Alternatives to Classic Pipe Tobacco Blends - Filling the Gaps Left by Cherished Mixtures
Posted by Greg Rosenberg on 14th Dec 2021
Alternatives to:
Before clutching the pearls or grinding the teeth (or axe) at the notion of a “match” or “replacement” for a legendary blend, let me kick off this collection of alternatives to classic pipe tobacco blends with the assurance that I am aware as you are, things can’t truly be recreated—not perfectly. Heck, even with a consistent manufacturer, in the same factory, using the same equipment, change is inevitable.
Sourcing of raw leaf is a variable game; the days of the auction system are no more—large cigarette manufacturers such as Philip Morris and J.R. Tobacco commission farmers by the millions of pounds while humble operations struggle to find high quality leaf and the agency to be selective. Old school methods of manufacturing disappear from farms. Some varieties may go away completely as Syrian Latakia has—Perique has certainly given us a few scares before.
Absolute consistency is difficult for anyone. So, we certainly can’t expect a perfect match from approximating a blend without the proprietary practices and equipment, mapping out a recipe from the discerning palate of a clever blender.
But we need not get hung up on this idea of the perfect match. Because we may still find ourselves with a fantastic blend that can supplement the absence while bringing us something new to discover. In fact, you’ll see through this piece that a lot of the classics were conceived as matches themselves.
“Match” (when not referring to our little fire sticks) can sometimes feel like a buzz word in pipe tobacco discussions. For some, it lands on the ear like a gnat and provokes the reflex to swat it off. I like “alternative,” but whatever we want to call it, let’s establish our mission here. It is not to find the carbon copy of the bygone or evasive classic. It won’t be found, and such expectations only set us up to evaluate through an impossible rubric and can warp the impression of an otherwise great blend. This is about exploring, guided by the giants of pipe tobacco—touching on their histories, and paying homage while we’re at it.
It’s a great time to be an explorer in this hobby. We owe that to the craftsmen we have today—pipe maker and blender alike—who treat the craft like the art that it is. But we also owe our gratitude to the giants whose shoulders these modern masters stand on.
Dunhill Blends
In 2018, unfortunate news befell the world of pipe smoking. British American Tobacco (BAT), who owned General Cigar Co. (the makers and distributers of Dunhill blends), decided to leave the pipe tobacco and cigar enterprise. At the time, these blends were being manufactured in Denmark at the Orlik / Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) factory. Luckily, STG purchased the rights to the blend designs and trademarks. Also acquired by STG: Peterson’s pipe tobacco line. The Peterson pipe company had recently sold to an American company. STG opted to reintroduce some of the popular Dunhill blends as part of the Peterson line. Luckily, since these blends were already being made in the STG factory, the only change in the tobaccos was the Dunhill name on the tins being replaced with Peterson’s logo. However, in the interim, a few fantastic blends sprouted up by other esteemed pipe tobacco manufacturers looking to fill the void, giving us more options to explore.
Now let’s rewind to where Dunhill got started…
In 1907, Alfred Dunhill opened shop in London where he revolutionized pipe tobacco blends. Recognizing how personal of an experience taste is to the pipe smoker, Dunhill instituted a creative way for customers to achieve a fantastic smoke curated to their palate. He would interview shop-goers about their tobacco tastes and mix them a personalized blend then and there. The process could be repeated, the recipe gradually refined, until the right mixture for that patron had been realized. These personally cultivated mixes were the “My Mixture” blends.
Let's continue the history of Dunhill, told through their famous mixtures. Each will precede a few recommendations.
(Note: although the Peterson versions of some of Dunhill’s especially popular blends differ only in name, I’ll include those because they give us an opportunity to explore some of the great blends they influenced)
My Mixture 965
In the long run, Dunhill couldn’t rely solely on the My Mixture method. It doesn’t translate so well to a catalogue format, and of course some folks are more interested in walking into a store, getting what they need, and leaving—not invested enough for the song and dance of an interview. So, while keeping the practice, Dunhill also delegated ten of the My Mixture blends to a line of prepackaged, name mixes which would be featured in the 1910 catalogue. One of these blends was My Mixture 965, apparently mixed for E. A. Baxter, Esq. 965 remained popular throughout the Dunhill years and is still prominent in the Peterson Dunhill line.
