Sutliff Tobacco Company Match Sugar Barrel

I never had the original so this review is for the match only. Continuing my exploration of old OTC I had heard a bit about Sugar Barrel and thought I would give it a try.

Opening the bag I smelled a pleasant combination of a sugary , slightly woody, mildly nutty, lightly earthy and a touch of cinnamon that seemed to blend together well and compliment each other. The tobacco is one of the strangest cuts I have ever seen. Small cube cut with larger cube and then chunks of what looked like tree bark. Now I broke the big chunks down to smaller pieces and while it seemed ready to go moisture wise I let it dry for 45 minutes on a paper towel. Then I gravity fed it into the bowl and tampered lightly (there isnt much give here) and filled and lightly tampered again. To my surprise this lit easily, burned at a faster than medium pace, but was cool, never bit (if you push it the cinnamon goes from sweet cinnamon to a spicy cinnamon. Average amount of re-lights. The smoke started out thin but hung in the air a long time and about a 1/4 of the way down went to a medium smoke that was thick and creamy. Has a pleasant room note like cinnamon rolls in the oven. This could be an all day smoke. I envision myself smoking quite a bit of this around thanksgiving and Christmas with the Holiday Match also. Nice cold nights in the Fall and Winter would be a nice time for this. Burned to a gray ash and was pretty consistent in burning.

Lighting Sugar Barrel gave me a nicely balanced combination of very light sugar, with a light wood, slightly earthy, mild salted nuts, with cinnamon in the lead. This went on for about sips and the sugar came to join cinnamon in the front. A sweet cinnamon worked well with mild sugar taste and the above mentioned other flavors in a close background. At a 1/4 of the bowl down the sugar gained a bit and the smoke increased to medium and became thick and creamy. This held till the end of the bowl. No decline of flavors as the bowl came to an end. This left a light cinnamon and sweet sugar after taste that was well balanced during the smoke, unless this tobacco was pushed then the cinnamon became spicy but not in a hot or sharp way. The aftertaste after the smoke is of light brown sugar and very light cinnamon, very pleasant.

I like Sugar Barrel. It is a straight forward smoke that doesnt have dancing flavors or a lot of activity going on. It is a unique, simpler blend that is consistent and for smoking and enjoying for those times one just want to relax, and stay in from the cold outside. If you are wanting complex, this is not it, but if you want to relax with a pleasant, straightforward old fashioned tobacco that the only time it gets your attention is when you realize how good the taste is this is for you. A great holiday season smoke and especially in a comfy chair, next to a fire or perhaps in the kitchen next to the stove as dinner is cooking. Enjoyment at its best, Match Sugar Barrel this is now part of my rotation. A 3.5 out of 4 stars this is a favorite also, not THE favorite but one I plan on enjoying especially during the winter season.

Bag note is burley forward with a light sweet oatmeal smell. Much less sweet than the original. Moisture in the bag is about perfect, cut is a course ribbon. Smokes very light in taste and no tongue bite. Lots of smoke. A bit sweet as you progress through the bowl. Great neutral blend to break in a new pipe with. I find it does not ghost at all. Light all day smoke The Virginia lightens up the burley's harshness nicely. I use this as a staple and buy it in bulk only been smoking this for 6 months but I suspect the flavors will stay the same with age. Only one light using the Frank method of packing. Light ash at the end no gunk left in the bowl. for Burley lovers this is a hit.

I'll start out by saying that I never smoked the original Sugar Barrel. However, if the Sutliff Match is truly close to the original, then I can only shake my head at the bad decision to discontinue this pipe mixture. It's very sad to see the sorry shape Middleton has fallen to.

As for the Match, I very much like the chunky cut. I hate ribbons. Give me cubes or rough cut any day.

The pouch aroma is sweet, but not overpowering. I don't detect any cinnamon, but that may be due to my nose not being very sensitive anymore.

As for the smoke, I found this very enjoyable. There is very little burley bitterness to this. In fact, I should say virtually none. The sweet flavor lasts for the entire smoke and is exceedingly pleasant. The aftertaste lingers for quite awhile and is enjoyable.

I did have a bit of a problem keeping my pipe lit, so I make have to loosen up on the packing.

All in all, Match Sugar Barrel (or Sugar Bucket, as my packet came labeled) is a winner and is going on my regular to buy list.

A delightful old time tobacco that deserves to live on.