|
|
Welcome to Codger Country, the series where we'll be smoking every Codger blend 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 taking a look at Velvet pipe tobacco, which if the old ads are to be believed, will give us "the right word for smooth smoking."
Velvet pipe tobacco has been around for over a century. It was sold prior to 1911 by Spaulding and Merrich of Chicago in short pocket tins, but in 1912, Liggett and Myers began selling Velvet in more standardized pocket metal tins for the era that you often see at antique malls. Liggett and Myers is a simplification; it was actually Pinkerton Tobacco Company for a while.
I've discussed the American Tobacco Company in a post about the Black Patch Tobacco Wars, which was a tobacco monopoly that ruled the American Tobacco industry from its foundation in 1890 till it was struck down in 1911. When the American Tobacco Company was dismantled, it was broken up into four major companies: the American Tobacco Company, R.J. Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, and Lorillard. Under these four major companies were a number of other companies. For example, Liggett & Myers kept control of the following plants: Liggett and Myers, Spaulding and Merrick, Allen and Ginter, Nall and Williams, John Bollman Company, Pinkerton Company, W.R. Irby, and the Duke-Durham branch of the American Tobacco Company.
.jpeg)
If you're in possession of a vintage tin and it lists one of the previously mentioned companies, just know that they were under an umbrella of one of the major companies and that as time went on, the companies were consolidated under a couple of brands for various reasons. In the future, I'll do my best to point out when some of these older companies are actually something like L&M or R.J. Reynolds.
Velvet has bounced around in terms of ownership, formerly produced by L&M and then Lane Limited, before being acquired by Scandinavian Tobacco Group in March 2011. STG remains the current producer of this classic blend.
Initial Impressions
Velvet is a Burley-based blend, a coarse cut of fine Burley and Kentucky leaf topped with various liquors and other unknown flavorings. Velvet was advertised originally as both a cigarette and pipe-tobacco blend back in the day, but in the modern era, they've solely labeled themselves as pipe tobacco. Immediately after opening the pouch, I'm greeted with a very strong cough medicine smell mixed with Play-Doh. The content is melded together like a cake but upon poking it, it falls into place. On a deeper inhale I get a bit of cherry with touches of anise, maple syrup, and a slight hint of cocoa.
It's not wet or goopy but I let it dry for about 10 to 15 minutes before I packed my pipe. Initially, I get a touch of walnut and a slight chemical note but it mellows out to rich stone fruit as I keep going. There are elements of pepper and anise as it burns through, small touches of milk chocolate on the back end. It offers a charming aroma, slight cherry with nuts and cocoa. The nicotine hit is on the lower end. There's a slight tickle of brown sugar, dark molasses, and toasted nuts as the bowl burns on but it's largely subtle and never in the forefront.
It burns dry throughout but I don't find it a particularly complex smoke; it's one-dimensional with any interesting developments being very light on the back end. It's a safe smoke, but sometimes those distant notes kept me distracted. I wanted more of that rich brown sugar or dark molasses but it was fleeting, leaving me dissatisfied with the entire bowl.
What the internet thinks
Velvet still holds the claim to fame of being a smooth smoke in the modern smoker's eyes but overall a lot of folks consider it one-dimensional. One two-star review notes, When people said this was a basic blend I didn't realize just how basic they meant. Velvet is definitely one of the smoothest smokes I have ever had, almost like the smoke isn't there.
A lot of reviews are carried on a cloud of nostalgia, whether it was a first smoke, or a grandparents'/parents' favorite smoke, a certain loyalty is given to the blend that I feel covers it through a hazy, rose-tinted lens. One four-star reviewer writes Over the years, Velvet has been a blend which I find myself returning to, kind of like going home. The mild flavor is magnificent and simple, like home cooking. The room note, astoundingly beautiful.
I find Velvet to be like Queen Anne Cordial Cherries. Every once in a while, you just crave them and you buy a box. The first five? Immaculate, a delicacy, and something you want to get lost in. However, if you eat too many, it becomes almost sickening, it's too sweet and gooey. I like Velvet, I'd visit it again. I still have a decent amount left but I won't be rushing to smoke it. It won't be a mainstay in my cellar; it'll be something that every once in a while will satisfy a very specific craving.
As our second stop in Codger Country, Granger is a blend that I recommend you try at least once. It is an exceptionally smooth smoke but it requires a little more prep time, while it is easygoing, I didn't find it as much as an all-day smoke. I didn't want to smoke bowl after bowl, and when I did smoke it, it was hard to enjoy idly as certain flavors tickled me and left me wanting more of their fleeting presence. For my 1.5oz pouch, I found it affordable and the 7oz tub isn't a bad deal either. Much like Granger, Velvet is a blend that I don't think lends itself to cellaring but I've heard some folks love to keep it in their stockpile. Overall, Velvet won't stay in my rotation unless I'm just struck with a desire for Queen Anne Cordial Cherries.
You can grab your own Velvet pouch or tin on-site right now. Have you tried Velvet? Leave a comment down below sharing your thoughts on this classic, and join me next time as we continue our journey in Codger Country together.
You may also enjoy:
Comments
Upon smoking Velvet, I detect mole asses, hints of gorilla and a touch of anus. Halfway down the bowl, the tobacco is fifty percent smoked, and an aroma of plastic covered sofa leather is the predominant room note. The topping is bottom of the barrel, and it's reminiscent of amnesia. This is an OTC that is suitable for casual dressing, and for those times a fella is in the brig and needs a friend,
Whatever Velvet was at one time is nothing like the now that the Tucker GA plant closed. They ruined Velvet, Sir Walter Raleigh, Granger Half and Half and one of my favorites, Paladin Black Cherry. Every single tobacco I mention has terrible tongue bite and stinks like cigarettes now. Why couldn't Scandinavian Tobacco Co just keep the dang recipe and cut of those timeless blends the same as it was when it was made in the United States? Lane sold us out. I'll continue to be a loyal customer to Cornell and Diehl for my everyday smokes now. Jeremy understands what American blue collar hard working people want in a pipe tobacco. C&D will be the Codger blends to OUR children and grandchildren. And I know the good folks at C&D won't sell out to save a buck. Their loyalty to their customers and the tobacco farmers that supply them are to important to them.
Mr. Mandelbaum, had you taken another puff, you'd have had the "pleasure" of arm-pit of Maiden-Spinster-Aunt.