Split Beard Pipes - Tobacco Blending Venture (http://www.splitbeardpipes.com)
A couple of weeks ago I received a comment on one of my Instagram posts from Nick at Split Beard Pipes (@splitbeardpipes). He wanted my address so that he could send me a few things to try. I've never met Nick but I know of his products via IG and on his website, so I knew it had to be something good!
A week later I received a package with these sample tins of tobacco called, 1) Bad Santa Limited Edition Holiday Blend, and 2) Beard Note Aromatic. First off, I thanked Nick for even thinking about sending a total stranger such a cool gift of tobaccos. He is a gentleman and a scholar...for sure!! All he asks was to let him know what I thought of his blends. That I could do.
One would think that a sample pack would be some tobacco in a zip-lock baggie, but no...not SBP! These cool tins were closed with a tamper-proof, plastic-wrapped seal around the tin and also had their own label on the top. How cool is that?! I started off with one of my meerschaum pipes and Paul's Mummy to sample the two blends.
Bad Santa has a blend of light brown & dark brown/black ribbon/cube cut Burley tobacco, and probably Cavendish but I'm not sure of the latter. Before I go any further, I will admit that I am still learning my tobaccos so I'm no expert. I've used a cheat sheet (posted on Reddit by Pipeweed) of the type of tobaccos and their common uses and try to use it as a guide when I remember to. The tobaccos in this tin were nice and moist...not really oily, just moist. The tin note is awesome and the missus agrees! It has a fruity and nutty aroma which is good enough to eat :P At first light in my Egg in Hand meerschaum pipe, I get nice full puffy smoke which really lets me get a whiff of the burning tobaccos. The nicotine level is low to medium for me and the room note is lighter but similar to the tin note of fruits and nuts...the missus agrees again! Shari actually said, "You need to ALWAYS smoke this kind of tobacco!". I must say that she hates my tastes in tobaccos which are mostly English blends, so a comment like that is a really good thing :P
Now back to the cheat sheet. For example, Burley has a lower sugar content than Virginias, so it is slightly less sweet. That checks. Burley is commonly used in blending tobacco because it is very mellow and cool-burning which has a nutty taste. That checks. Aromatics are commonly made with a Cavendish base and topped or cased with syrupy natural/artificial flavorings (vanilla, rum, peach, cherry, maple, etc.). Maybe that checks as well. About 1/2-way to 3/4-way through the bowl it mellows out and produced a relaxing and lightly sweet/peppery coating on my palate. In the end, I checked the bowl and did not find a goopy mess that is typical with aromatics due to the burning sugars. Overall, it sort of reminds me of Cornell & Diehl's Christmas Blend - Chestnuts Roasting. It is a tasty blend and one that I would smoke again for sure!
The second blend is Beard Note. I smoked this blend in my newly acquired Paul's Mummy, and I must say...this is very similar to Bad Santa but lighter. I can truly call this Bad Santa Lite. It looks like the tin has a blend of lighter brown with the brown and dark brown/black tobaccos. It has a lighter fruity and nutty tin & room note and maybe, just maybe a hint of chocolate. I'm probably wrong, but that's my guess. It has the full puffy smoke like Bad Santa and finishes just as good as Bad Santa. I know it looks like I short changed Beard Note in this review, but in my opinion. It is also a good tobacco in the end and something I would smoke again without hesitation!
Thanks again Nick for providing me with samples of your tobaccos in this new venture at SBP! I hope that your English blends come soon and in my direction! I'd love to sample them :P