This was one of my favourite pipe shops and I would always stop in whenever
I would pass through Albany. Sadly, they closed the shop in 2000, but their tobaccos are still available
on-line. The Smoker's tobaccos are blended in-house and feature a particularly excellent selection of
full Englishes. Most of the blends that I've tried were fairly gutsy, ranging from medium-smooth to almost
harsh (as in the case of Saint James). Legacy, Smoker and
Woodlands have been favourite Englishes of mine for extended periods.
- Arlington
- What I notice and enjoy most about this light, natural blend is how it starts out with a fairly mild
flavour and then intensifies. The simple, nutty and slightly sweet taste that starts out is mostly light
burley with a dash of perique and black cavendish, I think. You could smoke this in a pipe reserved for
heavy latakia blends and end up thinking that it contains lots of latakia, though it doesn't. Smoke it
in a Virginia pipe and it becomes remarkably sweet and peppery as a bowl-full progresses. At the end of
my two-ounce packet, I smoked this in a fairly new Savinelli and found it not really sweet at all. It's
lively without being harsh and offers a comforting nicotine kick. During the second last half of a pipe-full,
however, it gets spicier, sweeter and much fuller in flavour. I didn't light up a bowl of this and say
"wow," but after a couple of pipe-fulls and getting to know its characteristics—spicy,
refreshing, natural, slightly sweet—I found it quite compelling, enough that I kept coming back
for more. '00
- Civil War
- This light aromatic mixture consists mostly of medium-colored leaf and a few flecks of dark. Its light
burley base ensures a satisfying smoke and provides a mild, nutty taste that is sweetened slightly by
a faint, pastry-like flavoring. Unlike moist, heavily cased aromatics, this one has a more natural character.
It smokes dry from beginning to end, and leaves a fragrant, semi-sweet tobacco aroma in the room that
suggests a much sweeter-tasting blend. I found this to be extremely smokable and went through the two-ounce
pouch in no time. '98
- Favorite
- This is an English-style blend with a strong Virginia character. Some of the Virginias add a slightly
fruity taste, but overall their flavour is nutty. Blended with latakia and perique, its flavour is not
as rich as the description might make it appear. When I taste this blend's tart note, which is not by
any means all of the time, it begins to remind me a little of Rattray's Black Mallory. Here though, the
flavour is less perfumy, less concentrated, and a bit smokier. Although I generally enjoy the flavour,
I find it a bit too middle-of-the-road for my own tastes. Coarse cut, slow burning. Smoke it nice and
slow for maximum enjoyment and so as not to get bitten. '96
- Legacy
- This blend is striking in its complexity of flavours. It includes five different Virginias, latakia,
perique and a hint of Turkish, which keep their individuality, yet come together to create a sweetness
that is punctuated by fragrant and smoky elements. Coarse texture, including pieces of broken flake. Slow
burning. Very much a full-flavoured blend, of various shades of dark brown, with a pleasant, heavy aroma
both in the pouch and when smoked. Owing to its smoothness, it is quite relaxing, but its more piquant
components make it somewhat refreshing as well. '95
- New York, New York
- Dark and medium brown, coarse cut. A heavy medium blend. Flavour is similar to Smoker, except that,
here, one tastes the Virginia component more, (latakia is definitely still present, though). The result
is a satisfying full-English smoke that is spicy and not too rich (perhaps not quite enough for me), and
sharper on the tongue than some full-English blends. '95
- Olde Virginia
- This blend is said to be somewhat along the lines of Escudo, but as a mixture instead of flake form.
Semi-sweet red Virginia competes with a strong perique flavour to create an interesting smoking experience.
I like how during some puffs I notice the sweet undertones more, whereas at other moments I notice its
pepperiness. This is unquestionably a strong and satisfying blend with the capacity to scorch your tongue.
Although I often avoid harsher blends, I find this one worth smoking occasionally for its flavour. Its
medium-large cut helps you smoke it slow, which is an absolute necessity. Reddish-brown and dark brown
colour, burns well and smokes dry. I love its room aroma, which is pungent yet somewhat sweet and perfumy.
