Tobaccos Hearth & Home - Sweet Cask (Mid-Town Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2015-01-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

When you see the tub and read the description, you'll know this is a replacement for the recently discontinued Sugar Barrel. This version is a thicker plug cut, nutty, earthy, woody, lightly molasses sweet burley than the original with a slightly brighter Virginia small flake cut. The Virginia has the same minor grass and citrus notes as the original. The toppings mildly sublimate the tobaccos. Sweet Cask is slightly cinnamon spicier than the original. The original is more brown sugary and buttery. This tobacco burns a little slower than the original and keeps a consistent flavor to the finish with no bite and hardly any moisture left in the bowl, though the burley in the original tended to be just a little less obvious at the end. Needs some relights. The strength is a couple of steps past the mild mark, while the taste is in the center of mild to medium. Has a mild nic-hit. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. An all day smoke. I give this three stars, which is a star more than I rated the original Sugar Barrel, because I think it is a cleaner smoke with a little more flavor, even though it's not a close match.

-JimInks

35 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-02-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Based on a 2 oz sample from a friend. Bright-ish heavy cut plug, which is different from the original. Lighter in color as well. Bag aroma was of plain burley.

Hard to review as a match because it didn't taste much like Sugar Barrel. I got almost zero sweetness, either from the virginia or from the topping. In fact, I couldn't taste any topping at all. The person that sent it to me said it came this way - very dry. That dryness might be why I tasted no topping, as it may have evaporated. But no brown sugar as in the original. This worked for me as a straight burley, as it was nutty and tobacco-y. I could smoke it as such, although there are others out there that I prefer. But based on the sample I smoked (which may be different than most tubs), this is a failure as a match. It does, however, have its own charm and merits and I enjoyed smoking it. Would like to try some with its moisture intact, however.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bibster (7)	2015-04-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I have never smoked Sugar Barrel, the blend that Sweet Cask is supposed to match, so I am judging this on its own merits.

The tobacco is surprisingly dry in the container and is cut into chunks of varying sizes. The tin note is lightly sweet, but it is hard to discern any specific scent -- try as I might, I am unable to detect any scent of cinnamon. The tobaccos appear to be of good quality. The blend packs well (the dryness doesn't affect the packing or the burn of the tobacco) and lights and burns easily. Upon lighting this blend one is greeted with a pleasant sweetness that remains consistent from first light to last puff. There is no chemical or other artificial taste, but there is also no complexity here, just a simple combination of nuttiness and sweetness. This is an easygoing smoke that goes well with a morning cup of coffee and is a pleasant companion for tasks like pushing the snowblower or mowing the lawn. It also seems like the sort of thing one would take along for camping, hunting or fishing trips. In short, a decent, pleasant and straightforward burley blend.

Pipe Used: Stanwell bent Dublin, Savinelli Bing's Favorite

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2015-04-03		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Well gee. Isn’t this nice. Yep. Nice. It’s a nice blend. A blend so nice, so innocuous, that it’s almost, almost flat and gutless, like many nice things can be. It’s not quite flat and gutless, but it almost could be.

It has some big chunks of burley, some bright yellow flecks, and some smaller, darker flecks. It smells sweet, but not very sweet. Mostly, it just smells like every other cube cut burley I’ve encountered. Though it’s sweetened in some way, they tell me, that sweetness in very slight. Much about Sweet Cask is very slight.

It burns well enough. It’s not nearly as moist and goopy as the original Sugar Barrel, which it is purported to replicate. It won’t bite you, even if you made it mad. It’s mildly sweet, mostly burley flavor throughout. The Virginia doesn’t do much that I can tell. Maybe it adds a little sharp, grassiness here and there. Mostly, it’s warm, mild smoke without much in the way of the headiness or heartiness which good burley is capable of.

This would be good, I suspect, for those who favor or are accustomed to mild, Cavendish type aromatics but want something not so syrupy.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-04-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is right on the borderline of being too mild for my taste buds, but it has just enough strength and flavor for me to enjoy. Both the Burley and Virginia are readily apparent. The topping is very interesting. While only very mildly sweet in the smoke, it sweetens the inside of my mouth very nicely. I like that a lot. There's a faint touch of cinnamon in the smoke. A very pleasant smoke that I could give 4 stars if it had just a little more oomph. As is, a very solid 3 stars.

