Tobaccos Hearth & Home - Beverwyck (Signature Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2010-06-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yet another entry in the old and crowded field of American English blends. They get their name by effectively mimicking the formula of traditional English mixtures, only using a base of burlies instead of Virginias. These blends are perfect for those of us who love the spicy flavor of English standbys like Squadron Leader and the classic Dunhills but don't like to smoke Virginias very often due to tongue irritation. Many of the most famous American drugstore blends fell into this category, such as Revelation, Country Doctor, and Blue Boar. In fact, until Captain Black entered the market and triggered a sea change in the preferences of American smokers, these were the most popular blends available. If there was one downside to these mixtures, it was that they could be somewhat bland when compared to their cousins overseas.

Just about every major blender in the U.S. (with the exception,I think, of GL Pease) offers at least one variation on this theme. Cornell & Diehl, in fact, has an entire stable of them! Beverwyck is Russ Ouellette's unique and outstanding contribution to the field, only he adds a twist to the standard formula by upping the amount of latakia and including both Virginia and perique. These components lend Beverwyck an intensity of flavor that makes it stand out from the crowd in a pretty dramatic way. In fact, they play much the same role in Beverwyck that orientals often play in English blends, a unique twist that other blenders might do well to take heed of.

When it comes to burning characteristics like packing and ease of burn, Beverwyck also excels. It burns slowly and develops quite well in a large bowl, and the chunky cut ensures that it remains cool as long as you mind your technique. It also has very little bite, thanks in part to the perique. I detect no topping here, which means it could appeal to those smokers who turn up their noses at artificial flavorings (I'm not one of those smokers, by the way -- I'm simply making an observation).

This stuff really raises the bar for what I expect from American English mixtures. I wouldn't say it's necessarily the best of its type, but it is certainly in the top tier(along with Old Hollywood, Epiphany, Bald Headed Teacher and Gatlin-Burley). The nicotine level is on the weak side of medium, which means it could easily work as an all-day smoke if you are so inclined.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2015-10-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This belongs in the same American English family as Revelation, Walnut, etc. The nutty, molasses sweet burleys take the lead with fair support from the grassy, citrusy Virginia. The Cyprian latakia is a minor player; smokey, woody sweet. At times, it’s here just to lend a smoky push to the other components, and other times, its flavor is more obvious. The perique is a little spicy with raisin and plum notes in a supporting role. Due to the variance in cuts, you may find that the taste varies during the smoke and from bowl to bowl, too. The strength and taste leans more on the mild side than to the medium. Can be an all day smoke. Burns well with few relights, though may benefit from a little hydration as it’s a little dry in the tin. Doesn’t bite or get harsh, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a slightly more than mild nic-hit, and a pleasant after taste.

-JimInks

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hanzy4200 (12)	2014-04-29		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This was my first American English, to take my opinion with a grain of salt. I was given a half ounce of this as a gift from a friend. My first impressions were not all that great. It reminded me of a stale light English blend. I noticed it felt a bit dry, so I threw in a humidifier disk and set it in the back of my cabinet. I pulled it back out after a couple weeks and gave it another try. It had improved quite a bit. While I would still take a full English over this any day, it was moderately enjoyable.

In summation, was it worth smoking? Yes. Would it be worth buying? No.

Pipe Used: Boswell

Age When Smoked: ???

Purchased From: Gifted

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2010-01-24		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is the third blend in a sampler. I won't go into too much detail, as I've a feeling that my expectations might have been a bit high. I expected it to be better than the standard drugstore tobacco, but it really wasn't much. Throughout, this tobaco exhibited that all too familiar wet cardboard taste that comes from cheap burley. I'm not sure why tobacconists would want to make a blend that tastes like something that comes from a two dollar pouch, but I guess there's a niche. If it were a genuinely cheap tobacco, I guess that would be forgivable. But since this stuff is four bucks an ounce, compared to Stokebye blends of much higher quality costing three bucks an ounce, as well as many Lane blends of at least equal quality for less, it looses at least a star and a half. If you are a fan of Walnut, then stick with it; at least it's cheaper.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2014-09-13		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Beverwyck has a unique name, but the flavor is not unique. It is a Well balanced blend that need a little something to make it more distinctive. It was pleasant smoking and very tasty.

