House of Calabash Lord Craven's Cigar Blend #3

My favorite cigar from the ISOM is the RyJ Exhibicion #3. It’s a cigar that fairly well places “yours truly” in the zone. In fact, I sometimes think it’s a legal and illegal high depending how you frame it. I don’t know if there’s a high lithium content in the soil where the ingredient weed is grown, but the #3 is definitely my cup of tea, which brings me to tell you about Lord Craven’s Cigar Blend #3, blended by Master Blender Steve Books at the House of Calabash in Oregon City, Oregon. But first…

I would like to thank Michael @Calvinandpipe from the Pipe Smokers Forum for his generous sample that he sent me a few weeks back. I’ve been waiting for the right time where I had some time to sit down, take in, and enjoy what this blend had to offer.

I will start off by saying, this is one hellacious blend, and if you’ve not tried it, you should do so as soon as you can. I’ll be brief:

Bag note: There’s a dry mild fruit sweetness, a faint whiff of cigar leaf, and something herbal (maybe floral), but I’m not sure what that may be. I can only say that it makes me feel like taking a large pinch of this baccy and tossing it in my mouth to chew. The tobaccos are pliable, not damp, not moist or dry. Simply pliable.

I smoked this blend in a large bowl meerschaum, and placed small amounts inside while giving it a lite tamper. Touching a flame ignited the mixture, and only required four additional lights on down the road. Probably due to the fact I was sipping and totally enjoying this fine blended weed. The burn was consistent which indicated a nice blend of virginias were present, along with burleys to keep things going at an enjoyable pace. A large glass of ice water was sitting on the side to drink.

I found from start to finish (about 80+ minutes), the cigar leaf, virginias, and burleys were working very well together. You might think “yeah, it’s somewhat of a consistent flavor and taste,” yet there was this complexity weaving in and out during this session. There was a dry sweetness that reminded me of faded licorice or brown sugar/caramel. Other times, barnyard, hay, grass came a wafting by with the sweetness. The smoke was a medium dense taste. The aroma was incredible. Snorkeling revealed a sweet spiciness. Ahhhhhhh! Perique? I don’t know. Sweet brown sugar caramel (could this be some toasted cavendish?). You may need to chip in here with a comment or two.

All in all, a smooth smoke, no bite (I was sipping and not chugging away), lots of tasty flavor, with mild to medium vitamin N (at least that was my take of the “N”). My head was floating with enjoyment as I was wondering what other “secret ingredients” Mr. Books may have placed into this blend. I do see 4oz of this blend sitting in a Mason jar fairly soon.

Could this be an all day smoke? No, because you need a good amount of time to kick back and really enjoy what Steve Books has created for your enjoyment. Turn off the tv, the cell phone, the laptop. You don’t need any interruptions while you enjoy Lord Craven’s Cigar Blend #3.

Rate: A 3.8 out of 4.0 stars.

This is a weird cigar blend. Just a sample, nicely aged, but a first impressions. I’m still undecided about this one. It’s smooth, maybe very slightly sweet, has a clear cigar taste but could easily be confused with a soft Lat. My next bowl should probably be in a larger bowl.