taste immediately, but it also has another flavor. Almost floral. Not like Kendall flavoring, but cleaner and less deliberate. This blend is quite comforting. I noticed no nicotine. But this was a very friendly easy blend to smoke. It's quite smooth and shouldn't burn you if you smoke it the right way. It is kind of like Maltese falcon, but less mild.

In a moment of whimsy, I decided to switch my resupply order from an 8 oz tin of Ten Russians to an 8 of Nightwatch. A big gamble in a blind buy, but I don't feel like I lost anything. As has been stated, Nightwatch is very well-blended. It presents a fuller, more rounded profile than Ten Russians; what it lacks in intrigue and danger, it makes up for in comfort and amiability. If Ten Russians can be compared to a swashbuckling romp with the aforementioned Cossacks, Nightwatch is the pillowy embrace of a beloved (curvaceous) companion in the small hours of a cold night. Said companion may just happen to be the burly older sister of those Ten Russians, but she has a kind heart. Burns exceedingly politely; nary a relight, gurgle, or nipped tongue to be had. I think it may actually edge out TR in the Nicotine department; 6/10 to TR's 4/10. My wife remarks that the room note is startlingly similar to McClelland's Coyote Classic; time has dulled my memories of that once-beloved blend, but Nightwatch evokes the same feelings of contentment and ease. When you finally stagger home from sea, young sailor, Momma Mariska will take tender care of you.

When I first started puffing on Nightwatch I found the Latakia to be the main component, and as other reviewers have mentioned, it almost seemed to be a one trick pony. However this did not prove to be the case. From the time I opened it (at five months age in tin) to the time I finished it (when it was about 7months total aged) it was a different beast all together. It was smooth, the smoke didn't bite and the Latakia didn't at all seem to be overpowering. It isn't as complex as something like Plum Pudding but there is more happening beneath the surface than a first glance might yield. Nightwatch is now in my regular evening rotation.

One more time I have to make it clear. This is mild in STRENGTH!!!! Do not confuse Stength and flavour!! Latakia is very very mild in nicotine and nicotine is meant when talking about strength. A blend with 50 or more percent latakia is really low in strength in most cases. There are only very few blends which have both, latakia and at least a medium strength. So I am really upset by the ratings here concerning latakia blends. I am looking forward to a satisfying smoke and have to ascertain there is no bassline in here.
Please do not confuse STRENGTH and FLAVOUR

Black with brown speckles, crumble cake. Easier prep than the other two Captain Earle's I've tried so far.

This is a nice smooth latakia forward blend. Latakia is clearly the highlight of this blend - not overpoweringly strong, but the most forward flavor. I do not pick up the advertised perique at all. The orientals and Virginias are there, but they are subdued and don't sing. And that's about it.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Nightwatch. In fact, I'd say it's quite good. But, lacking the sweet notes of Stimulus Package and the enormous complexity of Ten Russians, it seems to me to be rather pedestrian comparatively. Nothing about it makes it stand out in the crowd. Nightwatch is just as good as many of its peers in this genre, perhaps better than some, but not as good as others that are already favorites of mine. I'll have no problem whatsoever finishing this sample, but I doubt I'll buy more.