Cornell & Diehl Tuggle Hall
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Blend Type: American Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Latakia, Perique Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Full |
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Sutliff 965 Match (Match 20)
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Marylebone
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Originally My Mixture 999 Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Peterson My Mixture 965
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Medium |
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The Royal Yacht
In 1910, Dunhill sought to offer more name blends which fulfilled what the My Mixture system could not. Blending is a meticulous art beyond the mixing of ingredients. Flavors are dramatically altered by the processes that blends undergo, especially giving time for the component tobaccos to sit together, allowing flavors to marry. This was another drawback to the on-the-spot production of My Mixture blends. Thus, in 1912, a new line was released of pre-packaged blends. Among this line, the still popular Royal Yacht—infamous for its fine, matured Virginias.
Peterson University Flake
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Blend Type: Virginia / Burley Tobacco Type: Virginia, Burley Flavoring: Plum Cut: Flake Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Medium - Full |
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Cornell & Diehl Dreams of Kadath
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Blend Type: Virginia Based Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Kentucky, Orientals, Perique, Virginia Cut: Plug Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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McConnell Paddington
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Originally Royal Island Blend Type: Virginia Based Tobacco Type: Virginia Flavoring: Plum Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Full |
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Peterson The Royal Yacht
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Virginia Flavoring: Plum / Other Cut: Ribbon Strength: Full Taste: Medium - Full |
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Durbar (1066)
Another one of the pre-packaged blends launched in 1912 was the Oriental mixture Durbar.
Despite being a popular blend, Durbar was dropped in the late 60s but was promptly replaced with My Mixture 1066. This replacement was said to be nothing but a name change, but many speculate it was more of a pivot in the wake of complications in keeping the Durbar recipe consistent.
It seems alterations to the Durbar blend may have been inevitable given the difficulty sourcing specific Oriental sub-varieties. It was necessary for Dunhill to purchase these tobaccos discretely to achieve the nuanced specificity of some of their blends. However, it became more and more common for these sub-varieties to be sold in a bulk mixture. Additionally, the Syrian government’s ban on Latakia production saw blenders switching to Cyprian Latakia. Most Latakia smoked today is Cyprian. These changes may have prompted Dunhill to introduce 1066 to take on the altered recipe without betraying the original profile, while hopefully still satiating the same smokers. Durbar would eventually be reintroduced with its original title, but ultimately would not be included in the Peterson line.
Cornell & Diehl Rajah’s Court
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Rattray's Red Rapparee
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Blend Type: Scottish Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Oriental Square
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Originally Durbar Square Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Orientals, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Ye Olde Signe
During WWI, more name blends hit the market. Among them was Ye Olde Signe, launched in 1915. The straight Virginia favorite saw a similar trajectory as Durbar, moving to Murray’s in 1981, Orlik/STG in 2004, and finally bowing out with the Dunhill brand. Of course, we can assume that it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for these blends that were not picked up by Peterson to eventually be reproduced. But until then, hopefully alternatives will suffice.
Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Shakespeare
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Originally The Old Sign
Blend Type: Virginia Tobacco Type: Straight Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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Standard Mixture
In the economic recovery following the war, the price was raised on Dunhill’s existing blends. To sustain accessibility for a broad market, Dunhill released a number of affordable mixes. One of these, released in the early 1920s, was the Dunhill Standard Mixture, which was available in mild, medium, and full Latakia strengths. Although blended as an affordable option, Standard Mixture became a wildly popular blend and has stood the test of time, even being picked up in the transition to Peterson.
Sutliff Standard Mixture Match
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Notting Hill
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Originally Gold Standard Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Oriental, Latakia, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Peterson Standard Mixture
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium
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London Mixture
In 1928, Dunhill released the Latakia/Cavendish blend London Mixture. By the time of its later iteration however, London Mixture could accurately be described as an Oriental blend—the variant taking a bit more of a starring role in contrast to the smoky Latakia and grassy Virginias. Unfortunately, London Mixture was not picked up by Peterson.
G. L. Pease Westminster
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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McConnell Piccadilly Circus
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Originally City of London Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Nightcap
Though Dunhill had built up a substantial portfolio, by the end of WWII a reworking of the catalogue was underway. A number of blends were dropped. The catalogues of the 50s show Dunhill offering My Mixture blends, Royal Yacht, Durbar, Cuba, and three new blends released in 1951: Nightcap, Early Morning Pipe, and Aperitif. In his article, DUNHILL PIPE TOBACCO: 1907 – 1990, John C. Loring proposes that this change was a strategy to focus on the most successful pre-war blends while introducing new ones meant to find hold in the American Market, which proved to be much more consistent in tobacco pricing in the post-war period compared to the UK.
Nightcap has long been a quintessential English blend, possibly the most mourned in those gap years between Dunhill and Peterson.
