4noggins Bread Loaf

I was pleased to be able to add this tobacco to the database. New to pipes.

The aroma of this bulk tobacco was akin to a hickory fire, with a deep fig or raisin. Deep is the word. The taste does not disappoint, and this is indeed Oriental forward in spicy fashion. As a cigar smoker I like the leaf which gives a bit of fullness, with occasional whiffs of burley warmth and nuttiness. Altogether pleasant and bite free for this smoker's sensitive tongue (and only fair technique). Nice. This blend has encouraged me to try other Oriental forward blends, perhaps the Grand Orientals by McClelland, like the Classic Samsun.

Addendum (4 months later): this was originally a "freebie" - much appreciated - from 4noggins (thank you!). The more I smoke this, the more I like it. As a Floridian, I love good cigars, and in general find it's hard to find exactly the same enjoyment from most blends (not I don't enjoy many blends), but this blend continues to grow on me. Yes, it's everything noted above, but there's just that little "extra" that I find quite attractive and rewarding. Well balanced, nice "N", goes so very well with a nice bourbon or good single malt (particularly the sweeter bourbons like OGD or WE 1783.. My advice: do try a decent sample for whatever it's worth. Nicely done! Add 1/2 a point.

I never was able to get into lofty descriptions. But I will state that this is the closest thing to a good cigar I have been able to get out of a pipe. Which isn't my goal when smoking a pipe, but is nice when wanted. A great blend to enjoy with a good scotch or top end Cognac. I personally find it a little monochromatic, but that isn't a bad thing, most of my fav cigars are! I get some more dimension out of a larger bowl, but not enough to switch to one.

If you power haul this it will get a bit much, just like trying to finish a good Cohiba in under 30 minutes. Definitely has some nicotine! As someone else stated it can almost get bitter when pushed to the point you hear the moisture burning off. Just ordered 2 oz after I finished the free sample. Now, my next order will be half a pound. I am def going to grab as much as I can afford to compliment my other fav blends.

Not an every day smoke for me, but something I have found myself craving to break the routine. As an interesting note I have a beauty of a Stanwell 199 that has 2 interesting properties. 1, the small chamber will turn ANY multi-dimensional baccy into a monochrome smoke. 2, it requires multiple lights no matter how I change up my technique. It has been a high maintenance woman that is gorgeous to behold, but a regular PITA. Unlike my ex GF I can't bear to throw it out. This blend is now dedicated to it as it compliments the behaviour of this blend, and it stays lit! The small chamber provide more than enough N for my tastes as well.

If you are tired of flakes, aros, Lats and drug store blends and want to step out of the norm, give this a try. It is the perfect compliment to a good drink, to sit and enjoy peacefully....and slowly. A great way to contemplate life in general.

This is a good blend. The Orientals lead slightly and provide notes of butter and spice that mingle with the spiciness of the cigar leaf. The Burley has a nice sweetness and mild earthiness which combines with the sweetness and mild fruity note of the Virginias. All together a very nice tasting blend. The cigar leaf is about as harmoniously blended in here as possible. There always seems to be, at least, a little roughness when cigar leaf is used. It's a nice smoke.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. No burn issues.

This is the first blend that I'm trying with cigar leaf. You have to smoke this slowly otherwise it does tend to get bitter. I found the nicotine a little on the high side. It does have a very good flavors though. Rich and nutty. I think if you like cigars you would like this blend. I am not a cigar smoker, so it's on the stronger side for me.

4noggins - Bread Loaf.

I didn't know much about Bread Loaf, for all I knew it was an aromatic! But after doing some reading up on here and having a few smoke's I decided to add my own verdict.

The Oriental has a refined tanginess and there's also a toasty/nutty flavour from the Burley. The Cigar Leaf's noticeable but not too heady; it doesn't rule the roost. Towards the end of the bowl the Oriental takes the show over completely. The burn's great from Bread Loaf, but the smoke's a bit warm. The nicotine's above medium (for me), and I feel indifferent to the room-note.

I quite enjoy Bread Loaf and think it would be a good choice for those who like Cigar Leaf to taste quite light. I'm going with my gut-feeling for the rating though:

Somewhat recommended.

This is good stuff. Very tasty mild enjoyable I loved it Smokes great very smooth mild and gentle. I will be buying more of this You must give it a try it will amaze you

Think of this as the little brother of Oriental Dusk. It is a more mellow and an earthier smoke. OD is a little edgy.

This is burley forward, with a few notes of sweet fruit from the Virginia. The oriental is of the variety that is soft and smooth instead of sour and more spicy. I am not smart enough to know the characteristics of different orientals. The cigar leaf complements the earthy burleys and enhances the flavors there.

This was an enjoyable smoke. It is milder in strength and flavor than OD. This is either good, bad or neither depending on your taste buds. It is easy to recommend to someone wanting to try a cigar leaf blend.

I use to smoke english blend or burley. So when I first smoke it, I've found it rather smooth. I don't say it's not good, but it wasn't so tasty. Not unpleasant for all. By the time, it's almost perfect : not too "heavy" and not too soft. Obviously, I highly recommend it.

Experience teaches that, on average, pipers find great satisfaction in expressing the pleasantries of indulging their favorite or preferred tobaccos. Look only to the forums as confirmation, for they are typically filled by a healthy volume of discussions on the same. In all fairness, an argument could be made that these postings tend to show predictable patterns. Namely, the greater focus largely concerns either the savors of a heady specimen of Burley, the supreme complexity found within a fine English, or perhaps most often, the quintessential sweetness of standard Virginias, which do seem to naturally occupy the foremost position with respect to common popularity.

