Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Nightwatch

I do not agree at all with one of my fellow reviewers here who says Nightwatch is a fairly pedestrian blend not unlike many other English lightweights. There was plenty of depth and variety in the taste as the bowl was consumed. I admit that I was also a bit put off by so many stems mixed in with the leaf, but could overlook that little fault.

Life's too short not to give this one a try.

Pipestud

Long cellaring has produced in this blend the nearly perfect balance that I am always after and a sufficient "complexity" to maintain my interest. While it does not give me the impression of different flavors bouncing off each other, it does have a good latakia based flavor bolstered well by orientals and virginias. The cake is at this age very well integrated and beautifully constructed. I just broke off a piece and pushed it into my gr 4 sized reading pipe, a century plus old meer with 8 inch bone stem and horn bit. The age of both the blend and the pipe lent the whole enterprise an air of ancient leisure, allowing the smoke to be the focal point of a very pleasant hour. Highly recommended even tho there are seventeen thousand other good English blends out there. Nice job Jay.

Hermit Tobacco Works Co. - Captain Earl's - Nightwatch.

The tin contains one block of kake, a bows worth can just be pinched off, it can be smoked without airing (well, my first bowl was fresh), and the smoke is fabulous.

The lighting of Nightwatch only requires a short-ish touch of the flame, and then the burn's of a good quality. The temperature from it's Latakia-cool, and the flavour, whoa, the flavour's immense! There's no doubt about which leaf accounts for the most flavour: the Latakia. It gives rich, smoky, odoriferous, leathery, flavour; class A. It seems to me the Perique takes the role of second in charge: it adds a deep fruitiness, but isn't quite as heady. The Virginia sweetens the mix, but a slight sweetness is about its only trait.

Nicotine: above medium. Room-note: if you don't like Lat' you'll hate this!

Nightwatch? Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pressed, aged latakia blends of this complexity and integration are rare. Here is a cool smoking blend with no taste collisions that provides an experience unavailable in other English/Balkan blends. An understanding of subtle connections in flavors guided the blender's hand in this eloquently understated event. Simply put, the smoothness of this blend's character is astounding. It burns easily and delivers enjoyment to me from beginning to end. Pity that this notation framework does not allow for a higher rating...

Meerschaum Man Smoking a Yanik Inverted Skull

This morning I was smoking some more of this with my cup of Café de Monde. That is New Orleans coffee with chicory for those of you north of the Mason-Dixon line. This is a nice Latakia soft square of krumble kake. I normally just break off a piece and stuff it in my pipe but I rubbed this out and let it sit for a few minutes. This is a great medium blend with lots of spice, a little tartness once in a while which may be from the Orientals. Highly recommended in my book. This was a fairly new tin dated 042318.

When you open this tin you find a really nice crumble cake. This is a little more dark than some of the others I've tried up to now. The cake itself smells of Latakia, Virginia and Orientals. Sort of creosote-like, woody, earthy, sweet, and meaty. The cake rubs out pretty well and stuffs well in the pipe. Now, I think it comes in a smokeable dryness and it lights really easy. If you smoke at a regular pace I find it reduces to a fine white ash.

When you light up, the Orientals are up front. They are flowery, herbal, incense-like, and tangy. Next the Latakia comes like a blanket, it is very smooth, woody, salty, meaty. The Virginias are here offering sweetness and fruit. I taste Perique but it is in the background, it adds a nice spiciness. There is a lot going on and I really enjoy the complexity.

The taste is a medium-full. I like the way the smoke fills my mouth. This is like a dessert blend, it is so rich and full that I only want a bowl or two of it. The strength is actually medium, which I really enjoy. It makes this blend the sort of thing you can start the morning with, or something that you can close the night with. All in all a solid four stars and it's easily one I could see myself buying again.

What a lovely blend, very well rounded. A pleasant bbq tin note, ready to smoke right out of the tin, no drying required. Just shave a little off, pack and light! Simple as that. Has a very nice bold meaty taste, but it has its sweeter moments too. Burns cool and clean, doesn't leave any moisture in the bowl and doesn't need many relights. Fond memories of smoking this outside on a cool summer evening, with some lemonade or tea. This stuff ages beautifully as well, recently been enjoying a 20 year tin. It mellows out and gets sweeter with age.

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.