Ashton Artisan’s Blend
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Perique, Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Full |
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Sutliff Nightcap Match (Late Evening)
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Covent Garden
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Originally called Night Club Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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Peterson Nightcap
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Full Taste: Full |
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Early Morning Pipe
Fortunately, both Nightcap and Early Morning Pipe were picked up with the Peterson Dunhill line. With Nightcap as the robust, full-bodied, wind-down smoke, Early Morning Pipe is there to get the English lovers' days started with a flavorful, mild to medium pleasure. Such a staple for these English smokers, quite a few blenders were looking to fill the void between the Dunhill and Peterson productions.
Cornell & Diehl Good Morning
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Orientals, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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Presbyterian
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Sutliff Early Morning Pipe Match (Sunrise)
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Boutique Blend
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Originally Early Bird Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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Peterson Early Morning Pipe
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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Aperitif
Unlike Nightcap and Early Morning Pipe, Aperitif was not picked up as part of the Peterson Dunhill line. But we hold onto hope that this Scottish mixture perfect for that pre-dinner smoke might pack our pipes once again. In the meantime, we certainly aren’t starved of options.
Samuel Gawith: Squadron Leader
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Virginia, Turkish, Latakia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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Rattray’s Black Mallory
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell St. James Park
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Originally The Appetizer Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Orientals, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Flake
In the latter part of the 1950s, a pressed straight Virginia was introduced, Dunhill Flake. This was renamed Light Flake in late 1960s to contrast the name of the newly released Dark Flake; as you could guess, a stronger variety of the former. Light Flake returned to its original name when the FDA banned descriptors of “light” on tobacco products. However, Dark Flake had already been dropped by this time.
Capstan Navy Cut
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Newminster No. 400 Superior Flake
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Flake
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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Peterson Flake
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Elizabethan Mixture
It was in the period that we see Dark Flake appear on the market that another familiar blend arises, the renowned vaper Elizabethan Mixture.
G. L. Pease Fillmore
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique, Latakia Cut: Broken Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Sutliff Elizabethan Match (Victorian)
Based on the Murray’s production
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Regent Street
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Originally Majesty Elizabeth Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Mild
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Peterson Elizabethan Mixture
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Medium |
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De Luxe Navy Rolls
It seems that in the late 1990s, Dunhill tried their hand at a match of their own. In 1994, Gallaher ceased production of the ever-popular Escudo Navy De Luxe. It eventually reemerged in the late 1990s after being acquired by A & C Petersen, but in the interim, Dunhill released De Luxe Navy Rolls.
A & C Petersen would be acquired by Orlik in 2000 and eventually production of Escudo Navy Deluxe moved to the Orlik/STG factory. There has been some debate about whether the current iterations of these blends are in fact the same, as Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls and Escudo Navy De Luxe are both made in the STG Factory and seem to match in each observable way, although different tobacco sources are purported.
Davidoff Flake Medallions
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Virginia, Perique Cut: Spun Cut Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Escudo Navy De Luxe
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique Cut: Spun Cut Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Medium |
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McConnell Highgate
Originally Eclipse
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique Cut: Spun Cut Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Mild |
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Peterson Deluxe Navy Rolls
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Virginia, Perique Cut: Spun Cut Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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McClelland Blends
In the early 1970s, Carl Ehwa began working at Fred Diebel’s, a tobacco shop in Kansas City. He eventually started blending for the shop and, soon enough, was running factory operations. In 1974, Ehwa would publish The Book of Pipes— still a mainstay for pipe smokers.
Partnered with wife Mary (later Mary McNiel) and friend Bob Benish, Ehwa set out to start his own operation. It was Ehwa’s grandfather, Dr. McClelland, who provided the namesake and the location for the budding company, as the trio set up shop in his basement and got to blending.
Benish would depart in 1980 to realize his passion for pastry as a baker, prompting the arrival of Mike McNiel to the McClelland team. Unfortunately, some difficult times were ahead.
In 1982, Ehwa suffered a brain aneurysm. His personality changed and with it, the passion for tobacco waned. He would leave McClelland shortly after.
However, Mary and Mike proved to be a formidable partnership, continuing to develop the McClelland brand, and even wedding in 1993.
Every step of the blending process at McClelland was done with the most precise care, from a scrupulous choosing of leaf to the point of sealing, no aspect of production would be executed with anything short of thoughtful care. Mike had a meticulous approach to every facet of blending; checking moisture constantly, making miniscule adjustments so it was just right. Mary had her own acuity in her advanced palate. She had a keen sense for the nuances of the different components and would often crack-the-code on developing blends that were missing that one thing. This asset also made her adept at ensuring a component leaf or batch was up to the company’s high standards. Not to mention, she is the artists behind many of the McClelland labels such as the Frog Morton series and Christmas Cheer.