Pipe Used: Zen haalf bent billiard

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2014-01-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Beverwyck is a somewhat unusual tobacco and one that i have bypassed many times until recently. Old timey and "American" style versions of English are not phrases which I use when contemplating a tobacco. There is simply a blend as presented by a blender, that's not to say there are not attempts by the blender to capture certain profile flavors, that's absolutely the intent but certain comparisons start to get confusing. Anyhoo, Beverwyck has, at times an incense variable that was unexpected. It's cut, much of which is cubed, makes it a tad difficult to get lit quickly but it does get going eventually. There is a light sweetness in the background which I think is the burley and although the description says nothing about flavoring, some of the burley may have a touch but nothing overwhelming. It's a bit spicy (and I am very accustomed to smoking perique) but the spice can be a bit rough. I will continue smoking my 2 ounces to see how it develops. It's worth trying but probably won't make my must have list.

3/19/14: My initial thoughts on flavoring are incorrect, the sauce on Beverwyck lingers loooonng in the bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SecretAgentMan (27)	2013-12-12		Very Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is a nice contrast to hard-core "English" mixtures. I've been off those for awhile, I guess because I smoked them so much when I was younger that I've become tired of the same theme -- a bit of mellow strength from Virginias, tang from orientals, and latakia for a smoky top note. Noting that this one has too much Latakia, that one has too little, this other one is a bit stronger, and the fourth one has too much sweet/sour. Ho hum, ho hum, says me, thinking it's become something like listening to "Take Five" played by thirty different ensembles. A nice tune, but is it that nice?

Below, DoctorThoss sheds some light on the evolution of American Blends, and perhaps this is the first one I've tried, because I thought it was an interesting change of pace. Although it may be an American style tobacco, a phrase popped into my mind from Brideshead Revisited, "The fortnight at Venice passed quickly and sweetly - perhaps too sweetly; I was drowning in honey, stingless." That's the experience I had; this is very, very sweet, perhaps too sweet, but the smoking has no bites or sharp angles. If it's the burley, that's even more interesting. I usually notice, with Captain Pete, a "wet cardboard" or (my phrase) "burning paper" taste from burley. Didn't get any of that here. In fact I was surprised after smoking this blend to read the reviews here and learn that there was any burley in it. The Latakia hovers gently around the sweetness, adding some contrast that's pleasant but not jarring.

This is a nice, sweet tobacco with a small zest of Latakia. It's very mild in strength. It's a cup of tea with a good amount of milk and two spoons of sugar. It's Wilma from The Best Years of Our Lives, sweet, cheerful and helpful, almost depressingly so. I could see someone who's broadening out of strongly-topped or flavored tobacco going here without a lot of discomfort. I like to take more abuse from my tobacco, and won't be trying this again. But if a stingless honey-drowning date with Wilma is what you're looking for, this tobacco's a fine way to get it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clive Moses Apikouris (41)	2013-03-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have never had the opportunity to try the original Country Doctor, Barking Dog or Revelation blends. I have however tried the Altadis knock-offs of Revelation, which was just OK and their Sutcliff Man's Best Friend - Barking Dog reproduction which was excellent. The H&H Beverwyck mixture is absolutely marvelous and far surpasses Man's Best Friend, which I had greatly enjoyed. Beverwyck has a wonderful balance of flavors, a savory Latakia that delights buts does not overpower, some cubed Burley creamy richness, a bit of Virginia sweet tongue tingle and while I'm usually not much of a fan of too much Perique there is just the right amount to lend a rich spicy sweetness to this mixture. The tin aroma is a kind of spicy, smokey raisin like fragrance, which is not at all surprising do to the ingredients. It lights easily burns richly but without unwanted moisture. I've already shared my wonderful experience with the flavor of this exceptional tobacco. This is a fine example of the art of tobacco blending that I urge you to try if you enjoy the American/English style of mixture. Most highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-03-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I wanted to like this blend but it wasn't ment to be. I like many of pipesandcigars blends and I believe they strive to use quality tobaccos. My dislike of this blend is likely just a matter of personal taste rather than the use of sub par compoents. The description of Beverwyck makes a comparison to Revelation and Country Doctor both of which I like. I found nothing remotely resembling either of these blends in it. For me Beverwyck was just hot and tasteless.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-03-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, I?ve been reading reviews on this site for a while and have decided to jump into the fray with my first review. I see from this board that Hearth and Home: Beverwyck hasn?t had much written about it of late. Well, I?m jumping in to say that this is quite good stuff indeed.

