Missouri Meerschaum American Patriot

I was surprised by this tobacco because this tastes more like a tinned blend. I think it's well blended and I can taste bourbon in this, its mild and not overpowering in anyway and I normally don't like blends with alcohol. I also get a slight smokiness from the Latakia and a sweetness from the Virginias and the topping. This didn't burn hot and I didn't get a bite. Burned nice and even and was surprisingly smooth. I enjoyed this blend very much.

I get in the mood for Latakia once in a while, but it's not something I like to smoke all the time, or not even very often. To me, Latakia is like Dewayne (The Rock) Johnson...no matter how you dress him up, or down, any place he goes, he will be noticed. Latakia has always been a bit too much "in your face" for me. But I was determined to have an open mind, to do a fair evaluation on this blend. I took a big swig of tea, a deep breath and opened the pouch. As I expected, I was immediately hit with the smokey blast of Latakia, but not really as bad as I thought it would be. I could actually smell some other components, like a little sweet Virginia, something a bit on the spicy side, and some sort of sweetish liquor... maybe Bourbon? I took a few deep sniffs to get the full effect, and I was surprised. This may not be as bad as I thought. It was certainly complex, and not really unpleasant. Like the other blends, it appeared to be rubbed flake (or I just don't know what all the different cuts are...). It packed and lit well. After the first few puffs, I got to thinking it really isn't so bad. It actually tasted like a slightly milder version of Seattle Pipe Club's Mississippi River blend. I found myself actually starting to like it. The flavor and aroma was smokey, of course, but not too bad. It reminded me of my smoker when it just starts to settle down to nice coals and smokewood. The room-note was a little smokey, but not unpleasantly so. Around the middle of the bowl, the whiskey flavor moved a bit more to the front, making for an interesting change. There was also a little more spiciness, sort of like the cedar trees after a light morning rain. This continued all the way to the bottom of the bowl. There was never any bite, and it smoked nice and cool. This is a good medium smoke, and would be great for beginners wanting to try a Latakia blend, so they could ease into it. Fans of Mississippi River will love this. It will never be my favorite, but I plan to keep some around for the occasional Latakia experience. Of all the Latakia blends I have smoked, this one is the best to my taste, by far. I actually enjoyed it......

This is a very good blend. A nice surprise. The Orientals are very tasty and smooth enough that I have no problem with the retro-hale. They lead the Latakia which is applied moderately. The Cavendish and the Virginias add an ample amount of sweetness. The bourbon topping is light and pleasant. I would have no problem paying more for this. When you consider the price this is an easy 4 stars.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burns great. A masterful blending job.

This is great! This tobacco finds the perfect blend of virginia, latakia, burley and casing. All of the components contribute without overpowering the others. When first lit, the latakia is right there, then it blends right in without disappearing. I like latakia so this was pleasing to me. I don't generally like aromatics, so I was concerned about the casing. It is unobtrusive but contributes to pleasant room note. My wife hates my Balkans, but I don't expect she will mind this. Not to say this is a balkan, far from it. What it is is a smooth all day smoke that has a round flavor that almost seems creamy. It is light, but has great flavor. I will buy more.

Typical mottled color with an old OTC bag aroma. Review is based on 2 3-bowl samples I got from 2 different internet friends on the same day (that was cool!). Thanks, friends! A bit of latakia aroma as well but mostly good old fashioned codger burley goodness.

An "American English" with the burley in the lead, and the virginia locking horns for second fiddle with the latakia. But burley ruled the show as far as noticeability. On the other hand, the addition of Turkish Smyrna was a masterstroke and gives the blend the extra oomph of sweet and sour with spice. That elevates this blend ahead of your run of the mill American English. I wouldn't have minded a hair more latakia but there are other blends to satisfy that. I guess there is a bourbon topping to this one as well, which I missed in the taste but think I caught in the room note. I could see this one being tinned - it's quite good and strikes me as a step up from most OTC's, to which it seems to fall in line with regarding comparisons. But like Angler's Dream, this is a step up, and deserves 4 stars. Again, it's cheap! If you enjoy American English blends, you must give this one a try.

Not much more to add.... great stuff ! However.... very irritating not to be able to buy in bulk or tins. Hate buying & emptying each 1.5 ounce clear plastic baggie into my jar... feel like a dope dealer with all the baggies on the table! ..... . I'd be buying a lot more if I didn't have to buy it in such small quantity units. [ Hope Russ or someone at MM is reading this ] But can't find fault in what has become my favorite all day blend.

When I had P&C throw in a bag of MM American Patriot in my last order, I didn't know that it was a Russ Oulette blend nor did I expect an English blend of this quality to come in a roll-up bag. When I stuck my nose in that bag, I sensed both quality and subtlety and a blend aroma that I hadn't experienced for some time. Yes, it was an English. Yes, it had some slight bourbon aroma, though not very much. The thing that struck me was the aroma of the background ingredients that formed the backbone of this beautiful blend. Latakia, Virginia, Burley and Smyrna for the oriental; wow, Russ, you've hit a home run on this one. Highly recommended, it ranks right up there with Magnum Opus, Black House and all your other great English blends.

8/15/19 - Postscript: I recently opened a pouch of this blend that I ordered later than the first pouches I obtained in 2014 or 2015. It had a different inner wrapper than the earlier pouches and, when opened, had a different appearance. Concerned, I gave it the sniff test and it seemed very weak compared to my memory of the earlier version. Brighter, lighter and weaker than the early version, I found it to be a tepid smoke. Comparing the packages of both versions, I discovered that the blending had switched from the Russ Oulette/Meier G. Dutch distributed version to a Scandinavian Tobacco Group/Lane Ltd. version. Now, I have nothing against STG nor Lane Ltd. However, their version is a mere shadow of what was a beautiful and four star blend and I would give it a two star rating in our system.

A very nice blend. Nice to the nose, the tongue, and the touch. It has a slight Latakia and bourbon smell, tastes smooth and a tiny bit spicy, and doesn't get too hot. You also only have to light once. This can easily be an everyday corn cob smoke for me... And that is saying something since I usually don't like English blends! Russ hits pay dirt again. Priced well, is not wet out of the pouch, and yet didn't get too dry as it sat overnight on my counter.

Absolutely surprised by this blend. Bought it for the name and the pouch looked nice. Expected some bland drugstore weed, but wow was I surprised. If it was tinned and sold as a higher end English I would have agreed with the marketing. This is a mellow, righteous burning latakia forward blend with enough smyrna to give each pull a flavor that relaxes and pleases. This is a easy going all day even burning smoke that skillfully fills the gap between a mellow country English, and an American parlor aromatic. Thank me now..... Do it.