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JBFRADY
About Me:
Among other things, I'm an upstart pipe carver in the Upstate (SC).
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Reviews
John Aylesbury - Dragon Flake 50g
It's Fine
This isn't a bad smoke, but it's not going to set itself apart either. Aromatic flakes aren't incredibly common, but nor are they rare. I can't say this is any better than the Firedance flake by SG.
Savinelli - Doblone d'Oro 100g
No Longer Coins
These are now broken coins. It's still a high quality smoke, but ready rubbed blends don't burn as well. They should update either the tin or the marketing.
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding Robusto
Worth Trying, Maybe Not Repeating
A well-made tuna salad makes for an excellent sandwich. A well-made egg salad makes for an excellent sandwich. But an egg-and-tuna salad sandwich, while good, is lesser than the sum of its parts. It isn't that the flavors are conflicting, so much as they're equalizing. The upper strengths of both are remediated, rather than enhanced, because nothing takes center stage. Upon inspecting the cigar before I lit it, I noticed that the pipe tobacco packed in the filler is concentrated more to one side. Not entirely, but enough to be noticeable. After lighting, the cigar began to canoe nearly at once, with the side containing a heavier supply of pipe tobacco burning slower than the rest. Beyond that, you have to get a good half inch into the stick before the flavor begins to mellow out appropriately. Before this, the English pipe tobacco filler almost makes the initial notes raste of rubber and salt. They mellow out, mind you, but you have to stick with it in order to find the flavor in the cigar. Just as it began to actually impress me, I only had about an inch left and the smoke was heating up. My assessment: I think it should have been made differently. A Maduro wrapper would have suited the flavor of the English tobacco better, but so would a different rolling technique. Until I looked it up, due to the smoking quality, I would've put a bet on this being machine made, rather than a handmade one. Were it rolled more like a Hemingway Short Story (packed much tighter and nearly penciled art the lighting end), I think the draw would have better emphasized the pipe tobacco therein.
Peterson - De Luxe Navy Rolls 50g
Easy Go-To
My personal favorite Classic Va-Per. This and Esxudo are a similar as Pepsi and Coke, so I had to try them one after another to know for sure.
Mac Baren - Club Blend 3.5oz
A Fair Mac Baren
This is probably the least notable coin Mac Baren produces. However, you won't find a poorly made Mac Baren.
John Aylesbury - Dragon Flake 50g
Positively Solid
This is an easy blend to mix halvsies with any tin you're looking to make more palatable to passersby. Straight from the tin it's a bit moist.
Dan Tobacco - Blue Note 50g
Among the best in aromatics
You're unlikely to find a readier blend to load in your pipe and now away those in your vicinity.
Samuel Gawith - Spring Time Flake 50g
Not Quite FVF
Fanatic VaPer, definitely an immediate upper echelon. However, it isn't as pivotal to the VaPer world as FVF is to the VA flakes.
Mac Baren - Virginia Flake 1.75oz
Solid Flake
Anything better than this is fantastic, and anything less is probably not worth repeating.
Peter Heinrichs - Reserve Crue No. 4 100g
Aged try only
After 6 years it's about a 4.5 so I'm grading on a scale
BriarWorks - Back Down South 2oz
No.
This tastes like if you opened a tin of Orlik in a nail salon and forgot about it for a few days.
Cornell & Diehl - Exhausted Rooster 2oz
2005
I tried a tin of this that's half as old as I am, so I'm judging it on this curve. Having tried other aged VaPer's, it seems clear this this blend didn't begin even half as smooth as those which age more robustly. This serves as a cheap VaPer, but you could still find much better for a nominally higher price.
Cornell & Diehl - Sunset Harbor Flake 2oz
Fine for the Price
This is like an amateur version of SPC Plum Pudding in its own way. Latakia-forward, but not as well blended. Between the okay quality and the stupid looking label, it just doesn't make me want to pick it up and revisit it. I'm beginning to think that all C&D pre-Jeremy Reeves just isn't great.
Peter Stokkebye - PS701 Virginia
It's fine.
With all the Virginias out there to order, I can't imagine giving this one any higher rating than middling. It's not bad, but it's nothing special either.
Newminster - No.701 Straight Virginia
Exactly what it says
It's a Virginia ribbon. It won't blow your socks off.
Lane Limited - 125th Anniversary
Okay as Hell
If you're looking for something that's not especially memorable but also won't disappoint you, this is it. Why you'd be looking for such a thing, however, none could say.
