John Cotton John Cotton's Smyrna
(3.48)
John Cotton's Smyrna is a Turkish forward blend with plenty of rich latakia. Virginias add a touch of sweetness to a robust, smoky and earthy experience.
Notes: John Cotton's Smyrna was a favorite among connoisseurs. This was a rich, spicy and smoky classic that was a go-to for pipe lovers around the world...and then it was gone. The new owners of this classic brand approached Russ Ouellette to recreate their blends. Through diligent research and sampling vintage tins to help jog Russ' memories of the flavors, Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania is now ready to bring this classic back.
A combination of carefully matured Virginias, fragrant and zesty small-leaf Turkish tobaccos and plenty of Cyprian latakia, John Cotton's Smyrna is deep and bold, and a perfect meditative repast.
Details
| Brand | John Cotton |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Lane, Ltd. |
| Blend Type | Balkan |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 1.75 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.48 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 19 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2015 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet as a team player. The Orientals and Turkish are fairly buttery sweet with a touch of sour, and are very woody, herbal, floral and mildly spicy with a deep smoky earthiness as it takes a light lead. Obviously, you can credit the Smyrna for most of that. Playing back-up is a citrusy sweet, lightly grassy, slightly earthy, woody brown Virginia. You can taste all of the inherent tobaccos flavors in every puff. Burns clean and cool with some complexity, and has a refined creamy, spicy sweet, campfire smoothness that makes you think there might be a little less Latakia than there is. Has no dull or harsh moments, and won't bite. The flavor is consistent from top to bottom and translate to the pleasantly lingering after taste. One might think all the spice would nip at your tongue if you puff fast, but that doesn’t happen, nor will it bite, though I do suggest smoking it at a moderate pace. This is the spiciest blend in this company’s line up. The strength is just past the center of medium to strong, and the taste level is full. The nic-hit is medium, and it seems to get a little stronger in the last quarter of the smoke. Burns at a reasonable pace, and requires an average number of relights. Virtually leaves no moisture in your bowl, and produces volumes of smoke as you go along to that fine white ash. The room note is stronger than a camp fire; very pungent. Not an all day smoke.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 13, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
At first view and whiff of the sample baggie, this appears to be a more latakia-heavy version of #1/#2. A little more black in the blend with a heavier latakia aroma. Lighting it up takes it to another level. That level happened to me a lower one for me but it was different.
First of all, this one had one of the best room notes of any tobacco, and it beats out the venerable Dunhill EMP for me in that regard (a tobacco I do not smoke). An aroma so delectable I wanted to eat it! In the smoke, this is a spicier, heavier taste than #1/2. It tasted latakia-heavy but not a "lat bomb", those blends which leave me cold with their dusty, monodimensional flavor. This has a nice shot of Smyrna which both spices up the proceedings and makes the blend kind of creamy as it melds with the latakia. This one is well rounded but with latakia at the forefront and might be a nice change of pace for those who are used to tasting nothing but latakia. The perfect balance of #1/2 was missing but I don't think balance is quite the point here, as this leans towards the smoky leaf. As a result, I found this one less complex than it's lighter stablemate. This blend, while not a rotation-maker for me, is just too well done to merit anything less than a three. I never got a chance to smoke the original but if it was this good, it earned its reputation.
First of all, this one had one of the best room notes of any tobacco, and it beats out the venerable Dunhill EMP for me in that regard (a tobacco I do not smoke). An aroma so delectable I wanted to eat it! In the smoke, this is a spicier, heavier taste than #1/2. It tasted latakia-heavy but not a "lat bomb", those blends which leave me cold with their dusty, monodimensional flavor. This has a nice shot of Smyrna which both spices up the proceedings and makes the blend kind of creamy as it melds with the latakia. This one is well rounded but with latakia at the forefront and might be a nice change of pace for those who are used to tasting nothing but latakia. The perfect balance of #1/2 was missing but I don't think balance is quite the point here, as this leans towards the smoky leaf. As a result, I found this one less complex than it's lighter stablemate. This blend, while not a rotation-maker for me, is just too well done to merit anything less than a three. I never got a chance to smoke the original but if it was this good, it earned its reputation.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
My third of the five review samples I received. I must say I had low expectations for this one as most blends that call out Smyrna, or iszmir as it is also known, usually don't do a lot for me. Well this one shattered those expectations. It is fantastic. Smooth, cool, spicy and sweet with a fantastic side stream to boot.
This is one of the better Balkan type blends I have tasted and I will certainly be putting up a few tins of this when they become available to the public. This one seems to let the Smyrna shine while keeping a respectable balance between the earth sweet Virginias and the smokiness from the Latakia, which is lightly applied.
This one is fantastic, so much so, that I have even started bidding on old tins of this on ebay in hopes of scoring one at a not to obscene price.
