Hearth & Home Sweet Cask

Based on a 2 oz sample from a friend. Bright-ish heavy cut plug, which is different from the original. Lighter in color as well. Bag aroma was of plain burley.

Hard to review as a match because it didn't taste much like Sugar Barrel. I got almost zero sweetness, either from the virginia or from the topping. In fact, I couldn't taste any topping at all. The person that sent it to me said it came this way - very dry. That dryness might be why I tasted no topping, as it may have evaporated. But no brown sugar as in the original. This worked for me as a straight burley, as it was nutty and tobacco-y. I could smoke it as such, although there are others out there that I prefer. But based on the sample I smoked (which may be different than most tubs), this is a failure as a match. It does, however, have its own charm and merits and I enjoyed smoking it. Would like to try some with its moisture intact, however.

I have never smoked Sugar Barrel, the blend that Sweet Cask is supposed to match, so I am judging this on its own merits.

The tobacco is surprisingly dry in the container and is cut into chunks of varying sizes. The tin note is lightly sweet, but it is hard to discern any specific scent -- try as I might, I am unable to detect any scent of cinnamon. The tobaccos appear to be of good quality. The blend packs well (the dryness doesn't affect the packing or the burn of the tobacco) and lights and burns easily. Upon lighting this blend one is greeted with a pleasant sweetness that remains consistent from first light to last puff. There is no chemical or other artificial taste, but there is also no complexity here, just a simple combination of nuttiness and sweetness. This is an easygoing smoke that goes well with a morning cup of coffee and is a pleasant companion for tasks like pushing the snowblower or mowing the lawn. It also seems like the sort of thing one would take along for camping, hunting or fishing trips. In short, a decent, pleasant and straightforward burley blend.

Well gee. Isn’t this nice. Yep. Nice. It’s a nice blend. A blend so nice, so innocuous, that it’s almost, almost flat and gutless, like many nice things can be. It’s not quite flat and gutless, but it almost could be.

It has some big chunks of burley, some bright yellow flecks, and some smaller, darker flecks. It smells sweet, but not very sweet. Mostly, it just smells like every other cube cut burley I’ve encountered. Though it’s sweetened in some way, they tell me, that sweetness in very slight. Much about Sweet Cask is very slight.

It burns well enough. It’s not nearly as moist and goopy as the original Sugar Barrel, which it is purported to replicate. It won’t bite you, even if you made it mad. It’s mildly sweet, mostly burley flavor throughout. The Virginia doesn’t do much that I can tell. Maybe it adds a little sharp, grassiness here and there. Mostly, it’s warm, mild smoke without much in the way of the headiness or heartiness which good burley is capable of.

This would be good, I suspect, for those who favor or are accustomed to mild, Cavendish type aromatics but want something not so syrupy.

I never had the original Sugar Barrel. As others noted, this arrives very dry. This doesn't help it stay lit. I had to puff vigorously to keep it going, which resulted in a slight bite. I'd say it burned hot. I'm glad that I was able to buy just a 2 oz sample. There is a very, very, very slight sweetness when smoked. I didn't get any cinnamon , molasses , or brown sugar taste. The flavor is mostly burley, so I would call this a straight American blend, not an Aromatic

I recently purchased a sample of this because, 1--Russ is a great blender of allthings tobacco and 2- I have been smoking several match or recreate blends in a serch for years gone by or some such thing! Truth is --I just plain ole love pipe tobacco! Any way Upon recieving the baggie of SC I opened it and took a big ole whiff, sweet essence with faint candy note--Ferra-Pan Red Hots I believe. Mixture was dry but not crisp by any means. I poured out a bit onto my tobacco plate and inspected said blend. Very interesting indeed. Chunky and flaky togethet, and I do mean chunky nuggets of burley. The first attemp at smoking was not a success. Lit well tasted fine but-----just could not keep them burley rocks afire! Was tempted to ditch this one but upon further review I decided to rub it a bit. Winner winner it packed in, lit and burned like a champ. Good sweet, mild smoke! A faint cinnimon candy flavor was in the mix with the nutty burley. Taste is consistent with a after taste of the afore mentioned candy. A very doable allday smoke that is mild and sweet. Not a nic kicket or a flavor bomb either, just a pleasing smoke. One note --this one can get hot if you are a huffer puffer. slow and steady is in order. Have since smoked multiple bowls in various briars and cobs. Experience is consistent. Will buy more!

This is right on the borderline of being too mild for my taste buds, but it has just enough strength and flavor for me to enjoy. Both the Burley and Virginia are readily apparent. The topping is very interesting. While only very mildly sweet in the smoke, it sweetens the inside of my mouth very nicely. I like that a lot. There's a faint touch of cinnamon in the smoke. A very pleasant smoke that I could give 4 stars if it had just a little more oomph. As is, a very solid 3 stars.

Mild in body and flavor. Topping is very mild. Burns slowly, but well enough to get ample smoke. Nicely done. I should add that I never had the original Sugar Barrel.

I felt compelled to add a review for Sweet Cask given that so many earlier reviewers commented on the dryness of the blend. That was decidedly not my experience. I purchased the large 14 oz. tub and found the contents to be slightly moist and perfect for smoking. The unusual rough cut makes for easy loading and an excellent burn; this blend typically requires few if any re-lights for me. The nutty burley flavor is the main player and the sweet and light cinnamon like top note is excellent and very enjoyable. Another easy going, easy to enjoy all-day OTC burley based blend from Russ. Excellent and highly recommended.

Others have noted the differences between this and the original. This has larger chunks of burley, seems to have a brighter VA. It seems to be less "goopy". I can't find anything at all bad about Sweet Cask. Easy to pack and light it's more of a straight up burley smoke with any sweetness more of what others have noted to be a cinnamon note. Burns slow and cool with a good nutty burley note. For a burley smoker this could easily be an all day smoke. The quality of leaf seems very good. The original was sweeter in an almost undefinable way, maybe a bit more sugary. As matches go this is pretty close. I'm not the burley smoker I used to be but appreciate the better burley blends when I find one. Recommended for those who prefer a no frills slightly flavored simple experience.

Chunky, irregular ready-rubbed burley cake with some American style flaked virginia. The topping is very light but noticeable. It has a warm sweet smell somewhere between brown sugar and hay. This is a rather dry tobacco and that is probably my chief complaint. It would benefit from more casing and a better cut that would allow it to burn consistently and more evenly. The flavor is just shy of being flat with something of a boring flavor like plain oats. I never smoked Sugar Barrel but from their respective descriptions Sweet Cask seems a significant departure especially in cut. I had some high hope for this from reviews that liken it to a sweeter version of Prince Albert. Despite a one star rating this isn't by far the worst tobacco one can smoke but nevertheless a pointless tobacco in my opinion. After a few bowls I can't see myself trying to finish off the tub. I'm most likely not going to be spending another $25 to find out I just don't like another blend in the Mid-Town series.