John Cotton John Cotton's Number 1 Mild (re-release)

I missed the LVPC picnic, to my great regret. But DanJ brought the newest iterations of the STP reincarnations to Morley's. I just puffed my first bowl of the sample to No.1, in a small very old BBB apple that is one of my standard tasting pipes.

Inspection of the leaf and sniffing the baggy note revealed a medium, rather than light Latakia with bright and maybe red Virginias, along with a tangy Oriental. There was a moderate amount of nicotine so this was not all that 'mild' in that respect.

I recall that Mike Butera created his Royal Vintage Latakia blends to bring back 2 John Cottons that were discontinued. I would assume the originals used Syrian Latakia while all the American versions have to use Cyprian. I suppose lightening the proportion of Cyprian and adjusting with Orientals could simulate the fruity tanginess that Syrian would have provided. I think the source Virginias Russ used would be different than what Mike McNeil has, and there is no vinegar undertone, unless Russ 'corrected' that with Turkish.

I never have tasted JC No.1, and on the whole I prefer STP's No.1 to Butera's No. 2, which was one I liked enough to have gone through a number of tins before my Top200 Cellar rankings pushed it aside.

I was struck by a surprising level of complexity all through the 1 inch bowl despite the relative lightness and youth of the blend. There were no raw edges and the flavors interplayed interestingly. I look forward to trying the next bowls in different sized and shaped chambers to see how the flavors develop differently. In a way this STP reminds me of Greg Pease's blending style with its complexity.

No.1 DGTs very nicely, and I bet this fine blend will mellow nicely with age.

John Cotton's Number 1 Mild

In a word, “sensational."

For the life of me, I can’t even begin to understand how or why I ordered this stuff. I like/enjoy/prefer/gravitate towards strong, full-flavored, hearty tobaccos. I consider Irish Flake a breakfast blend – and I’m not being flippant – I just really do enjoy bold flavor. I always considered Nightcap to be "medium" in strength (at best); never "strong". (Irish Flake was one of my first loves – my first Burley blend – and I initially found it strong, but I was also correspondingly smitten). I procured this Number 1 Mild at the same time I purchased a tin of John Cotton’s Smyrna (which I also love, and have voraciously hoarded). But why I bought this particular blend with an appellation that included "Mild" in it, I have nary a clue. Subsequent red flags for me would have/should have been “a light and refreshing English blend”; “a very good entry level English”, and “It's ideal in the morning.”

Well . . .

I just finished my very first bowl of Number 1 Mild at 5 a.m., before breakfast, and I’m completely enamored with this blend. It is indeed “ideal in the morning.” This is just some marvelous material which begs blazing.

Reviewing can be such a tricky, problematic thing: objective versus subjective. More than one person has likened the undertaking to comparing food: cuisine versus grub. People have different tastes – what one person loves, another will abominate; what one person finds “strong”, another will find pathetically mild.

My sensory perception is not as keenly honed or as meticulously developed as some of the old-timers on this forum. (I -- like many others I’m sure -- automatically seek the evaluation of JimInks to get the most thoroughly sophisticated synopsis of a blend before proceeding with any additional enquiries). But for mere mortals such as myself, the key questions for evaluation are: Did the stuff taste good? Did you enjoy it? Did it dazzle you? Would you smoke this again (and if so, how often)? Would you/are you going to cellar enough of this stuff to last you a lifetime? If the answers to all of those questions are a resounding “YES”, then I have a 4-star review.

For me, personally, John Cotton's Number 1 Mild rates 4-stars.

This is a very good light Virginia forward blend with a generous helping of orientals and a touch of latakia. The Virginia and orientals play off each other with the latakia hardly noticeable. It is too spicy for my taste but excellent in it's own right. My preference is for the 1&2 mixture, which is a little fuller but perfectly balanced. Update. I tried this blend again after a 15 month absense. It is much better then I remember. I notice a lovely sweetness that was not there before and lts a little milder than I remember. Hence the fourth star.

I have never smoked the original John Cotton’s Mild so my only reference point is the new release. Each bowl starts off mild and slightly sweet. I like the combination of Virginias and Orientals in this blend. As each bowl progressed the Latakia becomes more prominent and there is some spiciness too. I found John Cotton’s Mild to have no bite at all. While the strength increases a bit toward the end of the bowl, the overall strength is on the mild side. I found this smoke to be very pleasant.

This latakis,Virginia, and oriental blend is very good. The latakia is very nuanced, serving as a condiment to a very complex blend. Smooth, savory, and complex, this is a keeper.

A top, mild English contender. As noted in the tin description, this blend is Virginia-forward, more so than other mild English blends like EMP and Good Morning. However, the Orientals and Latakia play an evident role and contribute a quality spiciness and smokiness to the blend. The quality of the tobaccos is quite evident. Back to back smoke did give way to some tongue bite due to the higher Virginia content but only moderately. It delivers a fairly dry smoke. An easy all-day smoke though with a cup of coffee in the morning, it is quite exquisite.

https://youtu.be/--4xWHlVwjU

John Cotton’s Number 1 is a delicious smoke. Lightly grassy citrus and sweet hay Virginias are complimented and balanced by the ripe dark fruit and earth of the red Virginias, the orientals are fragrant and lend a little wood, while the Latakia provides its signature smoky quality and is very much in a background supporting role. As a whole the smoke is a creamy delight, and is a mild/medium tobacco ideal for morning or all day piping. Highly recommend.

This is the first JC blend I've ever tried. I think this is a great blend. It is very fragrant out of the tin and has near perfect consistency. I taste the Latakia first, then the Virginia, the Orientals are an afterthought. What comes across is perfect balance. This has great smoking characteristics. It's neither too hot or cold, burns to ash, doesn't require more than one relight, if that, and it doesn't really bite unless you puff incessantly on it. The problem for me is that the flavor is so nice and the experience is so inoffensive that I do puff incessantly. Can't get too carried away. This is smokable right out of the tin. I have found it doesn't last too long in a pouch, so there is a window of opportunity before it turns plain and loses flavor. But when you get it right, this is phenomenal. No nicotine "hit" that I could detect. I was going to nitpick because I usually prefer bolder flavors, and I'd give this three stars. But in this case the description is exactly what you get, and it is well done. Four stars. I will be sampling other JC blends.