These high standards are a major part of why, to the chagrin of many, McClelland closed up shop in 2018.
We’ve made our pipe tobaccos–Virginias, Oriental mixtures, Aromatics, etc.–from the highest grades of leaf and stripped tobaccos because of their basic richness and natural sweetness. That has been the beauty of McClelland and that is now the problem. We can no longer access tobacco of the quality we need. The time-honored labor-intensive process at the farms are disappearing. The aging of leaf over several summers to mellow is largely a thing of the past. We need old school methods at every stage before manufacturing to make it possible for McClelland to draw from the leaf the flavors that have been our hallmark.
- Excerpt from announcement of McClelland’s closing
It can be difficult not to pout a bit, wishing maybe a successor could have been trained in the niche and proprietary methods of McClelland’s magic, but when it comes down to it, the ingredients and infrastructure within the industry just aren’t there now—so say the folks with the only authority to really say what McClelland blends need. The McNiels opted to preserve their blends as just what they were meant to be; even if that means they are only preserved in the fond memories of pipe smokers and the cellars of some lucky-so-and-sos. A graceful exit, though not an all too surprising one considering the artistry and passion exhibited in their famous blends.
Far be it from me to suggests “replacements” for the one-of-a-kind tangy, vinegary profile notorious of McClelland blends, but these may get you through the vexing McClelland withdraw without impulsively coughing up hundreds on that cellared tin.
5100 Red Cake
One thing McClelland was especially notorious for was their great Red Virginias. The loss of this one also spelt the beginning of the end for McClelland. In 2017, news of the end of 5100 Red Cake spread as Mike relayed to some in the industry that he and Mary had sampled the Carolina Red Virginias that they had just received from the year’s harvest. Sadly, the inevitable day the McNiels anticipated had arrived; the batch simply wasn't up to their standards. Rather than settle, they decided that was it for the blend. This one was really felt through the community, as 5100 was a favorite component for micro-blenders, and quite simply a delightful smoke.
Sutliff Matured Red Virginia 515 RC-1
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Blend Type: Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Frog Morton
Frog Morton had the flavor of rich Latakia, but nonetheless that iconic smoothness for which McClelland is praised. I’ve heard that it was blended with the idea of making a great introduction to English blends. Whether or not that is so, it certainly achieves a rewarding smoke, accessible as a newcomer’s introduction to Latakia forward blends as well as an all-day smoke for the seasoned pipe smoker. In addition to being a fantastic blend in and of itself, Frog Morton was also the springboard for a series of beloved variations on the original. You may hear the original referred to as Frog on a Log—a de facto label that easily distinguishes it within the Frog Morton family.
Rattray’s Black Mallory
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Cornell & Diehl Mississippi Mud
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Blend Type: Latakia/Perique Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Perique Cut: Coarse Cut Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Full |
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G. L. Pease Maltese Falcon
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Frog Morton on the Bayou
Frog Morton on the Bayou is the Balkan variety which sees the original Virginia and Latakia blend boldened by Oriental/Turkish tobacco and Perique. Bayou is the only of the Frog Morton blends to utilize Perique.
Cornell & Diehl Plantation Evening
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Perique, Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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G. L. Pease Samarra
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Frog Morton’s Cellar
Another in the Frog family is Frog Morton Cellar. Here we have the original recipe aged with whiskey barrel staves. This is a popular method for imparting a more natural aromatic taste. The tobacco is slowly imbued with the remnant aroma from the staves, giving an extra flavor that mingles well with the tobaccos.
Sutliff Private Stock Eastfarthing
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Virginia, Latakia, Burley Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Cornell & Diehl Strathspey
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Blend Type: Scottish Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Orientals, Virginia Flavoring: Whiskey Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Missouri Meerschaum American Patriot
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Blend Type: English Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Orientals/Turkish, Virginia Flavoring: Bourbon Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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40th Anniversary
The celebratory straight Virginia is a favorite from McClelland. The natural sweetness, citrus grassy notes, and iconic McClelland tang makes this mix of Red and Orange Virginias easy to miss.
