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Welcome back to Tasting Notes, everyone. On today's episode, I continue my smoking journey through the Low Country line of pipe tobaccos with a detailed review of Low Country Cooper, the only English blend in the series. For those of you unfamiliar with the line, all of Low Country's blends are manufactured exclusively for Smokingpipes.com and our sister store Low Country Pipe & Cigar by Cornell and Diehl, and they're all named after important local waterways.
In the case of Cooper, it takes its name specifically from the Cooper River, which, together with the Ashley River, exits at Charleston Harbor, one of the most important ports in the antebellum South. For me personally, Cooper may be the biggest sleeper in the Low Country line. I tried it many years ago, but only recently revisited it, and I have to say: I've been missing out.
Tin Note and Components
So immediately upon popping the tin, there's this super rich, woody, smoky aroma coming off these beautiful broken flakes. There's a lot of dark leaf here, along with a little bit of chestnut and a touch of brighter leaf. Digging a little bit deeper on the tin note, it's woody and smoky with a slight medicinal quality — reminiscent of, say, a smoky Islay scotch. There are some earthy undertones and actually a pretty noticeable sweetness in the background. A little bit of that mesquite barbecue kind of smoke comes through, but it's all very rich, very inviting, and very comforting.
Component wise, Cooper is a mixture of Bright and Red Virginias, Cyprian Latakia, Basma and Izmir Orientals, and a pinch of Perique. So there's a lot going on in the blend, and I think that translates well in the complexity of the smoke. But one thing that is most noticeable, even immediately, is the level of sweetness.
A Sweet English Mixture
Sweetness is not something I typically look for in an English blend or even notice very much. Typically, there's a little bit of sweetness that kind of complements the smokier and eartheir flavors, and that's true here as well — coming particularly from the Virginias and Orientals. But Cooper, overall, strikes me as a noticeably sweet English mixture. It left me scratching my head a bit, so I called Jeremy Reeves — Cornell & Diehl's head blender — and he said that the Bright Virginia used in Cooper is actually over 20% on the sugar scale, which is really, really high. To give you some context, pretty sweet Red Virginia's clock in the low teens, typically anywhere from 10% to 14%. So over 20% sugar content is super high on these Bright Virginias. Additionally, the Orientals are on the sweeter side as well, with the Basma clocking in at a modest 7% sugar and teh Izmir pushing the envelope at around 13%. So this blend is full of high-sugar content leaf, and that leaf comprises a pretty significant portion of the overall mixture.
Compared to fuller Latakia mixtures, I would consider Cooper to be more Oriental-forward. This is no Lat-bomb by any means, but there is enough Latakia here to push it into Balkan territory. It's a really interesting place that this occupies in the wider spectrum of English blends — it's somewhere between like a medium, all-day English and one that's really heavy, really full-flavored.
Flavor and Strength
Once you light up, you're rewarded with a super creamy, dense, rich smoke on the palate. Immediately up front, it's woody and creamy. You've got that little bit of a creosote kind of a thing going on from the Latakia — the smokiness and the sweetness is prominent. There's also quite a bit of piquant and tangy flavors here too. It's sort of reminiscent of smoked meats but with a slightly sweeter sauce; I would say it's sort of like brown sugar and molasses but honestly I think it might be the Perique here. On the retrohale, what I really get is blackberry preserves; it's a dark fruit sweetness. And along with that, that medicinal flavor that I get sometimes from Latakia is there too. There's a little bit of like a red pepper tingle on the nose and a little bit of acidity, but balanced by these super sweet notes and sort of propped up by a creamy, woody, smoky Latakia flavor.
In both strength and flavor, I'd rank Cooper as medium-plus. This could very easily be an all-day smoke for fans of English mixtures. It's slightly stouter than I would typically associate with a medium English, but it hits the sweet spot for me, personally, and is something that I will definitely keep in my rotation. If you're a fan of G.L. Pease's English blends — Quiet Nights, Chelsea Morning, Lagonda, maybe even Spark Plug — Peterson's Nightcap, or even Penzance, Cooper will be right up your alley. It's a total sleeper. Just take a look at the reviews on Smokingpipes and TobaccoReviews: anyone who tries iit tends to enjoy it enough to come back to it regularly. Like many other Low Country blends, I think it's got a little bit of a cult following, but I'm honestly shocked that this one hasn't received even more attention over the years.
Concluding Thoughts
This is a masterful blend. The components are beautiful, and it smokes incredibly well straight out of the tin. I think it does have the potential to age really nicely in the short term, peaking around the five- to ten-year mark. All in all, it's just an excellent English mixture. There's enough complexity to keep your attention, and the addition of the Perique is perfectly balanced. It's there enough to add a little bit of spice and dark fruit tang and to sort of complement the other flavors, but it's not going to blow your socks off.
If you're a fan of Latakia and Orientals, Cooper is a must-try. If you've already tried it, then I'm probably not telling you anything you don't know, but this is one of the most impressive Englishes that I've smoked in a decade. It's incredible. I'll be returning to Cooper regularly and I'm super curious to see how it performs in a variety of pipes. So give Cooper a try!
Low Country's Cooper
Tagged in: Cornell and Diehl Low Country Low Country Pipe and Cigar Reviews Tasting Notes Tobacco Video
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Comments
I am curious, since the sugar is high does that mean a low nicotine content? If someone reads this please let me know. I am trying to learn about different blends.