Heine's Blend

[derangedhermit]

I came across this blend online looking for codger burleys, and read people's descriptions and reviews of it. The combination of burley with a light citrus flavor sounded unusual and worth trying. It's made by Sutliff now, but people say it's been pretty much the same since the 1930s. Finding no bulk or pouch options, I risked it and bought a 14 oz tub, and received it today. My wife says the tub aroma reminds her of what pipe tobacco smelled like when she was a child (1950s). The appearance and texture took me back to this past fall, when the last leaves were off the trees and I ran the mulching mower over the lawn instead of raking them up. More than most pipe tobacco, Heine's Blend looks and feels like shredded leaves - which, I suppose, it is.

Straight from the tub, moisture level is about right, and it smokes easily enough. So far I would only venture to say I taste earth, or bark, with a little bitterness. I was hoping to notice nicotine, but did not.

I am posting this to solicit comments from others who have tried, for better or worse, in sickness or in health, Heine's Blend in the past.

 

[Falstaff]

I was curious about Heine's Blend, too. Thanks for the review and for sharing your thoughts. I still haven't gone all-in on a big tub just yet, but Heine's remains on my "I-probably-should-buy-it-already" list. Have your thoughts changed now that some time has passed? Thanks.

 

[JimInks]

Here's my review if it'd help. I find it does very nicely in a cob.

A typical American over the counter burley based blend that's been around since the 1930s. The burleys have a touch of cocoa, some molasses, wood, bread and earth and fair amount of nuttiness with a touch of coumarin replacing the deer tongue that was once used, which provides a light spice note. The topping is a mild pineapple which adds a little sweetness and tang. I also get a very light hit of lemon and citrus. The burleys are cubed, crushed plug, and small diced flake cut which make for a even, cool burn with a very consistent flavor, requiring few relights. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Won't bite or get harsh, and barely has any rough edges. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the mild mark, The taste is a step short of the center of mild to medium. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste, and room note. A fairly easy going all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

The deer tongue was replaced some time in the 2000s. There wasn't much in the mix, but it helped create a little deeper flavor than today's production.

I had talked Sutliff into selling it in a 50 grams tin, and even wrote a tin description for it. But the administration changed, and the new guy wasn't interested. I never approached the current leadership about it, but I wish I had.

 

[Falstaff]

Here's my review if it'd help. I find it does very nicely in a cob.

A typical American over the counter burley based blend that's been around since the 1930s. The burleys have a touch of cocoa, some molasses, wood, bread and earth and fair amount of nuttiness with a touch of coumarin replacing the deer tongue that was once used, which provides a light spice note. The topping is a mild pineapple which adds a little sweetness and tang. I also get a very light hit of lemon and citrus. The burleys are cubed, crushed plug, and small diced flake cut which make for a even, cool burn with a very consistent flavor, requiring few relights. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Won't bite or get harsh, and barely has any rough edges. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the mild mark, The taste is a step short of the center of mild to medium. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste, and room note. A fairly easy going all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

The deer tongue was replaced some time in the 2000s. There wasn't much in the mix, but it helped create a little deeper flavor than today's production.

I had talked Sutliff into selling it in a 50 grams tin, and even wrote a tin description for it. But the administration changed, and the new guy wasn't interested. I never approached the current leadership about it, but I wish I had.

Thanks for the review, @JimInks. Interesting bit of Sutliff news - a 50g tin or pouch of Heine's Blend sure would be nice to have (as an option for purchase).

 

[JimInks]

Thanks for the review, @JimInks. Interesting bit of Sutliff news - a 50g tin or pouch of Heine's Blend sure would be nice to have (as an option for purchase).

I agree. It won't happen now with the FDA regs approaching. Otherwise, I'd recommend it get done.

You know, with OTCs falling by the way side, and others harder to find, it would fill the bill for those who like OTCs.

 

[derangedhermit]

I was curious about Heine's Blend, too. Thanks for the review and for sharing your thoughts. I still haven't gone all-in on a big tub just yet, but Heine's remains on my "I-probably-should-buy-it-already" list. Have your thoughts changed now that some time has passed? Thanks.