Beverwyck is a step along my search for the perfect all-day, everyday tobacco. This is part of an order of 4 Hearth and Home blends from Pipesandcigars.com. I have smoked this in a number of pipes.

The cut of the tobacco was kind of strange to me at first. This is a cube cut tobacco, or as other reviewers have noted, granular. The cubes are about 1/8? on a side. It took a while to get the hang of packing it into a pipe but I have learned to just pour/sprinkle, or scoop tobacco into the pipe until the bowl is full, tap the side a few times to settle it, perhaps top it off some, and tamp it down ever so slightly. If done properly, it doesn?t need much tamping during the smoke except to settle the ash as it burns.

The burn is clean, no goop or gunk is left in the bottom of the pipe, just ash and a tiny bit of charcoal-like tobacco bits (a dry dottle). This stuff produces copious amounts of creamy smoke. There is an alternation between the creamy Burley and a slightly sweet poking through of the Virginia and Perique. At the same time there is the steady but not overpowering Latakia. (Think of Pachelbel?s canon.) The Burley and Latakia provide the bass line, the Virginia and hybrid cubes provide the melody. Others have commented on a tea taste. Well, I haven?t exactly tasted that but I have tasted something else. At this point I cannot quite put my finger on what it is.

As other esteemed reviewers have noted, there does seem to be some variability from pipe to pipe and from bowl to bowl. I believe that this is a result of the cube cut of this blend. The flavor which one gets is dependant on the proportional mix of cubes you get in that particular pipe. To be honest, I think that this is what keeps the blend from becoming boring. Not only does this affect the change of tastes within a particular bowl but also provides a nice variation as the day goes along?if you are smoking multiple bowls of this very nice stuff.

My personal qualm is that there is, to me, a certain peppery quality to this blend which I am not particularly fond of. I believe that this is caused by the Perique contained therein as I notice it in other blends containing that choice tobacco from Louisiana. I wonder what this would taste like with Turkish instead of Perique?

All in all this is a wonderful blend which burns slowly, coolly and has a good supply of vitamin N. If you like the combination of sweet-ish and Latakia, like I do, you owe it to yourself to give this stuff a whirl.

**

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-03-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

As one of the esteemed reviewers here noted this actually tastes like tea! I purchased this on his observation and was not disappointed. This is truly a unique blend in every sense of the word. It looks like Grape Nuts!I thought a cereal company cut this. It is not cubed ,but actually in a Grape Nuts form. Very little pouch aroma but a mgnificent flavor.A very mild, yet rich English blend. The base tobaccos create a flavor of high quality tea. The accent of Latakia adds a unique smokiness and smoothness to this flavor.It burns as cool as ice.The flavors unfold in an inticate and wonderful fashion. Layer after layer yields a different taste. Now, here is the problem. I have been smoking this over a 2 week period with a good friend of mine who happens to be a contributing writer on ths site,and we both reluctantly reached the same conclusion about his tobacco. It really responds differently in each pipe. For some reason,each shape,size,and material of the pipe affects its flavor. You must settle on a few that like this blend. Once that is accomplished you will have a true friend to both you and your pipe!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-05-23		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