Cornell & Diehl Opening Night
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Cornell & Diehl Interlude
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Flavoring: Honey Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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G. L. Pease Union Square
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Dark Star
“Occasionally we meet someone whose familiarity with a variety of tobaccos, sensitive palate, and desire for "that special tobacco" provide an inspiration for us. In seeking to satisfy a taste other than our own, we pleasantly surprise ourselves with beautiful results. This is what the Personal Reserve Series is all about. We developed this concept early on as a way to enhance our creative spirit. We are proud to offer these fine pipe tobacco blends and hope you will enjoy them.” - McClelland
Another straight Virginia, but this one takes a dark turn. Aged, pressed, and stoved, Dark Star truly makes the case for the McClelland Virginia expertise and range. I will say, keeping in mind that there really are no perfect matches for any blends, the McClelland straight Virginias are an especially daunting gap to fill. Their unique flavors were their own, but we can still look into some dark, heavily stoved Virginias that may satisfy the palate of the Dark Star appreciator.
Rattray’s Black Virginia
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Blend Type: Cavendish Based Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Virginia Flavoring: Licorice, Nuts, Beans, Plum, Sugar Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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Astley’s No. 44 Dark Virginia Flake
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Blend Type: Straight Virginia Tobacco Type: Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Balkan Blue
Balkan Blue, originally called Blue Mountain, is a smooth Balkan with a significant Oriental presence which beautifully accents woody Latakia. This one was actually inspired by a 21-year-old tin of Balkan Sobranie #759 and won the People’s Choice Award at the 2011 Chicago Pipe Show’s Balkan Sobranie Throwdown.
Cornell & Diehl Star of the East
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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G. L. Pease Abingdon
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Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Sobranie House Blends
The Redstone family established Sobranie of London in 1879. They were one of the earliest cigarette brands as the smoking medium began to get more and more popular, especially in Europe. To us in the pipe world, they are the original manufacturers of the legendary Balkan Sobranie Mixture.
You often see Balkan Sobranie’s introduction dated in the 1920s, but it’s difficult to date accurately. Cigarettes of the same name had been around since the late 19 th century, which many early mentions refer to. Kevin Godbee wrote in 2012 that he’s found no explicit mention of the pipe tobacco prior to a 1949 issue of The Strand, but it was likely around for some time before this.
Sobranie House ceased their pipe tobacco production in 1982, selling a few of their most popular trademarks to Gallaher Group. Pipe tobacco simply wasn’t important enough to their business to justify the expenses and energy on products that, while beloved, weren’t the cash crop.
Sobranie House also manufactured brands such as Krumble Kake for Smoker’s Haven and other house blends—the productions of which were moved to other factories.
Some of the popular Sobranie blends are still available, of course, as modern interpretations of the originals.
The Balkan Sobranie
One of the most popular tobaccos ever produced, the namesake of the Balkan category of English blends, Balkan Sobranie is about as legendary as you can get in pipe tobacco blends.
Like many of these blends with such long histories, Balkan Sobranie has many iterations through the years, disturbed by the familiar agitators; changing of hands to different manufacturers and disruptions to leaf availability.
The first of such changes was when production was still under Sobranie House; the switch from Syrian to Cyprian Latakia that all blenders in the 60s found themselves contending with. Manufacturers likely warehoused Syrian Latakia and gradually phased in the Cyprian variety as stock dwindled. In light of this, it's difficult to explicitly pin point when the blend's Latakia was totally Cyprian, but it was likely within the decade or two that that followed the Syrian government’s ban on production. Then of course were the changes that came with the changing of hands.
G. L. Pease, a regular smoker of Balkan Sobranie when it was still manufactured by Sobranie House, points to a number of changes in the transition to Gallaher:
- Altered toasting technique.
- Reduction in Latakia from 50% to 35%.
- Yenidje replaced with generic Orientals.
- Additives introduced to the mix.
- Cut changed to accommodate mass-production.
In 1998, Gallaher ceased production of tobacco products, and that was the end of Balkan Sobranie until 2011, when distribution was picked up by Arango Cigar Co., blended by J. F. Germain & Son in the Channel Isle of Jersey factory.
J. F. Germain & Son Balkan Sobranie
J. F. Germain is the perfect choice to recreate this time-honored mixture. We became acquainted with them, when we acquired the Butera Tobacco Company’s inventory and distribution rights of Germain. They continue to make several of Butera’s finest mixtures for us, including the well-respected Esoterica. So, we know their reputation for selecting and blending tobaccos of the highest quality and standards. I know smokers will respond positively to the reintroduction of Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture, and that the blend’s iconic white can will again top the list of many pipe smokers’ favorites."
- Michael Gold, President of Arango Cigar Co.
