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In the first place, I'm not a huge fan of Haddo's Delight. This is probably because I'm not terribly crazy about Perique. I find the blend a little harsh on my throat and have some trouble spotting the nuances so many others tend to describe. But because I love pipe tobacco, and will smoke just about anything at least a few times, I gladly agreed to smoke a bowl of eight-year old Haddo's from Sykes' personal stash when he offered it.
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As far as I’m concerned, something truly magical has happened to the contents of this tin as it sat marinating in Sykes’ cellar all these years. This much was evident at first puff. Whereas previously I found the Virginia leaf and Perique component rather disparate, here they taste delicately wedded to a unique, peppery sweet flavor. Previously, I found the vinegar notes from the fermented leaf distracting, but here it was cooled, and pleasant. I might even buy a few tins to open in a decade!
Here’s what Eric had to say on this aged tin:
After very conveniently leaving the bit of Haddo's Delight Sykes handed me in a not-quite-zip-locked Ziploc bag overnight, this G.L. Pease mixture was at just about the perfect point, dry-but-not-too-dry, to stuff it into a fresh pipe and light up. While the blend in its natural, non-combusting state may indeed have an aroma of cocoa and dried fruit, from the first puff the smoke hit me with an easy, pleasant, but very definite nutty/raisin flavor. Sweetness was detectably at work here as well, but only as a component of the flavor as a whole - much the same way you know there's sugar in dark chocolate, though it is by no means central to the flavor, nor obvious in any independent way. Given this is a blend advertised as heavy on Virginias, I had expected at least a little tongue-bite might be expected, but the Perique seemed to do its job just fine, adding a bit of spiciness while simultaneously keeping the Virginias civil. As I made my way through the bowl, the nutty/woody elements seemed more dominate, though the fruit/raisin notes did stay around, making things interesting by generally milling about and catching my attention now and then as it apparently suited them. A full exhale tended to reveal their presence more in the "aftertaste", as did likewise exhaling through the nose. In reaching the last third of the bowl, fruit/nut/raisin flavors became a touch richer, and an extra hint of sweetness made itself known as well - the Perique's spiciness appeared happy to stay where it was, however, making the rest of the flavors all the more easily enjoyable.
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WARNING: This product can expose you to tobacco smoke, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and nicotine, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov. |
Comments
Hey Ted, I just read your blog about Haddo's Delight, and I just recently opened one of 4 tins that have been cellaring for 9 years. My experience was similar, I found that the entire smoke had mellowed, and I found it creamier, the perique had mellowed, but the fruit flavors had become more prominent.
Chrisheets, awesome feedback. Funnily, in the almost four years since I wrote this post I've learned to love fresh Haddo's for its piquant register. Though I still do prefer it aged. Enjoy!
Hey Ted, a quick question, I am getting back into smoking a pipe after a couple years, and was wondering there is a huge selection of different tobacco's, and I want to try them all, but how should I go about it? should I purchase 1 tin at a time, finish that tin, then move to the next, or should I purchase several at a time, what are your thoughts?
Chrisheets, there's no one answer, really. I'll give you this advice, though: if you a buy a tin and only smoke a bit of it because you're ready to try something else, be sure to move the tobacco from the tin and into a mason jar so the stuff doesn't dry out. In this way, you can smoke a tin at a time, or many at once. Your tastes will change, so maybe you'll open a tin and the blend won't do much for you and thus you'll want to move onto something else, but very often you'll go back to that blend and learn you love it after all. Another piece of advice: smoke what you like and like what you smoke. Oh, and finally, always buy two tins at a time: one to open and one to cellar. Good luck!
Sorry to be asking you so many questions, but here is another one. can you describe for me your general smoking routine for a day? do you smoke just one pipe a day, or several, do you smoke just 1 tobacco a day or several, my routine is I will smoke 2 bowls of the same type of tobacco, clean that pipe then move to another pipe for 2 more bowls, then clean that one. I have about 20 pipes, so I have enough to let the first 2 I smoked rest while I smoke others in my rotation. just want to make sure I am doing it right.
Chrisheets, I'm sorry to say that I don't really have a routine. Some days I'll smoke five or six bowls of the same pipe tobacco, some days I'll smoke only four bowls, each a different blend. I usually don't smoke the same pipe twice in a day. In fact, I will usually wait for a pipe to be bone dry before I smoke it again. I totally get the anxiety surrounding 'doing it right' but really, so long as you're smoking what you enjoy and you're enjoying your smoking, the only rules you should follow are those that you make for yourself founded on what works for you. Every pipe smoker is different. Relax, and enjoy the process of learning. It's going to take some time no matter what.
I like this blend ,It smells good, rum? I have a vintage tin ,old packing,like the tin on illustration
You smoke five or six bowls ,you have strong tongue！