Drucquer & Sons: Casbah 100g Pipe Tobacco

Founded in 1841, Drucquer & Sons was a famed London tobacco shop that relocated to Berkeley, California, in 1928. The shop was more than just a tobacconist though; it was a community. It was where some of the greatest tobacco-blenders in recent memory — like Carl Ehwa of McClelland and Gregory Pease of G.L. Pease — first plunged their hands into fragrant tobacco. The historic shop may be gone, but its rich history and brand of pipe tobaccos continues, reformulated from their original recipes by Gregory Pease (and made by Cornell & Diehl) for the modern smoker.

Casbah is an expertly blended Balkan-style crumble-plug mixture comprising Red and Bright Virginias, a generous portion of small-leaf Orientals, and a generous helping of deep, smoky Cypriot Latakia. Once blended, the loose mixture is pressed and aged in cakes, then cut into blocks — combining the flavor-enhancing benefits of flake- or plug-cut blends with an easy, straightforward preparation for the pipe. In the tin, Casbah's aromas are opulent and exotic, punctuated by sweet and sour notes with a deep allure of smoky zest. On the palate, the blend is full-bodied yet approachable in flavor and strength, balancing a tangy sweetness with whispers of subtle wood-smoke and a creamy, rounded finish.