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Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Sutliff Match Balkan Sobranie
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Sutliff match based on the 1970 Balkan Sobranie. Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Hearth & Home Black House
Russ Ouellette blend which won the 2011 Balkan Sobranie 759 Throwdown at the Chicagoland Pipe and Tobacciana Show.
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Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Kentucky, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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G. L. Pease Charing Cross
One of G. L. Pease’s early mixtures was blended to harken back to his memories of Balkan Sobranie he used to smoke—still made by House of Sobranie, though after Syrian Latakia was replaced by Cyprian.
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Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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Balkan Sasieni
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Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Bengal Slices
In the mid-70s, one blend was gaining a lot of traction as a great English with an innovative convenience, Smokers' Haven’s notorious Krumble Kake. The pressed slices were apparently the brainchild of Smokers’ Haven founder Joseph Zieve who imagined bringing an ease of transportation to tobacco blends. Crumble cakes feature ribbon cut tobacco that has been pressed, though not with as much pressure or as long as a flake would usually be. Seeing the promise of this cut style, Balkan Sobranie (who were in fact manufacturing Krumble Kake for Smokers’ Haven) opted to create their own, Bengal Slices. It’s believed that Bengal Slices was pressed Balkan Sobranie with an added topping.
Bengal Slices wasn’t included in the transition to Gallaher. It was originally a house blend for James B. Russel Inc. (JBR), so when Gallaher took over Sobranie trademarks, the Slices were retained by JBR. Bengal Slices reentered the market, being produced in a Denmark factory, but this only lasted a few years, and were discontinued in the late 80s. JBR would contract A & C Petersen who would manufacture Bengal Slices from 91 to 99, right up to the Orlik/STG acquisition of A & C Petersen in 2000. Finally, the last changing of hands occurred in 2015, which perfectly brings us to our first recommendation…
(STC) Bengal Slices
In 2015 The Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania (STC) acquired the manufacturing and distribution rights for War Horse, John Cotton blends, and Bengal Slices. STC would then tap Russ Ouellette to help develop the blend recreation—an obvious choice, not only being that Ouellette is a master of his craft, but he had made his own tribute to Bengal Slices already.
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Crumble Cake Flavoring: Licorice Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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(STC) Bengal Slices White
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A lighter alternative to the STC re-release Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Crumble Cake Strength: Mild - Medium Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Hearth & Home Fusilier’s Ration
Russ Ouellette's tribute to Bengal Slices.
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Crumble Cake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Captain Black
True, the infamous Captain Black brand from Lane Limited is still going strong with its array of beloved Aromatics. But the pillar of modern tobacco blending that it is, a dive into the brand and its influence seems warranted.
These days, Aromatics are the most popular blend types by and large—and Captain Black, still the most popular pipe blend in the US, was at the forefront of the movement. Captain Black was a pioneering blend for the Aromatic as we often experience it today where top flavoring is lush and dominant, doing more to define the blend rather than accent it. Aromatics in this vein are often Black Cavendish heavy as well, as the process of steaming and pressing the (usually) Virginia and Burley results in a leaf with a subdued “tobacco taste” that is especially gracious to taking on added flavor.
Some do look down on this trend toward heavily cased and flavored blends, but it often comes down to finding the right one for you. So, let’s explore some options using the archetypal mixes for modern Aromatic pipe tobacco.
Captain Black Original
The original Captain Black, often referred to as Captain Black White, is a mainstay of pipe blends. Likely the sweetest of the brand’s offerings, this vanilla, marshmallow-y blend tastes as good as it smells.
Mac Baren Seven Seas Regular
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia Flavoring: Chocolate, Vanilla, Other Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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High Peaks White
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Cavendish, Virginia Flavoring: Vanilla, Other Cut: Coarse Cut Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Lane Limited 1Q
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Virginia Flavoring: Vanilla Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Sutliff Z92 Vanilla Custard Cream
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Cavendish Flavoring: Cream, Vanilla Cut: Coarse Cut Strength: Mild Taste: Medium |
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Captain Black Royal
Royal offers a take on Captain Black that is a bit more subdued in the flavoring. With Black and Golden Cavendish, this variety is great for the pipe smoker who enjoys their occasional, moderately topped aromatic.
Mac Baren Seven Seas Royal
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia Flavoring: Other Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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High Peaks Blue
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Cavendish Flavoring: Caramel, Sugar, Vanilla Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Sutliff 1M
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia Flavoring: Other, Vanilla Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Captain Black Dark
A late comer to the scene, Captain Black Dark is another take on the classic Black Cavendish, Vanilla Aromatic. Its launch in 2013 saw many blind-sided aromaniacs with a new favorite in the Captain line-up.