From power until the end of the smoke flavor is smooth, carefully, perfectly balanced, fresh and never bitter. As they say a tobacco all day, filling enough to really taste the smoke. I really recommend for American blend lovers

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-06		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There are many other blends I'd rather smoke. The cut doesn't work very well in my opinion as the fragments are sized somewhat differently and you end up with a bit of a chaotic mess. It is a bit spicy, and has some decent Latakia notes, but I wasn't terribly impressed from my first smoke. There was a lot of non combustible dottle in the bottom.

Update September 2011 Even after drying it well, it tends to smoke wet. I also get an unpleasant "roof of mouth bite" from it.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2009-08-10		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dropping down to 3 stars. Still a reasonably good smoke but tends to bite when nothing else I smoke does. Worth a look.

My day to day smoke is some variation of the cowboy burleys, Granger, SWR, PA and the like. But regularly now I have wanted to reach for something with a little more flavor and oomph. This fills the bill. I ordered this with several other smaller samples. I think this does resemble Country Doctor. Fills and lights easily and tends to stay lit reasonably well. I detect much less casing than, say, Country Doctor or Revelation. This is a very nice, smooth and cool smoke with a great natural flavor. The latakia and perique are there but in small doses and spice up the burley/Va base. Almost sweet, nicely smokey, slow burning, this is hard to beat. I would think a burleyphile or an aromatic smoker would find this interesting as a change of pace. I've found mine consistant and plan to have some on hand. Thanks Russ!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-07-22		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A mild and enjoyable blend. The only issue that I had was that it was inconsistent from one bowl to another.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fumatore (49)	2007-07-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Although I think this blend might appeal to Burley lovers, it offered me nothing in the way of a return visit. It also seems to be topped with a little something that leaves me cold. In addition, I had "Barking Dog" burnout in my youth, so can only go 2 stars.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dualkarnain (75)	2007-02-12		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This grapenutty blend is a pleasure to smoke. Latakia and Perique interplay and mingle happily with the burley and VA forming the body.

Herein is the interest: perique is taking the flavor-space of turkish tobaccos usually found in English blends.

Try it! It's good. It's cheap.

Images evoked include a bandanna-headed old woman scrubbing the shine onto a toddler in the midst of a murky bayou.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-10-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When first lit this blend only "sniffs" like a regular English, but doesn't seem to have any taste at all. But it grows up fast and before you know it you are in the middle of a medium strength mix that packs a good punch. The aftertaste is quite even and not full of teeth-brushing bitterness. My only difficulty is keeping it lit without drawing on it like were a stubborn fireplace. This must be due to the fine cube cut. Otherwise, a good value for an English smoker who is truly tired of tinned leathers.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-06-29		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Here's another enigma tobacco. I loved this stuff when I first lit it up. I mean it was AWESOME! Every good thing you want in a tobacco and more. I couldn't wait to smoke another bowl. A few weeks later different tobacco. I tried this stuff in every pipe I own but could not find that delicious blend that I smoked when I first received it. I have noticed, as another reviewer of Pipesandcigars.com blends has noted, that this stuff just doesn't seem to have any staying power. No shelf life. Time seems to work against this blend, as some of the others from Pipesandcigars.com have said. What a shame. Maybe the answer is to only order a few days worth at a time.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-06-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Have been working my way through 2 oz in a new rodesian. Hmm, how do I describe it? A very well rounded blend that has one of the better finishes I have encountered. It burns well, lots of interesting flavors in and around with its blending. Spicey Perique and Latkia are at the forefront and the Burley, Virginia and Hybrid seem to be the foundation all the way to the end. I'd recommend this to the pipe smoker who has variation in their tobacco. Everything seems to be in this one. Latkia, Perique, cubes of Burley and Virginia. I really enjoy Beverwyck when sitting alone thumbing though my brain. The cubed tobacco seems to be the last to go when you are at the end of the bowl and it makes for a great finish.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-03-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

