Missouri Meerschaum American Patriot

This blend is reminiscent of my beloved Early Morning Pipe, albeit with the addition of a little cavendish for added sweetness. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall balance and smoothness of this MM offering. I understand Russ Oulette was involved in creating the blend, although I have only smoked the more recent STG version of this blend. The latakia lurks in the background, offering a hint of smokiness that compliments more than drives the flavor profile. The grassy, haylike Virginias form the base with some added Burley that rounds out the flavor in the middle registers. The oriental leaf, Smyrna I believe, lends a moderate sour/tangy component that plays really well. Personally, I do not detect the bourbon topping said to be on this blend. This could easily be an all day blend for those who prefer lighter English blends. Burns relatively cool with little tendency to bite. MM could become a serious player in the tobacco segment with more blends on the level of American Patriot. Easily 3 to 3.5 stars on this one.

I tried this tobacco because of the favorable reviews. My first impression is that it is fairly ordinary - not a top notch English. It seems a little harsh and burns without relights. The Bourbon topping is not strong in the pouch and can't be tasted while being smoked. The nic hit is between mild and medium. Moisture is just right.

Now I have smoked most of the pouch. The flavor, enhanced by the toppings, is decent. It begins as a smooth and tasteful smoke. I'm smoking it fairly dry. About halfway through the bowl it begins to taste a little harsh and loses its pleasantness. It is unlikely that I will purchase it again. 2-1/2 stars.

I'm a newbie to English blends so most of what to expect from the Latakia and Orientals is based off other's reviews.

Pouch note is a great and at first surprising as I was hit in the face with a mixture of a spicy incense-like aroma from the Orientals, but also noted a lingering of wood smoke coming from the Latakia. Packs and lights well with an initial hit from the orientals which are upfront for the majority of the bowl. There are moments when the smokiness is brought forward but pretty faint and infrequent. Burns well and slow without bite. Don't taste the topping of Bourbon and little to no citrus from the Virginias.

I'll be honest as I was initially put off by the incense quality of the smoke, but now having a few bowls, I find something about the medicinal bitter note that produces a salivating response. The only other thing I could compare the sensation to would be from a really hoppy IPA creating a hunger-like response... an aperitif affect maybe.

A solid, Latakia-forward English blend, with assertive flavor and medium strength. Robust, woody, smoky Latakia in every puff, with a background of bright and grassy Virginia and an exotic overlay from the Turkish rounds out a great flavor progression. Excellent with dark-roast coffee, practically any Scotch or Irish whisky, and even light bourbons. Recommended.

I received a pouch of this with my Missouri Meershaum IPSD2021 package. It didn't have the cellophane wrapper so I decided to give it some smokes before jarring the rest.

This one reminded me of Frog Morton Cellar with the bourbon topping. It's not overpowering like the topping in Sufliff Bourbon. The latakia provides a smoky background for the bourbon to play on top of. It pairs well.. with bourbon 🙂

Smoking now:

This is a solid “recommended” 3 star blend. For a $7 pouch this is 4 star blend!

A decent cross over American English . Very balanced, almost boring, but pretty satisfying. It just seems to do everything right. The bourbon topping is light but noticeable and welcome. The topping and the cavendish sweetens the blend and mellows out the tobacco. The herbal musty smokey latakia is noticeable but not at all overpowering. Think EMP. The other tobaccos are all equally there in a supporting role. An all day smoke, simple, pretty mild, slight non offensive after taste, very satisfying.

A good “English” blend to start on if you’re an aromatic smoker. Missing the frog in the basement? This isn’t the same thing but it’s along those lines.

*update: October 2020*

Ordered this for a friend as his first pipe tobacco. Man it’s a tasty blend. Simple, smokey herbal Latakia, sweet. Very satisfying. We were both happy.

This tobacco doesn’t do anything wrong however it doesn’t do much right either. I found this blend to be extremely lacking in the flavor department. That being said I really enjoyed smoking this while preoccupied with other things. Loading a second bowl right have the first came guilt free due to the price. This is what I’d like to call a Traveling Tobacco. If I’m headed on a long road trip or going camping this blend is what I’d bring with me. But like I always say. With so many different tobaccos on the market I find it hard to justify picking it up again at least for a long time. If one has only smoked aromatics and would like to try something new I recommend picking it up. The flavor won’t overpower you but there’s enough going on to at least give you an idea on whether you’ll enjoy English Blends.

Although I am primarily an aromatic smoker, I also love MM cobs and just had to try their offerings. The smell out of the pouch is typical English, but you can pick up the sweetness of the bourbon topping in the aroma. The moisture level was perfect and the cut seems fitting for a patriot corn cob. The bowl is deeper and more narrow so the smaller ribbon take full advantage of the shape. On first light, the Latakia rushes in with the usual smokey taste. But soon the Virginia tobaccos begin to balance the flavor. As the bowl progresses, there seems to be a little spice in the back of the throat. With all the flavors mixing quite well, the typical sour note of a lot of English tobacco does not appear. And, they are right, the bourbon is only just detectable in the aroma. I have been smoking a lot of Turkish blends lately and I can really notice the part that it plays here. It never becomes Turkish-forward, but if you know that tobacco, you will sense the balancing effect that Turkish/Orientals can produce. The smoke was normal and the nicotine level seemed mild to medium. The ash was fine and gray like a quality tobacco should impart. Overall, I would recommend this to aromatic smokers looking to dive head first into the world of English/Balkan blends. If you want to go in feet first, try something like Captain Black's Black Sea. And, there is not enough Burley to call this an American English. There is not enough of the Turkish to call this a true Balkan. All of these different nationalities meet in a tobacco that is truly American; they become an amalgamation like our nation!

I did not enjoy this at all, and I hesitate to say so because I think I might’ve got a bad pouch. I was ordering a bunch of pipes from MM, so I figured I’d have them throw a pouch of this in while they were at it. I’m an absurdly loyal devotee of their pipes, so it stood to reason that I should try the tobacco that was designed to go in them. Now I’m thinking that the pipe factory might not be the best place to purchase one’s tobacco: this was not a good experience. It was much drier than described in other reviews and just didn’t seem fresh in general. Burned really hot and bit hard. Judging from other reviews, I should give it another try but this experience was so bad that I probably won’t.