Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco Shop Blend for Cary Grant

The Virginias are the most obvious component and are grassy, tart and tangy citrus sweet with a touch of earth and wood. The gold cavendish adds a little honey as a background player. They form the base of the blend. The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woody, earthy, leathery sweet, playing a middling role in the smoke. The Oriental/Turkish adds a little spice, floralness, herbs, wood, earth, and dry sourness in support. The Irish mist is very mild, and doesn’t compete that much with the tobaccos as it adds very complimentary flavor. The strength is a step past the center of mild to medium, The taste level is barely medium. The nic-hit is a slot behind the strength threshold. Won't bite or get harsh, and has a very minor rough edge. Burns slightly fast, rather clean and fairly cool, with a very consistent taste from top to bottom. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires few relights. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste and slightly stronger room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Back in late February of 2014, I visited LA and Kramer's Pipe shop. The shop was interesting, full of memorabilia of the days of yore. The lady behind the counter was very friendly and allowed me to test drive as many blends as I wished before making up my mind on which blend to take home. I ended up buying all three of the one's I test drove, which were Father Dempsey, Danny Kaye's mix and the Cary Grant blend.

All three blends tasted similar to me, the only main difference between them all, in my view, were the strengths of the blends. The Cary Grant blend was the milder of the three, and, my favorite. It's an English blend with some mild aromatic qualities to it. Really, Kramer blends remind me of something you'd buy at a tobacco shop decades ago, they're really Old School type tobacco's rich and full, something you don't run into very often these days. I liked the taste and the richness, but I found all the blends really high in nicotine (Father Dempsey has a nic-kick that would satisfy just about any sea-dog out there).

So, if you're looking for Old School, like taste and fullness in a blend, these three from Kramer's are right up your alley. I'll give a solid three stars to all three of the blends, Father Dempsey, Danny Kaye mix, and, my favorite Cary Grant Blend.

Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco - Blend for Cary Grant.

My first one from Kramer's.

The blend is mostly a mid-sized ribbon, but there's a few twiggy bits that need discarding. The nose from the pouch is quite nice, it has a slightly stronger aromatic character than the smoke. I've had this pouch for a few weeks but when I had my first pipe last night the moisture was good.

On to the flavour: it's a smoke that's mostly composed of Lat', Oriental, and Virginia. The Cavendish sits more than a few rows back. The topping fluctuates: at first it seems almost chocolaty, but then develops an alcoholic sharpness. Cary Grant burns very well, but it can bite.

I find the nicotine medium, and the room-note pleasant.

I think Kramer's Cary Grant deserves three stars.

Recommended.

Kramer’s in Beverly Hills sometimes names blends after Hollywood Stars or describes which stars smoked which blends. It’s a bit of a shame that there aren’t many pipe smokers among Hollywood celebs that there once were as the names are from a golden era gone by. After Fr. Dempsey, I think that Cary Grant blend is my second favorite offering from Kramer’s of Beverly Hills. I think it is a great and accurate observation by thedstnguishdgntlmn below that this rough cut tobacco looks very similar to some of the Peretti blends. CG blend is a light aromatic that could be enjoyed by both aromatic and non-aromatic smokers alike. It is lightly sweet, but leaves room for the tobacco flavor to come through. It some ways it reminds me of Steven Book’s light aromatics of old. The flavor and body move toward the medium side of the spectrum as each bowl progressed past the midway point. CG can burn hot if pushed, but I wouldn’t let that be a deterrent as long as it’s smoked slowly. My wife loves the room note of this blend. All in all, Cary Grant is not a bad smoke from a shop that has been in business for sixty five years.

I ordered a couple of tins of Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant from Smokingpipes.com after they announced it. I’d never heard of Kramer’s, and was pleasantly surprised to find such an iconic business alive and well, in California of all places. Allen Kramer personally blended his tobaccos to suit his clients, including the aforementioned Blend for Cary Grant. This appealed to me because it was a blend created for Grant personally, and not a large tobacco company blend that had slapped his name on the label.

Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant is a blend of black Cavendish, Latakia, Orientals, and Virginia with, as Kramer’s says, a bit of Irish aromatic layered in.

Upon open a fresh tin I immediately smell hints of both sweetness and Latakia, as well as the Orientals. The tobacco is ready to smoke right out of the tin and requires no further drying time. It’s neither too moist nor too dry and takes to the match easily.

I enjoy English and Latakia blends immensely, but the added touch of sweetness was something I found to be intriguing. This turns out to be a lighter English aromatic blend, but it’s nothing like the aromatics I’ve experienced. There’s no over-sweetness and the smoke is cool and dry on the palate. I found there to be no tongue bite and the tobacco did well at a fast pace as well as a slow puff. However, puffing slowly and coolly will bring out more of the flavors and nuances found in this blend.

