Tobaccos Sutliff Tobacco Company - Court of St. James (Sutliff Private Stock)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3050)	2014-05-31		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The Virginias are rich and a bit grassy/earthy with a light vinegar essence that is slightly noticeable in the beginning, but mostly disappears after a few puffs. They also have some citrus and a touch of darker fruit. The perique is peppery, raisin and plum sweet in a support role. Although the tin description doesn’t mention it, there’s some smoky, woody, lightly sweet Cyprian latakia in here, and it takes a light lead over the other components.The nic-hit is mild. The cut is broken flake, and burns at a moderate pace, clean and cool with no harshness, no bite, and a very consistent flavor. Needs an average number of relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. It’s a medium strength all day smoke with some complexity. I imagine this will age very well in the cellar.

-JimInks

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2014-10-18		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE 6/11/18

Got a two bowl sample as part of a blind test. I nailed this one! My initial thoughts held up quite well... characterless, flat, dull, and the VaPer that looks up at every other VaPer I've smoked. A couple of years of age did squat for this one. There appear to be many more smokers that enjoy this than those that don't, so don't let me sway you from trying this. It's a very... uh... distinct blend, judging by how easily I named this one while smoking it blind. For my tastes, this one rates very poorly against all others in its genre, which I find typical for this blender. But that's just me, folks! Happy to report that I didn't get a bad tin for my original review... this stuff is just bad!

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Mostly walnut-browns with a fair bit of black pieces, the cut of this is sort of a cross between broken flake and ribbon. I liked the cut of this, as I've never folded and stuffed ribbons before, and it worked here. Kind of cool. Tin aroma was of latakia and some sort of topping that I couldn't place. Review is based on half a tin, as a buddy brought it over saying that Sutliff was getting into "serious" (his word) blends and not just aromatics or "matches" for someone else's recipe. Because he knows I'm a sucker for new tobaccos, he laid half his tin on me and smoked the other half. But I have to say that even with my mostly less-than-encouraging results from Sutliff blends, I was a bit anxious to see how they treated the venerable VaPer style.

I'll often scan other reviews before I write one but this time I read them all because I was disquieted by what I was tasting. Indeed, my impressions differ greatly from the other reviewers. I've posted on pipe chat sites that even after all my years of pipesmoking, I'm still discovering my own tastes. Whereas every review I've ever read is not just about the tobacco but about the symbiotic relationship between smoker and tobacco, this review will be even more about my tastes than about the blend.

I didn't get anything close to the "bursting with flavor" that is on the ad copy. What I got was a bed of almost completely characterless Virginia with the barest of smidges of perique flavor. The abiding flavor I got was latakia with a casing. Even those were light. I see where others can't taste the latakia and that's almost all I taste. I see where others are picking up the main components and I'm not. Viva la difference, I guess. I do have a high sensitivity to latakia and I can taste even a pinch in a blend. Conversely, I have a lower sensitivity to perique and often think there's less in a blend than there really is. Both worked against me here, as this blend was extremely boring to me... smoke with very little tobacco flavor. I'm not sure how the VA was when it was put into the blend but it suffered badly in the end; however, the typical Sutliff chemical taste was not as prominent here as it was in most of their other blends. The latakia was prevalent but even when I smoked a bowl while plucking out every black strand I could find, I found no character in the Virginia... no sweetness or grass or complexity, just flatness. Two things solidified their obviousness to me with this tobacco experience and that is that reviews are a minor tool to the reader (certainly the other reviewers of this blend would have unwittingly suffered if they'd shunned the blend based on my review) and that the Sutliff blending house holds almost nothing of interest to me. Their style simply doesn't fit my palate. Thankfully, I think both parties will get along just fine without each other going forward. :) Incidentally, my friend got much less latakia than I did but confirmed that for his taste it was at the low end of the VaPer scale.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darby (15)	2014-05-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Presentation: CoSJ appears to be a mixture of broken Virginia flake and a HEFTY dose of black coarse cut ribbons of barrel fermented St. James Perique. Because the broken flakes are thick cut, stiff, and long, this mixture needs to be thoroughly rubbed out and partially dried before you can smoke it.

Tin note: The tangy aroma of Ketchup/Tobasco that’s the hallmark of MacBaren’s matured Virginias (re: Sutliff owns MacBaren) is present, but not to excess. It’s accompanied by a pungent note of dark BBQ sauce, which implies (to me) the flakes were hot pressed after maturation, in the same fashion as MacBaren’s HH Old Dark Fired. The Perique’s plummy and mushroomy aroma is overpowered in the tin, but not in the bowl ... more on that in a moment.

