Kyle Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2011
- Messages
- 11,988
- Reaction score
- 7
Hooray! Something to tide me over until some Sam Gawith Squadron Leader arrives!
Well, kind of.
I fell farther and farther in love with Squadron Leader from the get-go. It was my first SG product, and really got me into these medium-bodied, medium-Latakia English blends.
So, it's all I have to compare this to right now. Which is fine, because lots of people can relate to Squadron Leader.
So--Spilman Mixture very similar to Squadron Leader to me. There's a few differences...for example, the cut is a bit chunkier and cube-ish, (which loaded great and stayed lit perfectly, by the way, as does SL) and smelling it from the bag, it isn't as "punchy" smelling as Squadron Leader. Spilman Mixture contains a fair amount of Latakia, even though the smell in the tin/bag doesn't give this away. I found this mixture a little lacking in body and complexity (yes, again, comparing it to Squadron Leader), because I believe the leading tobacco is likely Burley--which gets taken over by the Latakia and doesn't give the Vitamin "N" hit one would expect. I believe mixes like this have the "right" amount of Latakia (as does SL) but the key here is the amounts of other tobaccos (VA/Turkish) not being quite bold or strong enough, or in enough amounts, to really play fairly.
It's a good, straightforward smoke: I like it a lot. It's a fantastic medium English. You'll like it if you really enjoy Latakia, as it isn't overpowering and is pleasant to smoke. For me, Burley is a really subtle tobacco, even more so than most Virginias I've tried so far, and it'd take a little different mixing to get that thick waxiness and sweet-starchiness that Squadron Leader gives me--according to ingredients, SL has less types of tobacco...and gets more complexity for my taste.
So, it's obvious I like my SL. Sure. The fact this stuff came close is impressive. I'd reach for this if SL suddenly disappeared. It would also pair wonderfully with strong coffee/spirits if you weren't as worried about getting every delicious molecule of tobacco but wanted something English and smoky.
Well, kind of.
I fell farther and farther in love with Squadron Leader from the get-go. It was my first SG product, and really got me into these medium-bodied, medium-Latakia English blends.
So, it's all I have to compare this to right now. Which is fine, because lots of people can relate to Squadron Leader.
So--Spilman Mixture very similar to Squadron Leader to me. There's a few differences...for example, the cut is a bit chunkier and cube-ish, (which loaded great and stayed lit perfectly, by the way, as does SL) and smelling it from the bag, it isn't as "punchy" smelling as Squadron Leader. Spilman Mixture contains a fair amount of Latakia, even though the smell in the tin/bag doesn't give this away. I found this mixture a little lacking in body and complexity (yes, again, comparing it to Squadron Leader), because I believe the leading tobacco is likely Burley--which gets taken over by the Latakia and doesn't give the Vitamin "N" hit one would expect. I believe mixes like this have the "right" amount of Latakia (as does SL) but the key here is the amounts of other tobaccos (VA/Turkish) not being quite bold or strong enough, or in enough amounts, to really play fairly.
It's a good, straightforward smoke: I like it a lot. It's a fantastic medium English. You'll like it if you really enjoy Latakia, as it isn't overpowering and is pleasant to smoke. For me, Burley is a really subtle tobacco, even more so than most Virginias I've tried so far, and it'd take a little different mixing to get that thick waxiness and sweet-starchiness that Squadron Leader gives me--according to ingredients, SL has less types of tobacco...and gets more complexity for my taste.
So, it's obvious I like my SL. Sure. The fact this stuff came close is impressive. I'd reach for this if SL suddenly disappeared. It would also pair wonderfully with strong coffee/spirits if you weren't as worried about getting every delicious molecule of tobacco but wanted something English and smoky.