Just For Him -- Shortcut to Mushrooms

Brand: Just For Him
Blend: Shortcut to Mushrooms
Style: Aromatic
Pipe Used: Savinelli Natural
Price: $31.95/lb

Appearance: 8
Taste: 7
Room Note: 9
Value: 7
Overall: 8

Having just received a new Savinelli Natural pipe that I'm planning to use strictly for aromatics I decided to break it in by trying out this new blend. Shortcut to Mushrooms is available exclusively through the Just For Him website and store.

This blend is the fourth entry in their themed Middle Earth Pipeweed Series and I had heard so many good things about it I decided to give it a try. The tobacco is a very dark black ribbon cut and has a rich, sweet aroma. It was a little wet on arrival but after drying for a bit on the counter it was ready to go.

It packed and lit easily but was still a bit too damp so I had to relight the pipe fairly regularly. Even with the frequent lighting and puffing there was no tongue bite which is great for an aromatic blend. There was a bit of gurgling but that was easily rectified with a few pipe cleaners down the stem. The room note matched the pre-light aroma and left a sweet smell that lingered and never faded into a typical burnt tobacco odor.

The flavor profile was quite complex for an aromatic blend. It started off with a rich, buttery taste that then evolved into burnt caramel with a hint of smoky BBQ (likely due to the liberal use of Latakia). Some say that they actually taste a bit of sauteed mushroom in this blend but I just detected a bit of damp earthiness. Toward the end the tobacco became almost too sweet as the caramel came to the fore and overpowered the other flavors. At no point did the tobacco ever taste artificial like so many aromatics. This blend reminded me of the Frog Morton series in that it's a traditional, Latakia heavy English style blend with a bit of topping added to give it some sweetness.

I rather enjoyed Shortcut to Mushrooms but found it to be a bit too sweet for an everyday smoke. It does make a nice change of pace tobacco and those who enjoy aromatics with unusual flavors are encouraged to give it a try. Fans of "The Lord of the Rings" will want to pack it into a suitably Tolkienesque pipe and evoke memories of hobbits as well.