Mild in body and flavor. Topping is very mild. Burns slowly, but well enough to get ample smoke. Nicely done. I should add that I never had the original Sugar Barrel.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, MM Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manxman (82)	2016-01-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I never had the original Sugar Barrel. As others noted, this arrives very dry. This doesn't help it stay lit. I had to puff vigorously to keep it going, which resulted in a slight bite. I'd say it burned hot. I'm glad that I was able to buy just a 2 oz sample. There is a very, very, very slight sweetness when smoked. I didn't get any cinnamon , molasses , or brown sugar taste. The flavor is mostly burley, so I would call this a straight American blend, not an Aromatic

Pipe Used: cob, briar

Age When Smoked: fresh to 4 weeks

Purchased From: pipes and cigars .com

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2015-11-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I recently purchased a sample of this because, 1--Russ is a great blender of allthings tobacco and 2- I have been smoking several match or recreate blends in a serch for years gone by or some such thing! Truth is --I just plain ole love pipe tobacco! Any way Upon recieving the baggie of SC I opened it and took a big ole whiff, sweet essence with faint candy note--Ferra-Pan Red Hots I believe. Mixture was dry but not crisp by any means. I poured out a bit onto my tobacco plate and inspected said blend. Very interesting indeed. Chunky and flaky togethet, and I do mean chunky nuggets of burley. The first attemp at smoking was not a success. Lit well tasted fine but-----just could not keep them burley rocks afire! Was tempted to ditch this one but upon further review I decided to rub it a bit. Winner winner it packed in, lit and burned like a champ. Good sweet, mild smoke! A faint cinnimon candy flavor was in the mix with the nutty burley. Taste is consistent with a after taste of the afore mentioned candy. A very doable allday smoke that is mild and sweet. Not a nic kicket or a flavor bomb either, just a pleasing smoke. One note --this one can get hot if you are a huffer puffer. slow and steady is in order. Have since smoked multiple bowls in various briars and cobs. Experience is consistent. Will buy more!

Pipe Used: Various cobs and briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	easterngray (11)	2018-01-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I felt compelled to add a review for Sweet Cask given that so many earlier reviewers commented on the dryness of the blend. That was decidedly not my experience. I purchased the large 14 oz. tub and found the contents to be slightly moist and perfect for smoking. The unusual rough cut makes for easy loading and an excellent burn; this blend typically requires few if any re-lights for me. The nutty burley flavor is the main player and the sweet and light cinnamon like top note is excellent and very enjoyable. Another easy going, easy to enjoy all-day OTC burley based blend from Russ. Excellent and highly recommended.

Age When Smoked: One year aged

Purchased From: P & C

Similar Blends: Middleton's Sugar Barrel.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2019-12-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This Mid-Town series, I don't know. Chatham Manor is an ok OTC style Burley. Derby Club is actually a very good not quite aromatic Burley. Russ' blends are so hit and miss, mostly miss because he's so goddamned prolific.

I ordered this and Angler's Dream not so long ago. The Angler's Dream wasn't awful, but after a few bowls I sent it to someone I traded some tobacco with because I just wasn't interested in finishing it.

Then there is Sweet Cask. You know, for such a fondly remembered tobacco, you think someone would get a match blend right. Bone dry fish flake cut Burley. Not top tier for Sutliff Burley, and that's saying something. Makes C&D Burley seem like an HU blend in comparison. In this base of Burley that's not quite good enough for you to want to smoke ever again after the first bowl, there is a light hand of cinnamon topping. I got no butter or brown sugar notes that people attribute to Sugar Barrel. Just dry, dusty Burley with a little cinnamon. Russ needs to go back to the drawing board and try this one again. It's just not good. Better yet, someone send Ernie at Watch City a tub of the original and beg him to replicate it. That's the Sugar Barrel match I am holding my breath for. Until then, thanks but no thanks.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2015-06-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Others have noted the differences between this and the original. This has larger chunks of burley, seems to have a brighter VA. It seems to be less "goopy". I can't find anything at all bad about Sweet Cask. Easy to pack and light it's more of a straight up burley smoke with any sweetness more of what others have noted to be a cinnamon note. Burns slow and cool with a good nutty burley note. For a burley smoker this could easily be an all day smoke. The quality of leaf seems very good. The original was sweeter in an almost undefinable way, maybe a bit more sugary. As matches go this is pretty close. I'm not the burley smoker I used to be but appreciate the better burley blends when I find one. Recommended for those who prefer a no frills slightly flavored simple experience.

Pipe Used: long stem canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth 69 (117)	2015-04-12		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Chunky, irregular ready-rubbed burley cake with some American style flaked virginia. The topping is very light but noticeable. It has a warm sweet smell somewhere between brown sugar and hay. This is a rather dry tobacco and that is probably my chief complaint. It would benefit from more casing and a better cut that would allow it to burn consistently and more evenly. The flavor is just shy of being flat with something of a boring flavor like plain oats. I never smoked Sugar Barrel but from their respective descriptions Sweet Cask seems a significant departure especially in cut. I had some high hope for this from reviews that liken it to a sweeter version of Prince Albert. Despite a one star rating this isn't by far the worst tobacco one can smoke but nevertheless a pointless tobacco in my opinion. After a few bowls I can't see myself trying to finish off the tub. I'm most likely not going to be spending another $25 to find out I just don't like another blend in the Mid-Town series.

