
Reviews


Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - #7 Broken Flake
Dark, smooth and oh so flavorful
This is a very strong blend, with an extra helping of Lakeland essence. When I smoked it out of a cobb, it was honestly like smoking incense. Out of a good 9mm filter briar, the Lakeland seemed slightly subdued into the perfect blend of rich tobacco. It's dark and strong, but burns very cool, with no sharp edges. The Lakeland flavors make this one quite sublime. This is an absolutely superior smoking experience.


Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Flake
Sensational!
My first few bowls out of a cobb were promising but never crossed the line into great. I left a flake of this in a small tupperware for about a week, then rubbed it out and smoked it in a Peterson 05 Calabash. Oh my lord, it was sensational!! Incredibly rich and creamy, with depth and flavor. This is the really good stuff!


Peter Stokkebye - PS17 English Luxury
Silky Smooth English Goodness
This is one of those blends that is just perfectly balanced, not a sharp edge anywhere. I smoked it in a 9mm full bent estate pipe dedicated to Englishes, and it was as smooth as silk, possibly the single smoothest smoke of my life. I even huffed on it hard and it wouldn't bite. My 2oz bag is about to see heavy action.


Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation - Afternoon Melange
Very Enjoyable
I am relatively new to pipe smoking, and English blends are just starting to hit for me. This has been a lovely blend, I sometimes add a pinch of the Morning smoke blend from the same 4th Gen series to make it softly aromatic. Just a great bowl of tobacco.


Cornell & Diehl - Chopped Cigar Leaf
Bold and Smooth
For me, a 25 year cigar smoker, the Holy Grail has always been those strong cigars that have lost their sharp edges, in other words: Bold and Smooth. It's a rare thing in a cigar, so pack this in your pipe instead, and experience the Bold and Smooth Organism. Or, something that sounds like Bold and Smooth Organism. You can also mix this 50/50 to pop up an aromatic like Sutliff Creme Brûlée or PS Nougat. I'm visualizing an Irish Flake with DFK, a silky smooth burly, and cigar leaf. In any application, it's the shiznit.


Cornell & Diehl - Habana Daydream 2oz
Cigar smokers! Start here.
Cigar smokers! Start here. I am a 25 year cigar veteran who recently got deeply into pipe smoking. Smoked about 16 different blends with varying levels of success. Found a 3.5 year old tin at a local B&M and I'm like DUH why didn't I try the CIGAR BLEND??? And good lord this is an incredible smoke. This is absolutely everything I love about tobacco in one bottomless bowl of deliciousness. It don't bite, even when you lean on it, and gives huge clouds of the thick cigar or Burley smoke that I prefer to the thinner smoke of Virginias. This is like smoking an incredibly choice, well-aged medium cigar. Coming from a background of heavy Nicaraguan smokes, this is just a straight medium, and that medium is so, so good. Perfectly balanced. Yum. Just get it now.


Lane Limited - BCA
Silky Smooth
Silky Smooth aromatic cavendish. Sweet but not goopy, just incredibly mellow, with no sharp edges. As others have mentioned, this is a great mixer. I've been mixing it to ease into English blends. Sweetness, like salt, helps you to better taste other flavors. I have a little Rossi Piccolo I bought a few weeks ago. It was smoking hot, just wasn't enjoying it, lovely as it is. Well, I thought DUH just start smoking BCA in there and... mmm... yeah... sweetened it right up. I think I am going to start every new or estate pipe with a couple of bowls of BCA. There is no dominant vanilla or any aromatic that will overwhelm a pipe. It's just like smoking sweetness itself.


Missouri Meerschaum - Missouri Pride Bent (6mm)
Very impressive
With the addition of a 6mm charcoal filter, this cob burns nice and cool and smooth. I actually enjoy this better than my $60 Rossi at 1/10 the price. Filtered pipes are the way to go. UPDATE: started running some BCA through the Rossi and it's really getting smooth. Don't want to dis Rossi.


Old German Clay - Eagle's Talons
Super cool
My second review on this. Hard to believe, but I like this better than my $60 Rossi. The flavors come through super pure. I was able to smoke straight Latakia and really taste the perfume like quality of that smoke, when I had previously thought it would taste like BBQ. These are really a lot of fun to smoke. Can't clench it, but clenching isn't my bit anyway.


Old German Clay - Eagle's Talons
Cool smoking, fun little pipe
Just smoked a bowl of Cap's Blend out of this little bad boy. The bowl is about the size of a thimble. Really enjoyed this and will definitely buy a few more to smoke and share with friends!


Peter Stokkebye - PS23 B & B
Divine
Although I have smoked cigars for 25 years, I am relatively new to pipes. The first bowl of this (in a humble cob) was utterly divine, one of the coolest, smoothest, and tastiest smokes of my life. The burn was utter perfection. How come no one ever told me burley was so smooth? I packed another mixed with some straight perique for a little extra kick and it just went off. I will buy a ton of this blend.


Punch - Clasico Maduro London Club
Works every time
These 5x40 bad boys just freaking kill it every time. I have smoked at least 50 of these and can't recall anything other than a perfect burn, a smooth, easy draw with tons of effortless smoke. The fact that they sell for under $3.50 is quite remarkable. I have smoked plenty of other Punch Clasico vitolas, with various results, but none of them hit so consistently and deliciously as the Punch London Club Maduro. I can't tell you how many times I've reached for one of these for a nightcap after a much larger and more expensive cigar and been just as satisfied, if not more. They work every time.


Arturo Fuente - Brevas Royale Natural
Super mild and agreeable
The Brevas Royale in the natural wrapper is just about the mildest and most agreeable cigar I've ever smoked in 25 years. Not only are they great for a first timer, but they are great for someone with years of experience who just wants a quality, no fuss, no pepper smoke at a good price. I smoked Nicaraguan pepper bombs for years and have recently come to value cigars like these. Smooth, easy, plenty of smoke, light on the wallet.
How to Break In a Briar Tobacco Pipe- ► Be sure to check out Peterson Pipe Note's "All Purpose Bowl Coating" article. It's basically gum arabic and activated charcoal, and it does a wonderful job with new briar. I've even used it to fill in the weird heel on my cobs. PPN says that this recipe is the same as what Peterson uses on all of their coated bowls.