Hermit Tobacco Works Co. Captain Earle's - Ten Russians

Hermit Tobacco Works - Captain Earle's Ten Russians

Cut you off a sliver of railroad tie soaked in creosote and motor oil!  Okay, not quite.

Powerful and industrial.  You're in lat bomb country now. But, I'd like to say it's not complete lat bomb, the orientals are an important player also, adding some leathery musty spice to the campfire equation. It seems like the oriental component becomes more notable as time advances on an open tin. I almost want to give this one four stars, indeed within the heavy latakia field this is a definite four star contender.  This would make a mighty fine cool weather, outdoorsy smoke. 

Dry and smokeable straight from the tin.  I recommend a slightly looser pack here also.  There's surely some vitamin n here, although personally I didnt find this one to be the utter nicotine powerhouse some of my fellow reviewers did.

So a friend of mine turned me onto this blend. His comment about this blend...."started smoking this and the next thing you know I am on the ground in nothing but my tidey whiteys and these ten big ass Russian guys are standing over me laughing."

Well how can you pass up a review like that! Opening note was outstanding....smelled like a campfire. The light up was easy and the first puff or two.....Wow this bad boy is potent. My friend suggested I smoke a small bowl. Good advice for me. This has a fantastic taste so sweet and smoky and perfect for a true lat lover. No it is not Syrian Latakia but Cyprian Latakia. Still it is damn good. You just have to respect the power of the nicotine level. Had to relight a few times but nothing really a problem as it gave me time to come down from the nicotine high. Room note is tolerable at best for the fairer sex. This is a big boy blend but outstanding to all us latakia lovers. A true five star smoke just mind those big burley Russians guys.

In a word, Excellent! A lat bomb, it has plenty but the Lady Latakia is tamed by the sweet Cavendish and well cured hay like Virginia. While it is noticeable I feel the Turkish is the least noticeable of all. While some have said it is not an all day smoke, I say, not so fast my friend! Smooth enough to go the distance, and enough nicotine to keep you on your toes. The crumble cake breaks up well and packs and takes fire well. Consistent taste throughout the bowl with little to no moisture. An all around satisfying smoke for this ole sod buster! If you like Latakia you will like The Russians.

Leaf: This tobacco was my first Krumble Kake, it's no wonder it got caught up at customs, it must have looked like a brick of Hashish on the X-Ray. It is a little rectangle of very compressed tobacco, maybe 2x2x1 inches, dark brown and black, a little oily and a bit wet. It breaks up very nicely into a fine mix of what I guess you would call chopped leaf. It dries quickly once broken up.

Tin Aroma: Latakia. Glorious, thick, smokey Latakia. There is also an underlying sweetness here, and a spiciness from the orientals, but it all takes a back seat to the Lat, which is fine by me.A very rich aroma you can smell a mile off, Earthy, Smokey, and at the risk of sounding silly, I thought I got a hint of smoked bacon from time to time...

Taste: Things get even better here. My first mouthful was dominated by the Latakia, it is really packed in there, big, heavy, smokey, dry, earthy, a wonderful dose of what has to be my favourite component in many blends. But it doesn't end there, you could be forgiven for assuming this will be a one dimensional smoke, but I found it far from it, the orientals and Virginia don't disappear into the background, their sweetness and spiciness weave in and out of the heavy latakia all the way, it feels very well balanced, it is incredibly smooth, with thick velvety smoke. I found it to be a satisfyingly complex blend of elements that never seemed to leave any single component in the dark. By the end of the bowl I found the Latakia to be slightly less dominant, maybe due to becoming use to it, and the orientals and Virginia become a little more pronounced. At the end of the bowl I was left with a sweet, smokey after-taste in my mouth and on my lips. This is top quality leaf, a top quality blend, and a top quality experience.

Smokeability: I had no troubles with this, I never dried it, just crumbled it, packed it a bit lighter than I usually would with ribbon cut, lit it up with two matches, and smoked away. It stayed cool and dry throughout, it never even looked like biting even when I was taking big deep puffs to make the most of the thick smoke, and the big Nic hit. I found it very manageable and it burnt down to a fairly fine white ash. No fuss to clean up.