'96
- Red Virginia Supreme
- Medium cut, medium and dark brown. Another medium-full English blend, but much better than New York,
New York (above) to my palate. Although the base is a red Virginia, this isn't the sweet, aged variety.
Mixed with latakia and perique, the flavour is meaty, slightly bitter and slightly sharp, but enjoyable
in its own right—a bit like how a cup of black coffee might taste. Although the latakia definitely
smooths out this mixture somewhat, I find the flavour to be dominated by the Virginia-perique mix. Given
the fullness of the flavour, it isn't quite as rich or smooth as I might expect. Still, I really enjoy
its bold taste. '96
- Saint James
- Quite appropriately, the label on the jar of this tobacco showed not only its name, but the descriptor
"This one will get ya!" I'm not sure, but this may be the most perique-laden tobacco I've smoked
to date. Or maybe it's just the burley and perique bouncing off each other... Dark brown and black, flecked
with medium brown, this medium-coarse cut blend is strong, tending toward harsh. This is true on the levels
of pouch aroma, room aroma when smoked, and flavour. The Virginias in the blend add a hint of sweetness,
but not enough to counterbalance the intense perique flavour. Likewise, the latakia that is present adds
body, but not enough to produce a really smooth smoke. The strength, body and lack of sweetness of this
blend reminds me a bit of of smoking a cigar for some reason. Sometimes while smoking this, I wonder if
a similar mixture might be produced by doubling the quantity of perique in C&D's
#965. This is almost overwhelming to my taste buds; if you're not a lover of this kind of piquancy,
you might as well not bother with this blend. I have especially enjoyed this most-relaxing tobacco late
at night, or at a bar with a bottle of stout, but I don't find it suitable for daytime smoking. The flavour
is consistent throughout the smoke and it burns clean to a fine white ash. '96
- Saratoga
- A ready-rubbed blend of various Virginias, containing about 50% darker tobaccos along with lighter
golden and reddish flecks and strands. It's a long and short medium-cut blend that includes the occasional
piece of broken flake. One advantage that some bulk hand-blended mixtures have over their tinned counterparts
is that the different ingredients remain somewhat separate, which creates a flavour that is more complex
than unified. This is the case here, where there is a wonderful complexity of flavour; it is spicy, tart
and fairly sweet, with underlying notes that remind me vaguely of cloves or cinnamon. The tartness is
particularly noticeable during the first 1/4-1/2 of the pipe, as it leaves a dryness in the mouth not
unlike some wines or a glass of lemonade. When I first tried this, the tobacco seemed rather dry (the
way I usually like it), but I thought maybe it needed to be humidified a little. Guess what—it still
bites. So I accept it for what it is. It's only a light to medium-bodied smoke that seems to have a fairly
low nicotine content, but its distinctive flavour makes it seem fuller than it is at times. I can't smoke
a biting tobacco all that frequently, but this one has an exciting, delicious flavour that makes it nonetheless
worth smoking from time to time, and is exceptionally refreshing on a hot summer day. Not only that, it
keeps me coming back for more! Despite its sharpness on the tongue, it paradoxically doesn't seem at all
harsh when exhaled through the nose. When I tried inhaling it, the smoke came off more as hot than as
harsh. Savour the flavour slowly and keep it just barely burning. This mixture burns fairly well, but
when it does extinguish, it still tastes great in the pipe, with a pleasant burnt-sugar and spice taste
that overrides the taste of the half-burnt tobacco. I also find the way that the flavour develops while
smoking to be superb. The flavours of the different Virginias meld together to produce a richer, fuller
taste, and a lot of the tanginess experienced at the beginning of the smoke subsides. Meanwhile, the sweetness
of some of the tobaccos in the blend concentrate and introduce a caramelized flavour that was barely existant
earlier during the smoke. This blend would probably be best appreciated by Virginia aficionados who enjoy
a tobacco with lots of flavour and a bit of bite. It burns clean and dry to a fine ash that ranges in