Well. it is certainly burley, and I agree with JimInks that it is between mild and medium in strength and taste. I had hopes that the pineapple / citrus would be clearer to me. It's clearly *something*, or a combination of flavors, that isn't tobacco, but my taster can't associate it with anything I know. The flavoring is more than the wave-the-bottle-over-the-baccy that some light aromatics get, and nothing like the overwhelming flavors that some aromatics have. No stickiness at all.

I also agree with JimInks it's an easy smoke, and consistent throughout, although for me the end of the pipe could sometimes become less appealing. I guess I might put it in the category of Lane BLWB or Sutliff J4 Mild Burley, maybe with a touch more body than either, and a different, somewhat unique flavoring - but no strength or taste like the strong C&D burleys, or even up to the Mac Baren older burley-heavy blends that I think of as medium strength and taste. If you like the taste, you could smoke it all day.

I'll probably continue to smoke a bowl occasionally to try to get a better handle on it over time.

I'd be happy to send you a couple ounces, just PM me an address.

 

[derangedhermit]

I agree. It won't happen now with the FDA regs approaching. Otherwise, I'd recommend it get done.

You know, with OTCs falling by the way side, and others harder to find, it would fill the bill for those who like OTCs.

I agree. I found it completely agreeable to smoke, it's just how much you like the flavor.

I'm sure there is a reason brands do this, but it is a puzzle. Not many people will buy a pound just to try a blend. Or the opposite - pouches or 2oz / 50g tins, but no way to buy larger quantities. I was recently told that Lane discontinued Captain Black Dark in 12 oz tubs. So you can buy an ounce but not a pound; makes no sense to me. Captain Black isn't caviar. I can only suppose the pouches will go away too - and I think Heine's Blend will disappear sooner than it otherwise would, since there is no way to buy 2 oz.

 

[SmokeRings]

Well. it is certainly burley, and I agree with JimInks that it is between mild and medium in strength and taste. I had hopes that the pineapple / citrus would be clearer to me. It's clearly *something*, or a combination of flavors, that isn't tobacco, but my taster can't associate it with anything I know. The flavoring is more than the wave-the-bottle-over-the-baccy that some light aromatics get, and nothing like the overwhelming flavors that some aromatics have. No stickiness at all.

I also agree with JimInks it's an easy smoke, and consistent throughout, although for me the end of the pipe could sometimes become less appealing. I guess I might put it in the category of Lane BLWB or Sutliff J4 Mild Burley, maybe with a touch more body than either, and a different, somewhat unique flavoring - but no strength or taste like the strong C&D burleys, or even up to the Mac Baren older burley-heavy blends that I think of as medium strength and taste. If you like the taste, you could smoke it all day.

I'll probably continue to smoke a bowl occasionally to try to get a better handle on it over time.

I'd be happy to send you a couple ounces, just PM me an address.

Don't feel bad if you can't pick out all the stuff Jim gets out of a blend, he's not actually a human, he's a machine forged to smoke and review pipe tobacco, draw cartoons and uses baseball games as a fuel source to power the other two activities, he also somehow found time for a home life too, which proves he is no mere mortal man.

 

[JimInks]

Don't feel bad if you can't pick out all the stuff Jim gets out of a blend, he's not actually a human, he's a machine forged to smoke and review pipe tobacco, draw cartoons and uses baseball games as a fuel source to power the other two activities, he also somehow found time for a home life too, which proves he is no mere mortal man.

And when I get out of the phone booth, you can see my red cape and boots!!

 

[JimInks]

I agree. I found it completely agreeable to smoke, it's just how much you like the flavor.

I'm sure there is a reason brands do this, but it is a puzzle. Not many people will buy a pound just to try a blend. Or the opposite - pouches or 2oz / 50g tins, but no way to buy larger quantities. I was recently told that Lane discontinued Captain Black Dark in 12 oz tubs. So you can buy an ounce but not a pound; makes no sense to me. Captain Black isn't caviar. I can only suppose the pouches will go away too - and I think Heine's Blend will disappear sooner than it otherwise would, since there is no way to buy 2 oz.

Pouches sell better than tubs. A lot of blends that were sold in tubs vanished, but the pouches remained.