Summary: This is a GREAT smoke, I really, really, REALLY enjoy it, it has great depth of flavour, it is BIG, it is rich,it is smokey and sweet, and it has a big Nic-kick to boot, make sure you respect it or it will sit you down and teach you a lesson. It is like walking into one of those restaurants from Man Vs Food, and ordering their challenge, the "Super Dense English Supreme with Extra Latakia and legendary Secret Nicotine Sauce", except sitting through this isn't a challenge, it's a privilege.

A massive blast of Latakia which is great and that's all it does all the way down the bowl, with minimal complexity.

The first third of Stimulus Package when packed does the same thing, a blast of Latakia then the Orientals begin to shine with far greater complexity and nuances throughout combing/supporting the Latakia which is still very much apparent all the way down.

While I adore Latakia which Ten Russians has in spades, the preferred blend of economists everywhere is Stimulus Package; myself included.

I don't think I've used the word 'comforting' before in a tobacco review but it fits here. This is a nicely balanced blend, definitely 'Latakia forward', that comes in a nice big brownie-sized cake that cuts and crumbles easily. Medium but definitely present nicotine strength, with a sweet and gentle flavor that has a familiar, warm, and 'comforting' feel to it - silky mouthfeel, light on the orientals (no bite or afterburn). I did not at all get the oily or creosote sensation that some have reported. This reminds a little bit of Penzance in flavor profile - dusty but round and smooth - although not quite as refined / subdued, and the cake is not as dense. This is a quality smoke, perfect for a mellow, contemplative evening on the patio accompanied by a snifter of brandy.

Update 2018-08-23: A little age (4 years) has been good to the Ten Russians in my cellar. Edges smoothed out a little. Leather, salt, and more cream than before. A tiny floral note peeks in just once in a while. Delightful.

Smoked this back in 2011 whilst staying in Florida and thought I'd reviewed it back then, but apparently I forgot!

I lapped up the opportunity to try blends unavailable in the UK whilst staying in the sunshine state. One of these was Hermits 'Ten Russians'

I tried this blend in principal based on suggestions that this was a lat bomb, and I wanted to see just exactly what one of those was. Upon opening the little can via its neat little ring pull, I discovered a dark brown/black soft'ish block of tobacco.

The aroma of the contents upon opening, utterly stank of used oil and creosote. Urrgh... Was this 'real ' Latakia I wondered?!

Any way I took out the little lump and found it slightly greasy in texture which reaffirmed the initial oily/creosote sensory experience.

I cut off a thick flake and rubbed out what to me looked like shredded dirty Autumn leaves. My fingers betraying a dusty darkness afterwards as if Id been handling a barbecue brickette.

I smoked it in a cheap cob which was fine for the job. There was no bite at all and the tobacco burned well, with a very thick, dusty, smoky aroma. The nicotine was medium to low for me and the smoke ultimately one dimensional.

I guess this is a real Latakia lovers blend, or one for those that miss the smell of a freshly creosoted wooden fence, surrounding a mechanics garage, the staff of which are having an oily bonfire.

So, a bit one dimensional in that what you smell is what you get from start to finish, but a nice change from lighter English blends/Virginia's or for when you want to blow the cobwebs away from an earlier aromatic adventure.

Similar to Nightcap and Artisans Blend, but for me with a smidgen less nicotine ...

I just finished the second +2 year old tin. I must say that this blend improves with age.

C&D typical good plug format- crumbles easy enough.

When the tin was new I had a few bowls and the smoke was good but a little
unremarkable. So I came back to it again at 6 months, with similar result.

At about a year ( stored in mason jar) this smoke became wonderful and extremely complex. I would say its not a Lat bomb but very Lat forward.
Virginias adding strength and depth.

Super smoky and almost dusty on the pallet . Bite factor is very low.
Smokes well fully dried out as well and it does not loose flavor (to me) when fully dried out.

Have just smoked the sister tin to the first one and having the same age gave the same result. I would consider to recommend this blend to anyone liking strong English blends (like Nightcap) but please consider to age for a while before smoking as the tobaccos seem a little "young" with new tins.

This is usually considered a lat bomb, but I'd say other cake/flakes like pirate kake and penzance are more lat heavy. The tin note is definitely aged cheese. Another reviewer described the taste as "cheesy bacon flavor" in reference to orientals, which is spot on, but I'd also posit the presence of perique (though unlisted) as a player in the blend. This would account for some of the heft of the smoke too. Ten Russians does need to be treated with respect with slow puffing and not too much retrohaling, etc. It is a rewarding smoke especially when you want something rich and savory.