Customer Reviews (4 Total)
A long time ago...
December 05, 2021
Product: Sutliff CA-100 Bulk
If you've read my review for Balkan Sasieni you may think that was the beginning of my pipe journey, but it's not. For that we have to go back a few more years to the late 1980s and a little shop in Hulen mall of Ft. Worth, TX called Puff'n Stuff (no... Read More
t to be confused with the Puff N Stuff vape/head shops in the area today). For a time Puff'n Stuff was a pipes and premium cigars retail shop that even ran tobacco departments in Montgomery Wards, if you can imagine. Once I was old enough, I thought about getting a pipe for about a year while I smoked cigarettes instead. I would sometimes go in and smell the tobaccos, but they were all aromatics that didn't appeal to me, all except one I kept coming back to called A-100. The only thing I had to compare it to was a campfire. Finally, I bought a Nording freehand and some A-100 and muddled my way through learning to smoke a pipe on my own, without a tamper, or pipe cleaners, or advice; just a good pipe, an unknown bulk blend, and a cheap Scripto lighter.
I found I enjoyed smoking a pipe and loved the smokey, oily, incense-like qualities of A-100. I wasn't a regular pipe smoker so it took a while to smoke through the ounce or two I bought, and when I ran out and returned to the Puff'n Stuff for more, the store was permanently closed. Frustrated, I located other tobacco shops (there were Tobacco Lanes in every mall, it seemed) and I would always ask them if they knew about or sold “A-100?” The answer was always “No.” Being competitors, they didn't have a clue which bulk blend Puff 'n Stuff sold as A-100 and thinking A-100 was a one-of-a-kind, it never occurred to me to see if they had anything similar. Eventually I found a guy (the one mentioned in the Balkan Sasieni review), who asked me to describe A-100 to him. I didn't know anything about Balkan or English blends at the time, but from our conversation I learned my pipe journey was just beginning. He explained Latakia blends to me and told me there were lots of blends with the qualities I described. I set off on my journey and found many Balkan blends to enjoy, but I always wondered if I'd ever find A-100 again.
Fast forward thirty years to the FDA regulations on tobacco. I was combing through the Standalone Grandfathered tobaccos for each manufacturer and came across CA-100 by Sutliff. Huh? I thought I was familiar with all the names of Sutliff bulk blends, but I didn't remember ever seeing... wait. Hmm? No, ...could it be? Could this be the bulk blend sold as A-100 all those years ago? I wanted to buy some, but couldn't find it anywhere. Months later I saw a listing and finally it's description which sounded right. I bought some to see. From the first whiff from the bag, I believed I had finally found the blend where it all began for me. Then when I smoked it my suspicion was all but verified. The difference is I have tried many quality Balkan blends since that first one. So, if this is it, how does it hold up? Unbelievably well! I would put this up against well known Balkans in a blind taste test any day (Robert McConnell's Scottish Blend, Rattray's Black Mallory, or G.L. Pease Abingdon to name a few). I have often pointed to John Bull Royal English as the English blend I smoke most often, and it's uncanny how similar CA-100 is with it's slightly sour notes and oily mouth-feel. CA-100 is a tad bit bolder and contains Perique, which may just give it the edge to be better. At this point my opinion is SO biased, please take it for what it's worth, but believe me when I say if you love Balkan blends, CA-100 is a true sleeper worth trying whether it's A-100 or not. Either way, I know I've found a suitable replacement for something I enjoyed a long time ago. UPDATE (11/8/2022): We all know that mall tobacconists like to rename bulk blends by Lane, Sutliff, and Peter Stokkebye to build customer loyalty, but it had never occurred to me that Puff 'n Stuff had used the actual name. After I wrote this review, many people pointed out that Lane Limited had a bulk blend called A-100 back in the day, some say it's still available, others claim it was discontinued around 2005. I spent years looking and asking after it and never even got a hint. Oh well, CA-100 is close enough; yet another great Sutliff match blend I suppose. Read Less
Good English Blend
September 02, 2021
Product: Sutliff CA-100 Bulk
Smoked in a wide bowl.
Flavor is Smokey, Savory and lightly Sweet.
As good as any other Latakia forward English blend.
Product: Sutliff CA-100 Bulk
Jar note of tangy sweet, spices and smoky. Tobacco is a wide Ribbon cut of black, brown and a little bright brown and tan mixed in. Moisture content is a little high, drying may be preferred by most. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is me... Read More
dium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of floral, herbal, smoky, peaty vegetation, leather, wood, spices, tart and tangy citrus, earthy, orange peel/zest, spicy/acidic, dry mild bitter, incense, a lemon grass background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish supporting. Perique and Virginias are cheering from the sidelines. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great. Read Less
Product: Sutliff CA-100 Bulk
这款草真心的难抽，烟草闻上去很香很好闻，抽起来就是很甜，室韵一般，但是过鼻一股狐臭味中带着甜腻，体验极差，是烟草本质的问题还是因为我第一次尝试拉草的问题，为了证明这个问题，我决定寄一些给up主来体验，让他给出答案，反正我个人感觉极差
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