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2023-02-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

Never had the original so this is on its own merit.

The bag note smells unique. It’s a dry but soft tobacco of an interesting chunks of rubbed out and broken cake that smells like sweet breakfast cereal. Honey, grain, oats, sugar. Dropped some chunks and pieces in a wide deep bowl and gave her a light. It’s on the dry side, not wet or sticky, so perfect for me.

The taste is very light and mild. Is it sweet? Yes but not in the way you might think. It’s not a Molto Dolce soaking wet syrupy dessert sweetness. Think someone packed tobacco in an old dry molasses barrel and some of the residual sweetness transferred to the tobacco. There’s some grass notes, some grains and oats, maybe a little wood but what little flavoring I get is a sweet molasses. It’s semi sweet without being a dessert tobacco. I do get some buttery notes from time to time too. The whole thing is extremely mild tasting but satisfying. It is what it is, a mild, cool smoking, sweet old time American blend. Morning pipe with coffee before breakfast. Would be nice on a summers day if you want a light smoke. For a codger style blend of yesteryear this is nice. Unlike the modern OTC blends I get none of that plastic orange pumpkin of Halloween candy smell and of course no tongue bite. Flavor stays sweet and mild never harsh. I could see this being a favorite morning smoke for me. Nicotine is mildish.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (130)	2022-09-30		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Bag note is sweet Burley lots of hay and grass and just a slight note of cinnamon. This is a Burley forward blend with some Virginia for sweetness. Far less toppings than the original although you will get molasses . It has the slightest cinnamon retrohale. If you are in the mood for a simple one dimensional burley with just a touch of sweetness this is a good one in its simplicity. This ages well when I smoked it fresh it had some harshness but after siting in a jar for nine months it smoothed out nicely. Can easily be an all day smoke Mild in all aspects Taste, strength, Nic hit. Burns to a nice clean white ash.

Pipe Used: many briars

Age When Smoked: 9 months

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	peter1718 (2)	2019-10-10		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I just tried this blend and it is so delightful i e njoed this so muchits very corse and mild and sweet i never had the sufer barrel but this is anything like that. Its delicous you must give this a try

Pipe Used: Peterson 220

Purchased From: Pipe and cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rylander (5)	2018-02-05		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Smoking sweet cask from the tub for the first time now. Odd cut, mix oh slightly rubbed out crumble cake burley and little pieces of bright Virginia. That’s exactly what it tastes like, earthy smooth burly with a glimmer of citrus/grassy Virginia. The smell when o opened the tub was unique, earthy maybe like potting soil?? Not in a gross way but in a natural light tobacco way. Very mild and subtle blend. I don’t detect cinnamon but maybe a little tingle in the mouth feel that reminds me of cinnamon? Maybe a flash of pastry every now and then but mainly just good clean and light tobacco flavors. I like it! Smells good to me when burning too, not sure how it smells to others not smoking but I would assume it’s good. This is dang good, but I can see some people saying it doesn’t have enough flavor. To sum it up I would say this is a very natural non topped or barely topped light blend. Imagine what you would expect if you grew burly and Virginia in your garden at home and had the patience to cure and process the tobacco and blend them together. That’s the best description I can give you of what this tastes like. I like it a lot, but this is day one. Maybe it’s a picture of barrels on the tub but I almost pick up sarsaparilla???

Pipe Used: Brigham Canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-03-23		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Sweet Cask is suppose to be a match for the discontinued Sugar Barrel. I will let those who smoked the original comment on weather or not it is a match or not. The tobacco is dry. Sahara Desert dry. Lights easy and stays lit. The taste is a little sweet with a spiciness that can overpower the sweetness. The description of simple and pleasant is accurate. Recommended.

Pipe Used: briars

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Sugar Barrel.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haroldt (26)	2015-08-04		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

My first impression from my first bowl... "interest - nice" BUT as I smoked a few more bowl, this left me un impressed.

I don't care for the cut - not sure how I'm suppose to load it. Do I put it in as is, or do I break it up?? It was tricky to lite too, had to keep relighting. More likely because I'm loading this stuff wrong.

It does have a an neat cinnamon flavor, but that's not enough for me to buy again.

Pipe Used: cob and briar

Age When Smoked: just bought

Purchased From: pipe and cigar

Nobody has rated this review yet.