Missouri Meerschaum, the famed corn cob tobacco pipe company, also has its hand in the tobacco manufacturing industry. It has not been a long time since that started, however.
Famed Master Blender Russ Ouellette, whose name you frequently hear when discussing excellent pipe tobacco, approached Missouri Meerschaum at the 2013 St. Louis Pipe Show.
The blends that Ouellette created for the Missouri Meerschaum Company were crafted with the specific intention of being the optimal tobacco for corn cob smoking pipes.
When crafting the different blends, Ouellette made one from each of the four most popular styles of tobacco: Cavendish, English, Burley, and Virginia/Perique.
Missouri Meerschaum titled their cavendish blend "Great Dane," after the large and impressive breed. With some flavor added from caramel, vanilla, and cherry, you get a rich and smooth tobacco that gives you a sweet and savory flavor combined with a pleasing aroma.
Their English blend, titled "American Patriot," is a comfortable mix of Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Oriental, and Virginia tobaccos. They added some Kentucky Bourbon for the flavor and aroma, turning this mixture into a distinctly American take on a classic English blend.
"Missouri Pride" is their Burley blend. With no added flavors, you get a great mix of Burley and Virginia tobaccos, combined from different cuts for each leaf. These different cuts make for a variety of flavors, giving you multiple experiences in the same bowl. Missouri Pride is a tobacco you can appreciate all day long, one that provides you with a great, authentic tobacco flavor.
Finally, the Missouri Meerschaum Virginia/Perique blend is known as "Country Gentleman." The combination of Virginia, Perique, and some dark fired Kentucky tobaccos make up a traditional VaPer blend, and you get the flavors you typically expect with that. Sweet and tangy, with a little spice from the Perique, you will find that the name "Country Gentleman" truly fits this tobacco.