Benjamin H.
Badges

BriarWorks - Bacon Old Fashioned 2oz
Pretty good
I don't know where everybody's getting the word tin notes from, me was nice and smoky. Actually, it was almost exactly like katsuobushi or bonito flakes with a touch of dark stone fruit. The flavor in the pipe is pretty good too, smoky with kinda caramelly flavor of a nice, to me, virginia/cavendish with just a hint of vanilla sneaky in. Reminds me a lot of Balkan Saisieni in a way. I like it.

Cornell & Diehl - Bayou Morning
Maybe I don't like perique
My first step into vapers might as well be a jump into the deep end right? Eh, maybe not. I get way too much spice from this one. Not too big on the flavour or smell either. I'll try lighter blends, but I suspect this may be the ipas of pipe tobaccos for me. Loved by many, but not for me.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Ennerdale Flake 50g
Not my jam
I can sorta get the attraction, but from my little cob I have with me while moving its not to my taste. I'll try it from something longer and update my review.

Arturo Fuente - Curly Head Deluxe Natural
Green!
Green. If you like candelas you'll probably like these, as they're quite green in my opinion. My least favourite of the curly heads, I certainly won't be getting more. If you want something a touch sweeter, I'd recommend the maduro wrapped one. It's tough having curly hair.

Arturo Fuente - Curly Head Deluxe Maduro
A good, cheap maduro
Not nearly as sweet as some cigars I've had, but obviously this hasn't been aged over a decade. Otherwise, I don't know a finer smoke at the price, not that I'll stop trying everything I can. I will probably pick up a whole box though when budget allows. This is by far my favorite of the curly heads, though all are a touch strong for me, so I'd recommend a sweeter beverage to go with these, or a robust meal beforehand. It's tough being curly haired.

Romeo y Julieta - 1875 Cedro Deluxe #1
Better than the #2s
Unlike the Cedro #2s, these are much more comfortably rolled. As a result, the smoke is fuller, and with that comes more flavour. Pretty much the same flavour, just more forward and easier to taste. Still relatively light, though for a neophyte a meal is still a good idea. A good beginner cigar otherwise, though as noted by the other reviewer, a touch pricey.

Super Value - Cherry Cavendish 1.5oz
My favourite cherry
I love how strong and unapologetically cherry this is, that being said, it's rather fake tasting and wet. I don't mind either though, and just bulk and dry it up a bit with some basic burley, mixed in during drying on a card. Nice, bold cherry flavour, though a touch fake tasting, everyone around will be quite pleased with the aroma even with burley in there. Can bite a bit if smoked straight, though a simple cob will solve that too.

CAO - Moontrance Cigarillos (10 Pack)
Tight!!
So tightly bound. Unlike some, it doesn't lighten up as it smokes either. The aroma is good, the flavour is alriggt, but it would be better if I didn't have to suck my cheeks in to get the smoke out of it. It'll take me a while to finish the tin as a result, and while I'll get another to see if it's a consistent issue, it'll be my last if it is.

Velvet - Velvet 1.5oz
Heavy
A touch damp and remarkably strongly scented. I'll probably get another pouch, but just because that'll be how long it takes to wrap my head around this blend. Mine came a bit damp, but you can always dry aromatics a bit, other way around doesn't usually work too well. I'll post an update once I work through my next pouch.

Drew Estate - Larutan Juicy Lucy
Sweet treats
I rather enjoy how sweet these little things are, and they are tiny. I think, if you got an old fashioned hinged cigarette case, you could carry these woth you if you nipped the caps off. Obviously, I wouldn't recommend that long term, but it's a classy way to liven up your friday lunch break. I enjoyed these, and if you like Acid cigars, I'd recommend trying a few of these too.

Sutliff - Molto Dolce 1.5oz
Delicious
The tin note may make you want to grab a spoon, and the dampness make make you think it's a good idea too. That being said, let it dry a bit and you're in for a treat deserving of the dessert title. I would recommend leaving it a bit wetter than you might be comfortable with, and just using something like a cob, though probably not a meerschaum for risk of the damp dissolving it. Well on its way to becoming one of my favorites, I'll certainly be buying more of this in the future.

Acid - Cold Tea Fusion
A bit saddening
I was hoping, given the gold band, that these could be close to a long Acid Gold in flavour, but alas, they seem a bit drier, greener in flavour, and more tightly constructed. I think I'll stick with the Gold standard, and leave these for others who seem to enjoy them. They are quite light though, if that's your thing.

