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

You've got to love latakia for this to work for you. Strong from the first to the last. Think burning charcoal with a room note to match. If you can handle the in-your-face strength and the wife wondering "what's burning", then go for it, your reward is pure latakia. I occasionally need a wake up call and this is the one to do it. Can't do this all day, but when I need a bomb I turn to this tasty tin.

Wow! Now that's a tobacco, my head is still swimming from the bowl I had yesterday! This tobacco is somewhat deceptive, for the taste isn't overpowering hence the nicotine kick creeps up on you unawares. Not quick to learn a lesson, I spent several consecutive evenings with my head swimming, my nerves jittery, my stomach woosey, before I figured out to smoke this blend slowly and moderately. I cannot give this blend four stars as it does lack complexity and it is just too strong to smoke in my normative nonchalant manner. However, this blend deserves a solid three star rating.

Soli Deo gloria!

Hey... who put this barbequed brownie in my can of bean dip ?

It failed the wife test...I don't really care.

It's not a terribly complex smoke but doggone it's good, with the latakia blast and all. Every once in a while, I think I taste and smell a bit of sweetness behind the latakia, almost a very mild chocolaty taste. The brownie flakes apart well, it packs well and once I get it going I have no problem keeping it lit, unless I neglect it. No tongue bite here either.

At this point I'd say it's possibly the best tobacco I've ever smoked. I bought a can based on the reviews here and I ain't disappointed. *The Russians go great with a cold bottle of Guinness Extra Stout.

The tin aroma of Ten Russians is definitely heavy on Latakia as every one of the previous reviews have pointed out. But I was surprised by the balance of the aroma coming off this little cake. The smokiness and creosote of the Latakia are softened by the VA and held up by the cool Oriental leaf. Leather, smoke (charred wood), bacon, dusty basements, sweetness from the VA - subdued and fruity, faintest spices and an odd scent like dry Portland cement. Complex and warm, the aroma is more than intriguing.

Crumble Cake crumbles nicely. My tin was a little dry. Packs easy. Once it is lit it tends to stay lit pretty well.

In the bowl “Ten Russians” is much less complex. The Latakia in my opinion is over done, but it still keeps a smooth-ish balance. The Orientals have a sizable presence as well, the Oriental leaf seems to be trying the hardest to balance the Latakia landslide. Somehow it balances, but the flavors themselves are muddled. It gets more one-note as the bowl progresses. Still, it is a pleasant note. The second half of the bowl settles into very smoky, dusty notes from the Latakia. Sweet & tart notes and sea salt are all the Orientals tobaccos are contributing now, or at least that's all that I can get through the Latakia.

A surprising tobacco, enjoyed it quite a bit. Bites if neglected. High Priced in my opinion, for this particular blend. But well made and absolutely worth a try.

I personally think C&D should leave out a little of the Latakia. Maybe throw in a couple more Russians - make it an even dozen. (Ha, Ha! Hails of derisive laughter, Bruce!)

Holy Smokes, Batman! This is one strong sucker. If you really like Latakia, (like, you wouldn't mind having it administered in an I.V.), this is for you. I'm still fairly new to Lat blends but I can tell there is some very good quality Latakia, Virginia and Orientals in here. However, I think I need to work my way up to this, learn to really "sip" tobaccos and eat a hearty meal before lighting a bowl of this up (I suggest you do the same).

I wish the presence of Cavendish in the blend was, well, absent (I can take them in small doses) as I think the other three blends make for a complex enough mix; but you Lat lovers out there probably won't even notice it. I will probably come back to this, because it's an interesting smoke, but Ten Russians is like one of the heavyweights of the tobacco world and you have to treat it with respect and train for it. Otherwise, it will feel like Ten Russians did a number on you.

When I pulled out this fine black brownie of a tobacco brick from the tin, I was surprised at how easily it separated and loaded into my pipe (large bowl). After wiping all the charcoal-esque residue (which wonderfully smelled akin to peat or diesel fuel) all over my pants, I lit up and sat back. To my surprise, this tobacco did not kick my arse in the latakia department, but rather kept me guessing with other dimensions that rounded out the blend. Here and there I would get good latakia strength, but when my mind would start to wander, the Russians would reassure my palate that they were not done showing off. While it is true my personal tastes wanted Ten Russians to be more of a "lat bomb" given the name and such, but it is much more than that, it is what the masters at Captain Earle's wanted: "to deliver a perfectly balanced blend to the true aficionado of full English tobaccos." If you like such englishes as Odyssey and so forth, definitely puff on this in a generous bowl.

The Ten Russian's krumble kake (pressed 1 oz. block) interested me immediately, as does anything that causes one to participate a bit more than usual in the process of packing. The pre-light aroma does promise a heavy Latakia smoke. Upon waking this morning, I forewent breakfast in favor of my first bowl. I "krumbled" off the desired amount and set it aside to dry for ten minutes. Sitting in warm shade, I noted the thick, salty smoke possible, though a relight, here and again, was necessary. The Cavendish, Oriental, and Virginia did not interfere with the punch of the Latakia, neither did their effects go unnoticed. Were it not for the subtle combination, perhaps they would interfere, or perhaps the Latakia would be vulgar (as it was in the old days of my own blending). In this blend, I'm satisfied that complexity is sacrificed for unadulterated strength of the Latakia. Unquestionably, this is the Latakia lovers' blend.

See my profile to get to my blog's more verbose review of Ten Russians.

If you are a confirmed latakiaphile, welcome; others need not apply.

This is for the hardcore latakia lover who believes too much of a good thing is never enough. It's the latakia equivalent of a Triple-Decadent Chocolate cake. This is as strongly balanced a latakia blend as you're likely find that doesn't go over the cliff into pure latakia. The orientals are distinctive and complement the latakia very nicely, and the virginias add just a hint of sweetness to take the edge off the tsunami of latakia that crashes over you.

I don't know that I'd call this an english or a balkan blend. If this is an English blend, then it's pre-Norman because there's something elemental and primeval about this blend. (Maybe taking the name as a suggestion, perhaps this should be called a Russian blend...? Somehow seems fitting.) Ten Russians is really in a class all its own -- it's like nothing else I've tried. It's not what one would call a subtle blend -- though very high quality, there's nothing remotely elegant or subdued about this in-your-face blend -- but it's got a complexity all its own. If you read through the previous reviews you'll see descriptors like leather, salt, clove, smoky sweetness, sourness, oily finish, and they're all correct. I would add words like earth and dirt.

The crumble cakes are the best I've seen. They break apart beautifully.

Ten Russians is uniquely satisfying when you're hungry for a full-bore latakia blast. Be forewarned, though -- this is one of those tastebud blockers that can have an effect on your appreciation for the more subtle, pure and "cleaner" flavors of virginia or VaPer flakes. You might need to cleanse your palate after this orgy of latakia.

I plan on always having a tin of this stuff around.

Produced by Cornell & Diehl for Hermit Tobacco, I find two rectangular Crumble Cakes in my 2oz tin. The cakes are dark and fibrous but they are lighter in color than Nightwatch. The tin aroma is Oriental with Latakia. I cross-cut the cake with my pocket knife and rub out enough to fill my Peterson. This blend is easy to light and produces voluminous clouds of smoke. A very nice Oriental flavor with quite a bit of Latakia mixed in. I find this is a very easy smoke to enjoy. 9 out of 10 stars