Smoking: Skipping ahead to Mid-bowl, this is rich, full bodied and spicy smoke. Picture a three way combination of roasty HH Old Dark Fired, tangy HH Mature Virginia and peppery Perique, in almost equal measure, and you’ll have a good idea what to expect here. Courtesy of the hot pressed matured flakes used as the base, and the hefty dose of Perique used to balance them, this falls deeply into the strong end of the VaPr spectrum, and almost goes into the upper decks. Despite its strength, this blend works quite well ... the savory caramelized flakes pair nicely with the intensely peppery perique, the plummy notes of the latter round out the saucy tang of the former, and the thickness and age of the flakes (and admirably restrained use of sugar) help keep the smoking temperature in check. Despite the pungency, you can actually puff this at a fairly good clip without it overheating or biting back ... and unlike 1792, you can actually do back-to-back bowls of this potent mix without suffering ill effects.

Summary: This is a big, pungent, and very spicy VaPr that should please aficionados of hot-pressed flakes, perique-heavy blends, and BBQ fare alike. This blend works well, and gets a solid three stars. Add a full star if you're a fan of the MacBaren 'tobasco' note, HH Old Dark Fired and Perique in general.

Speculation: I'm guessing this is a discounted limited release (read: Sutliff blending a bunch of well-aged but overstocked MacBaren flake with some overstocked perique in order to clear warehouse space). I suggest buying it now, while supplies last and discounts abound. Definitely worth laying down a few tins.

---------- Pairings: I’d say pepperoni pizza with hot sauce, or hot wings with a chipotle based BBQ dip, or a dry-rubbed steak (served with A1 or HP), would all be winners here. For liquor, I’d go dark and full - for whiskey I’d do Baker’s 107 or Macallan 12, and for rum I’d do Gosling Blackseal. For beer & wine I’d counterpoint with a crisp dry pilsner or a dry sparkler, to keep flavor fatigue at bay.

Pipe Used: Grabow Freehand (Group 4)

Age When Smoked: Unknown (tin not vintage dated)

Purchased From: Pipe Club Promotional Tin

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perdurabo (26)	2015-04-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Court of Saint James is a broken honey topped Virginia flake spiced with perique and a smidgen of Latakia.

Initially I was very impressed with this tobacco, but I started to notice issues with it.

The perique wasn't amped up enough in my opinion and the Latakia was a mess. The honey sweetness from the Virginias throws off what there is of perique and Latakia. This blend is tossed together with broken flakes and sprigs of Latakia and perique. It may also fall victim of being too young. A little age may redeem it.

If you want to try a Virginia base spiced with Perique and Latakia, pick up a tin of Cornell and Diehl's BUFFALO SOLDIER and G.L. Pease PICCADILLY. Don't waste your time with The Court of Saint James.

Age When Smoked: Shrug

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

Similar Blends: McBaren Plumcake without a topping.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2014-07-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I bought three of the new Sutliff Private Stocks in a recent sale. COSJ was one of them because I love VaPers and thought what the heck. It is true that the tin does not list latakia as an ingredient, yet it is the first thing I smelled when opening the tin but there is almost no taste of it while smoking. I get good tasting full virginia and a nice bit of perique with no bite. The cut is long strip broken flake which I easily twist and stuff into the pipe and it takes to the match quite well with minimal relight. This blend puzzles me a bit but I surely do like it cause I'm about to finish the tin. Wish I could lay a bunch aside and see how it develops over time.

Pipe Used: Tinsky Panel Pot

Age When Smoked: New

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fazby (66)	2014-09-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This! This is delicious! A gift from the Chicago show and a wonderful surprise.

I was told it was a Virginia with some perique, but when I was smoking it something was different. Finally, I realized that there was a touch of latakia in there. Not a LATAKIA blend (get some penzance for that). Just a latakia-touched blend. The latakia isn't really tasted as such. rather it complements the other components. It just blends in.

Wonderful!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2020-03-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is an odd sort of blend. I did enjoy it, but I can't say I would purchase anymore. I think of this as one of those blends that a year from now I will have to look at this review to remember what I thought of it.

My biggest problem with it is the inconsistency each bowl presents; which in a way, also made it somewhat enjoyable. The reason I believe this happens is more the cut than anything. It is a mix of broken flake and ribbon cut that is all over the place with nearly all pieces being quite large, so unless you rub out the whole tin first and then mix it together, you will have a smoke that is dominated by one or two of the elements.