Mac Baren - HH Vintage Syrian 3.5oz
No such thing as a bad HH
Per Jensen is a master of his craft. Perfectly layered.
Rattray's - Marlin Flake 50g
50 Shades of Flavor
I should preface this by saying that the Flake I tried was half as old as I am, but damn! Maple sugar complexity and stayed lit like a champ.
Samuel Gawith - Winter Time Flake 50g
2014 tin, 2023 heaven
I got my hand on a 9-year old tin of this Flake and the flavor of Virginias have married and embraced that of the Latakias as wholly as might cousins in Arkansas.
Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River 2oz
Worthwhile
I can't say I'd rank this under repurchasing, but it's worth trying at least once to try out a classic Lankford. However, Plum pudding slaughters this blend.
Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East Flake 2oz
Quite Good
I gave it a 3 because perhaps I'd overhyped it in my head. As a tobacco, it's quite good. As a flake, I wasn't particularly impressed because there are so many phenomenal flakes on the market.
Cornell & Diehl - Kajun Kake 2oz
Maybe When Aged?
Perhaps if given ample time, this could be a quality VaPer. When new, however, the freshly opened tin smells like a highly trafficked animal barn and tastes like a perique farmer's ball sweat.
The Danish Pipe Shop - Brown Sugar Flake 50g
Epitome of European Flake
This won't blow your mind, but it'll deliver exactly what it promises: a well made, near-dry Flake which, when properly lit, won't go out for days.
Cornell & Diehl - Epiphany 2oz
Adroit indeed...
I wouldn't go out of my way to keep this on hand, but I'm happy to load a bowl when there's an open tin.
Sutliff - Pipe Force Episode V 1.75oz
One of the best this year
Stoving rustica brings out flavor that's completely unlike anything yet. It lends an almost barbecued credence to an otherwise expert blend.
Sutliff - Pipe Force Episode IV 1.75oz
Right about a 3.75
I went to the Vegas show and purchased the full sampler. They definitely began with the weakest (although still fantastic) of the blends at hand.
Robert Lewis - 123 Mixture 50g
There's no such thing as a bad Lewis
If you're a cigar smoker you'll likely give this a perfect score. It's a fantastic cigarized English.
Hearth & Home - Black House 1.75oz
Balkan done right
These tons aren't vacuum sealed, so don't age beyond a decade. However, once aged it'll smell and taste like heaven.
Davidoff - Scottish Mixture 50g
Quality leaf
This lives up to the Davidoff reputation for expertly curating their tobaccos.
Warped - The Haunting Cake 2oz
If you like cigars...
The Dominican is strong with this one. If you're a cigar smoker, it's a dream. And if you aren't a cigar smoker... you are now.
Missouri Meerschaum - Timeless 1.5oz
Sutliff
This is a Sutliff-made aromatic, which immediately indicates that A) it's well made with quality tobacco, but B) unlike one's dirty laundry, this needs some air time. Once it's properly dried, it smokes like a charm.
Dan Tobacco - Milonga 50g
The Greatest Tobacco you Shouldn't Buy
The Virginia leaves in this tin are perfectly highlighted rather than overruled by the flavor profiles involved. It's a splendid smoke, both for the smoker and those around when it's lit up. All that said, don't buy it. Because if you buy it, I can't.
Kopp - Caribbean Blue Graham 50g
Good, but don't try this near mealtime
This is splendid when you've got folks around you, as smoking this one indoors could fool others into believing there's a very berry candle in the vicinity. Still, the flavor lingers heavily, so don't eat or drink coffee soon after smoking this unless you're down with a berry-fication of its flavor profile.
Dan Tobacco - Black Velvet 50g
Perfectly Subtle
If you're looking for loads of flavor, check elsewhere. This blend is exactly as described, generally unsweetened and packing the subtlest punch possible, the room note faintly of brownies. You can smoke it all day - and I have.
Kopp - Caribbean Blue Seegar 50g
Pleasantest little toke
If you're a fan of Kohlhase but you want those in the room with you to believe they're in the midst of a fine scented candle, light this up and see what happens.
Cornell & Diehl - Mad Fiddler Flake 2oz
I'm shocked
I'm not usually one for much perique, but exceptions exist for every rule.
Savinelli - Brunello Flake 100g
Fantastic value
Quality leaf, not over-flavored. The only reason this one doesn't rank higher for me (I'd give it a 4.25) is that I wouldn't be able to pick it out of a lineup. In order words, let me try it blind and I wouldn't be able to discern any particular qualities which scream Brunello Flake.
