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Reviews
Low Country - Natural Virginia & Burley
Perfect
This is a beautiful, staple tobacco. Ordered 4oz but should have ordered a lb. Its nutty, salty, rich and satisfying. Sometimes I get a raw, bitter taste which I find very appealing. If you are a fan of haunted bookshop and other harsher va/bur blends then this should definitely be on your list. It's almost perfect, and when I get the chance I'll be stocking up.
Cornell & Diehl - Haunted Bookshop
Unique experience
Haunted Bookshop. It has taken me the longest time to review this tobacco, it is my personal all time favourite - for many reasons. Favorite of m860 and based on a book by Christopher Morley it holds a special place in my heart. How can I love a tobacco so much? When there are plenty more that taste more appealing? I am not a fan of perique tobacco, and it is quite detectable in this blend, although I love burley and the perique really brings out the nuttiness. Burns extremely fast, and contains lots of chunks of unbroken flakes, but it is so easy to keep lit. I can feel when it needs a tamp, or the ash dumping, or a pipe cleaner in the stem, and for this reason it is my favourite for taking outside to smoke - pretty much hassle free, strong enough on windy days and nearly lights itself! The first time I tasted it I remember saying to myself how "savoury" it tasted, and I had never tried a blend like it. I was expecting something sweeter. However as time has passed I feel it does have an almost sickly-sweet taste at times which is indescribable. Definitely unique and very pleasant. Nicotine hits fast and hard from around middle of the bowl, but I often get an ultimate/nirvana smoke from HB, and I attribute that to the nicotine content, very relaxing and satisfying. In my opinion, it is best smoked in a corn cob, I have a Great Dane pretty much dedicated to it. Charred rim, tanned in color, stem a little too loose after much abuse, but for me Haunted Bookshop and my favourite corn cob pipe are two of my very best friends.
Grand Croupier - Double Down
The best va/bur I have tasted
I won't go into the fine details of flavour etc because your batch will probably be a bit different. But probably not much. If I was told I could only smoke one blend for the rest of my life it would probably be Double Down - I don't usually rate so highly. I almost feel I want to chew the smoke and swallow it down, it's that good. Very interesting, lots of fun, seems relatively available and the price is so low. If you are looking for a blend with consistency then it would be worth finding a different blend. However, if you are looking for an all time any time blend that fits almost any occasion, then you should definitely try this.
Sutliff - 507C Virginia Slices
Straight Virginia flake in bulk!
Firstly, with all tobacco reviews, your milage may vary! I have been really quite impressed with how delicious this tobacco is. And you cannot beat the price! The tobacco comes in a long and quite thin flake form and at the perfect moisture content for smoking and aging. The say there is an aromatic top note, but it is undetectable by my tastes. Everything about this tobacco speaks quality, the presentation, the aroma, how easy it is to work with - it's just what I was looking for, a straight Virginia flake in bulk that seems to be readily available. Sutliff is mostly known for aromatic blends that are either love or hate... this one will probably be love from the first light. I'm one who enjoys a lot of nicotine, and although other reviews state that this is mild, I didn't feel it was lacking anything. This is a winner, a beautiful tobacco that is delicious new and will also improve with age.
Cornell & Diehl - Autumn Evening
I bought more!
I eyed this tobacco for some time, and waited until Autumn to buy it. I was scared that it would be an overly moist, soapy aromatic, and I had friends who said it was “bitey”. As soon as I opened the tin, my nose hadn’t even got close to it and I was greeted with a beautiful sweet smell of maple. I was intrigued to find out about this ‘red virginia cavendish’ from C&D and I packed my pipe and lit it for the first time. It was good, sweet and took light easily. The flavors were subtle and I got the taste of maple with the virginia cavendish tobacco. Middle of the bowl, it got a lot better, and I must say that that’s where the fun will stop for some people; during the final stages of my smoke I couldn’t taste any maple, but I could taste the tobacco. I have never tasted the straight red virginia cavendish from C&D so I couldn’t tell you if there was a difference, but boy I felt the nicotine was strong. It was relaxing - this is probably one to smoke indoors sitting comfortably with something good to read. I did take it out once, but didn’t appreciate it as much. There’s not a lot going on at once, it’s not a complicated blend. However, I would go as far as to say it’s one of the best aromatics I have tried. I enjoyed it so much, I bought a new pipe and dedicated it solely to this tobacco. That way nothing can change the delicate flavour this gives. It doesn’t bite as much as I was expecting - dumping the ash mid bowl seemed to revamp the taste of the maple.
Five Brothers - Five Brothers 1.25oz
A pure experience
Well, I must say that I like this tobacco. I thought I was pretty much immune to nicotine until I tried this. I love the flavor, the mellow smoking experience. I don't like the pouch aroma, and I really don't like the cut. The shag is like rolling tobacco, and it even gets served in a rolling tobacco pouch. However, don't try to put this in a roll up! I didn't do this, but inhaled once to see if it was just rolling tobacco labelled as pipe tobacco. I was wrong! It felt like my throat was on fire! It was the same taste throughout the bowl, with the nicotine strengthening as I smoked longer, probably my body trying to give me a warning! I have trouble keeping it lit, which is odd considering the cut and dryness of the tobacco. I only smoke it in a miniature pipe though, and had to dump the ash a couple of times. Nice that it has no problem smoking all the way to the bottom of the bowl. This is one of my favorites, it is in a league of it's own, when you need a kick, this will be more than enough. I highly recommend this for people trying to quit smoking cigarettes - have a bowl of this, you definitely won't want a ciggy for a while. Would give it a full 5 stars, but I really don't like the cut. That being said, if it was cut differently it might have a different taste. Don't be scared to try, for the price it's well worth it.
Peterson - Irish Dew 40g
Surprised
I bought a pouch of this simply because of the reviews, I wanted to see why it got such poor comments. I opened the pouch and was greeted with a heavy chocolate note from the burley tobacco, and the typical smell you get from Virginia. Upon lighting, it stayed lit for a long time the first time, without needing to tamp it down. Didn't smoke wet or hot - I used an unfiltered MM hardwood which has a massive draw. Toward the end of the bowl, I started to get the pleasant feeling you get from the nicotine. It wasn't very strong, but it was certainly enough for me. I think a lot of people are disappointed with this because the description isn't really anything like the smoke - I must be honest, I could only taste the Virginia and didn't notice any hint of vanilla etc. However I'm not a fan of straight Virginia yet I keep coming back to this, so I must be able to detect something else. Well done, Peterson, but please change that description on the pouch!