I used to be zealous enough to rub out a whole tin, but I have grown a bit lazy over time. I used to rub out flakes now I fold and stuff. Not for the flavor or burn, but because it is easy. so with this blend I would have some bowls that clobbered me over the head with Latakia or perique. The virginia element was quite nice and seemed to bring sweetness to each bowl which clearly shows that it is the lead component with the other elements holding a condimental role.

As I stated at the beginning of this review, this made for many different tasting bowls and there is something to be said for that. That alone might propel this to four stars for some, but for me, this is a three star blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	msandoval858 (2)	2015-01-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Quite possibly my new favorite blend from Sutliff. This broken flake smells amazing right out of the tin. Rich with perique and just a touch of latakia to give it a nice smokiness. I usually never expect tobaccos to burn perfectly right out of the tin without a little dry time but this one took to the flame and smoked beautifully. Although it's not a phenomenal blend with tons of complexity, the flavors are there for fans of good Virginia/Perique blends. The latakia was a welcome addition for me. One I will probably want more for sure.

Austin Pipe Club

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nodrog (3)	2014-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sutliff hit a grand slam with this one! I'd give it five stars if I could! I'm mostly a Va/per smoker with at least eight in my rotation. I ordered two tins from pipes and cigars just to give it a try and glad I did! Upon opening the tin I was flooded with a latakia smell that overpowers the other tobacco. Strangely enough I didn't even see the addition of the latakia in the ingredients while researching the bled. Upon lighting I detected absolutely no latakia!! Anyway, tons of taste and smoke! No harshness, sweetness from the Virginia's and just enough parique to tickle your tongue and not overbearing at all! And all this from a fresh tin with no ageing on it!!!! Love this stuff! I'm ordering a sleeve of tins to cellar! Give it a try my friends!

Pipe Used: Ser Jacopo, Ferndown

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Bayou morning, Escudo, McClellan 2015 Va/per.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2016-09-04		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

My tin says "Spicy Perique with Tangy Virginia Flake" and that's exactly what I got. No Latakia in this iteration of the blend, and loving Latakia like I do; I'd notice it if it was present. (see EDIT below.) It is very much like St. James Woods as I was hoping- almost to the point of being indistinguishable from it. I do detect more perique though, and it seems a little stringier and less chunky. I like it just as much though.

While one reviewer did complain about the small quantity, the price I paid for this was totally right. Formerly I've avoided Sutliff blends, being under the impression they were all aromatics. I am however looking forward to dipping into this throughout the coming autumn.

EDIT: There is indeed a bit of Latakia in this after all. I happened to smoke a bowl through a clay pipe which I'd never used for a Latakia blend (all my pipes are ghosted with it) and there it was. I do think it'd be better off without it. 9/22

Pipe Used: Mitchell Thomas pot, cob, Spanish no name

Age When Smoked: new when purchased

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: St. James Woods.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2015-08-02		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is nice, and totally qualifies for what I consider as an all day smoke. It's not an overpowering VaPer but it has interest, flavor , is easy to work with and has no bite and yes, it's zesty. I wouldn't say this has a strong Perique note, just a hint of spice and some incense aroma. The Virginia is mellow, yet bright and adds a natural sweetness. I won't even consider the touch of Latakia , it's not a factor.

I find myself reaching for this when I just don't want to be bothered with " slow sipping, contemplating, packing techniques and searching for complexities" . Just hit it with a match and it's all good. You know those times when you're going to the store to get a gallon of milk ; you really don't want to start a bowl of "GLP's Odyssey ", well, here you go , take this, It's also great on relights.

Now here is my one hard spot......the price !!!!! It's really not as dirt cheap as the low price appears. It comes in a "Gigantic" tin and when you read the fine print, it's only 1.5 oz's. Compare that to a GLP blend at 2 oz's and you're almost paying the same . I'll give this 4 stars with one removed for deception.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 1month

Similar Blends: A less flavorful and milder Rattrays Marlin Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pylorns (14)	2015-02-28		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Notes: I enjoyed this blend immensely. Received it from Sutliff for our Austin Pipe Club monthly sample and tore into it. The tin note has a slight vinegar ketchup smell. I broke up the flakes more to smaller pieces and loaded my pipe lighting fairly quickly and enjoyed spicy peppery goodness with a hint of latakia - even though it's not listed, I would swear it's in there. If you like Vapurs, this is for you.

Pipe Used: Brebia Sun, Peterson System

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Sample from Sutliff

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2014-12-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Awesome. Tangy and deep VA's with peppery perqie, and just the mildest hint of Lat for some smokiness.

I didn't know what to expect, was expecting something like Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend, but this is pretty much a VaPer with just the mildest hint of Lat which you can smell in the tin note more than you can in the taste when you light it.

