Public Profile

Cornell & Diehl - Old Joe Krantz Blue Label
Juuuust Right
It’s like OJK, but not as harsh; it’s like Haunted Bookshop but not as sweet. For me, this is pretty ideal. Reminds me a bit of a less complex, more all-day, version of G.L. Pease’ Penny Farthing (one of my favorites) too.

Sir Walter Raleigh - Regular 1.5oz
Wonderful Surprise
Ordered a packet on a whim, and I do think I love it. I’ve been looking for a good all-day smoke for a while, and I think this might just fit the bill: smokes cool and easy and tasty. Everyone says how humble and simple this blend is, but I have definitely payed more for tobacco that ended up being much more boring. The anise can be a little sharp when you first light up, but once you’ve got it going, it balances delightfully with the cocoa. Makes me think of those little chocolate-covered anise seeds they have at restaurants in Italy sometimes, or of an almond mocha.

Cornell & Diehl - Old Joe Krantz
I want to like it
In theory, I should love this tobacco, but I just can’t seem to get a good smoke out of it. I’m a big fan of Haunted Bookshop, and I’m a big fan of VA/Per blends, so Old Joe ought to be right up my alley. Somehow, the constituent parts refuse to blend and instead stand out starkly from each other in their worst aspects: the Virginia is bitey, the burley is bland, the Perique just tastes like soy sauce. I haven’t given up on it entirely, as each bowl does still manage to yield a pleasant puff or two, which gives me hope that there is something fine to be coaxed out of it, but overall I’m finding it a big disappointment.

Cornell & Diehl - Haunted Bookshop
Perfect All-Day Smoke
It’s a burley with more nuance; it’s a VAPer with less bite. Reminds me a great deal of GL Pease’ Penny Farthing, although in a more toned down version. I’m a big fan of Virginia and Perique, but those blends are often a bit too fussy to smoke throughout the day. The Burley core of Haunted Bookshop remedies the problem wonderfully. There is enough going on in this blend to reward a proper smoking session, but not so much that you feel you’re missing out by idly puffing away while out for a walk or on a break at work. It may not be a Great Blend, but for what it is, it does wonderfully well.

Sutliff - 523 Voodoo Queen
Smokeable Coffee
Very pleasant blend. I’m primarily a VAPer fan, and this seems to fall somewhere in between that and a Balkan. Have to admire the blending on this: all the elements are clearly discernible but wonderfully balanced: any more or less of any one would break the spell. You get a little nuttiness from the burly, some brown sugar from the Virginia, some spice from the Perique, and some smoke from the Lat. The overall effect - the chord, if you will - is hazelnut mocha, although, this shifts throughout the bowl as the different notes step forward and combine and recede in turn. Towards the end of the bowl, the aroma deepens to something like a dark-chocolate-covered brandy cherry. I’m particularly pleased with the management of the Latikia: I always *appreciate* Lats but don’t necessarily like them; here, however, there is just enough to impart a deep, chocolatey, mossy aroma, without creating the illusion that one is smoking barbecue sauce. Mine happened to arrive at a fairly ideal moisture level and is smoking very smooth and dry, though I suspect it would be even a bit better if I took the trouble to rub out the bits of flake.

Old German Clay - Tavern Belge (Black)
The True Sherlock
“And, Watson, please go downstairs and order me a pound of dark shag from the tobacconist: I must work.” As alluded to in the description, this is the actual kind of pipe Holmes was described as smoking, and is pictured smoking in the early illustrations. And in actual fact, it is dry and reliable, delivering a wonderful smoke, with no fuss to get in the way of your criminological ruminations. NB: the bowl is gigantic. It is deceptive since a briar of similar proportions would have a relatively small chamber, but I could fit probably six of my normal 20-minute servings into this one.

Tabac De La Semois - Le Petit Robin 100g
Intriguing
A lovely and unusual thing indeed. The cut is extremely fine, more so even than most cigarette tobacco. It burns clean and remarkably cool, needing hardly any intervention from tamp or cleaner. The top of the bowl is dry and almost Kentucky-like, but if smoked gently, many new aromas of earth, and fruit, and spice reveal themselves over the course of the smoke. Or, to put it another way, it’s like Five Brothers, but if all five brothers went out and had amazing solo careers, and then joined back up for the reunion tour to end all reunion tours.

Seattle Pipe Club - Galloping Gertie 2oz
Strange and Beautiful
After seeing what SPC did with Balkan in their Plum Pudding, I was very curious to see what their take on VaPer would be, VaPer usually being my preferred style. I am not disappointed! It’s not your usual VaPer, but its not exactly a Cavendish blend either. The normal bright Virginia notes and Perique spice and still there, but the addition of the Cavendish and Oriental transforms them into something lovely and unique. The smoke is very cool and smooth, and the typical VA citrus notes are punched up and deepened. The lemon and grapefruit taste almost juicy, and the is a hint of stone fruit, plum or peach maybe, underneath. The blend is very grounded as well: a nice mulchy earth tone runs underneath the brighter notes. Overall, a delightful and exceptionally well-balanced blend. The artistry of it is very evident, and the experience is unique.

G. L. Pease - Penny Farthing 2oz
New Favorite
By far my favorite tobacco I have tried to date. It has plenty of the sweetness and spice one expects from a VaPer, but with some unique deep funk as well: the tin note is a strangely intoxicating mixture of malt, mulch, cardamom, and honey. Smokes very smooth right out of the tin and does best in a narrow bowl. (I particularly enjoy it in my little Tsuge Ichirin.). The cut is interesting: not your normal shag, but more like a micro ready-rubbed flake. The pieces are small and relatively short, but still substantial for their size, which gives the smoke the even burn of a shag, without shag’s tendency to overheat.

Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding 2oz
Dark and Delicious
I’m usually more or a VA guy, but decided to give this a shot. I was not disappointed. The darker tabaccos are perfectly balanced to add depth and smokiness without becoming overwhelming in the way that Lats and Periques often threaten to. The title Plum Pudding is well chosen, as just such an aroma becomes wonderfully apparent about halfway through the bowl. Burns nice and cool and smooth without too much of a nicotine hit, and gives a somewhat cigar-like room note, which I enjoy. I think this blend is going to be what I do in the evenings for a while now.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Gold
Good VA Shag
This is the second shag I have tried, the first being Daughters and Ryan’s Three Sails. The G&H is much easier to smoke, and burns cool and smooth and biteless with no fiddling. The flavor is good, although somewhat less to my taste: relatively earthy and mellow for a VA, without much sweetness or citrus. Still, very good and wonderfully smokeable.

Capstan - Flake Yellow 1.75oz
Lovely Virginia Flake
A lot like Orlik’s but a little brighter and, I might venture, slightly more complex. Smokes nice and smooth. Quite moist out of the tin.