Haunted Bookshop is a delightful and very mild blend. Virtually a non-aromatic. The extremely light topping strikes me as possibly just a touch of Anise. I consider it a non-aro. I enjoy the quality leaf, the easy light and comfortable smoke it delivers. I do highly recommend it. But you should also try the other two as well or you will be missing something.

This is an excellent blend for Burley lovers but it has a bit more character than a pure Burley. This is something that I welcome in a blend of this type.

Enjoy it. It could be an easy all day smoke if you are looking for one. It is a good investment and will likely not let you down.

The high quality leaf gives this an extra star from me, but frankly I find little going on here. Very cigarette-like in flavor, the burley overwhelms to the point where the virginia and perique are barely noticeable. The taste doesn't change its shape as the smoke progresses unless it's to become harsher. It's a lot like smoking hot air (which might be what reviewer Old Puffer meant when he said strong but dull, or words to that effect).

The blend is not cantankerous in the least, and smokes fairly easily down the bowl with no tongue bite. I guess as predominantly a virginia and VaPer smoker, I'm just used to a lot more complexity. There is something to be said about a tobacco that doesn't demand much of a smokers taste buds, however - something comforting, perhaps. It's just that when one averages only about 10 bowls per week, perhaps something with a little more personality is required. At least for me. With tobaccos, as with most things in life, your mileage may vary. I'm going to add a dash of blending perique to this and see if I can spice it up a bit.

UPDATE 1/21/10

As I become more enamored of burley and try different blends, this one needs to be elevated from 2 to 3 stars. This is a great take on the American OTC blends and is something I'll return to occasionally. The complexity I mentioned above... well, I'm not sure complexity is the point here. I think this is just a nice, tasty, interesting bowl of tobacco that one could smoke all day if one were so inclined - and I think that was true of most of the old OTC burleys. Good stuff!

To it's credit, once properly started, this mixture stays lit well but what the heck for?; Does not bite and smokes cool; No apparent casing or topping; No problems with packing and does not stink up the pipe (This is a little "maybe" since I couldn't finish the pipe and dumped the first load at half bowl}.

Am gifting the wife with the remainder of 4oz. tomorrow as a possible enrichment to her plant potting mix (she's getting used to this).

Packs easily, burns clean and is all around a flavorful American classic blend, which is apparently designed for Burley smokers.

This review is of tobacco from a 50 g. tin of fresh vintage.

Medium brown and light tan ribbons, this smells like straight burley. Starts out very mild with little taste. Pleasant room note! Tastes a bit nutty early on, but by mid-bowl, this has turned monochromatically sour and bitter. Having little experience with burleys, I got this after reading all the reviews and references. I really, really wanted to like this, but it has convinced me that unflavored burley blends are NOT for me. My loss.

Compares to any unflavored blend where the burley predominates. While I dislike most burley blends, C&Ds #104, Crooner, has a great taste and doesn't turn bitter in the bowl.

I will not be keeping this blend on hand.

I give it only two leaves out of nine.

This is now my main smoke. I smoke as much of this as all other blends put together. A few more months (total of 9) tempers the bitterness a bit more to a level I find perfect for any occasion. The last few puffs at the end of a bowl have a nice Va/Per flavor which makes the bottom of the bowl something to look forward to rather than dreaded. I find this blend tastes a bit acrid in large bore pipes. A medium or small bowl pipe works best. This blend will not wow you at first but wins you over given some time.

"The Haunted Bookshop" is a book by Christopher Morley which features a lot of pipe smoking. It is no longer copyrighted in America, so you can read it online, for free, at:

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Christopher_Morley/The_Haunted_Bookshop/index.html

Smoking this blend while reading it's namesake is a very relaxing experience.

