Missouri Meerschaum American Patriot

Like a lot of neophytes, in the early and enthusiastic days of my pipe-smoking journey, as one delves deeper and deeper into the pleasures of Latakia, Orientals, and Virginias, one tends to put up their nose at aromatics.

But, like a delicious and fresh Beaujolais or citrusy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (all tropical fruit a little of that most furtive of concepts; “terroir”) they, too, have their place in the pantheon and rotations of pipe-lovers everywhere (hello! Great Dane and Lane 1Q – here’s looking at you). Sutliff’s Maple Street comes to mind, yes it tastes like pancakes… yes, that is precisely the point, the same way that pancakes give us an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast.

I have found, the more I relish and delve deeper into the world of great Baccy the more I come back, every so often, to a handful of old and new aromatics which I am beginning to truly truly enjoy.

Like pancakes being a “breakfast item,” I would barely consider this an “Aromatic” in the truest sense of the word: the ‘bourbon’ topping is barely noticeable as ‘bourbon’ alone (betraying Russ’ deft hand) instead it acts a subtle sweet and enticing background note which melds together beautifully with the supple Burleys and Cavendish letting the judicious use of Latakia peek through just enough to keep you engaged and puffing whilst allowing the Orientals (also used in ‘judicious’ amounts) to envelop the whole darn thing in a cool and relaxing smoke.

Is this akin to London Mixture? No, but it’s not supposed to be- especially at the price, this is a remarkable wine and one which shows the magnitude of Russ’s talent as a blender.

THE LOWDOWN

Recommended for… anyone, this is perfect for the newbie who is interested in beginning that jump from aromatics to, in this case, English styles. There are a handful of baccy’s in this ‘aromatic-English’ category but in fact, for the value, blend, and pure joy of American Patriot, this one’s staying along for the long-haul.