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Note: Updated for 2024, this article was originally published August 8, 2019. It has been revised to reflect fresh perspectives and alternative tobacco choices.
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ome people consider summer to be the best time of the year: lots of sun, outdoor excursions, beach trips aplenty, and barbecues with your favorite people. Others despise the summer for all that sun making them hot and burnt, sweating during outdoor time, messy beach days with seagulls pecking at sandwiches for lunch, and smelling like campfire when arriving at home from the barbeque. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of summer love or hate, we are here to help you pair the season with the best pipe tobaccos in the most delightful way. Here are our picks for the best summer blends to fill the season with good vibes and even better smokes.- G. L. Pease: Key Largo
- Cornell & Diehl: Bayou Morning Flake
- Mac Baren: 7 Seas Black
- G. L. Pease: Windjammer
- Cornell & Diehl: Riverboat Gambler
- Drucquer & Sons: Loch Ness
- Peter Stokkebye: PS403 Luxury Bullseye Flake
- Cornell & Diehl: Seersucker
- Mac Baren: HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed
- Two Friends: Redwood
- Sutliff: A Taste of Summer
- Tabac De La Semois: Le Petit Robin
- Savinelli: Doblone d'Oro
- Cornell & Diehl: Bourbon Bleu
- Caribbean Blue: Seegar
G. L. Pease: Key Largo
Key Largo from G.L. Pease features broken flakes of Red Virginias, small-leaf Orientals, and a measure of Cyprian Latakia, spiced with cigar wrapper leaf. This deep, earthy, and creamy blend is a satisfying smoke with balanced flavors of cocoa, dark-roasted coffee, and leather.
"Had it in the cellar waiting to be tasted in an appropriate occasion. I do enjoy cigars which I smoke once in a while and was looking for a blend that included cigar leaf. Found this one with the quality seal from G.L. Pease and was very impressed from the first puff. Very rich and round flavours with excellent balance. Sure recommended." - 5-star review from Miguel Z. at Smokingpipes
Cornell & Diehl: Bayou Morning Flake
Bayou Morning Flake is ideal for Virginia/Perique lovers. This C&D blend combines Old Belt Red Virginias with 25% Perique, all pressed before being sliced into flakes.
Available in: 2oz
"C&D hit the nail on the head with this blend; a nice portion of Perique and rich Virginia combine perfectly to create an exquisite smoking experience, nice price, and readily available too! If you are exploring Va/Pers you owe it to yourself to give this one a try." - 5-star rating from Briar Boy at Smokingpipes
Mac Baren: 7 Seas Black
Mac Baren's 7 Seas Black showcases flavors of dark fruit and cream. This blend combines Virginias and Burleys in a toasted Cavendish, providing a wonderfully complex aroma that Aromatic enthusiasts will delight in.
Available in: 3.5oz | 16oz | Bulk
"I mostly smoke Aromatics, especially dark ones, and 7 Seas Black does not disappoint! Fantastic aroma! Smokes smooth with no tongue bite. One of my new favorites!" - 5-star review from benzeel at Smokingpipes
G. L. Pease: Windjammer
This old-school navy flake by G.L. Pease combines naturally sweet Virginias and nutty Burleys with a significant amount of spicy Perique, married together and elevated by a splash of dark rum for a rich, flavorful smoke with notes of cocoa, black walnuts, and dried fruits, along with toasted Black Cavendish, adding a baseline to support these sweet notes.
Available in: 2oz
"G.L. Pease always hits his mark but this one is phenomenal! If Virginia and Perique are your thing, don't miss out on this. I keep finding myself picking this over my other favorites." - 5-star review from ECSteele at Smokingpipes
Cornell & Diehl: Riverboat Gambler
Take a chance on fate with Riverboat Gambler, a Runowski/Tarler blend from C&D: Burleys, Virginias, and Perique, with the exotic taste of Turkish leaf. In the tradition of the mysterious Mississippi riverboat gamblin' men, the odds will be with you with this flavorful blend.
Available in: 2oz
"This has become my go-to tobacco. Smokes cool and very smooth; strong tobacco flavor; nutty, very subtle sweetness, the Perique is more fruity than spicy. Nicotine is noticeable, but not overwhelming. I'll be buying a lot more!" - 4.5-star rating from Forrest D. at Smokingpipes
Drucquer & Sons: Loch Ness
This Scottish-style crumble plug comprises ribbons of small-leaf Oriental, smoky Cypriot Latakia, and rare Louisiana Perique, elevated by bright lemon and matured Red Virginias, affording flavor notes of spicy, dark-stewed fruits, and a creamy, rounded finish. The perfect all-day smoke for Scottish and English pipe-tobacco aficionados, Loch Ness' medium strength and complex body make it a stand-out for the summertime.
