Hearth & Home -- Louisiana Red

Brand: Hearth & Home
Blend: Louisiana Red
Style: Virginia/Perique
Pipe Used: No-Name Apple
Price: Free Sample

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

While most tobacconists offer their own proprietary house blends, rare is the shop that develops such a wide array of quality pipe tobaccos that they're able to mix, tin, and distribute them for sale by their own competitors. Such is the case with the Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe -- better known to Internet connoisseurs by their web address pipesandcigars.com.

I've enjoyed many of their blends over the years and since they seem to keep devising innovative pipe tobaccos I guess I'll never run out of new things to try. I've been sitting on a sample of their Louisiana Red for a while now and finally got around to giving it a whirl.

Hearth & Home's Louisiana Red is a Virginia/Perique (VAPer) blend made up of two kinds of Red Virginia leaf and a healthy dash of St. James Perique. Out of the tin/pouch it appears as a classic medium brown ribbon cut tobacco and smells sweetly of dried fruit.

I loaded up my favorite pipe, a cheap no-name apple shape, lit the tobacco and started puffing. My first response was that it tasted like McClelland's 5100 Red Cake with the same mix of nutty sweetness that I love in that blend. Since both are predominantly Red Virginia blends I guess that stands to reason.

But after a few puffs the added Perique began to poke through with a rich, boozy taste of homemade fruitcake. This added some real depth to the blend but the Perique remained a sweet condiment and never added any spice or kick whatsoever. I actually enjoyed this departure from the classic VAPer flavor profile but I would certainly rank Louisiana Red as a mild blend in that genre.

Toward the bottom of the bowl a rich cigar taste and aroma briefly emerged which really brought the smoke to a stylish and satisfying end. The room aroma in general was fairly pleasant and nicely complimented the flavors.

The blend was also well behaved in the pipe and smoked cool and dry with no problems whatsoever.

Hearth & Home's Louisiana Red is a unique VAPer that provides a most enjoyable and flavorful smoke. The fact that the blend can now be purchased in tins (1.5 and 8oz.) from multiple retailers at great prices offers a nice alternative to bulk for those who don't enjoy canning up their own tobacco. LA Red is a winner from top to bottom and I certainly plan to stock some away.

Mac Baren -- HH Vintage Syrian

Brand: Mac Baren
Blend: HH Vintage Syrian
Style: English
Pipe Used: No-name Apple
Price: Free Sample

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

Mac Baren is one of the world's largest producers of pipe tobacco so I was a bit surprised when I realized that I had only ever smoked three of their blends and that none had made it into my regular tobacco rotation. Perhaps that explains why I sat on this 1 oz. sample of HH Vintage Syrian for so long without ever giving it a try. While going through some loose baggies of various samples I stumbled on this one and decided on a whim to finally give it a go.

The blend was a coarse cut mixture of brown and black tobaccos and the pouch aroma was sweet and smokey like many light, or Americanized (in this case Danishized), blends. It definitely had that classic Mac Baren sweetness that many refer to as a honey-like topping.

My sample had dried out a bit so I loaded the pipe bowl then gave it a few puffs of air to get the moisture level up before lighting. The pipe lit up easily and the tobacco burned at a perfect pace.

Mac Baren promotes this blend as a throw-back to simpler times when the tobacco itself was allowed to shine. Made up of the titular Syrian Latakia, Turkish Oriental, various Virginias, and a touch of Dark Kentucky this is one complex "simple" blend!

The first taste I was hit with was the high quality Latakia that was in just the right amount to offer up some smokey goodness without the skunkiness that accompanies many Latakia-heavy blends (not that I don't love that too).

The blend then gave my tongue a bit of a spicy tingle which I assume was due to the Oriental leaf. And the various Virginias provided the sweetness of dried fruit and a bit of nuttiness reminiscent of McClelland's Red Cake while the Dark Kentucky lent some cigar-like strength to the blend.

HH Vintage Syrian is one tasty and well-balanced blend and even the aftertaste was full of pleasant floral undertones.

The aroma was that classic pipe smell that we all know and love and I enjoyed smelling the stuff almost as much I did smoking it.

The blend burned down to a fine gray ash with only a few relights required and was easy on the mouth and tongue even with some slightly frenzied puffing.

Mac Baren's HH Vintage Syrian is an excellent light English blend and I can easily see myself smoking through a goodly amount of the stuff as that's one of my favorite tobacco types. Whether it truly does harken back to the blends of a century ago I have no idea but I do know that it's a perfectly balanced combination of high quality tobacco that absolutely sings in a pipe.