Original review 12/16/2008:

This review is for the tinned version of HB. As with all C&D non-cavendish blends, don't even think about smoking it unless it has some age on it or you will be rewarded with a poor smoke. I waited until my tin had 6 months on it. It was dry but not excessively so. Packing and lighting are a breeze as long as you leave a bit of room for the cube cut burley to expand. For the first 1/4 bowl, it is slightly sweet, grassy, mild, and light in taste. After that, welcome to flavor country. The burly really comes forward with a nutty bitterness which is tempered a bit by the perique and VA. This goes great with a sweet cup of coffee, but if you aren't in the mood for an earthy, non-sweet tobacco flavor, it can be overbearing. But this is the flavor it was obviously designed to present, and it does so well. There is nicotine here but it is not overbearing. It stays like this to the bottom of the bowl. This blend reminds me of Prince Albert, except that it far more flavorful and of vastly higher quality. It isn't finicky about pipes or puffing pace. The room note won't win you any friends as it is somewhat cigarette like, but I appreciate the straightforward tobacco aroma. I like it and would buy it again, but if the bitterness were just a bit more subdued by a smidgen more VA, I would smoke it more often and I think it would win over a few more fans.

I hope your experience with this is better than mine!

I'm smoking 4oz of Haunted Bookshop in bulk, and it burns like tinder - whoosh! and it's gone. Pack it tight so you can to slow the burning.

Personally, I like a longer smoke that lingers. This burns too fast for my taste. If they make this in a flake form I think I'd buy it again.

CAUTION: The cut is rather fine and upon inspection the visual appearance looks like something you would see in a little jar of seasoning. Due to this cut, I have noticed a lot of "dust" in the tins which makes packing tedious as one tends to get tiny particles of tobacco in the mouth when testing the draw and lighting up. Lightly shaking the tin helps to settle a lot of the finer particles which helps to avoid having a sandstorm hit your tongue.

CHARACTERISTICS: Haunted Bookshop burns faster than most other blends. It also makes a lot of powdery ash that usually requires dumping halfway through the bowl. Tamp this tobacco lightly and you should have no problems. It burns dry, bites very little and leaves the pipe clean. It will "color" your pipe on the first bowl so avoid trying this in a favorite pipe to avoid ghosts.

SMOKING: On the initial light you taste the cigar-like flavor of the burley and Perique. Throughout the bowl the cigar flavor trades places with the subtle sweetness of the red Virginia. The nutty flavors are there and the prune-like presence of the Perique speaks its voice each time you sip it softly. When puffed hard the burley flexes some muscle and you get a big bold bass note with a sidekick of nicotine.

SUMMARY: This blend is similar in the vein of "Old Joe Krantz" but with more high notes, sweetness and less nicotine. It is strong enough to satisfy a nicotine craving, yet light enough to be enjoyed all day.

Haunted Bookshop is a natural blend reminiscent of the old-school blends of a time when a man came home to a clean house, a hot meal and a happy family. No fancy tricks here, just good honest tobaccos skillfully put together to form a delightful and relaxing smoke. Well done!

maybe the tined package is better quality.

If want top quality strait burley: Aged Burley flake (tin only) from solani or Golden Blend (pouch tin and bulk) from Mac baren.

While both OJK and HB are certainly modern incarnations of my beloved codger burlies. In presentation, OJK would seem to be a perique blend with large quantities of burley and a little virginia to mitigate what would otherwise be a perique flavored tire iron to the face. OJK is cigary, acrid and borderline harsh, everything that HB is not. Although the ingredients of the two are identical, HB remarkably seems a very different tobacco. No harshness at all here. If OJK is Thai food, HB is meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn with just a healthy sprinkle of black pepper.