Mac Baren Seven Seas Black
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish Flavoring: Amaretto, Chocolate, Vanilla, Other Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Sutliff B30 Chocolate Mousse
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish Flavoring: Chocolate Cut: Coarse Cut Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Lane Limited BCA
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Cavendish Flavoring: Liquor, Chocolate, Vanilla, Whiskey Cut: Coarse Cut Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Captain Black Gold
Captain Black Gold is another in the series that might be preferable to the fair-weather Aromatic smoker. The topping allows more of the Golden Cavendish to peak through, still retaining some of that natural Virginia sweetness and grassy notes.
Mac Baren Seven Seas Gold
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia Flavoring: Other Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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High Peaks Gold
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Virginia Flavoring: Light Honey, Vanilla Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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Lane Limited MV-1000
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Virginia Flavoring: Vanilla, Other Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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Captain Black Cherry
What’s a world-renowned drugstore brand without bringing some cherry to the mix? Captain Black Cherry carries one of those aromas that can inexplicably provoke nostalgia upon one’s first whiff of it. The toasted Black Cavendish sets the foundation perfectly for a simple, straightforward, cherry-full delight.
Mac Baren Seven Seas Red
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Burley, Virginia Flavoring: Cherry Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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High Peaks Red
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Black Cavendish, Cavendish Flavoring: Cherry Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild - Medium |
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Sutliff SPS-3 Cherry
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Blend Type: Aromatic Tobacco Type: Cavendish Flavoring: Cherry Cut: Ribbon Strength: Mild Taste: Mild |
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Esoterica Penzance
Penzance from Esoterica Tobacciana has reached the mythological levels of embrace by pipe smokers akin to those bygone blends without ever having been discontinued—it’s just very hard to find.
Penzance’s origins are in the classic Smokers’ Haven blends. When Founder Joseph Zieve first tasted Balkan Sobranie while stationed in England, he knew it had to make its way to America. He approached House of Sobranie and facilitated a partnership. This led to Smokers’ Haven’s Our Best Blend, which was really Balkan Sobranie relabeled. They expanded their portfolio, concocting new blends that were riffs on the Balkan Sobranie base—one of these was the infamous Krumble Kake which inspired Bengal Slices. As was stated in the previous section, Sobranie House’s leave from pipe tobacco meant Smokers’ Haven had to find a new manufacturer, which they did in J. F. Germain. However, they didn’t last long. With the pipe tobacco industry seeing hard times and Zieve retiring in 1987, Smokers’ Haven blends were soon discontinued.
Enter Stephen Richman of the Piedmont Tobacconist. The business owner from Oakland, California envisioned a new pipe tobacco line which reimagined the Smokers’ Haven classics, blended by those who knew the lay of the blends—J. F. Germain. This is how Esoterica came to be, with a line of match blends—Margate matching Our Best Blend, Pembroke matching Cognac, and Penzance matching Krumble Kake.
Penzance is still manufactured in the J. F. Germain factory in the Isle of Jersey. Despite the wide success of the blends they produce, the operation is kept small. This may account for why Penzance has something special going on that’s difficult to pin down and makes it such an elusive brand. It’s on the shelves only so often and, even with retailers usually limiting the number of tins per order, it never lasts long.
But for this blend to be more readily available, would the operations at Germain have to be scaled up or moved to a larger factory? Is there something about the old-world operation that allows for the attention on the most meticulous level which shines through in these blends? And would the magic be dimmed in a larger operation? Likely so—compromise in all things, right? Still, there are other fantastic blends that may hold you over while waiting for that next stock of Penzance.
Hearth & Home 10 to Midnight
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Blend Type: Balkan Tobacco Type: Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Crumble Cake Strength: Medium Taste: Full |
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Captain Earle’s Ten Russians
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Blend Type: English Tobacco Type: Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia Cut: Crumble Cake Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Full |
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Brebbia Latakia Flake No. 9
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Blend Type: Virginia / Latakia Tobacco Type: Latakia, Virginia Cut: Flake Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Bell's Three Nuns
What we can say about the origins of Bell’s Three Nuns is limited, it goes back all the way to the late 19 th century. Three Nuns is still in production, though of course, it’s had its share of changes. It is currently produced by Mac Baren having been moved from Orlik/STG along with the Capstan brand in 2013. Both brands hadn’t been available to the US market for 18 years prior to the move.