The Dutch predecessor appellation to New York's capitol, Albany, yet no Dutch Reformed tobacco this! I've never been to Albany, but even if it amounts to the dullest of places, it's been made infinitely brighter by the largesse of this incredible blend. The pebble cut makes for easy packing, and like Russ Ouellette's wonderful Count Pulaski and Old Tartan, this is a truly old style, full flavored masterpiece. Just the right admixture of burley, va, latakia and perique, this ought to be tinned and made available to more smokers throughout the country to enjoy. Soon to be in my regular rotation and definitely unique in the PipesandCigars tobacco triumverate.

Five of five stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	huffnpuff (53)	2006-02-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

When I opened the pouch I kind got goosebumps and decided to pack this blend in my hand made churchwarden. To begin I notice the leaves had lots of color from yellows to dark browns. The smell is maybe a light english or who knows I just go with the gut on this. At first puff I notice latakia and the perque play its notes of smoke in the back ground while the hybrid in my opinion gave a brassy taste that might have enhanced the latakia. The virginia and burley gave a silky nutty smoke toward the mid bowl then it finished off nutty before I had to dump the ash. What an experience.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I don't see the comparison to the House of Windsor tobaccos. Maybe as they used to be, I never smoked the previous incarnations. This is a really tasty medium English blend. I have trouble distinguishing the other tobaccos once Latikia is added to a mix. So to me this is a slightly sweet, a little smokey, and full-bodied tobac. Not a great deal different from other nice English blends but the price is right and the tobaccos are first-rate! Very satisfying as well. Well worth a try unless you dislike Latakia.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-08-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow! I just smoked some more of this in my Paja and it is something else! The hybrid has a distinct tea flavor; it really tastes like tea, not just smelling like it or acting like a casing. I did not taste the Latakia nearly as much as the Va's and the hybrid (... well you can ask Russ what it is, but it sure is wonderful).

Perhaps I am just amazed at the unique flavor, but I really get a mild to sweet flavor more than a regular English flavor regardless of what is in there. The Latakia seems to just gives it some body, which it does very well with the Perique in the nose and adding some lovely fruit to the body as well.

Beverwyck lights and burns like a dream, requiring only light tamping. The smoke flows from the first puffs to the dry smooth completely tobaccoless ending all in one great smoke.... so I shall not be giving a middle and ending. That is not to say it is a one-note smoke, that is to say it takes you on a journey and you go with it. The flavors evolve, they do not transition, so it would be impossible to say, "here is the middle of the bowl".

Beverwyck is one great smoke for a meer or cob, but I can tell you that my briar loved it. Complex, medium, flavorful, & unique but easy on the palate all at the same time? a real masterpiece.

This will become a regular smoke for me. 9 out-of 10. Namaste?

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-07-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Gorgeous cube cut's of burley, Virginia and a Hybrid intermix with dark latakia and perique into a visual representation of golden tans, medium to dark browns and blacks. Very asthetically pleasing, easy to pack and light, this blend burns clean and even to a fine medium gray ash.

At first match, the creamy sweet nuttiness of the Va and Burley wafts upwards. After just a few more sips, the latakia and perique comes through adding a thick smooth smokiness and soft spicey flavor that quickly developes into a well balanced combination of flavors and unique body.

By middle bowl the flavors deepen, none of the varitiels dominating, instead, the complexity tantilizes the pallate with thick smokey sweet creamy nuttiness rounded off with a soft spicey edge.

The final third deepens in body, smoothness and flavors with smoke so thick you can cut it with a knife. When the last sip is consumed, the aftertaste lingers in a most pleasent way and your already thinking about smoking another bowl...maybe two, or three...

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