The uninitiated have sometimes referred to HB as boring or monotone. I just don't see that. Like it's big brother OJK, HB is simultaneously simple and extremely complex. For me, this blend smokes like a parfait. The top of the bowl is very lightly cigary. Mid-bowl the grassy sweetness of virginia comes front and center with the burley just perceptible enough to make the virginia a bit doughy and totally bite free. Towards the bottom is a grab bag of any taste you've ever heard assigned to burley (i.e. bread dough, chocolatey, nutty, cigary) with the grassy sweetness of virginia peeking in and out just strong enough to be noticed before it gently fades and another burley taste emerges. What about the perique? Well, it just doesn't seem to be a huge part of this blend. At its strongest the perique in HB is condimental. Seems just enough to provide that extra "something" that is neither burley nor virginia but not readily identifiable as perique either. I would compare the perique content of this to something like PS Luxury Navy Flake (i.e. just above invisible). Without a doubt this is an old style burley blend but is light-years ahead of most codger burlies with regard to sophistication and character. It is a smooth, all day smoke which remarkably does not lack vitamin N. So perfect is the balance of burley and virginia that one could nearly be persuaded that there are equal quantities of both in this blend. They just seem to take turns being the tobacco in front. At times, this could probably be mistaken for a virginia with condimental quantities of burley and perique. Other times it is unmistakably burley with condimental quantities of virginia and perique.

In my rotation HB initially was my light change of pace tobacco from OJK. More and more though, I see Haunted Bookshop and OJK sharing my pipe days in equal measure. Haunted Bookshop covering the earlier portion of the day and OJK for the afternoon kick in the pants. I would strongly recommend HB to any virginia lover exploring burlies. Even if body chemistry conspires against you and your are averse to perique, I would think you'd be OK with Haunted Bookshop (this means you Rick!) It's low maintenance codger burliesque smoking manners would also make a great "doing something else" tobacco great for yard work, fishing, driving, woodworking, etc. If your normal fare is heavily latakia'd and smokes like a shredded truck tire, Haunted Bookshop would be a great, light, change of pace without having to contend with the vitamin N depletion normally brought on by most "light, change of pace" tobaccos. This one is a keeper. The more I smoke of it the more I like it. Top Shelf Smoke for sure, Well done Mr. Runowski, well done.

I would only add to this a spot on analogy made by my most excellent friend Quaffer, "OJK is the Beast and Haunted Bookshop is the beauty."

Haunted Bookshop's robust Burley taste has been elevated by a smidgen of Perique and a delicate touch of Virginia. This one is more sweet than bitter and more heavy than light. Although not at the level I enjoy most, the nicotine content is recognized with no problem either. As is the case with most Burley blends, Haunted Bookshop is an extremely cool burning smoke with no bite to it.

I finished my tin in a week and will seek more in the future.

I had not even finished pulling down the flame on the first match when my tounge was stung like a scorpion sting. Biting hard right out of the gate to be blunt.

I was actually astonished that a blend could be engineered to bite so quickly. I never before had a bite, and such a hard intense one, happen so quickly in over 20 years of pipe smoking - even with the cheap stuff that I know will bite at some point.

The taste was awful - like smoking molded hay or floor trash sweepings - simply repulsive. This stuff is bad to the point it that makes me angry.

I hope my supplier had stored their stock incorrectly which led to this unpleasant experience and waste of my money and time. I would hate to think that someone at Cornell and Diehl knowingly made the tobacco this way.

If C&D is out to drive away customers, they have a winning strategy for sure with this poison.

I would give my sample away but I don't want to make any mortal enemies or be arrested for assault.

Sorry C&D, if this is a representative sample, it is simply an awful creation.

(-1 stars if possible)

:(

As you will see below the dotted line, my initial review was based on a somewhat defective batch of this blend. I asked Craig Tarler at Cornell & Diehl and he said they had a "dry" batch. He apologised profusely, and more than made up for it. I asked for a different blend to replace this. He sent it, AND another sample of Haunted Bookshop free. They are just the nicest folks down there. If you ever have problems or questions, just call or email them. I am sure they will work it out.

After giving Haunted Bookshop another chance, I see what everyone was gushing about! This is a sublime blend. There are no casing flavors, just pure tobacco. You may think you are smoking a strong tobacco. Then you realize that the natural flavors of this blend are so full, complex and enjoyable, that it is actually richness of flavor and not overt strength.

