Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania War Horse Ready-Cut

 

Blend Notes: Last sold in the UK in the early 1980's,  is a robust "every-man's" pipe tobacco, consisting of earthy, hearty Burley, ripe red Virginias, a good share of smoky, spicy dark­ fired Kentucky and a bit of Perique for a hint of sweetness. It has a very light top-note that helps to smooth out the flavor. This is a bold smoke, best enjoyed after a nice meal with a nice libation.  The sample was Loose Cut, but plugs are being developed as well.

     Strength: Medium
        Flavor: None
         Taste: Medium
 Room Note: Pleasant

The tin note was of figs and spices. War Horse was ready to smoke right from the package no drying time needed. On the charring light the spices of the dark fired Kentucky was the predominate flavor. On the true light the nuttiness of the Burley was added to the flavor profile. Shortly after the true light the tangy sweetness of the Red Virginias joined in the mix. The Perique was a minor player, but was noticeable from time to time. As for the topping the sweetness is very subtle and hardly noticeable over the flavors of the tobaccos. War Horse burned well and cool. The blend burned to a fine gray ash leaving no dottle. This is a wonderful blend that every pipe smoker should try. I am looking forward to trying the plug version when it is released.

 

Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s Smyrna

Blend Notes: The richest and boldest in their range of Latakia based blends. There's a nice share of deep, smoky Cyprian Latakia here, along with earthy, aromatic Turkish Orientals and fully-matured Virginias. The room note is exotic, while the flavors exhibit savory and lightly spicy tones with some lightly floral elements. If you've been looking for a cool-smoking, full-flavored Latakia blend, this is it.

     Strength:Medium -Full
        Flavor: None
         Taste: Full
Room Note:Tolerable

The tin note was of the smoky Latakia.  John Cotton’s Smyrna was ready to smoke right from the package no drying time needed. On the charring light and the true light the Latakia was the major player. At a quarter of the way into the bowl spiciness of the Orientals joined the flavor profile.The sweet hay flavors of the Virginias was in the background throughout the bowl. The bottom half of the bowl a tanginess crept into the flavor profile. John Cotton’s Smyrna burned well and cool with few re-lights. All you Latakia lover this blend is a must try.
 

Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton’s No. 1 & 2 Medium

Blend Notes: A classic English-style blend that has Cyprian Latakia as the main player, but not so much that it overwhelms the exotic Orientals, of the sweet, tangy Virginias. This is a remarkably well-balanced blend in which every tobacco used plays in concert to create a flavorful mixture that will definitely take you back to when John Cotton's tobaccos were among the finest available.

     Strength: Medium
        Flavor: None
         Taste: Medium - Full
 Room Note: Tolerable

The tin note was earthy and smokey  from the Latakia. On the charring light the smokiness of the Latakia was the predominate flavor. On the true light the Latakia was joined by the spicy floral notes of the Orientals.  A little further into the bowl the sweetness of the Virginias came into the flavor profile. On the back half of the bowl a tanginess started to become apparent. John Cotton’s No. 1 & 2 burned cool and well with no relights needed. This is a Latakia forward blend, but the Latakia is not overpowering. I would highly recommend this blend to the Latakia lovers out there.


 

Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania John Cotton's No 1 Mild

Blend Notes: An Orientals-forward blend with Latakia added as a condiment. While the Latakia is noticeable, the combination of bright and red Virginias and a variety of fragrant Orientals produces a harmonious whole with the different elements weaving their way in and out of the flavor profile. This can easily be enjoyed all day long

     Strength: Mild
        Flavor: None
         Taste: Medium
Room Note: Pleasant

The tin note was of peat and cedar from the Orientals. The blend was ready to smoke right from the package no drying needed. On the charring light and the true light the cedar from Orientals was the prominent flavor. Next the citrus and tanginess of the Virginias joined the flavor profile. The Latakia is a minor player in the flavor profile, but present throughout the bowl. John Cotton's No 1 Mild burned cool and well with no relights. This blend would be great for a first foray into Latakia blends. It would also make an excellent all day smoke.

Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania Bengal Slices

The Celebrated Bengal Slices. A blend of legend and lore, Bengal Slices is a unique Latakia based crumble cake made with yellow and black Virginias, some of the most delectable Orientals available and a touch of unflavored black Cavendish. The tobaccos are heated and firmly pressed along with a subtle and exotic essence, creating a bright, complex flavor with an aroma that’s reminiscent of incense – a cool, bite-free cascade of tastes.

     Strength: Medium
        Flavor: None
         Taste: Medium to Full
Room Note: Tolerable

The tin note was smokey and earthy from the Latakia. I was never lucky enough to smoke the original Bengal Slices, so I will not be able to attest as to weather or not it is a faithful reproduction. Bengal Slices like most of Russ Ouellette's blends was ready to smoke no drying necessary. On the charring light the smokiness of the Latakia was front and center. On the true light the spiciness of the Orientals joined the flavor profile. A quarter of the way into the bowl the tanginess of the Virginias came through. The sweetness of Cavendish was present through out the bowl. Bengal Slices burned cool and well once lit stayed lit to the bottom of the bowl. This is definitely Latakia forward blend, but the Latakia did overpower the flavor of other tobaccos. I can see this blend quickly becoming one of those hard to find blends. So when you find it stock up I know that I will.

Mac Baren HH Bold Kentucky

Tin Notes:
This is the strongest pipe tobacco among the blends in the Mac Baren range and is not recommended for inexperienced pipe smokers. HH Bold Kentucky contains a high amount of the finest Dark Fired Kentucky from the USA and Africa and is combined with bright Virginias to soften the taste just a bit. Still the taste is of earthiness and smoke plays the major part with just a slight nuance of sweetness as the underlying taste. The origin of the taste is in the leaf itself and thanks to the hot press the different tastes merry into one unique taste. Like all the other HH blends this blend has only an absolute minimum of casing and no top flavor at all.


     Strength: Strong
        Flavor: Medium
          Taste: Full
Room Note: Tolerable

The tin note was of the Dark Fired Kentucky a rich earthy tobacco aroma with touch of vinegar. The tobacco straight from the tin seemed a little damp and may need a little drying, but I could not wait for my first bowl. 30 minutes drying time made a difference in lighting the tobacco and the burn rate, but did not change the flavor profile. On the charring light the nuttiness of the Dark Fired Kentucky was the main flavor. On the true light the flavor of the Virginias came into the flavor profile. The sweetness of Virginias  was subtle and it does enhance the flavor of this blend. In all this blend is a smooth and creamy full flavored smoke, but not over powering. Bold Kentucky burned well leaving a light gray ash with no dottle. Mac Baren has hit this one out of the park. If you smoke full flavored blends this is a must try.

PCCA Hairy Larry from 1997

Tin Notes: Hairy Larry a stoved, full Latakia mixture. Rich tobacco for heavy relaxing. The finest Virginias and Cyprian and Syrian Latakia stoved together for added richness. Larry's favorite.

Strength: Medium
   Flavor: Medium
    Taste: Medium

The tin note was the rich smell of the Stoved Virginia. On the charring light and true light the Citrus and tangy flavor of the Virginians was the predominate flavor. I assume that over the years of aging the Cyprian and Syrian Latakia mellowed quite a bit. Not having the pleasure of smoking the blend back in 1997 I could say how much they did mellow, but now they were minor players in the flavor profile. Hairy Larry smoke well and down to a light gray ash with no dottle. I would highly recommend this blend, but I do not think that it can be easily found.