The original Three Nuns is lauded as a luminary VaPer. Later incarnations have been criticized for containing less Perique than the predecessor, or none at all. It’s easy to see why a truly Perique heavy blend may size down its abundance in a mixture—Perique is a labor intensive, expensive tobacco, the extinction of which has been threatened before. What most would identify as the “original” recipe (the most familiar era of manufacturing from 1911 – 1990) claimed to have 22% Perique. This wasn’t quite so, about 7% was a casing meant to simulate Perique. Clearly, even in an era not looming with the threat of Perique’s demise, it was sensible to find creative ways to boast the spicy condiment’s presence without breaking the bank. It’s supposed that Kentucky Fire Cured tobaccos were substituted for Perique sometime in the Orlik/STG production era (1990 – 2013).
A lot of the early information on Three Nuns is difficult to piece together. For one, it was introduced over a century ago, but even into the 20 th century, clarity is thwarted by industry norms of coded language and the secrecy around a given brands proprietary operations. However, thanks to the investigatory acumen of Kevin Godbee of Pipes Magazine, much has been uncovered.
Three Nuns was first introduced roughly 130 years ago in Glasgow, Scotland by J & F Bell. This is where it was produced in the late-19 th to early 20th century. However, throughout the 20th century we see Three Nuns coming out of different factories depending on geographic distribution. For those in the US, the iteration likely stirring the nostalgia of long-time pipe smokers is the British American Tobacco Three Nuns, manufactured in Liverpool from 1911 until 1990 when production was moved to the Orlik factory in Denmark. Here there were two versions, the familiar Three Nuns as well as a pouch version which contained no Perique. However, in the late 90s, Orlik stopped exporting Three Nuns to the US; it wouldn’t be available to the US market until 2013. This is when Imperial tobacco moved production to Mac Baren to be distributed in the US by Sutliff tobacco—the iteration in current distribution.
Cornell & Diehl Three Friars
Three Friars may be considered an in between of the old and newer Three Nuns. Like the Orlik and Baren versions, it is a Virginia/Burley, but contains perique instead of Kentucky, like the Imperial era.
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Blend Type: Virginia Burley Tobacco Type: Burley, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Peter Stokkebye PS 400 Luxury Navy Flake
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Blend Type: Virginia Burley Tobacco Type: Burley, Perique, Virginia Cut: Ribbon Strength: Medium Taste: Medium |
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Savinelli Doblone d’Oro
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Blend Type: VaPer Tobacco Type: Burley, Kentucky, Perique, Virginia Cut: Curly Cut Strength: Medium - Full Taste: Medium - Full |
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Three Nuns (Mac Baren)
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Blend Type: Virginia Burley Tobacco Type: Brazilian Leaf, Kentucky, Virginia Cut: Curly Cut Strength: Medium Taste: Medium to Full |
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Some Closing Thoughts
It should be said, these infamous blends certainly have something special about them, but we have to reckon with the bold truth that obscurity lends weight to legend. Scarcity generates lore, mystique. For many modern classics still readily available, the difference between a highly appraised blend and the exalted gift from on high is presence. The former’s greatness, while attested to regularly, is thwarted from the ranks of the latter by its own accessibility. Plenty of popular blends could go by the wayside tomorrow and we would be sure to see their ascendency.
This is by no means a sour challenge to the greatness of blends that are no more or that only come around when the stars align. I just want to float the suggestion that, perhaps, we are ever in the midst of a “golden era” in the romantic reflections of some future pipe smoker. I certainly think we are in such an age now—the creativity and artistry from blenders breathes life into the hobby, while the internet and pipe shows have allowed community to flourish from all corners of the globe.
But looking ahead, there is cause for concern. We’re dealing with an FDA that sees all tobacco consumption as one in the same, stifling manufacturers’ ability to release new products, or to make changes to recipes (often necessary for consistency) without being subject to costly bureaucratic procedure. Then there is the eternal threat of losing tobacco varieties and industry changes which toss wrenches into recipes. We’ve already discussed the departure of Syrian Latakia, Perique’s near-death experiences, Oriental bulking creating complications for Dunhill blends, the end of the auction system, and YTPC favorite Old Hollywood Briar recently wrote up a piece from an interview with Sutliff president Jeremy McKenna highlighting the desultory availability of Latakia.
I don’t mean to lay on the doom and gloom. As a pipe smoker who hasn’t been in the hobby all that long, I hope and do believe that there is much to look forward to. But given these daunting concerns, we ought to look onto the past with thankful gaze for the present it has given us, but not lament what’s lost to the point of missing what’s good here and now. Who knows what we may have to mourn tomorrow?