I would grade it medium in strength. The sum of the parts really just creates a whole new entity that seems like it has always been exactly that way. Sort of "meant" to be.

This blend remains interesting, yet the same throughout the bowl, (I know that sounds contradictory)... you can pick up on the seamless combination of tobaccos throughout the bowl. (It is NOT like some other blends where the charring light is overwhelmingly one flavor, and by mid-bowl you can't taste it anymore...)

This smokes down to a very fine white/grey ash, proving the purity of the tobaccos used.

Though their Crooner blend is still my favorite, I will make room in my rotation for Haunted Bookshop when I want a slightly stronger & satisfying smoke.

Well done

--------------------------------------------------

My sample, like other reviewers, arrived bone dry. I tried a few bowls because I really WANTED to like this blend.

It was like going into an old hay shed and gathering up some twigs, straw, leaves etc, that had been drying for 30 summers, and stuffing it all into a pipe and lighting up.

This smoke was so harsh, hot and unpleasant, I can't imagine it being the same smoke that other reviewers raved about. Other than harsh twigs, straw, etc... I could not detect ANY of the tobacco flavors.

Literally like smoking a thirty year old burlap bag. I will ask them about this upon my next order...

I don't know what happened, but I apparently accidentally ordered two tins, so I definitely got more than I needed. On to the tobacco. I will first say that, whatever I had smoked before, was completely different in character and quality. Whatever is in this tin bears no resemblance to what I had earlier sampled. It is dry, bone dry; no, make that dry as ash. The tin aroma is non existent, and the tobacco looks like little bits of old cardboard; like something a rat might line its nest with. Had I been outside when opening this, and a slight breeze been blowing, the entire contents of the tin would have blown away on the wind.

Undaunted, I went ahead and filled a pipe, and lit up. Again, this bore no resemblance to my previous experience. The stuff in this tin is absolutely awful; it is worse than awful. It simply tasted of hot, dry paper. I don't know what the heck is going on over at C&D, but I've had identical experiences with some of Pease's blends, which they also make.

C&D should quickly re-evaluate their manufacturing and quality control process. I have now experienced five or six nearly consecutive tins of tobacco that they have made either under their own name or for GL Pease that have been well below the standard of quality one would expect from them. My final thoughts on this experience would simply be, stay away from anything made by Cornell & Diehl until they get their stuff together, and issue a public mea culpa.

** 7/07. Try adding some aged & dried 5100 or Red Ribbon at 20% volume, let set for a week. Then let it dry overnight (spread on a cookie sheet). A go to blend.

** 7/09. Graded 3 stars, but with 20% 5100, it goes to 4-Star. IMHO, the red va adds a nice sweet touch & makes it a bit more full flavored

Ummm... time for an edit. No idea what I was smoking those first few bowls but every bowl since has been harsh and bitey. Bad bite. Enough to screw up your smoking for the rest of the day. I'm leaving my three star rating because, wow, those first few bowls were great, but if this thing doesn't clean up its act...

Even if it did I don't think I will re-order it, sticking instead to Three Friars, Old Joe Krantz, and Bayou Morning in the C&D line.

So have you ever felt like the Guy that publically panned Star Wars? or maybe call Titanic "Just another crappy boat movie"?

I feel like that Guy.. But I learned an important lesson too. Agricultural products can go bad if not properly cared for-and the local B&M can make mistakes. When in doubt- go to the source.

On Char light (in a kaywoodie 99b)- immediatly get a taste of Musty library...Its a good thing as any biblophile will tell you- And I don't think its the name effecting me, as much as the Namer getting the same effect. Its actually quite nice. Once the Char calms down, and through cruising speed the flavors of old books, perique, and nut/almond. The Red Virginia never comes to the front, but meshes with the burlies and perique- It creates a great effect. Stopped for a bit...Let it sit- Relit.