Cornell & Diehl - Opening Night 2oz
Among the best from C&D
In terms of straight VA, Cobblestone's Virginia Plug sets the 5-star benchmark, with Chess Knight signaling the 4.5. This is the next best VA I've had.
Cornell & Diehl - Light of the Universe: Or Olam 2oz
Decent, not especially rounded
After smoking this one a few times I added latakia and Virginias to fill it out. It was a good start, but fell short.
Cornell & Diehl - Comfort 2oz
Quite solid
Perfect texture, though the aroma isn't entirely pleasant. Hints of Farm life may be detected. But the rings you blow with this blend could be measured in karats.
Sutliff - 203 Coffee
Unexpected
I anticipated flavor over quality. Instead, I find myself taken by pleasant surprise. This was a light flavoring based in high quality Cavendish.
The Danish Pipe Shop - Brown Sugar Flake 50g
Solid... once lit
This one doesn't take well to flame and it's quite dry from the tin. With age, I believe it'll grow more hospitable.
Cornell & Diehl - String Duster 2oz
It's fine.
I get the feeling that these are leaves which didn't make the cut for other blends. Second rate perhaps, but not bad.
Robert Lewis - Tree Mixture 50g
Fair legacy, Colonel!
Colonel Tree, to my knowledge, didn't do anything worthwhile in terms of establishing a military legacy. But damn did the officer have splendid taste!
Cobblestone - Brick Virginia Plug 1.75oz
Don't Purchase This...
The other review was correct in that if you're a new smoker, you likely won't be able to appreciate what's happening here. This is largely a Virginia blend sans flavour, so you have to love straight Virginias if your tastes are to have a stake in this venture. That being said, if you appreciate dry leaves with minimal processing, you'll love this blend like I do. Still, don't buy this. The subject requires more investigation, so I'll take all the tins, thank you very much.
Davidoff - Scottish Mixture 50g
Epitome of good
This won't blow your mind but much like Rick Astley, it won't let you down. I couldn't discern much in terms of ingredients, as the flavoring served to obscure rather than highlight any given leaf.
Cornell & Diehl - Crooner 2oz
Baffled by this
I tried it on a whim and stumbled upon a new favorite.
Cornell & Diehl - Big 'n' Burley 2oz
Solid blend
There's something to be said for a product being exactly as described.
Cornell & Diehl - Autumn Evening 2oz
Overpowered by the flavoring
I wasn't quite about to discern the taste of the tobacco through the maple flavoring.
Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation - Small Batch Resolution 2oz
Splendid smoke
This blend, much like President William Howard Taft, is especially rounded. Still, could've done with less hazelnut.
Cornell & Diehl - Morning Drive 2oz
Definitely a favorite
If you're into blends not so flavored, this is it. It's expertly made.
G. L. Pease - Géométrie 2oz
Simple and tasteful
Without touting many ingredients, this one is great for your taste buds and the people in the room with you.
BriarWorks - Pete's Beard's Blend 2oz
Underappreciated
This is one of the few blend on the market with no flavoring whatsoever. This is for the purists.
Cobblestone - Chess Knight 1.75oz
Yes.
I'm a sucker for Kohlhase & Kopp. Their simple ingredient tins are spectacular.
Peter Stokkebye - PS402 Luxury Twist Flake
A standard in its own right
The 2/1/3 is a rare combination (mild to smoke, lovely aroma, with plenty of taste) without a chemical mess of flavor additions.
Lighters - Kiribi Pipe Lighter - Kabuto Short Black Matte
I'm a fan.
I've paid double for the same quality lighter before.
Gifts - Ebauchon Briar Pipe Kit Acrylic Stem-Bent
Ideal Starter
This is a great kit to initiate oneself into the whittling world. The blocks come well-drilled and for the most part the stems come well-milled. However, the stems aren't always plumb and that can make finalizing the project a real pain.
Gifts - Plateau Briar Pipe Kit Ebonite Stem-Bent
Opt for different stem
I feel like I sanded the stem more than I did the finished block and still it didn't look right. The stem was uneven and had a seam that ran as high as a mountain chain...
Gifts - Plateau Briar Pipe Kit Acrylic Stem-Straight
Can't afford not to do it
This is a great kit to initiate oneself into the whittling world. The blocks come well-drilled and for the most part the stems come well-milled. However, the stems aren't always plumb and that can make finalizing the project a real pain.
Gifts - Plateau Briar Pipe Kit Acrylic Stem-Bent
Terrific value
This is a great kit to initiate oneself into the whittling world. The blocks come well-drilled and for the most part the stems come well-milled. However, the stems aren't always plumb and that can make finalizing the project a real pain.