In my estimation, however, there is one blend type in particular that might be undervalued for its comparative worth. My reference connects to a singular genre that features the colorful and exotic small, sun-cured leaves originating from plants indigenous to a region that has been historically thought as the ancient Ottoman Empire. Therefore, for the purposes of this particular commentary, let us entertain the classification of tobaccos that are officially categorized as customary Oriental blends.

Presently arriving for due consideration is one such blend of record, the featured Bread Loaf, from the assortment of original house offerings presented by 4noggins. Predominantly an Oriental centric concoction, this complex recipe encompasses the inclusion of select Oriental strains supported by a complementing provision of common Burley, cigar leaf, Bright Virginia, and a touch of darker Cyprian Latakia.
Visual review of Bread Loaf’s pouched state reveals a gritty, dense compilation of coarse-cut tobaccos appearing to be constituted by a significant mass of Orientals. Of these very leaves, an interesting face tinted by a pasting of grey-green hues and lighter earth tones sets the mood. Hosted at lesser volume is the equalized joining of the assorted complemental leaves, which present a casting of pale-yellow gold, espresso, walnut, and blackened umber. Furthermore, the fragrant air emitted from within encounters as reserved in demeanor, respectively. Essentially what rises for recognition is a stirring aroma of involved herbs and fresh spices refined in nature, brighter sour tart, a bit of sweet earthiness, and a fainter node of passive tang.

Relating to my trials, as a medium tempered production, Bread Loaf ultimately regaled my palate with an interesting course in the achievable mellowness of a quality Oriental blending. As intricate as the formal recipe is, what I discovered was a tobacco that bestowed a tighter flavor profile in general, which speaks to the carefully precise blending ratios on the whole. And even though the exotic nuancing that one typically meets with Oriental tobaccos was present, its outward vibrato was staged rather conservatively. As a result, I had to experiment with the smoking technique to effectively coax them forward to record their true worth.

This aforenoted factor was physically abetted by the particular geometry of the smoking vessel used. Still, there was no question that the forerunning influence was the choice of Oriental strains. And if I were to generalize on the character discovered, I would definitely say that Bread Loaf carried a uniqueness in persona, in standing with one foot in pipe tobacco while the other was fashionably positioned within the coiled structure of a milder Connecticut styled cigar.

Generally speaking, the chosen Oriental leaves played out preeminently beaming with a considerable degree of mixed spicing and musty sweetness. Whereas the remarking of the complemental leaves was secured in an exceptionally minor role amid the overall taste profile. As such, the experience bordered upon the desire to be a tad monochromatic at times. Nevertheless, I cannot deny that there was a reasonable demonstration of evolving highlights and rather calm movement overall. Subsequently, my old Grabow Free Hand with its exaggerated deep, wide bowl
offered the best impressions for capturing the sincerity of the blend’s character.

It should be noted, an interesting facet of Oriental tobaccos is that their base character and standard flavor attributes can vary so dramatically. Also, some varietals are vibrantly animated in nature, but within this Bread Loaf recipe, the grades tended to be of a more steadied, peaceful disposition by showing modest patterns of chromatically staged movement. In particular, the 4noggin strains harbored a softer spicy projection comparatively. Circulating with relaxed undulation, their remarking principally disclosed a buttery herbaceous quality that pulled from evidence of crisp thyme, mossy cilantro, and the sweet innuendos of proper basil, smoothly perky and wholesomely leafy in color. Additionally, there was an abiding degree of mild dilly tart, a node of pepperiness, and an underlying throng of sweeter must that delicately embellished the composite rendering.

In ranked order of secondary importance, the Burley and cigar leaf fulfilled the chief supporting role within the stratum of defined taste. Specifically existing within the held middle band of flavor, the inclusive Burley reckoned itself with a steady and classic reference of that sweet-sour nuttiness shaded by a tracing of some toasty oak-like zest. Bundling this note, the creamier influence of the cigar leaf consistently propagated a heady garnishment of sweetly spiced earthiness and nutty cedar common to a Connecticut Broadleaf style wrapper. In effect, the combination of the two provided the enlivened Oriental ambience with an inspirable footing of gently robust depth.

Finally of lesser authority, Bread Loaf’s limited projection of the Latakia and Virginian strains completed the sphere of flavorsomeness. For the most part, both varietals were distinctly elusive in discernable presence but nonetheless did supply a vital role in rounding out the registration experienced. For itself, the Cyprian strain provided infrequent flashes of basic charred sulfur, smoky mushroom pungency, and a tone of fig-like sweetness. As to the Virginian, circulating in the extreme background, this leaf endowed a dismal accent of sugary tang and a thinly veiled pass of citrus grassiness.

The trials divulged that with an eased cadence of gentle sips on the briar an optimum smoking experience was favorably accommodated. Chiefly, as I allowed the medium weighted grey-white smoke to gradually escape my mouth, while practicing circular retro-hales, the flavor sensations seemed to be positively amplified. The tobacco itself excited the upper palate with a modest tingle as the flavor resonated within. And with the production of smoke, I rate this one as exhibiting a tolerable room essence overall. The mass of its presence was not too overbearing but did resonate with a colorfully ornamented character of herbal spice, softened sweetness, charred nutwood, tart pungency, and a hazy earthy quality.

Finally, the demonstrated mechanical properties were on point. Showing a consistently cool ignition that was well metered at a slower pace, Bread Loaf extended a mellow enduring pleasure. This tobacco is optimally dry and therefore combusts into a fully spent state quite wonderfully. Moreover, the residual effect of the level of nicotine imparted was comfortably manageable in sum. And although Bread Loaf is not the most vibrant example of an Oriental production, it still managed to evoke an enjoyable and noteworthy excursion in smoking exoticism.

Objective Scoring: (basis: flavor, standard genre/leaf attributes & mechanicals): 178/221 ? 2.61 WAVG.

Subjective Rating: (factored for likeability & cost): 3.1 Pipes.