Much sweeter on relight....Virginia a little more pronounced....Perique may be getting a bit stronger towad the bottom, But its polite...never overbearing. Doesn't smoke hot, Nice mouthfeel, even a sweet after taste....Cut chopped. Easy to gravity fill and pack with a thumb.

This is great stuff. I like it. If your a fan of burlies...This is your blend.

Below is my first embarrasing review left to keep me humble:**

This was my first burley blend. Upon trying this, It was not at all what I anticipated. This was bitter stuff. Either my chemistry and HB don't mesh, or the store where I got the sample isn't storing correctly (open bins). Other burley blends have been fine. I will say that experience with other C&D blends don't lend me to think inferior components- soI think its just incompatability between myself and the blend. Maybe if I find a sample from another source I'll try again.

1.) Upon opening, the tobacco was uncharacteristically moist for a C&D blend. A little air drying was in order. My 8oz can is 6 mos old and seems just right now. It lights easily and burns well.

2.) Those big burley flakes need a wide bowl to reach their full potential. I use a jumbo size apple made by Tinsky for this blend, or a fat 'ol Custombilt. A large capacity corncob does well too.

3.) Mid-bowl is where this stuff sings. Early on, its just a nutty burley experience. Others might say bland. Va eventually chimes in along with the spice of the Perique, and slowly exhaling through the nose shows the depth of this blend, but don't expect to be blown away. It's just very satisfying, as one would expect from a blend of quality components.

I give this 3 stars because after 6 mos, I find myself going for this blend more often. It's very subtle, and is becoming my preferred way to consume burley.

Update-11/04/06-I'm on the last few bowls of an 8 oz. tin of Haunted Bookshop. I opened it earlier this year, and it was my first taste of this blend. I don't really have the words for how much I've grown to love this blend. After my first few bowls I knew I liked it, but I never thought I would come to feel this way. I think there might be something borrowed from the Dark Lord in Haunted Bookshop, because it has a hold on me in a mysterious way.

I'm primarily a Va and Va/perique smoker, but I have always had a weak spot for burley. I had been searching for something that graps me like Cumberland, but not as expensive, something that could be an all-day smoke. Haunted Bookshop fits the bill to a tee. The burleys are top notch, highlighted by the dark-fired leaf. Upon dissection, I believe the cube-cut is the dark-fired leaf that I like so much. The burley really dominates, but the red Virginia is critical because it brings a sweetness and ties it all together. A little perique seasons the blend and highlights the red Virginia. This is a truly perfect blend composed of the best quality leaf that I could imagine.

Upon lighting, there is a tingle of sharpness on the tongue that I have grown to expect and crave. Don't worry, it settles down quickly and smokes smoothly. Relights are a breeze, and it even DGT about as well as any blend I smoke. It's surprising that a predominantly burley blend would DGT so well, but I swear it does. I no longer worry about sitting down a half-smoked pipe and picking it up the next morning. In fact, I look forward to it.

I'm sad that my tin is coming to an end. Unfortunately, I don't have another well aged tin to open. Fortunately, I have a semi-well aged tin of Old Joe Krantz waiting. I haven't tried OJK yet, but it looks to be similar to HB, and I have high hopes for it. I don't think it has the dark-fired leaf that I love in HB, so we'll see.

Bob Runowski is becoming one of my favorite blenders and C&D is becoming one of my favorite brands.

aj

I certainly fall victim to purchasing tobaccos because of the given names but it rarely makes me presume anything about taste or smoking experience.

However, this blend just leaves me feeling nauseous. The taste reminds me of a cheap version of Prince Albert. I don't like burley, and this stuff has the bitter, sour after taste that made me dump out the remaining bowlful and left me w/ the conclusion that I was never going to visit that book store again.

The VA comes in, faintly, mid-bowl. The perique does pick it up by the end of the bowl but by then..... it's too late to make this one of my favorites.