This is one of the better Balkan type blends I have tasted and I will certainly be putting up a few tins of this when they become available to the public. This one seems to let the Smyrna shine while keeping a respectable balance between the earth sweet Virginias and the smokiness from the Latakia, which is lightly applied.
This one is fantastic, so much so, that I have even started bidding on old tins of this on ebay in hopes of scoring one at a not to obscene price.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
I actually think STC's rendition of Cotton's Smyrna is stronger (in the nicotine department) than the original. The Smyrna is of good quality, but of course, totally different in flavor and presentation than the original, which had some of the finest small center cut Smyrna leaf that the world had to offer (and back in the "good" old days, there was a lot more variety and grades to choose from). The way Russ O. put together the various tobaccos was masterfully done and this is a quality smoke that I believe will be really good with some real age to it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 02, 2016 | Mild | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
An excellent blend, complex rich and not too heavy with some mild Virginia sweetness, Nicotine not overly noticeable, thankfully. A slight cigarette note albeit 'good European cigarette' thanks to the Smyrna (lzmir), a very nice room-note as well. The quality is right up there with JF Germain and a very similar cut too. I don't collect empty tins; however, the classic logo is great.
My tin was a tad dry, added a few drops of water, let leaves balance themselves out for 4 or 5 days. There's no casing apart from water not even Propylene glycol; nice to see, akin to JF Germain's King Charles.
I adored this one cellar worthy without question, with extra thanks to Russ, Larry and the rest of the gang for their attention to detail, virtually a dead-ringer.
My tin was a tad dry, added a few drops of water, let leaves balance themselves out for 4 or 5 days. There's no casing apart from water not even Propylene glycol; nice to see, akin to JF Germain's King Charles.
I adored this one cellar worthy without question, with extra thanks to Russ, Larry and the rest of the gang for their attention to detail, virtually a dead-ringer.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 15, 2015 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
John Cotton's Smyrna is an oriental blend comprised of mostly longer thin ribbon cut tobacco. The components are visually some light tan, mostly brown and some short black ribbon. The moisture level is perfect out of the tin and ready to smoke. This blend is medium in flavor and is smooth and fairly creamy. The dominant flavor is toasty like a heavily roasted nut with a moderate musty pungence. There is a constant interplay between a sour note and the sweetness of the virginias. The sour note is usually present with the sweetness sometimes coming forward and replacing it. There is a sustained constant level of sweetness to the smoke. There is often a spicy and floral flavor that punches forward, but usually stays in the background. There is a slight smokiness that fills out the foundation of the flavor profile and comes with a slightly woody taste. Towards the end of the bowl the flavor mellows out and becomes a bit more smokey. Overall I found this to be a pretty complex blend and very enjoyable. I would highly recommend this blend since it is flavorful and interesting without any harshness or overbearance.
Pipe Used:
Briar Clay Cob
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 04, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I'm a bit biased as I am typing my review while smoking the heavenly bottom half of the bowl where the sweet latakia and sour Smyrna leaves are working their magic. To risk unfair comparisons, JC Smyrna is not as floral as Whiteknight, nor as leathery as Black House, nor as zingy as Magnum Opus, but woodsy with a cedar-y tang. Highly recommended.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 2018 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I’m kicking myself in the ass for not getting to this sooner, John Cotton’s Smyrna is terrific! The taste is very similar to the current iteration of Smokers Haven’s Our Best Blend, which is one of my favorites. Spicy, smokey, rich and very satisfying, if you enjoy full English or Balkan style tobaccos this should make you quite happy, highly recommended.
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
My impression seems a bit different from what I've read; opening the tin let loose a huge aroma of "C" stuff: cinnamon, cloves, cumin, caraway, camellia, chrysanthemum - I thought that someone had been fooling with it. It came in the tin dry enough to light right up, so I loaded a Duke and got on with it. First impression was all those lovely spices layered over some smooth base. That quickly showed itself to be Va and Lat in beautiful proportion. I really don't remember the old stuff, but this is TOP CLASS. The tin note is unusually floral and the first few puffs the same. The base darker leaf kicks in soon, rounding the flavor. Then it settles to a mild sweetness for the nearly incense-like smoke. Then it's over too soon.
Pipe Used:
Dunny
PurchasedFrom:
p&c
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 20, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Have waited for this one for a while. The wait was well worth it! This tobacco has a lot going on in the bowl and they are all good things. Slightly sweet with sour, smoky fire side aroma and taste. No bark, no bite just pure smoking pleasure. Arrived in perfect smoking condition, packed well, lit well and smoked like a dream. Grey ash with little to no excess moisture. Not a great deal of nicotine detected. This tobacco is a must try for those who like an oriental type tobacco. Good Job Russ!
PurchasedFrom:
pipes and cigars
Age When Smoked:
new tin
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