House of Calabash Grandfather's Own Blend

Wow! Now I'm not typically an aromatic smoker but I've been wanting to sample a few noteworthy ones to see what all the fuss is about and I have to admit, I don't know how anyone could make a better aromatic than Steve Books' Grandfather's Own. Seriously. I see it as the quintessential aromatic.

Remember when you were a kid and you'd smell the aroma of an adult (maybe your father, grandfather, uncle, teacher, professor, etc) smoking a pipe and you fell in love with that scent? I know I did. And Steve recreated something that is literally identical to that scent. This blend is so aptly named. "Grandfather's" tastes exactly what the name suggests. It tastes like something out of a bygone era, a blend that was smoked decades ago but has since been lost in the vast consumerism and commercialism of today's processed and mass-produced world. The taste and aroma are so nostalgic and antiquated. You can tell is was made by a master blender with a small shop in Oregon and not by some mega-corporation like Altadis.

It's a mellow aromatic. Smells a bit like Christmas to me. Cocoa, vanilla, brown sugar, and even a hint of maple. No tongue bite at all, burns perfectly. And the room note!! Oh baby the room note!! It's so pleasant my wife even lets me occasionally smoke it indoors in the LIVING ROOM!!! All my other blends, especially my English blends, are off limits no questions asked. But Steve's Grandfather's Own is welcomed!! That says a lot about how wonderful this blend smells when lit up. And guess what, it tastes just as good as it smells.

Well done, Steve. I can't wait to try all your other blends.

By the way, Steve's store, "House of Calabash" in downtown Oregon City, Oregon, is AWESOME!!! Like stepping into an entirely different era. Check out his website too if you'd like to read about Steve's history or see what blends he's currently offering. A little pricier than the mass produced stuff and WELL worth it. I'll be a customer of Steve's for as long as he's mixing tobaccos together.

I smoke everything from strong ropes and plugs to English's, vapers and aromatics, as good tobacco always stands out regardless of the type. This is a good tobacco. Grandfather's Own feels a bit more cased to the touch than the other Books aromatics. However, I find it an interesting aromatic because it has many of the typical flavors found in aromatics, but it is mildly sweet verses similar aromatics that tend to be much sweeter. It's a quality of this blend that I really enjoy. The flavor is pretty steady throughout the bowl, and the sweetness does dissipate some, but it doesn't get bitter. The base tobacco is of high quality which is a “must” for me as many aro's are soaked with flavors and sugars that mask a poorer quality base tobacco. If you are a fan of aromatic flavors like cocoa, vanilla etc. but are looking for something a little less sweet, Grandfather's Own is a good call. Three and a half stars.

Update: I have grown to love this blend. I liked it a lot after the two ounces my review was based on, but now it's the only aromatic in my daily rotation filled with non aromatic blends. Great stuff!

This is exactly what I'm looking for in a tobacco. Taste, bag aroma, room aroma are all perfect. I can't tell you what the flavorings are, but they add up to what I think a mild tobacco should taste like. The quality of the leaf is outstanding, leading to an easy burn. It has a completely different appearance from other aromatics; not goopy and dark - just a good looking tobacco. I don't come even close to smoking enough tobacco to worry about the price of Steven's offerings. At this point in my pipe journey I'm going for taste and enjoyment.

The combination of quality tobacco perfectly balanced with the cocoa/vanilla flavors elevate this blend above all other aromatics, even Classic Burley Kake. It burns evenly top to bottom in every pipe I have smoked it in from cob to Kirsten. The sweetness is never cloying, the flavors diminish only slightly to reveal more tobacco taste near the bottom of the bowl. This is the best by far of its kind.

I am one of the few on TobaccoReviews lucky enough to live close enough Steven Brooks House of Calabash to frequent his shop. Of all his aromatics this is my favorite. You can tell he uses quality leaf in his blends. Grandfather's Own is a tobacco forward blend with just enough something extra to satisfy a sweet tooth with out overpowering the quality leaf. It burns very cool and dry. The flavor is consistent from top to bottom with NO goupy aromatic left overs.

Looks and smells like Lane's 1Q in the bag, a vanilla aroma with basic black and brown color. But there the similarity ends. The flavors mentioned, cocoa, brown sugar and vanilla, are present in the taste but this is a lightly sweet blend with no heavy syrup. And this smokes as dry as any non-aromatic, although it feels wet in the bag. I found that I didn't need to dry it at all.

I noticed a hint of Mr Books' "old-timey" flavors, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he has sprinkled some of his 45 year old burley into this mix. The thing with basic aromatic blends is that they usually taste more like the flavoring, smoke wet and lose their flavor down the bowl. This exhibits none of those traditional characteristics, although it does lose a touch of the aromatic flavor. But generally when that happens with standard aros, the flavor becomes bitter because less than stellar tobacco is used. Not so here. This may be the finest aromatic in existence, and certainly the finest I've ever smoked. If you're an aro fan, this should be on your short list. If you're not an aro fan but want to find the best of that genre, this is it. A glorious achievement for Steven Books!

I recently received some of this blend from Mr. Books for our pipe club. The tobacco itself is of perfect consistency, just the right amount of moisture. The description given says a taste of Cocoa and this is right on. It isn't overpowering though, on the contrary, it is more of an aftertaste that clings to the roof of your mouth and is very relaxing. It is sweet, but not overly so, the sweetness is subtle but adds a richness that makes one want to drink a cup of cocoa or coffee while smoking. Many of our club members that were smoking it for the first time wished that they had some coffee right then, and after were sure to try that combination. I know we will be ordering more of this from Mr. Books.

I don't smoke many aromatics, but this offering from Mr. Books was a welcome change of pace. The pouch aroma was sweet but still smelled like tobacco, unlike some aromatics I've smoked. Upon smoking, it created great plumes of pleasant smoke that reminded me of my mom baking cookies as a kid. The taste wasn't syrupy but sweet and quite pleasant. It burned to a nice grey ash all the way to the bottom.

This is an aromatic worth trying.

Soli Deo gloria!

Had a bowl of this the other day. I'm not a big aromatic connoisseur and this is only a one pipe review so it doesn't hold a lot of weight. It smoked a bit hot as aromatics are prone to do. I went as easy as I could but it still had a wee bit of bite. It has a pleasant flavor with a sweet finish. The flavoring was pretty mild so I'm not sure how aromatic connoisseur would take to it. The Burley nor the Virginia seemed to stand out (again I only had one bowl). I have to give it 2 stars. This is coming from a guy who prefers Cigar and Balkan blends. An aromatic is going to have to be really damn good to get 3 stars from me. For example, I can't stand Boswell's Berry Cobbler (1 star for me) but most people love that stuff as it maintains a 4 star rating. I would much prefer this over that. On the other hand, I find Cornell & Diehl's Autumn Evening to be a really nice aromatic smoke and wouldn't put the two in the same league. For those of you who love the aromatics, before you judge, wait for a review by an aromatic connoisseur.