Images evoked include sinewy goetic demons, hungering at the edge of a solidly-cast thaumaturgic triangle, never to realize full garrison of their appetite.

Judging by the individual components, this should be working as described, but to me it seems something's out of balance or perhaps competing in this blend. It's from the good and competent folks at Cornell & Diehl, and obviously made of good stuff.

Maybe it's the particular perique and burley interacting in a way that imparts a flavor I do not like; HB is just not suited to my particular tastes, I suppose.

Two of five stars

Packing and Lighting: As with most C&D blends, the moisture is perfect. Open tin, pack and light. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: A wonderful, complex symphony of Burley. A little sharp at the beginning, so start slowly.

Mid Bowl: This is burley nirvana! Round, mellow, full flavor. The Perique is but an occassional splash (which I prefer).

Bottom of Bowl:Strength builds nicely, the Perique asserts itself a little more, but never obtrusively. No bitterness if your puffing pace was kept slow. Ash that is left is grey and dry.

Overall: This is a delicious burley blend. IMO, no one does Burley blends like C&D. This is my favorite Burley blend period. This is still an ocassional smoke for me and a tin usually lasts me about 3mo.s, but I always have a couple of tins in the cellar. Definitely recommended...

Haunted Bookshop has a great musty aroma in the pouch/tin, along with a grassy sweetness. The various cuts play nicely together, making for an easy load, light, and even burn.

The burley taste is first to greet you, and a great one it is. Eventually, a bit of the red VA is barely detected, and the Perique adds a wee bit of spice. I find the Perique influence varies, dependent on how much I happen to include in the loading of the pipe.

I like it much more than Old Joe Krantz, which I find to be imbalanced by too much Perique.

Burley lovers certainly don't want to miss this pipe-weed.

The reason I am reviewing this is that I generally don?t like Burley blends, at all. However, I like this one a great deal as a diversion from time to time. That is saying a great deal for a Burley blend.

It has none of the cigarette note or extra-sweet flavor I do not like from many Burley blends, but the entire nice nutty flavor with a pleasant sweetness to it that a great Burley should have.

It was a gift from a very kind friend and I am very glad for it. As Norm stated, it smokes well in any pipe, a great tobacco for trips or a long day. Namaste?

Many of you will remember when Sears and Roebuck had the peanut and candy counter in their stores. It was a square shaped counter with a salesperson in the center. Do you remember how it smelled when you would walk by? All those peanuts and cashews under the heat lamps smelling so good. To me, the taste and aroma of this blend reminds me most of the way Sears's nut counter smelled. For those of you who do not remember,it smelled good!

The blend is smooth, but the flavour seems to come in and out bringing a nutty, musty, and almost caramel flavour with it. I'll update later on down the road.

Learning that this blend was one of Bob Runowski's made it even more appealing since he also blended one of my favorite burley blends, Morley's Best.

Now, I totally enjoy great burley blends and this one is one of the best out there. It packs and lights easy and has an immediate nutty burley taste with just a hint of perique. Like Morley's best it has superb burn characteristics and is a great all day smoke for burley fanciers. Four very solid stars.

After several bowls, I would characterize Haunted Bookshop as an enjoyable, thoroughly honest, Burley blend. It doesn't have any pretensions to be anything more. Thus it hits the mark squarely in terms of smoking enjoyment.

I found the tobacco to be surprisingly dry, but this lent itself to easy packing and lighting. It does generate a voluminous amount of smoke during this process but eventually settles down to something a bit more relaxed.

Early smoking is dominated by the taste of the Burley with hints of Perique. The Virginia makes an appearance just before mid-bowl to offset some of the Burley/Perique combination's earthy taste. This effect doesn't last, however, and by the end of the smoke the Burley is once again thoroughly in command, for better and worse.

By the end of the bowl, depending on how quickly it has been smoked, the remainder will either be pleasantly relaxing or mildly obnoxious from a bitterness perspective. Lesson learned. It wasn't the tobacco's fault but rather unfocused smoking due to a harried work week. Take time while enjoying this blend and you will be rewarded appropriate to your investment.

