Missouri Meerschaum American Patriot

I was sent the full line of the Missouri Meer blends to sample and review and I must say that American Patriot topped the lot. I loved the flavor of the Latakia and Smyrna in the background. The bit of liquor topping was not off-putting and managed to enhance the smoke without overpowering it. And, if you like a little punch with your smoke, American Patriot delivered again with the smattering of Kentucky.

Pipestud

A simple, yet lovely blend! I got granted a pouch of this as I'm on a "Drunken Tobacco"-Trip (alcohol flavored blends) and being the Corn Cob lover I am I couldn't help myself but to try this blend.

The unburnt aroma is sweet, slightly malty and spicy with a smoky undertone. It doesn't smell of Whiskey too much, but if you know it's in there you can associate the malty note with it.

I know it's close to being heresy, but my first bowl was in a clay pipe. Now I've smoked it in clays, briars and - of course - Corn Cobs and have to admit: This one shines in Cobs! The sweet, corn-y aroma the Cob gives underscores the tobacco excellently.

In the pipe the Latakia is rather mild, but everpresent! "Semi-Aromatic" blend with good balance between malty-sweet, slightly alcohol-ish topping and spicy-smoky and earthy tobacco. Not really complex, but interesting enough to keep one entertained and satisfied. Great smoke for when you're doing something. Pack a bowl, clench the Cob and you'll have a good half hour of pleasure. Definetly a repeatable smoke and some may even handle this as an All-Day-Smoke.

For being what it is - an 'every-mans-smoke' for a cheap price but with excellent value - 3,5 stars

Tobacco is ribbon cut, fairly long strands. For Missouri Meershaum to release this I was mildly and the fact that it's sold in a pouch, I may have expected a shorter cut for a "scoop and smoke" but no matter. I packed this into a MM diplomat and got to work.

Pouch note is sweet cavendish, latakia, and a fairly strong whiskey scent.

Char and initial light - this blend is quite familiar to me (more on that later). I pick up the cavendish fairly quickly, it's sweet and rich akin to tawny port. There is a little cloy there but it's countered by latakia, which comes in as a player just to even it out. There is no evidence of the whiskey topping at all.

Down the bowl, it's more of the same. An initial burst of that port rich sweetness, followed by the latakia playing a part slightly stronger than a condiment. As much as this blend synopsis states it is a latakia-based blend, after sampling some real lat bombs I would put this more as "contains some latakia". This isn't a big deal for me, I like latakia and it is a major player here, but it's not dominant.

Yes, the familiarity. The pouch note, the flavor, even the fact that the sweetness of the smoke almost cancelled out the latakia room note. This blend is incredibly similar to Boswell's Northwoods. I would say it's mechanical properties are slightly better than Northwoods (it was a very even, cool smoke), but the way the flavor transitioned from sweet to smoky, and those flavors were very, very similar.

Very good blend if you like Northwoods, or any English tobacco with the addition of Cavendish.

I am still curious why a bourbon topping was used though, if you don't really taste it in the end product... who cares? At the end of it all, it's a pretty tasty tobacco.

Plenty of Lat on the nose, this is a stronger than typical English. Has less Va than I'm used to, the difference being Burley, giving this baccy a reasonable punch.

Has a fair bit of acidity indicating that the Oriental component here is significant, but I'm afraid the nuances were lost to me under the Lat and Burley.

This is a very good tobacco at the price point and I will probably end up smoking a lot of it in the future as a result. Objectively a 2 star tobacco but at this price I'm bumping it to 3.

As a lover of the good old, unpretentious but a classic cob, how could I not try this MM Patriot, described as latakia forward, followed in order by a virgians, then oriental, and pullig up the rear some burley. Let it be sais my real enjoyment of what I'd like to call a good and classic tobacco, at least singularly is the beautifully burning, nutty and roast burley.

Like so many other smokers I moved up the ladder from the classic aro, 1-Q, to the greatley improved BCA, to RlP-6, thence to HGL and more recently to Sutliffs 504 Aromatic English and finally Sutliffs stunning R-Blend, said to compare quite favorably with the original Einstein's Revelation. Each a bit closer to what some might call a light English or an American English. The last two in particular provide a wonderful balanced complexity and balance in which the compoents were still discernable, but with no one stealing the show. It is said to have a bit of bourgon topping, but if it's there, it's barely there, but does work to provide

To me the MM Patriot goes one step beyond. Compared to the above, the latakins - formerly a condiment - now comes forward - while the lovely burley lead now follows. While latakia lovers will cheer, burley boys will lament it's repositioning. Now the the latakia lead - and in the manner of an Islay whiskey - now is the lead performer, with all the rest in only mildly supporting roles. Since balance and integration, with no one component dominating is my forte, I'm afraid this MM - though appreciated by the latakia flock, finds far less favor with me. Yes I get it, but no it doesn't work for me or for those of similar like mind. I'm giving it a three reflecting Russ' skill, but would deduct a 1/2 or point for balance. BTW, the description indicates a light bourbon topping which is barely perceptible, but does exist. With more time I may learn to appreciate this latakia forward blend, but I rather doubt. Latakia lovers should ignore me completely though, lol...

For those like me, the R-Blend will ring your bells with more clarity and sustain...

Steel Cowboy summed this blend up perfectly. About all I can add is my pleasure while smoking it. It makes me smile, because American Patriot takes me back to the 60's and the American/English blends that were available at tobacconists throughout America. This is smooth on the tongue and a cool smoking delight. The fact that it is available at a drugstore price is a bonus. If you miss the taste of tobacco shops of a long gone era, or wish to visit for the first time, give American Patriot a try.

Thicker ribbon-cut out of the pouch pleasant. As advertised with latakia that delivers a quality blend. Responsive draw that burns well. An all-day sort of smoke that if you have it, you will smoke it. I’ll buy this again when I feel the need for a good latakia forward smoke. 3 Star.

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'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.