Bufflehead American Widgeon

[Puff Daddy]

This tin, dated 3/2004 in ink, was dropped on my porch in one of those seasonal sleigh bombs. An American blender no longer doing business, the Bufflehead co was just shutting it's doors as I began my foray into pipes and fine tobaccos and this is one company whose blends I never thought I'd ever get a chance to try. The stuff has a tin nose that eluded me for a while, but I've come to think of it as Haddo's on steroids. Not the tobacco, but the scent of it. I once glommed onto a 6 year old tin of Haddo's and it had a very pronounced scent to it - think the tin aroma of Haddo's squared. When American Widgeon is smoked I don't detect perique but it sure smells like it's in there. When I first opened the tin I thought there was a brandy scent but that disappeared quickly.

To me, this tastes a lot like it smells suggesting the dressing it possesses is a casing, and it actually contributes to the flavor about 3/4 of the way through the bowl. Aside from that, the tobaccos I taste are 5100 and good, refined leathery burley. It's a great combination and is blended wonderfully as the 5100-like component (if that's what it is, I'm just saying that's what it tastes like to me) is blended in just heavily enough to provide sweetness and that crisp, mouth watering effect. I suppose that could be the perique I think I smell but don't really taste though. Hell, I'm really not sure what's in here, but it's really very, very good and produces an overall Old Time Americana effect. Smells like the stuff you smelled the old dudes puffing up back when you were a kid.

I don't know any of the details of the demise of the Bufflehead tobacco co, but it sure is a shame they're gone. This is a great tobacco.

 

[Carlos]

I thought MikeM might comment on his thoughts. You are not gonna find many of us that have smoked this burley blend. I find a tiny bit of chocolate in there. Didn't at first. Always seemed to be some fleeting spirit just eluding my description. David had told me that this was a burley blend in the most general terms. I always suspected a bit of matured Virginia in there. Contrary to what some would have you believe, there is no McClelland supplied blending tobaccos in that one.

 

[Benjamin Button]

Great review! Makes me long for one of those "old timey tobacco" type blends. And you nailed the "mouth-watering" effect of 5100 (one of my favorites). Definitely an unmistakable characteristic of that blend.

 

[writingrav1]

HI
I have a can of Canvasback Decoy from the Bufflehead Shop. It was gifted to me at least 4, more likely 5 years ago. I am about to open the can and wondered if anyone could figure out the actual date on the tin from the following numbers found on the bottom:111 123
Thanks