Unlike some other Burley blends (notably the far more complex Barbary Coast), this one doesn't leave any lingering imprimatur upon the smoker. I may revisit this review after a bit more experience with this blend, but for the time being, I would whole-heartedly encourage Burley fans to give this a try. Other smokers, wishing to branch out into this leaf could do far worse for an introduction as well.

I will be returning to the Bookshop often in the coming months and will look forward to my sojourn among its phantoms.

Initial light took two tries, which was surprising considering the dryness, but cubes usually take the match gently. The ensuing smoke was voluminous, cool, and richly nutty with a very slight sweetness. This is strictly a natural blend. Most gratifying! There was not much variance from this flavor until mid-bowl.

The last half of the bowl was as dry, cool, and ashy as the hero of the book. This is a good burley, and what little Virginia is present lends suppleness to the finish of the smoke that shores up the usual final sag in flavor that is often characteristic of even the best burley,

I was surprised by the seemingly low amount of nicotine in this tobacco. Though the last few draws gave me a bit of spiciness at the back of the palate, I found myself without the little buzz I would have expected from a mostly burley blend.

This is not a complex mélange of more than two or three flavors, so it is great for smoking while one is otherwise occupied ? presumably reading ? but it leaves one satisfied and somehow refreshed. Another masterwork of creative blending from Cornell & Diehl, simply and elegantly executed. Good stuff!

The tobacco was as I expected to see, a bit on the dry side of what you normally find, but trusting to C&D, I left it alone. I'm glad I did - it smoked great the way it was. The cut made it a breeze to load into any size bowl with no fiddling required.

From the charring light to the end, this is a very pleasant, albeit mild and nearly monochromatic smoke. This isn't the stuff to have in your pipe when you sit down to relax and solve all the world's problems. This is more of an all-day type smoke. It doesn't require great concentration, tongue bite never paid a visit to this bookshop, and keeping it lit was pretty automatic.

I did find that the Perique and Va is used very lightly - the Perique always there in the background, while the Va shows up on occasion. Other than that, it's pretty much Burley, with a hint of spice.

A very straightforward blend, with a room note that is extremely light and mild.

Overall, I don't see myself ordering more Bookshop any time soon, but I won't cross it off the list either.

Though also characteristic of a "haunted bookshop" (perhaps more in the lingering mustiness than in the flavor/aroma itself) I also feel this is very much a "country" sort of smoke. I enjoy it outdoors and often times in a corn cob pipe. For someone wanting a straight forward tobacco smoke with a bit of zip to it, it could easily be an all day blend. It very much reminds me (what little I remember)of the straight Burley and drugstore stuff my grandfather smoked in his beloved pipes.

The perique is in just the right amounts for me...a tang and pin-prick, but not enough to make you run for liquids. Though what I enjoy most about this is the light grassiness of the burley/VA compound in both flavor and room note.

It burns well. And bites very little. It leaves a bit of a lingering ghost in the walls and upholstery but not anything that should put off guests (or the S.O.) over the long term.

--UPDATE-- After a few months of maturation, and giving this a go in a cleaner pipe, I've found some additional qualities I both like and dislike. The VA/Perique starts out nice and strong, sweet, fragrant and spicey. The bowls have begun to end up with more of the "stale" and somewhat nasty burley taste that seems to turn so many off to this type of tobacco. I am unfortunately thinking that my Haunted Bookshop has been infested by ghosts of a less benevolent nature.

The darker burleys dominate this blend. The Virginias hold it together, while the perique is a subtle note in the background. This blend is easy to light and clean burning. The flavor increases towards the bottom of the bowl. This is best smoked in a large bowl.

I was looking over the vast array of C&D offerings. I needed to come up with five for a sampler pack. "Hey," I thought, "why not try a bit of 'Bookshop'?"