Gifts - Plateau Briar Pipe Kit Amber Acrylic Stem-Bent
Worth the purchase
This is a great kit to initiate oneself into the whittling world. The blocks come well-drilled and for the most part the stems come well-milled. However, the stems aren't always plumb and that can make finalizing the project a real pain.
Gifts - Ebauchon Briar Pipe Kit Acrylic Stem-Straight
Solid carving companion
This is a great kit to initiate oneself into the whittling world. The blocks come well-drilled and for the most part the stems come well-milled. However, the stems aren't always plumb and that can make finalizing the project a real pain.
Gifts - Morta Pipe Kit Acrylic Stem-Bent
Great starter
If you're looking to dig into a morta block, this serves as a great start. It has enough material to allow you to work out a few ideas, but if you're looking to make a masterpiece, you'll probably need to drill a block yourself in order to get more sizable walls for the bowl.
Seattle Pipe Club - Virginia Jazz 2oz
Fantastic but pricey
It has an especially pleasant aroma and almost never requires a re-light. I just don't know that it's worth the price.
Sutliff - Anomalous 50g
The perfect medium
By being 3s across the board you'd expect this to hit heavier, like C&D'S Briar Fox. Instead, the strength sneaks in and the room note, while prominent, is entirely welcome. They picked a fitting bird for this tin.
Cornell & Diehl - Daylight: Or L'yom 2oz
The archetype of Not Bad
Upon opening the can you might mistake the musk for stale and vinegared lemon. It's almost aggressive. But when lit, the initial odor undergoes a complete metamorphosis, to the point that you might've lit a candle. At first, I rated this a 4.5. Then I smoked it a few more times and changed my rating to a 4. A couple weeks later, I'm dropping it to 3. I won't drop it again, but the further I've dug into the tin, the more I realize that I'm ready for this tin to be over and probably won't reorder this one, at least not for a couple years.
Fribourg & Treyer - Vanners Mixture 50g
Perfect in its own way
I judge tobaccos by utility and I'm particular in what I'll try, intending to stay away from flavorings and aromatics altogether. That being said, this product steals the limelight in strength and taste as compared to room note. If you're looking to please those around you without sacrificing taste, this is it. As pleasant as a scented candle, this makes for an environment of welcome company.
Cornell & Diehl - Oak Alley 8oz
Dangerously smooth
It's easy to load this one up, blaze right through it, and find yourself with that unexpected head rush all before you realize what happened. It's easy-going and airy yet it packs quite a punch.
Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River Rum Barrel Aged 2oz
Always better than I recall
I come back to this blend every few weeks and I always wonder why I don't smoke it more often. Then I forget about it again. It's good, but I don't know that it's worthy of a name with so many syllables.
Cornell & Diehl - Black Frigate 8oz
For the discerning artist
If you're looking to get creative or buckle down and focus, this is it.
Warped - Kings Stride 2oz
Perfect for the cigar aficionado
I've got friends who prefer cigars over pipes and this one was a purchase intended to win them over in occasion. Turns out I'm a fan as well.
Cornell & Diehl - Joie de Vivre 2oz
Among the best so far
I've only recently gotten back into smoking tobacco after about a decade's hiatus and I guess I'd never realized just how many tobacco varieties were out there to begin with. I've tried quite a few now and this has been my personal second favorite. When I have people over and allow them to try anything that they see, their nose tends to lead them to this blend.
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged 2oz
Premium for a reason
This is worth the purchase, which, due to the price tag alone, is quite a statement. Definitely the best blend from the Seattle folks that I've nabbed.
Sutliff - Crumble Kake Barrel Aged Series No.5 Rustica Limited Edition 50g
A Taste of History
Before there was cotton, there was tobacco. Smoking this rustica is akin to drinking Madeira, smoking the substances consumed by our finding fathers. It also teaches that the founding fathers liked to get positively toasted! On a strength scale, this is a 6.5 out of five. It tastes of lemon, and of having one's taste buds dropkicked in the throat.
Cornell & Diehl - Briar Fox 2oz
Standard Bearer
In my opinion this is the perfect litmus test. It's got quite a settling effect on the mind while being pleasant in the room, though not particularly distinctive for its scent. In my opinion, it's the ideal standard bearer and I'll probably always rate tobaccos off this benchmark. Briar Fox represents the archetype of "good." Anything better than Briar Fox is great, while anything lesser won't see a second purchase.