Very easy to load and smoke, different elements come out as you go through, the Perique is very present and noticeable, although more in the early stages.

This is one of their best, a good idea, perfectly implemented, highly recommend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2016-01-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

If you like a VaPer with the spice kicked up a notch, this is a good blend to go to. It isn't loaded down with Perique, but it definitely contains more than other VaPers that I have had. The tin note is light and grassy - almost like fresh hay. This is to be expected I suppose, but I don't find the tin note quite as sweet as some other VA's. The cut of the tobacco is a broken flake, so it might take a little preparation if you have a penchant for smaller cuts. I pack it in most pipes as-is without preparation and it seems to work fine. It takes a flame well and keeps it (only 1 or 2 relights on average).

As for the smoke, it is thick and flavorful. The sweetness of the Virginias is interrupted by the sweet peppery feel of the Perique. It is actually very well behaved and it has yet to bite me. I will admit, however, that I often smoke this in a meer because I find the VA's to fade out a little more than normal. I'm not sure why this is, but smoking it in a meer seems to help prevent this from being so apparent (comparing to briar and cobs). I think the Perique holds my interest the most though, and keeps it throughout the entire bowl. It burns down to a fine ash if it is kept at a lower temperature. Otherwise, you will find some charred chunks that won't really burn (I am assuming this is from the sugars becoming too hot). I appreciated the nicotine kick it provided, which I feel is a little more than more VA blends offer.

I would recommend this for someone like myself who enjoys a variety of smokes. If you like Perique, then this is a good choice. I don't gravitate toward it normally, but it is great for a change of pace. I can't say that I would recommend it to a beginner because of the risk of biting it presents. Not a daily smoke, but one that I won't shy away from in the future.

By the way, when you age it for about a year, the Perique really mellows down - especially during the first half of the bowl.

Pipe Used: meer, cobs, various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 1+ years aged

Purchased From: Gifted from a friend

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Savant (3)	2015-08-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This tobacco surprised me in so many ways after all of the lack luster aromatics I had been sampling from Sutliff. Sutliff hits a home run 15% of the time with their offerings (in my opinion) and boy did they get this one right.

My recommendation would be to pair this with your morning coffee. It was amazing and made for a largely pleasurable experience. I have an open tin of this in my master closet by the door where I keep all of my tobacco and can't help but open the tin and get a whiff each morning and evening.

The cut is a broken flake and only needs a small rub form me to smoke. As previously stated, the tin aroma is wonderful . There is a perfect balance of latakia and perique against the Virginia that truly bursts with flavor and has a zest to get you going.

Pipe Used: 320 KS

Age When Smoked: 6 months in tin

Purchased From: Sutliff Sample

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2015-06-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Wowee Zowee! You don't run into a blend like this very often, so I had to review it and pass along this gem. Just a terrific, soothing tobacco mix. They really did it right with this one.

Pipe Used: Hilson Mistral

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: Seattle Pipe Club - Potlatch, G. L. Pease - Fillmore (Fog City Selection), Cornell & Diehl - Habana Daydream.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	therockingchef (4)	2015-02-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Blend Name:Court of St. James

Description on Tin: Spicy Perique with tangy Virginia Flake

Leaf: Virgina/Perique Broken flake

Tin Aroma: Sweet tanginess with a hint of smokiness

Taste: a mild sweetness with a hint of spice

Smokability: the first few bowls were mildly unpleasant but as i visited a week later it became surprising enjoyable, burns to an ash with very little moisture build up.

Room Note: it had a nice solid tobacco sent with hints of sweetness and little smokiness, not any hints of artificial flavors.

Thoughts: Originally I thought it was a little lackluster in the smoke but after the tin had been open a good week it has seemed to developed to very solid smoke, It has a nice mild sweetness and little zest to brighten it up. The tin doesn't label any latakia but the tin note says otherwise, there only seems to be enough to help smooth out the taste. It plays a nice supporting role but lets the red Virginias and perique stand out. The Virginia smoke is mild and doesn't contain much if any bright yellow,

Recommend to: those who are entering into Periques or those looking for a mild solid smoke.

Summary: after a week I found this to be an enjoyable smoke but just needed a little time with oxygen to smooth out the edges. The wife likes the room note

My Background: I am a Chef and rely on scents and flavors and how they interact with each other. I mix liquors and brew beer in my free time. I have been smoking pipes since 2009.

Pipe Used: a variety of shapes and sizes

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Sample

Pipe Used: Variety

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Sample from Sutliff

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