Cult - Blood Red Moon 50g
Can bite
But only if you go hard. Otherwise, it's a pleasently coco-y cherry cavendish, though mine was a touch damp from the tin, but that just means you get to smell it a bunch while it's drying. That being said, based on the drying aroma, I can see where the accusation of cough syrup come from. Not a terrible thing in my opinion, but some.might be put off by it. I think perhaps a touch of latakia could really make this interesting, though I've yet to try it as I don't have pure latakia lying around. I enjoyed it, though perhaps not my favorite cherry blend.

Sampler Packs - CAO Gold Sampler (4 Pack)
A solid pack
I would give the maduro 5 stars. They have a certain delicious sweetness that the two lighter ones lack. Both have a rather loose construction, however that seems to lend itself to an easy draw with a great volume of smoke. They're nice and easy, and I'd wager a good starter cigar as they don't seem to pack a heavy nicotine punch.

Falcon - Curved Stem Chrome
Love these falcon pipes
I rather like this a bit better than the 'International' stem that I originally got for my Falcon bowl. The international is a plastic-coated 6mm filtered stem, so in a way it's double filtered with the falcon dry ring. This one however, seems to smoke a touch cooler, though more hot to touch given the lack of insulating plastic. The screw fit also seemed a bit off, like it might be easier to cross thread, but it still fit nice and tight for a solid smoke. I highly recommend snagging one of these, assuming you can catch them in stock of course.

Old Dominion - Virginia Planter
Good, rustic corncob
For starter, mine actually arrived with the stem more or less falling out. A dab of superglue later and it's back to business, and business is sweet. I do actually think this cob makes the tobacco sweeter, and of course it absorbs a good bit of excess moisture. I like it for my aromatics, and the couple I've tasted from it have been more full in flavour. The outer texture is quite rough, rather like a freshly eaten cob, unlike the MM cobs I'm used to. I think everyone should try an Old Dominion cob at least once.

Arturo Fuente - Curly Head
Not my favorite
Pretty loose and easy draw, could be a negative but I kinda like my cigars a bit more loose than too tight. Burn was a bit uneven for me, but usually corrected itself. Lots of a kinda green leathery flavor. Very dry tasting smoke. Not my favorite, but I'll probably get more on occasion if it ends up being my favorite Curly Head.

Romeo y Julieta - 1875 Cedro Deluxe #2
Did enjoy
But I do agree that the draw is way too tight. Good flavor though, in my opinion, lots of sweet cedar, with a kind of light, wet leather flavor too. I enjoyed it, though I'll probably try other sizes in the 1875 series with the sumatra wrappers before getting any more of these.

Cornell & Diehl - Izmir Turkish
I love this
Just "finished" my first bowl, out of a freshRopp vintage briar. I quote finished as I thought I'd smoked it all the way through, at 40 minutes for such a small chamber, but I found about a quarter of the bowl worth of scarely warmed tobacco at the bottom! I'm thinking I must've packed it a bit too tight, something I'll learn from in later bowls. What a first impression though! It's deliciously sweet and, some fruity I feel? Like figs but with a fruit that's not plums I'd say. A kind of deep, dark, rich flavour. I couldn't get it to bite even though I was puffing a bit hard and fast, my having to do so another sign I packed it too tight. The cut is surprisingly long ribbons, making it a bit hard to get into the smaller bowl, and I'll certainly be trying differently sized bowls. I retrohaled a lot more than normal with this one as it was such a gentle smoke, barely stinging my rather sensitive sinuses. Perhaps because of that it left a bit of an odd feeling on the back of throat and tongue. I certainly hope I'm not somehow allergic to this tobacco, as I love its scent and flavour so much. Overall, while I'll experiment with this one in blends, especially interested in how it'll compliment a burely, I'll also be smoking straight a good bit too. Highly recommend it.

Amphora - Kentucky Blend 1.75oz
Stout
So, first I tried this from a Missouri Meer Washington straight or some such, MM could stand to shorten their pipe names. It made me sick that first run, in every way it was too strong from that bowl, which isn't massive, but isn't tiny. So, a few months later, I tried it from an Old German Clay Cutty Tavern, a tiny pipe good for just a taste. It was so much better! It reminded me a lot of a latakia blend but sweeter and a little less campfirey. Overall, I don't think I'll be able to stomach this from any pipe bigger than tiny, but at least I can appreciate it. From my tiny pipe, it's moderately sweet, though nowhere near my more favored black cavs or even Virginias. I feel like it may just be a decent starting point for Kentucky Dark Fired blends, and it made me decide to actually give them a chance. But only in a tiny pipe for now.