There have been a few exceptions. Heine's Blend was sold in pouches at least through the 1970s. So was Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend. I got Sutliff to sell EGR in tins, and their sales went up on the tubs, too. I believe the same would have happened with Heine's Blend had Sutliff's former boss not discarded my idea. If HB was a better seller, I believe Sutliff would sell it in the smaller size. Why not go to their website, and ask them to do it? If enough people do that, they'll listen. Whether they'll do it or not is something nobody can say for sure. But, there's nothing to lose by trying.

 

[SmokeRings]

Pouches sell better than tubs. A lot of blends that were sold in tubs vanished, but the pouches remained.

There have been a few exceptions. Heine's Blend was sold in pouches at least through the 1970s. So was Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend. I got Sutliff to sell EGR in tins, and their sales went up on the tubs, too. I believe the same would have happened with Heine's Blend had Sutliff's former boss not discarded my idea. If HB was a better seller, I believe Sutliff would sell it in the smaller size. Why not go to their website, and ask them to do it? If enough people do that, they'll listen. Whether they'll do it or not is something nobody can say for sure. But, there's nothing to lose by trying.

Most folks don't like buying nearly a pound of a blend to try it, faced with a $35-$60 purchase they might not like most folks are going to take a pass, offering pouches makes an awful lot of sense.

 

[JimInks]

Most folks don't like buying nearly a pound of a blend to try it, faced with a $35-$60 purchase they might not like most folks are going to take a pass, offering pouches makes an awful lot of sense.

Very, very true. I wouldn't either. And I didn't. I was given a sample.

 

[Pipepunk]

I've emphatically wanted to try this blend but a couple things dampen my enthusiasm.pulling the trigger on a tub purchase can be somewhat daunting on a disability income plus there's been conflicting descriptions from various sources on what it's like .source x says it's coconut flavored source y says hazelnut and source z says citrus so it seems like a crapshoot for those reasons that I wouldn't feel lucky about.

 

[derangedhermit]

Very, very true. I wouldn't either. And I didn't. I was given a sample.

I bought a tub because I really like bright Virginias that provide a natural citrus flavor, but I find them "thin" to smoke, and I hoped a nice burley with a similar accent might fill out the smoke if I blended them, while keeping the citrus. I knew it was somewhat of a long shot, but that was the idea. Hmmm, I still haven't tried doing that. Something for later today...

 

[derangedhermit]

I've emphatically wanted to try this blend but a couple things dampen my enthusiasm.pulling the trigger on a tub purchase can be somewhat daunting on a disability income plus there's been conflicting descriptions from various sources on what it's like .source x says it's coconut flavored source y says hazelnut and source z says citrus so it seems like a crapshoot for those reasons that I wouldn't feel lucky about.

Be glad to send you a couple ounces, just PM me if you want some.

 

[Slow Tri]

Never heard of this blend before this thread but now I'm intrigued!! I love this place......but my bank account doesn't!

 

[derangedhermit]

Never heard of this blend before this thread but now I'm intrigued!! I love this place......but my bank account doesn't!

LOL I'm not promoting the stuff, it's not really floating my boat. But it is an easy smoking old style American blend, and others might want try it. So I got 2 oz with "Slow Tri" on the bag if you want to give it a try.

 

[SmokeRings]

LOL I'm not promoting the stuff, it's not really floating my boat. But it is an easy smoking old style American blend, and others might want try it. So I got 2 oz with "Slow Tri" on the bag if you want to give it a try.

According to a lot of folks who ought to know, the saying "there is no such thing as bad press" applies here, people buy highly rated things obviously, but stop and think about how many times you've heard someone say "I just have to see if it's as bad as they say...nothing can be that bad."

 

[JimInks]

I've emphatically wanted to try this blend but a couple things dampen my enthusiasm.pulling the trigger on a tub purchase can be somewhat daunting on a disability income plus there's been conflicting descriptions from various sources on what it's like .source x says it's coconut flavored source y says hazelnut and source z says citrus so it seems like a crapshoot for those reasons that I wouldn't feel lucky about.

There's no crap shoot here. I not only stand by the toppings I notice, I went to Sutliff's then-master blender, Carl McAllister, who confirmed my assessment of the flavors before I wrote my review. Since Carl was the one who refomulated the blend, he would know. Source X and Z don't know what they were talking about because there is no coconut or hazelnut in Heine's Blend.

 

[Mpugh777]

Had me at 1930s OTC Codger blend. Perhaps I should invest in some...only comes in the big tub?