Sutliff Tobacco Company County Cork

The mildly rich Irish whisky topping is the star flavor, though you can get a little taste of the grassy, citrusy, lightly bready Virginia and nutty, earthy burley. Has little nicotine. Won't bite or get harsh. It’s a short ribbon cut that burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a consistent creamy smooth flavor. Has no sour notes. The taste level is a step past the center of mild to medium. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. An all day smoke that doesn’t overwhelm and has a pleasant after taste and room note.

-JimInks

County Cork is the fifth of a group of six Sutliff Private Selection aromatics that would travel back and forth from my smoking den to my NASPC show table and back repeatedly. I decided to open them and find out why. County Cork opened very much like Country Estate; clean and bright, moist not damp, not heavily odorized and not stuck to the tin bottom. What I saw was a uniformly narrow range brown mixture that reminded me of some other tobacco that I had smoked in the past. However, the thing that caught my attention was the strange odor coming from the tin. I gave it the cautious sniff and was treated to the aroma of tobacco drenched in sour milk! I've come to expect strange openings with this series of blends, but this one was truly unexpected. Allegedly an Irish Cream infused blend, time had not been kind in it's chemistry with this tin. I spread out a wad of it on a piece of white paper to examine and let it sit for thirty minutes. This time the sour component of the odor profile was gone and it had more of an alcohol-related aroma that I couldn't quite identify. I let it sit out all night and by morning, though it had dried to a smokable condition, I still couldn't id the aroma. I've had some limited contact with Irish Cream in the past, but this aroma wasn't it. When I lit my first bowl, the aroma went AWOL. As I puffed away something came into focus in my mind and I was back in the early sixties smoking Half and Half. That's what it looked like and that is what it smoked like. Now, Half and Half was ok in my beginning years as a pipe smoker, but it never was a blend I was interested in as a long-term smoke. Likewise, I would not seek out County Cork as a steady smoke. It also has a strange characteristic when used as a blending ingredient and softened all mixtures and pushed them toward a more neutral aroma. This is not something I am looking for - two stars.

You can definitely taste the Irish creme topping but it's not so strong that it ruins the flavors from the tobaccos. I would say this smoke was a pleasing one. The mellow mix of Burley and Virginia tobaccos with a slightly cool Irish creme topping was a winner. The nutty flavor of the Burleys came through nicely. Never got hot and no tongue bite at all. Another winner from Sutliff.

Like other Sutliff PS aromatics, with prominent aromas, this one is sweet, spicy whiskey. And, with other Sutliff PS aros, the aroma does not equal the flavor, in that it is quite subdued. For me, that is a good thing when first opening the tin, one wonders how overpowering it will be. Not the case here.

A pleasantly mild tobacco with moderate flavoring. When dried for a day, it lights and burns nicely. My one complaint.....Tongue bite. Not excessive, but it is evident to me. Kind of surprising as the other Sutliff PS I've had do not have this problem.

If not for the tongue bite, I would like this as a milder smoke.

The tin pops, and a lovely forest of Virginias and Burleys are awaiting you. An invisible mist of Irish Wiskey Cream mixed with the earthiness of the Burleys are the tin note. It's surprisingly dry for an aromatic. Not very sticky at all. This tobacco pack very easily with little to no drying time.

Not difficult to get this tobacco lit, nor to maintain the ember. Room note is pleasant as it is somewhat reminscent of grandpa or that pipesmoker who lived down the block when you were a child.

The first half of the bowl is a very smooth and creamy smoke. Very enjoyable for post-meal/dessert bowls. The Burleys acts as support for the sweetness of the VAs and the creamy whiskey.

But after the first half the Burleys present themselves as the main players and stay there. Now, I am a Burley fan. I love my blends with a nice earthy, nutty burley flavor. But if you're buying this looking for a sweet smoke throughout the bowl, you may be disappointed. I'm imagining that the whiskey topping is burned off and you're smoking the reamining burley tobacco. I don't know the proportions of Burley to VA but I'm going to guess it's in the 1:3 ratio as the nutty earthy flavor becomes the predominant flavor profile for the latter half of the bowl. Some Cavendish added to this may help sweeten it up. Alas, I am just a pipe smoker, not a professional blender.

Not a bad tobacco just not what I expected. I would recommend the Dutch Masters Whiskey over this for someone looking for a sweet smoke and a great room note.

Just recieved this in the morning mail and am now on the patio giving it a try. Upon opening the tin the Irish cream fragrance is pronounced but the taste is not too overpowering while smoking. It packed well and lit easily. The taste was very enjoyable, but if you smoke it a little too fast it will bite. After slowing my attack the bite was eliminated. It is a very nice smoke for relaxing while watching the world pass by. Upon further smoking of this blend, I found it to be rather too hot for my tongue so I mixed 50/50 with some BCA to cool it down. I doubt I will purchase this again.

This is a pleasant mildly aromatic VaBur. The topping is sweet and smooth and is identifiable as Irish whisky. Once the topping burns off, you are left with a basic mild VaBur. There are a few nutty, earthy and tart notes at this point. I was given a tin minus a couple of bowls, so my sample may have aired a little. Moisture was good for me, and I smoked it without drying.

This one is a little stronger than many of the Sutliff SPS aromatic blends, and there is a nice tobacco flavor once the topping is gone. The topping itself is pleasant and not overpowering. This one is easy to recommend.

I could nearly write my review for maple street verbatim with this tobacco, changing a very few words here and there. This is a lot like the aromatics of yesteryear, with a prominent alcohol note over a lot of burley and a little Virginia (always quality leaf from Sutliff). A definite cream taste and some sweet honey as well. If you don't like aromatics, this won't convert you. If you do like aromatics, and like Irish cream, you should definitely try this one out.

Light to medium brown ribbons in the tin. Smells wonderful...Irish cream, cream, caramel. Lights and burns well and it actually tastes creamy. Multiple people have commented on how good it smells while they are around me while I have smoked this blend. Can bite a bit, but not more so than any other aromatic. It's enjoyable with a good cup of coffee. I have considered blending this with a straight virginia to give it more of a kick...but it's good on it's own. I also don't find that weird aftertaste that is apparent with most aromatics (I guess the 'soap'?).

One of my favorite aromatics.