There's not much description on the site or the brochure that Craig sends out with orders, just "A predominantly mixture of Burleys with a touch of red Virginia and Perique." Well, that's factual enough.....sort of like saying that the Grand Canyon is a fairly large hole in the ground!

The pouch aroma of this blend that reminds me of my Uncle Jerry, the only pipe smoker in our family. He was a dedicated smoker of Revelation, and I guess the Burley base of this blend gives me that sensation. BTW, a little research uncovers an interesting similarity of ingredients, e.g., Kentucky Burley, Va bright and Perique are apparently common to both. There is something spicier about the Haunted Bookshop, though, which is intriguing.

Craig notes on his website that most C&D blends may seem drier than the customer is used to, but to me this pouch is not 'dry' at all. The tobacco packs very easily, and the first bowl is under way.

The initial light is even and complete. After tamping and cooling, I re-light, and the tobacco springs to life evenly across the bowl. My first impression is that this is a very mild blend. Several quick puffs bring a good volume of smoke into the mouth, and I detect the first sensation of sweetness. I like this flavor; there is a bit of nutty quality as well.

In the first half-bowl, the flavor increases and broadens considerably. I detect more of the spicy quality that was hinted at in the charring light. I'm sure this is the Perique doing what Perique does so well. While it's a real presence in the total mix, it's not at all overpowering. I can definitely taste the fruity/spicy highlights against a separate underpinning of the nuttiness.

As the bowl burns down, I am impressed with how evenly the tobacco burns. About mid-way, the spice seems to give way to the nutty quality. That happens to be a personal favorite of mine, so I'm a happy camper at this point.

The last of the bowl is fuller-flavored, but still mild. In fact, after letting the pipe sit for some time and re-lighting, the fullness of the blend is more prominent, but still pleasant. At the finish, the bowl has become a smooth, gray ash, and nary a gurgle anywhere. I am delighted!

(The pipe, btw, was a Jirsa Rhodesian, well-broken in, and a really decent, inexpensive little smoker.)

I've taken to smoking my pipes more on a full-time basis recently, and I have been on a search for tobaccos that are milder -- for all-day capability -- but still flavorful. Haunted Bookshop really answers that description precisely, and it will definite be a regular blend for me. Tony Florida

Appearance: Predominantly medium reddish color, with a fair amount of lighter leaf, and a small percentage of darker tobacco. The cut is random, with some cube-cut apparent. A bit drier than most blends, but perfect for my taste in that area. I usually have to let most tobaccos dry out a bit before I can enjoy them.

Aroma: Mostly a clean, nutlike and slightly sweet aroma, with a trace of ?mustiness?. This is probably the perique?s characteristic aroma

Packing: Packs easily by just dropping it into the bowl a pinch at a time. No special care seemed to be necessary. Packs easily in different size pipes.

Lighting: Lights easily, sometimes one match does it. A little tamp in mid match, and it?s ready

Initial flavor: I taste the Burley mostly in this blend at the beginning, (which means more body than flavor), pleasant and natural. Stays lit well even at a slow burn rate.

Mid-bowl: Flavor develops nicely, with a cigar characteristic. NO, not a big Cuban or Dominican, more like a small dry cigar in the Dutch or German style.

Finish: Finishes pretty much like the middle, without a gurgle. Leaves a clean, gray ash.

Tried in the following pipes: I tried this first in an old pair of Rhodesians: a Parker Goldenbark, and a Savinelli Punto Oro. Next, I tried it a pair of Peterson Barrels, and a fresh corn cob. (I know, should have tried it in the cob first). Also smoked in a Sasieni billiard

Summary: This is Prince Albert with an attitude, and without the casing. If you like a natural Burley base with just a little condiment, this should be excellent.

Particularly liked: The cut, the burning qualities, the honest flavor. An excellent all-day smoke that will even work in the evening.

Particularly disliked: Nothing. I would like a little more red virginia (I always do), and a dash more perique.