Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Private Stock

Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Private Stock.

To me, Captain Earle normally highlights just how good Cornell & Diehl can do Latakia blends.

The blend's presented as one single Krumble Kake, mainly dark brown, with a lot of black pieces, and just a few yellow ones. The moisture's good, and it smells English, obviously!

I find the Latakia the leading tobacco, by a nose, but it doesn't seem quite as strong, or heady, as some of the others from Captain Earle. The Oriental's are easily the second in command, and then, for my palate, comes the Perique and Virginia, of an equal weight to one another. But, because of the smaller inclusion they need more work to pick out. The burn from this is a good one, giving a cool smoke, needing little attention.

Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: pleasant to tolerable.

This is a good enough blend, but lacks the pizazz I found from the others from Captain Earle. So, three stars it is, not four:

Recommended.

Smoked from a freshly opened tin, this blend seemed a bit overpowering at first. Not that I did not enjoy it, quite the contrary. It was not harsh or bitter, just STRONG and with a WAKE-UP dose of nicotine. After aging for two months, and having dried a bit, I tried it again this morning. What an improvement! Smoked in an old "Pete" lovat, it was excellent. I personally enjoy crumble cake tobaccos, and the smell that accompanies the process of breaking off a hunk, and rubbing it between thumb and forefinger over the waiting bowl. It took three matches to get it going, then burned without issue, and modest tamping, to the bottom of the bowl. Aged, the nicotine kick was more subdued, but definitely present. The sweet aroma of caramel, oak and leather shows careful blending of the virginias and latakia. Perfect for a crisp fall morning! Recommended.

Getting back into Captain Earles I have enjoyed smoking this blend this week. Truth be told I'm getting myself ready for Ten Russians which will be my last review of the series. I've been surprised so far by the richness and variety of the Captain Earles blends and there are several that I could easily see myself buying again.

I have yet to mention the tin art in this series, but I think it leaves a little to be desired. However, what it lacks on the outside it makes up for on the inside. Private Stock is a cake like all the others and it rubs out to a nice ribbon. The smell in the tin consists of leathery, smoky Latakia, sweet dark fruit, tangy Orientals, and lightly toasted Cavendish. This is easy to pack and light. It holds a flame well and burns nice and slow.

Right off the bat the Latakia is smokey, leathery, and a touch salty. The Orientals follow close behind offering tang, flowers, and herbs. There is an intriguing interplay between the two. The perique offers some dark fruit but not a whole lot of spice. The Virginias are hiding in the background, giving body and citrus every now and again. There is a toasted note coming from some Cavendish and it just takes the edge off what could be some rough edges.

The taste is a medium-full. The smoke fills my mouth, and the complexity of flavor and the overall mouth-feel make it more full than an average medium. The strength is a medium. This is an average affair with Lady N, nothing too fancy. The room note may be a bit strong, but I smoke on the porch anyways. All in all a very repeatable smoke, and one that is complex enough to sit back and think with. I give this one 3 stars

I was on a Captain Earle’s kick awhile back at my local brick and mortar tobacco shop and purchased this one some time ago. I had already tried 10 Russians, Night Watch and Honor Blend. First, I am going to gripe about something petty but presentation sometimes is the key, especially with pipe tobacco, of course taste is paramount also. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a nice square cake of tobacco with one of the corners cut off. I thought, let me guess, it was a little over the 2 oz. that the plug sold for. I thought, are they really that cheap, couldn’t let probably an 1/8 of an oz slide? Mutilating my once perfect square. In all seriousness I did find it somewhat irritating. I know petty. This tin was dated 121718. Tin note was rich and had a nice strong smell of Latakia. This one is hard for me to describe other than a good Latakia blend. Unfortunately, when I see something called ‘Private Stock’, I mentally expect more to be offered and this one really did not do much for me. Probably my least favorite of the Captain Earle’s I have tried. But who knows, down the road, my taste buds may be different and I may like it a little more. Maybe I prefer a little sweeter Latakia blend, not sure but sounds as good as anything else. Chopped off plug, (I know, I can’t let it go) two stars, taste around three.

Another great find via Tinsociety.com box subscription.

I knew that C&D produced these blends but I'd never had the chance to try one.

Presentation: Crumble cake which is easy to break apart. Mix of dark tobaccos with a great "tin" note.

Smoking: Crumble and go. I left a small "clump" together in the bottom of the bowl and sprinkled "crumbs" on top for lighting. Char light, then one more light got me through the bowl. Moisture content seemed perfect.

Taste: Solid English. I really could taste the oriental spices without being overpowered by Latakia. Not sure if the cake format helps with this melding or not. The taste was consistent through the bowl .

This is one I'd definitely purchase more of in the future especially with easy availability

This is a classic red VA and Latakia blend that really makes a great all day every day smoke. At light the red Virginia tobacco gives it a bit of sweetness and a nice full body, as the bowl progresses the Latakia becomes more pronounced, giving it a smoky leathery taste. It smokes quite cool and has many layers to indulge your taste buds.

One of my favorite early evening blends from the fine folks at Hermit Tobacco Works. The red Va`s are in command initially, and must be pampered untill cruising altitude is reached. About 1/2 way thru the flight the Latakia decides to take control and IMO makes this blend shine! Before landing is when this tobak is most flavorful! Many thanks to J./ Louise and their fine tobaccos for pleasant journeys!

This is a solid blend, with a decent amount of nicotine thanks to the addition of perique to spice things up. I found this a little heavy on the latakia for my palate, but still not overwhelming. Of course, more latakia always seems to translate to a smoother cooler smoke and this one definitely fits that bill. It is smoky, somewhat creamy and definitely walks the fine line to a semblance of a tire fire. I would not buy this one again, but feel obliged to leave three stars on this as my only complaint was my subjective thoughts on the flavor it delivered.