Available in: 100g
"If it were possible to pour a glass of Lagavulin 16 yr old scotch into a pipe and smoke it, you'd have Loch Ness! Delicious, complex, perfect." - 5-star review from Aaron T. at Smokingpipes
Peter Stokkebye: PS403 Luxury Bullseye Flake
This blend melds ripe Virginias with Louisiana Perique, along with a touch of Black Cavendish, all thinly sliced into neat bullseye coins. These combine to create a distinctive flavor with a natural, mellow sweetness to be enjoyed all summer long.
Available in: Bulk
"A platter that matters. These coins go down like water. Fresh mown hay Virginia + stewed fruit Perique + sugary cavendish. More grainy sweet than spicy. It's easy to see why this one makes the top 10 consistently." - 5-star review from Erin at Smokingpipes
Cornell & Diehl: Seersucker
C&D's Cellar Series line features an array of tasty blends, including Seersucker, a spicy blend of cigar leaf and other tobacco varietals based on the staple, all-cotton fabric of the Southern gentleman's wardrobe in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally released in July of 2016, tins are destined to reach peak age between 7-10 years post production, so be sure to grab extra tins for summers that in the future you will thank yourself for.
Available in: 2oz
"Consistent throughout this blend are brown sugar and cigar-style flower aromas. A complex, medium-full and tasty blend. I am confident that this blend is a cigar blend. It is a "cigar blend" that has a different direction from Billy Budd, and brings a very interesting experience to smokers. Billy Budd is a "Maduro" in a cigar and Seersucker is likened to a Havanos-like 'medium' cigar." - 4-star review from YS at Smokingpipes
Mac Baren: HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed
This ready-rubbed iteration of Mac Baren's HH Old Dark-Fired Kentucky showcases bold flakes of Dark-Fired Burleys balanced with flue-cured Virginias broken up into fine ribbons. The hot-pressed process affords this tobacco a robust, earthy flavor, rich enough to enjoy in the summer heat.
Available in: Bulk
"This is an outstanding blend ... Good rich DFK flavor. The more I smoke this, the better it gets and in the clay pipe it's just about perfect. Outstanding tobacco blend." - 5-star review from Old Timer... at Smokingpipes
Two Friends: Redwood
This blend combines naturally sweet stoved and unstoved Red Virginia grades with pure St. James Parish Perique for spice and a pinch of unsweetened Black Cavendish for body. Paying homage to nature and ancient coastal forests, Two Friends' Redwood is fitting for the summer season.
"A complex blend that changes character as you smoke through the bowl. At times I can taste a very cooked lemon meringue as you exhale through the nose. Dark notes of old barn wood." - 5-star review from Dan P. at Smokingpipes
Sutliff: A Taste of Summer
The taste of the summer season, with fresh fruits and vegetables from a solid harvest in the warm weather after the spring rains, is captured within Sutliff's A Taste of Summer, an Aromatic pipe tobacco mixing Burley, Virginia, and Black Cavendish in a ribbon-cut format.
Available in: 1.5oz
"Since I started smoking pipes again after a nearly 10-year hiatus, I have been leaning more toward English blends. But this Aromatic is perfect. Cherry is overrated. And there are enough vanilla and honey blends out there. Peach is where it's at. I typically buy a tin of English and Aromatic at the same time to mix them. This is the one Aromatic I find myself going back to. Mixing this with Blackhouse or Voodoo Queen or evening Pirate Kake will give you that smoky punch with pockets of fruit between hits. Highly recommended!!" - 5-star review from Raif D. at Smokingpipes
Tabac De La Semois: Le Petit Robin
Le Petit Robin from Tabac Manil utilizes Semois Burley leaf as a condiment over an undisclosed tobacco blend making up the bulk, kept secret, though a sweet flavor shines through with earthy and floral complexities. This tobacco is prepared in a very fine shag cut for your smoking pleasure.
Available in: 100g
"The extremely fine shag cut is very conducive to an excellent burn with little to no relights. The taste is quite grassy with undertones of that nutty, sweet, and earthy Semois flavor. Not too strong but full flavor. Makes for a good quick and delicious smoke. The flavors mentioned above are discernible however, for me, requiring concentration and appreciation as the tasting notes are quite subtle." - 5-star review from Pete Sesko
Savinelli: Doblone d'Oro
Savinelli's luxury tobacco blends showcase unique components and flavor profiles. One blend perfectly fitting for the summer is Doblone d'Oro, providing an alluring flavor afforded by Virginias and Burley combined with Dark-Fired Kenyan tobacco and Perique. This tobacco is aged before being cut into coins.
Available in: 100g
"Extremely tasty! The Dark-Fired Kentucky really sets this blend apart. Grab a tin. You won't regret it!" - 5-star review from Popeye at Smokingpipes
Cornell & Diehl: Bourbon Bleu
Another Cellar Series blend adding to our summertime list, Bourbon Bleu takes its name from Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Bright and Red Virginias combine with Dark-Fired Kentucky and long-cut Perique, married together with bourbon before being pressed to form an old-fashioned crumble cake in this blend.