And if that isn't enough to recommend the stuff there's also the fact that you can acquire a 100g tin for a measly twelve bucks or an entire pound for around $37. I love great tobacco and a great bargain and this blend offers both.

Hearth & Home -- Lakeland Brickle

Brand: Hearth & Home
Blend: Lakeland Brickle
Style: Aromatic
Pipe Used: Cob
Price: Free Sample

Appearance: 8
Taste: 4
Room Note: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 6

When a tobacco is described as being a Lakeland blend it usually means that it comes from one of the famed blenders in that region of England and is imbued with that famous floral-like essence. Since the aroma and taste of this style of tobacco is so unique it tends to have a rather polarizing effect on pipe smokers.

Given the recent shortages of tobacco blends coming out of the Lakeland region, the folks at Pipesandcigars.com have decided to try their hand at imitating the style and the result is the brand new Hearth & Home entry, Lakeland Brickle.

Open opening my sample bag I was immediately hit with the overwhelming aroma of potpourri as I gazed upon a sticky mass of tobacco that looked to me like one of my favorite trail snacks, the inimitable Clif Bar. The medium brown tobacco was very moist so I broke off a chunk, rubbed it out, and set it aside to dry for a few hours. Fast forward a bit and the tobacco was still just as damp so I decided to just smoke it anyway.

Given the powerful aroma of the blend I decided to smoke it in one of trusty corncobs so as not to ghost a briar. The tobacco packed nicely and lit right up.

H&H describes Lakeland Brickle as a Virginia (mostly Red) and Burley blend infused with classic Lakeland essences such as rose and tonquin and I have to admit that each of these constituent parts made themselves readily known on the palate.

The Red Virginia is evident in the sweetness of the blend which I found to have a vegetal nature akin to a sun-ripened tomato or cucumber. The Burley provided a richness and hint of cinammon-like spice. And the added essences really took center stage with flavors running the gamut from vanilla (thanks to the tonquin-style flavoring) to rose and lavender.

To me the taste was overpowering and alternated between a tasty piece of hard candy and grandma's favorite floral soap. I've often read complaints that Lakeland blends are too soapy and never really understood what that meant until now. Not only did it taste like soap but it also coated my tongue and throat in a way I haven't experienced since my four-year-old self called my mom the b-word and was treated to a taste of Ivory.

I'll also admit upfront that I'm sensitive to some floral scents such as eucalyptus and while I can't confirm that that particular essence is in this blend I was hit with a big headache soon after finishing the bowl. The truth is that strong Lakeland blends just aren't my cup of tea and this Brickle is one powerful tobacco done up in that style.

The room aroma was naturally very sweet and flowery so you're not likely to receive any complaints there and the tobacco burned nicely even with its high moisture content.

While the pipe smoking world laments how hard it is to procure many classic English-blended tobaccos, Hearth & Home has stepped up to the plate and attempted to emulate the famous Lakeland blends as a service to their customers. Lakeland Brickle takes its name seriously and delivers one wallop of an essence-filled blend. There's no doubting the quality of the product and I'm sure that it'll have many fans but sadly I'm just not one of them. For me the added flavorings are just too cloying and strong and overwhelm the natural tobacco taste.

G.L. Pease -- JackKnife Plug

Brand: G.L Pease
Blend: JackKnife Plug
Style: VA
Pipe Used: No-Name Apple
Price: $10.85/2oz.

Appearance: 10
Taste: 9
Room Note: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 9

JackKnife Plug is the inaugural entry in Greg Pease's latest endeavor, the New World Collection. This new line of tobacco by the master blender will feature nothing but New World (American) leaf which is fitting given that tobacco was first grown, smoked, and enjoyed on these shores. As a big G.L. Pease fan I eagerly awaited the initial release of this blend and joined in the feeding frenzy that ensued when those lovely tins finally landed on store shelves.

When I popped open the tin I was greeted with a solid little plug, or cake, of tobacco that was dark brown in hue and smelled of rich tobacco and nothing else. The tobacco was also a bit moist which isn't surprising given how recently it was tinned.

I appreciate the rich history of tobacco and pipe smoking so I've always had a thing for traditional plugs, ropes, and twists. The added ritual involved in preparing these blends for the pipe really enhances my enjoyment and allows me to indulge in another one of my hobbies, knife collecting, because as everyone knows you must always have the proper tool for the job at hand.

To prepare the plug I turned to my Case Sway Back Gent with a razor-sharp wharncliffe blade and proceeded to shave off a few thin flakes. I then balled these up and rubbed them between my palms allowing a pile of fine shag to collect in the dish below. After a few hours of drying the pipe was loaded and the tobacco lit.