I would say the blend is a bit more Oriental forward, but with a full roundness that is pleasing to my entire palate. The sweetness is there just on the tip of the tongue and the Latakia plays the bass note, creating a nice, round fullness to the blend. There is enjoyment in every puff, with different flavors popping up and surprising you here and there in a delightful way. As I smoked this fresh from the tin, some time may lead to flavors melding more together, although Kramer’s claims to use tobaccos that are already aged. It does, indeed, seem that some healthy aging has already taken place.

The tin note tended to be one that reminded me somewhat of C&D’s Golden Days of Yore, although the two taste nothing alike, and perhaps that of GL Pease Ashbury. The flavors tend to lean somewhat toward a tin of Ashbury that has been aged in a jar for a good six months or so, but with a roundness of a bit more Latakia and the sweeter notes added. As an English aromatic, this could be seen as a crossover blend much like Frog Morton Across the Pond. ATP was my first English blend and brings back a lot of fond memories for me. Kramer’s has Cyprian Latakia, however, whereas the Frog has Syrian, so there is a noticeable difference there.

I have read that the room note on this blend is quite appreciable, and found that to be true as I smoked my first bowl outside of the local music store in our downtown one evening. A patron exited the building stopping to say my pipe smelled great and reminded her of her late father. She thanked me for the memories.

As stated, I enjoy heavier Latakia blends immensely. I will be trying Kramer’s Father Dempsey when I can get my hands on some. I also enjoy VaPers to a great degree, especially nearer to springtime. But I find Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant to be a lovely blend that I would like to keep in my permanent rotation. It’s great for anytime of the day, or as an all day smoke if one prefers. I especially see this as great blend to put in my cob and sip on as I go fishing this season.

3rdguy

Purchased this tin 2 years ago and just finishing the jar. I can say the name itself did not lend me to try it although I love Grant’s movies. This is Virginia with the topping all the way. I really did not notice the cavendish, latakia or orientals in great detail. No relights once it is dried out decently. Burns fairly clean, some gurgle every other bowl. I would smoke it fairly slow or it will quickly show some rough spots. No nic hit whatsoever. No tongue bite.

As a slow smoke it is very enjoyable...maybe a few times a year type venture. A solid C+ if you will.

I love the toasty pouch aroma of this blend!. A bit of sweetness from the Virginias come through, and just a touch of botanical sourness from the Turkish if you inhale hard enough. The Latakia is done with a very light hand here. Comprised of ribbons of various widths and lengths, not very uniform. But doesn't hinder its packing ability. Moisture content gets two thumbs up.

No problems with initial lighting. Light, tamp light and settle in. This blend does have a bit of spring to it, so watch the top of your bowl.

First half of the bowl is a wonderful toasty, sweet flavor that's perfectly kissed with a touch of Latakia smoke. The Turkish add what the pouch note hinted at, a slight flowery sourness.

2nd half of the bowl the situation changes. Still a toast and sweet notes, but the Turkish comes forward a bit more, and the Latakia is noted more. Not only on the palate, but in the room note. Burns well down to a fine, powdery light gray ash, minimal relights needed. I would give this blend 4 stars had it not burned a bit hot on the 2nd half and caused some tongue bite.

Suitable for both indoor and outdoor smoking, but this blend really shined outdoors.

First off, I'm an aromatic guy but I do like a good crossover blend as a change of pace. Kramer's Blend for Cary Grant fits that bill nicely. In fact it's almost a dead ringer for my usual crossover, "Lane's HGL". That being said all the components in this blend work well together. The latakia is not over powering, the Virginia is mild, sweet and cool. The topping is almost inperceptable but it is there if you look for it. The tin note is pleasing and it leaves a pleasant and inoffensive room note. The only criticism I can give is that it is cut a bit coarser than HGL and can be a bit troublesome keeping it lit in a smaller chamber. But if you are looking for a good English/American old school crossover, this blend might just be the ticket.

I was looking for a cross over blend and gave this a try. I partial to heavy Latakia blends like Balkans and strong English blends. I've been trying to find a blend that's appealing to my wife's nose and my tastes. This is a difficult task. This tobacco comes close to fitting the bill. It's a little mild for my tastes but it has a good flavor. I really can't taste the topping but I can smell it. I hate aromatic tobacco because it tastes like chemicals and burns hot. This does neither.

So, now I know what Mr. Blandings was smoking. This is an interesting blend as it is what would be considered a crossover blend without the in-your-face sweetness of something such as “Shortcut to Mushrooms”. No, this blend maintains it’s tobacco flavor while having only the slightest aromatic touch by the layered in Irish aromatic. The Latakia isn’t as pronounced as what I’m used to while the predominant flavors are Virginia and Cavendish. Overall, this is a well blended tobacco mixture that is slow burning and enjoyable. While not anywhere near as appealing to me as Captain Earle’s Ten Russians, I would definitely buy this again. However, I should mention that it does carry a bit of a bite.