"I don't have the refined palate of some long-time pipe smokers, this sample was from my last order and I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet subtle undertones of this rather cool smoke. I don't have the experience to be able to list the flavors but I can tell you that it is a very lovely and pleasant smoke." - 5-star review from Eric S. at Smokingpipes
Caribbean Blue: Seegar
Seegar is a part of six unique Danish-style Aromatic mixtures developed by Kohlhase & Kapp in Germany, each named after iconic pirates and privateers. Seegar — inspired by the Irish pirate, Edward "England" Seegar — showcases Virginias, Black Cavendish, and Latakia layered with island notes of tonka bean, citrus, rum, and caramel, befitting the sweetness and warmth of the summer season.
Available in: 50g
"If you're a fan of Kohlhase but you want those in the room with you to believe they're in the midst of a fine-scented candle, light this up and see what happens." - 4.5-star review from jbfrady at Smokingpipes
That's our list for the summer's ideal smokes! Have a favorite blend in your summer smoking rotation that wasn't on this list? Let us know in the comments what you will be puffing on as you bask in the sunshine. Happy smokes!
A note on the tobacco information.
Strength: a measure of the tobacco's body and nicotine. One is the lowest. Five s is the highest.
Room Note: a measure of the pleasantness or intensity of the smoke's odor to everyone else in the room. One is the least intense room note, while five s would be the most noticeable to others.
Taste: A measure of the the power and fullness of the smoke's flavor, with one being the most mellow and five s being the fullest.
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Comments
The new Sun Bear I think will become a quick summertime classic. The honey, tequila, and floral make it a great smoke so far on a humid night in Georgia.
I’m curious to know why all your picks are tins. I tend to lean towards bulk bag purchases. For me they seem to be more fresh, no? Please educate me if you think tins are more flavorful or more fresh. I am a novice smoker and obviously have a lot to learn. Also I do prefer flavored tobacco like my most recent purchase of egg nog flavored which is my favorite.
Very good pipe tobacco.
Which ones are good for relative newbies. I don’t even know what I enjoy yet
@Tad I inquired about this with Kaz, and in this case, it was just a coincidence that all of his favorite summer blends happen to come in tins and not bulk. He did admit that he often leans more towards tins than bulk in general, because he can toss them in his cellar quickly!
@Andy If you're looking to only try one as a starter, I'd go with the HH Pure Virginia. It'll give you a great baseline to start as this one is just a pure Virginia blend. Then you can start experimenting with some of the others on the list and see how you like the addition of some of the other tobaccos!
This is a great summertime list, and I have nearly every tin on this list, save for St. Bruno, which I'm keen on trying. I find Erinmore Flake delicious, and it does have a tin note that's reminiscent of summertime, as well as a nice strength. Similar in strength but completely different in flavor is MB HH Pure Virginia, which is a great blend, and I agree with Cassie D on her assessment. The hot pressing of the red Virginias in HH Pure Virginia do something really special to the flavor; it's rich, savory, a little spicy, and surprisingly complex for a Virginia flake. I have a tin from 2015, and it aged beautifully. On the other hand, a fresh tin tastes great too!
Perhaps the shining star of this list is MB Navy Flake, with such a perfect balance of component tobaccos and expert processing by the folks at Mac Baren. There's something special about how nicely Navy Flake tastes on a warm summer night after a nice dinner. Very few blenders have ever come close to doing so, but MB Navy Flake truly reminds me of some of the best tobacco in the world; none other than that made in Kendal, Cumbria, England.
I'd probably add Newminster 400 Flake to this list, as well as GL Pease Union Square, in keeping with the Virginia theme. Great list guys!
Was the editor drinking? 3 descriptions wrong.
Some seriously bush league editing going on here.
Hello Gabrielle Bass,Sept 8, 2023 article I believe there were two incorrect tin descriptions for: Dan Blue Note and C&D Low Country Guendalose. Otherwise I like this article and agree with most of the blends presented. SWR is 100% on the money with a summertime codger blend that keeps me stocked up on it for precisely this time of the year. The one thing about this blend is the aging process dramatically changes it and amazingly becomes so refined. Try it you won’t be disappointed -happy smokes
I'm with Eric, I can't make heads or tails of this update. Was it the summer weather? Got overheated? Or the blend you were smoking?
With Eric and the Davids, too-
Thanks for pointing out those errors, Chris and David. I'd love to say it was on purpose to keep you guys on your toes, but it was indeed an oversight on our part. For context, it looks like those three inaccurate descriptions were from the original 2019 article and weren't updated properly when we revised the post for this year. I've updated those three entries with the correct descriptions now. Really sorry for the inconvenience, and I appreciate you guys letting us know we dropped the ball here. Have a great Sunday, all.