colour from pale grey to almost black, accompanied by a small amount of dottle. It has a distinctive aroma
that smells light and sweet in the room, without being truly aromatic. For me, this is a perfect example
of a mixture that is obviously blended with skill, and whose taste I enjoy very much. Now, if it were
a little cooler on the tongue, I could smoke lots of it. '96
- Smoker II
- A medium-to-coarse cut English, with a pronounced and agreeable (at least to me) smoky flavour and
aroma. A good helping of latakia makes this a nice blend to relax to (because it smells like a fireplace
perhaps). It is a fairly dark blend, but contains just enough lighter, sweeter Virginias to make it quite
lively tasting for a full latakia blend. A non-smoking friend couldn't resist a few puffs of this one
and his impression was that it is ashy tasting, but in a pleasant way. It is of medium-full body and fairly
smooth, with just a slight bite from the Virginias. This is one of those tobaccos that I could smoke practically
all day and it's on my best-ever list. To compare, it's not nearly as rich and sweet a blend like McClelland's
Frog Morton. It's more in the league of Balkan Sobranie 759, but a little
less full and heavy. Absolutely delicious if you like this kind of blend and probably perfect if you like
Woodsman or Woodlands but find them a little too dark
for your tastes. This blend comes dry, burns well, and clean.... to a fine, grey ash. '97
- Turkish Supreme
- Quite satisfying for a somewhat light blend. Mild and pleasant with an earthy, almost sandy, natural
and neutral flavour. However, I was surprised that it has none of the heavy, sweet taste characteristic
of many Turkish blends. Nothing outrageously exciting, but a nice change of pace. '95
- Woodlands
- A dry, crumbly, blackish tobacco with a few lighter flecks of red and yellow tobaccos. This is a heavy,
latakia-dominant blend that is distinguished by a slight sweetness to the smoke, probably furnished by
the particular Virginias and Turkishes that are in the blend and perhaps a dash of black cavendish. It's
definitely a full-flavoured blend, yet it's slightly lighter in body than its taste might suggest. The
way that it produces a rich, dark latakia flavour without undue bitterness makes it akin to blends like
Blatter Reserve (which is slightly smoother and heavier in body, lighter
on the latakia, more aromatic and more complex in flavour) and McClelland's
Frog Morton (which has a much more unified and sweeter kind of dark taste). Aficionados of the two
above-mentioned blends would probably enjoy Woodlands, and find that it's little heavier and more lively,
and also that it probably contains a bit more nicotine as well. Toward the end of the smoke, the underlying
sweetness tends to evaporate, and it develops a slight bite, but nothing unpleasant—probably the
perique content at work. Anyone who enjoys dark latakia blends could fall in love with this one. Its dryness
makes it burn easy and it burns clean to a dry, grey ash with perhaps a few unburnt flecks of latakia
remaining. '96
- Woodsman
- This is a dry, blackish-looking blend, with maybe 30-40% lighter tobacco mixed in. Its dark, English
flavour and high quality classes it in that category of blends which includes Dunhill's
Nightcap and Sobranie's 759. A slight sweetness from the Virginia tobaccos
and perhaps some Turkish balances the heavy latakia and perique to make this an excellent mixture to put
in your pipe if you like full-flavoured English blends. It is probably this subtle sweetness and the rich,
smoky taste at the outset of the smoke that reminds me somewhat of Sobranie's 759, but it lacks the very
smooth, almost creamy aspect of 759. Like a bowl of Nightcap, the sweetness subsides slowly and it becomes
darker-tasting and a bit more peppery toward the bottom of the bowl. Overall, it's a little heavier and
less sweet and fragrant than Woodlands, and a touch sharper. It's not a bite-free
tobacco, but the bite it provides is subtle and pleasant. It also could be compared to Cornell
& Diehl's #965—but it has a more woodsy, ashy taste, less of the intense leathery pouch aroma,
it's not quite so sharp on the palate, and it's perhaps a little richer in terms of actual flavour when
smoked. Dry-smoking, very satisfying, and burns well to a greyish-white ash that sit upon a few crumbs
of unburnt tobacco. '97
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