JackKnife Plug is advertised as containing dark-fired Kentucky, red Virginia, and golden flue-cured tobaccos and while I'm not sure what all that means I tend to associate Kentucky with dark, flavorful Burley and golden flue-cured tobacco with yellow Virginias. The red leaf of course speaks for itself. And far be it from me to attempt to assign flavors to any particular leaf as tobacco blending is as much alchemy and art as it is science.

My first taste of the blend featured a subtle metallic and mineral tang that I often find with maduro-wrapped cigars. This soon evolved into a savory, hearty, and slightly spicy flavor akin to roast beef on rye bread. At this point my eagerness took over and I began smoking a bit too fast which resulted in a tickle at the back of my throat to warn me to slow it down.

Halfway through the bowl the blend had mellowed in a subtly-sweet state that reminded me both of fresh-cut hay and roasted acorn squash. At this point I thought I had this blend figured out when, Bam!, a strong taste of vanilla and caramel emerged which was very similar to the flavor of Classic Burley Kake. I was not expecting such overt sweetness but it made for a welcome counterpoint to the blend's otherwise dense flavor profile.

After a few minutes of sugary bliss the mineral taste returned and the bowl soon finished up right back where it had started. What a wild and at times unexpected ride it was!

JackKnife Plug is a rich, heavy, and sweet blend more like a traditional English holiday pudding than an extravagant dessert. It also delivered a real roundhouse kick of nicotine even though I had purposely waited to smoke it until after eating.

The room aroma followed along the same lines as the flavor profile and offered up a strong but pleasant aroma of burning leaves and smoldering grasses.

The blend also burned slow and cool and required no fiddling save for a bit of tamping and a single relight at the very end so as not to miss out on any of the fine tobacco.

G.L. Pease's JackKnife Plug is an amazing tobacco blend that's full of intense and varied flavors and even after smoking half a tin I've only just begun to uncover its mysteries. Since the plug can be prepared in a myriad of different ways (folded flake, krumble kake, shag, cube cut, etc.) it always smokes and tastes a little different each time. And I can hardly wait to see how well this blend ages as it has all the hallmarks of a cellar classic.

So pop open a tin, strop your favorite blade to a keen edge, and have at it knowing that you're following in the footsteps of the smokers and sailors of old. JackKnife Plug is a real contradiction in terms -- a brand-new vintage tobacco -- and is pure pleasure in the pipe.

Mac Baren -- 7 Seas Regular Blend

Brand: Mac Baren
Blend: 7 Seas Regular Blend
Style: Aromatic
Pipe Used: Savinelli #313 Natural Prince
Price: Free Sample

Appearance: 7
Taste: 6
Room Note: 8
Value: 8 (based on list price)
Overall: 7

Mac Baren recently launched their new 7 Seas series of aromatic pipe tobacco and everything from the blend names (Regular, Royal and Gold) to the nautical theme and pouch aroma are reminiscent of Captain Black. While many pipe smokers look down their noses at such drugstore fare these old-school blends still make up the vast majority of pipe tobacco sold so they must have something going for them. And if Mac Baren has decided to make a none-too-subtle attempt to update such a classic then who am I to argue?

I received a few pouches of the Regular blend with some of my recent tobacco orders and decided to give the stuff a try. The tobacco was a dark, almost black, cross-cut mixture that was a bit moist and smelled of vanilla and hints of cocoa.

I loaded up my trusty aromatic pipe, gave it a light, and began happily puffing away. The tobacco lit right up and burned down about two thirds of the way before a single relight was required.

Mac Baren's 7 Seas Regular tasted very similar to Captain Black White in that the tobacco was lightly flavorful and the vanilla was quite noticeable. But whereas Captain Black has always had a nasty burnt plastic aftertaste to me this stuff was much more refined and smooth. It was still a fairly weak tasting blend but at least it was pleasant.

The room aroma was quite nice which is a feature touted right on the pouch as it aims to be as non-offensive a tobacco as possible.

The blend also burned nicely and caused no tongue bite which made for a leisurely 30 minute smoke and before I knew it all that was left in the bowl was a bit of ash and dottle and none of the goop that so often comes along with typical drugstore aromatics.

Mac Baren's 7 Seas Regular is a nice enough update to an old classic and can be had at a very reasonable price. I liked it well enough but there are just too many better aromatic blends out there to make this a regular smoke for me. But I do have to say that I'm intrigued enough that I just might sample the other two blends in the series to see what they have to offer.