Old Dominion - Shenandoah
Almost too small
This one has a bowl so tiny I'm certain it'd be a solid alternative to cigarettes for short breaks, if you desired. I'll certainly be ordering another, and more Old Dominion pipes when they become available. I found the bowl to actually be a bit too small at first, but once you get how to pack it and it wears in, it'll be sure to last you some seasons

Old German Clay - Tavern Cutty
Petite!
This is a real nice little pipe, my go to for Le Petite Robin, an ultrafine shag cut. I've had less good luck trying damp Cavendish, but I have other pipes for that. For me, this bowl rarely lasts more than 20 minutes, so it could be a nice alternative to cigarettes if you partake. One point to note though, the bowl is actually too small for the standard Czech tool- you'll want an actual nail for tamping.

Old German Clay - Tavern Cutty with Hemp Wrap
First clay
My first clay, and what a wonderful clay it was-before I dropped it. It is indeed a touch fragile if dropped, mainly due to it being clay and also so long. I always mis estimate the dowl dimension listed, and I must say this had quite the bowl. The twine is a nice hold point, and pleasant accent. The clay is just as flavour neutral as everyone says, at least at first, and it didn't seem to get funky like wood can, just sweeter. Overall, I like it, I like my other clay pipe I've gotten since, and I'll definitely get more in the future, likely including one of these.

Acid - Blondie Candela
My least favorite
I tried all the Blondies SmokingPipes had to offer, and unfortunately, this one took last place. Ultimately, one had to take that spot, but this one took it by a long way. Now, I haven't had any Candela wrapped cigars before, but I found it to be a very dry, green, and earthy flavour. I'd compare it to the smell of dry leaves. If you like candelas, maybe this is the one for you, but not for me. As a side note, I found that it lost the infusion flavour much quicker, and only lasted for about 25 minutes before it kinda just fizzled out, while the other Blondies lasted me 40 minutes. I wonder if maybe I just got a bad one, so I might try ordering another, but I won't be in a rush when the Golds are so good.

Acid - Blondie Red
Not my favorite either
While I agree with the other current reviewer as to the Blues being better, I didn't detect the berry flavours myself, though that may be my palette being underdeveloped. I still found them to be good though, just not as good as the Golds or Blues. As with the other Blondies, the infusion seems very similar to the Kuba Kuba, if you're familiar with it. A nice 40 minute smoke that won't do you wrong, but maybe won't excite either.

Acid - Blondie
A fine little cigar
These are my second favorite of the Blondies. A nice, simple Connecticut wrapper around the, in my opinion, iconic flavour of an Acid cigar. I find these to be solid 40 minutes smokes, though they do hold second place to the Blondie Golds in my eyes. I still highly recommend them though, at least to try.

Acid - C-Note
Cute little cigars
These apparently share a wrapper with the Blondie Golds, and I find their taste very similar. I didn't detect the creaminess in these as much though, and unless smoked very patiently, I found them to heat up rather severely. That said, these give a nice 20 minute smoke, about half their larger sibling, and given the price? I'd say they're well worth it.

Acid - Blondie Gold
So much flavour
Decided to try all the Blondies, this one hands down is my favorite. I'm not ashamed enough in my smoking palette to describe all the flavors, but I feel that if all the internals and infusions are indeed the same between the Blondies, the Sumatran wrapper compliments them the best. To me, it was nice and creamy, so even when the infusion faded, it was still delicious. I've found I prefer Nicaraguan wrapped cigars, but I'll definitely be trying some Sumatrans more. Now, I haven't tried all the Acid cigars, yet, but the Blondies taste like they have the same infusion as the Kuba Kuba. Unfortunately, I'm a neophyte, and even the Kuba Kuba is a touch too much cigar for me. These Blondies though, are a perfect 40 minutes or so of nice relaxing smoke.

Missouri Meerschaum - MacArthur Polished Bent
Be not afraid
Don't worry too much about the 4 inch tall bowl, you can cut it shorter and have yourself a nice long cob.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Black Irish X
Burnt tips and rubber
All the reviews are accurate. It's a bit hard to light, smells like a dragster's tires in the bag, and carries that over to the smoke along with charred brisket flavor. I'm fairly new to smoking, most cigars alive cigarillo size leave me sick, but this has never given me trouble even though I can sense it's strong, meanwhile other dark fired blends can make me sick. I will say, one lit, I have trouble getting it to bite. I love this rope myself, but I can see it being incredibly divisive.

Sutliff
Pumpkin Spice

Based on Qty Ordered
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