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Welcome to Codger Country, the series where we'll be smoking every Codger blend — commonly found over-the-counter tobacco blends — we can find and ranking them in an effort to find the "definitive" Codger blend. From Carter Hall to Super Value, we're giving them all a fair shake. Today, we're celebrating my home and the 151st Kentucky Derby the best we can with Amphora Kentucky Blend, which offers "Real pleasure. Just moments away."
Amphora totes itself as "the #1 brand of pipe tobacco around the world." While I'm unsure at this point what exactly the #1 brand of pipe tobacco is, I can say with certainty that Amphora disappeared for some time from the American market before making a triumphant return. The return of Amphora came from the acquisition of the ITG Brands, the third-largest American tobacco manufacturing company in the United States and serving as an independent subsidiary of the British Imperial Brands' portfolio of pipe tobacco by Mac Baren Tobacco Company. For the past decade it has been blended by Mac Baren. Unfortunately, we must remember that in 2024, Mac Baren was acquired by Scandinavian Tobacco Group who aim to streamline the Mac Baren and Sutliff portfolio.
While Amphora was not among the blends listed in the United States' press release for what shall remain, Pipe Gazette, a French pipe publication, had an interview with Max Stokkebye who gave better insight into what will be available in the European market. The difference is stark, with Amphora, and even my beloved 7 Seas, living on in France. This at least tells us production will continue but the future isn't great for American audiences. However, we have it here and now and until it's gone, I'll review it.
Initial Impressions
Off we go, open the pouch, and it's pleasant to say it's not vacuumed into a loose brick. Its smell is very rich with leather and a mesquite sweetness. The actual tobacco is choppy like a broken flake should be, and it looks pleasantly dark and inviting. It's a blend prominently focused on Dark-Fired Kentucky with a supporting cast of choice Virginias. This will not be a blend for the light of heart I imagine.
Due to the nature of it being a broken flake, it requires a little more than just gravity dumping into a bowl, but it's still an easy pack. It's the right level of moisture, not too dry and brittle but not having a need to be laid out a bit before the smoke. I'm smoking my Eltang Basic today, an amazing workhorse of a pipe that I find lends itself to testing new blends. The initial light takes a few tries but when it finally picks up, it's easy going. First proper draw, heavy on the peat, very rich and heavy mouth feel, it mellows out to a creamier finish but it's certainly a kickstart to a smoke. If you need a morning wake up, this will probably do it for you, but I think it lends itself more to a nightcap.
Keep going, it's got more than the peat going on the longer you smoke. The Dark-Fired is the star of the show. It's very earthy, has some mild spices going on, still very smoky and heavy on that mouthfeel aspect, but I can feel some floral and nutty notes lingering in there. The Virginias were a wise choice; they offer a sharp citrus element like a lime and are very tangy. Focus on them together, and I think plums or other dark fruit would be a really good tasting companion for this.
It burns cool. I find a lot of these Codgers, especially with my cadence, can make the bowl rather hot but this is slow and has an even burn throughout. I did have to relight a few times. Midway through the bowl, I can start to feel the nicotine. It's definitely more on the heavy side. A lot of the codgers I've tried lend themselves to never setting the pipe down, just puff while you work, but Amphora Kentucky does command some form of attention to your smoking. I think that's wise for this, though, because there's a lot going on here, and taking those pauses between puffs really helps those flavors come out.
The smell is just as rich as the blend. I smoked this on the patio and could still feel its room note. I might advise against smoking this one in the house if your lover isn't partial to the heavy smoke and somewhat musky smell that lingers with certain types of blends.
Finish the bowl and just stew in it for a while. I would not call Amphora Kentucky an all-day smoke. I don't think it's necessarily an everyday smoke either. It's just very rich and heavy, like a chocolate cake. Decadent and luxurious, but too much and you'll make yourself sick. I think it's a great weekend blend, a nightcap to a Friday night after a long week, or a smoke in a hammock on a lazy Sunday.
Is it worth trying?
By far, Amphora Kentucky is the most nuanced blend I've smoked in the series so far, and might be the first that I think has true and proper aging potential. I threw this in a mason jar shortly after the first bowl. I think with some time it'll stand among the greats in my cellar. Should you try it? Absolutely yes, especially if you're a fan of heavier blends like Riverboat Gambler or Sixpence. It's only available in a pouch — no 7oz or larger offerings here — but it's affordable enough that I think it's easy to justify grabbing a few to put away for a rainy day.
It's a pleasant change of pace in the sea of Aromatic types that Codgers seem to consist of, and I imagine this won't be the last Amphora to show up on my desk in pursuit of this series. Leave a comment down below sharing your thoughts on Amphora Kentucky blend, and join me next time as we continue our journey in Codger Country together.
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Comments
Great review, Rose. I never thought of Amphora KY as a codger blend, but I do agree that it’s really good. Not sure kite at the level of the HHs (Old Dark Fired or Bold KY), but better than just about anything else I’ve smoked from a pouch.
Scandinavian Tobacco Group made us say farewell to two major companies in our small beloved hobby, people with unique careers in this field pack their bags, and made us already say goodbye to so many beloved blends it seems a small sacrifice to avoid any blend they have acquired at all.
NOTHING will ever make me view them in a positive light again. It is my sincere hope what they did happens to them ~ someone buys them and breaks them apart. But that wouldn't bother them, they have no passion for the hobby nor care for their customers.
This blend has been discontinued by STG
Early in my youthful pipe experimentation I tried Amphora, because it was a favorite, it seemed, with my neighborhood's Norwegian emigres. Too young to have much reference to other blends, I thought it was "meh", though I remember with fondness Walnut and Edgeworth's Ready Rubbed. Thank you for the memories.
Nice review! Like others mentioned I’ve never thought of Amphora as a codger blend but I like the sentiment! These are all seriously underrated blends and nothing but quality leaf. Some of my all time favorites. The amphora burley is the star in my book and one of my desert island smokes.
This was my daily blend. It's been discontinued since STG brought Macbaren
It's a dang shame that STG killed this one off. So many terrible decisions made by that company, and they can burn for all I care.