WandererOfWeirdPaths":4a15ugjp said:
SPC Plum Pudding was one of the first blends I bought a tin of when I got into the hobby a few years back, and I adore it. Today I ordered a tin of the SPC Plum Pudding Special Reserve and a tin of the SPC Mississippi Rive Special Reserve, both plug cut versions made with rarer tobaccos.
Has anyone tried these? Worth the bit of extra money? I haven't had the Mississippi River at all but it sounds really delicious, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy that Plum Pudding.
Yes, they are worth the extra money. Here's my reviews if they'll help:
MRSR:
The red Virginia is tangy, dark fruit sweet with some earth, and a smidgeon of barbecue flavor as it forms the base of the blend. The stoved Virginias have a fermented sugary dark fruitiness and a little earth, and almost competes with the red for attention. The rare flue cured Virginia provides a hint of grass and some citrus in the background. The perique offers some spice with raisin and fig notes, and is a little more than a condimental addition. The Cyprian latakia is an important supporting player, adding a sweet smoky, musty woodiness. The Oriental is woody, lightly spicy, with a slight sour hit here and there, and plays just below the threshold of the latakia. The nic-hit is mild to medium. The taste level is medium, and the strength falls just shy of that mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness present. It’s presented in an easily broken apart krumble kake. The tobacco is a little moist, but I did not feel the need to dry it. I recommend not totally rubbing it out. I broke off small pieces and dropped them into the bowl. Burns a mite slow, cool and clean with a very consistent, complex, deeply rich and creamy smooth, smoky sweet taste to the finish. Requires some relights, and leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Has a very pleasant, lingering after taste with a stronger room note. It’s almost an all day smoke for a beginner, and can be one for the experienced smoker.
In comparison to the regular Mississippi River, I find this to be a little smoother and richer in flavor. Its sweetness has a mildly more fermented character than does the regular MR. The addition of the flue cured Virginia adds a pinch of extra complexity. I find the spice content to be a hair higher as well. Well balanced, you’ll notice virtually all of the inherent aspects of the tobaccos in every puff.
PPSR:
Though it is true that the smoky, woody, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is the most important component, the other constituent tobaccos synergistically combine to form a cohesive, multi-dimensional flavor. The black stoved and red Virginias are also upgraded leaf especially for this Reserve blend. They offer earth and a little grass, fermented tangy ripe, stewed dark fruit and citrus with a light barbecue essence. The sun cured Orientals not present in the original Plum Pudding add a bit more sweetness, depth and dimension to the complexity. The dry, buttery sweet and sour, wood and smoke from the Orientals also sport a pinch of salt in the background, a little less so than they do in the other version due to the upgraded Turkish leaf. There is a continual undercurrent of spice, raisins and figs from the perique, though the spice is lightly more obvious. The unsweetened black cavendish provides a brown sugary smoothness in a small support role. The nicotine status is a shade closer to medium than it is to mild. The strength and taste positions are medium. It won’t bite, and any chance of harshness is tamed by the black cavendish. The pressed kake plug is easily broken apart. The tobacco is a little moist, but I did not feel the need to dry it. I recommend not totally rubbing it out. I broke off small pieces and dropped them into the bowl. It burns a bit slow, cool and clean with a very consistent and intricate, deeply rich and creamy smooth, smoky, woody sweet taste from start to finish. It requires some relights, and leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. It sports a very pleasant, lingering after taste with a stronger room note. It’s not quite an all day smoke, but is certainly repeatable.
Aside from the previously noted differences from the other Plum Pudding, PPSR is a little sweeter, deeper, smoother and richer in flavor, with nearly the same strength and taste levels. Its sweetness has a mildly more fermented character, and the “barbecue” note a tad more pronounced. Well balanced, you’ll notice virtually all of the inherent aspects of the tobaccos in every moment of the experience.
