Don't get me wrong, the blend as I tried it originally was wonderful. But there are too many other choices out there to take another chance with GF. Besides, I still have just under an lb which is not getting smoked.

The blend starts off with that "codger burly" though the sugary topping has much too large a presence. As I continued through the bowl it only got stronger. I could not finish the bowl as the topping turned to a combination of rock hard nuggets bound together by carmelized sugar .. bubbling in the bottom half of my bowl.

Still, I gave it 2 stars because the first experience was a good one.

Now I bought a second pouch of Grandfather with Deer Tongue added to it, and this stuff is amazing. I found myself going through that bag in a few days as supposed to the original Grandfather, and that is why I rated it 4 stars. The little green flecks of Deer Tongue adds a herbal/vanilla-esque aroma to the smoke and the room note (which smells heavenly). I've been told that it smells like fresh funnel cake. This is a blend that others will enjoy, even non-smokers. I will be buying more Grandfather w/ deer tongue, as it is slowly becoming my "go to" tobacco.

As a side note, the Deer Tongue seems to settle to the bottom of the bag, so be sure to shake it up to redistribute it through out the blend.

The Burley taste and strength wasn't what I expected compared to other Burleys I smoke - mild on both counts - which is not a bad thing in and of itself. I wasn't expecting not to be able to adequately taste the Burley. What I didn't like was the flavoring. I smoked several bowls of this in different pipes and there was no difference with each trial. I couldn't exactly taste any vanilla, rum, or maple as had been suggested in a previous review. I did from time to time get some very nice whiffs of sweetness and that was pleasant. At times it tasted like burning dung and that wasn't too pleasant. There was a bit of a gurgle with every smoke, but not so much that there was a wet mess in the pipe. Now back to the taste. There was an ever present taste of - oh, I don't know - kind of like a burning twig or a raw leaf. Too disagreeable for me. Now it goes without saying that tobacco is a plant, and in all its various incarnations, a pipe smoker knows what to expect from something that was grown from the soil and subsequently made for smoldering. I had no green flecks in my samples so I am not inclined to say it was the deer tongue (which I never had before). Whatever it was, I didn't much care for it. It was like a German chocolate cake that was left in the oven a bit too long and the bottom came out tasting burnt and metallic. It's odd that the overall smoke was mildly sweet, but ruined by the other taste I described, and this lingered as a disagreeable aftertaste to boot. This is something I would have to get used to to include this in my daily rotation. It is not a bad blend - just not to my liking to want to have it readily available. Others obviously have raved about it, but I honestly can not join in with them.

Will I smoke it again? Not any time soon. I can see this one sitting in my cabinet for years and therefore doubt that I would order any more. It's a "don't call me, I'll call you, and don't sit by the phone waiting for my call" type of smoke - and pricey to boot! For me, a push to give it 2 stars and no more.

Note: The course cube cut means you will want to gravity feed this into your bowl and just very lightly tamp, or it will pack too tight and burn hot. Keep it loose and cool, and it will smoke sweet to the end.

UPDATE: 11/20/2009 - The review above was based upon my initial 2 oz. sample. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered a half-pound. For some reason, it did not seem to be as enjoyable as that initial sample, so I am reducing my rating from 4-stars to 2. Please understand that I still believe this true "codger burley" beats anything off the drugstore shelf. Still has a wonderful room note. But the last batch just burned hot and gurgly in the pipe (an Savinelli Estella EX) and had a bite. Admittedly, after letting the pipe go out and re-lighting about an hour later, it seemed to smoke smoother, but I must say I was disappointed overall.