Cornell & Diehl - 107: Haunted Bookshop pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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T. Collin Francis	01/15/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Mild	Tolerable
Wide ribbon cut, about the same moisture level as Carter Hall. The tin note was of nutty burley with a slight hint of the Perique. Packs well and burns very well, smoked cool and dry. As a big fan of Burley London Blend, I bought Haunted Bookshop hoping it might have a little more depth to it, but it really doesn't, not in my opinion. The two dominant flavors are of course the Burley and the Perique, the first few moments as a matter of fact are pure Perique. But it settles down in just a few minutes to be a nice smoke. Every now and then you get a nice whisp of the pepper and spice from the Perique and the sweetness of the Virginias.
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John Offerdahl	01/08/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Haunted Bookshop has been referred to as Old Joe Krantz Lite. Both tobaccos were blended by Bob Runowski, who knows his Burley. The constituents are similar, but the nicotine dose of HB is considerably lower than that of OJK. However, to belittle this blend as a "Lite" version of anything else is to really sell it short. I think it may be a blend that you either like or don't, but I also think that any burley lover should really appreciate Haunted Bookshop. The tin opens to a mix of brown and tan ribbons, with some of the cut being pretty big ribbons, consisting ofBurley, Virginia, and Perique. Keeping with the comparison to OJK, the cut is finer. The aroma from the tin is sort of earthy, and pure tobacco goodness. For my tastes the moisture level in the tin is just about perfect; on the slightly dry side but with enough moisture that I still let it air a bit to dry. Sometimes, while it dries, I like to just smell the tin. It packs well into a pipe, but I suggest packing it more lightly than most other blends as it seems to condense easily, tightening the draw if not. Upon lighting it is the burley that drives the blend, but at times I notice wafts of flavor that remind me of the taste of a good cigar. Obviously the burley, but what a great taste! The Virginia adds a top note and sweetness to the blend while the perique adds spice and depth. HB stays lit nicely through a smoke. Good clouds of heavy smoke are produced, but if smoked slowly, with lighter puffs and clouds, there are rewards from all three constituents not found if puffed heavily - the burley is a flavorful one with more nuance than many, the Virginias provide a nice high end with wisps of fine sweetness, and the Perique's fig-like nature provides a flavor delight on the bottom. Regardless of how it is smoked, though, HB has a rich, full earthy flavor. It reminds me of walking through Durham, NC, in the 1960s. Early in the smoke I notice the "hot" flavoring of the Perique, but this dissipates further into the bowl, then makes a fairly dramatic return in the last quarter or so of the smoke. The pipe and the smoke stream stay cool and dry to the very end. Unfortunately, my wife isn't fond of the room note, and this is a problem. Because I smoke a lot of this stuff! (Thank goodness for Lampe Berger!) And I can smoke pipe after pipe without tongue bite. Haunted Bookshop has risen to the top of my favorites list, where it has stayed now for at least a couple of years. There is more of it in my cellar than there is of any other blend. I can smoke it in the morning to relax on my long drive to work, in the evening after a good meal, and all day while watching football or walking the dogs. Like other blends from C&D, it needs to be aged before it is opened, but once aged it is Nirvana.
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The Black Falcon	01/05/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
Haunted Bookshop? I just had to try this just to find out for myself. Nothing haunting about this one, unless it cries out for more of almost everything that this stuff is made of. Not bad but not that good either. It can stand to be a little sweeter along with everything else it seems. The only good thing about it is the strength department, whereas the big N word is satisfying enough but nothing really worthwhile beyond that. Skip on this one in favor of something more interesting, as C&D has much more interesting blends.
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bklynpipe	12/26/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Mild	Tolerable
I was shocked at the dryness of this blend upon opening, besides having nothing but a vague scent of dry straw on the nose. It's burley cut in large pieces, about its only plus. Even as I like a bit of a 'nip' in a tobacco, this stuff was about as awful as I've ever had. It bit like a piranha, burned my tongue and palate, and left nothing for me to go back to. Nothing resembling any Virginia or Perique could be found. I hesitated throwing the whole 8oz.can away, but I could'nt think of anyone I disliked enough to present this stuff to. Maybe I got a bad tin?
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Riptide	12/07/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong
I got this because i liked the name mistake. I is a sour smoke and reminds me of old stale cigarettes.
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MrBrandyBuck	11/06/2010	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Bought a 2 oz bag of this blend. It arrived extremely dry. Extremely easy to light. Burns hot but not too hot. It alternates between a 2 and a 3 stars. The perique is not very noticeable but when it comes through it is very pleasant. The virginias are more noticeable than the perique and are nice. I would have liked a bit more perique and virginia and alot less burley. This blend has a tendency to smoke a little bitter. Stayed lit the entire smoke, however I only enjoyed about half of the bowl the other half all I tasted was burley. This blend is very mild in flavor and almost no nicotine effect is noticed. If your a fan of burley i would recommend this blend however if you're looking for loads of flavor I would not recommend this. The room note is a nice mild smokey smell which is quite pleasant. My rating is 2.5/4 stars for Haunted Bookshop.
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7formy1911	10/07/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I love burley. It's as simple as that. I also enjoy burley that has a little extra something to add another layer of enjoyment and I think that describes this blend perfectly. It's burley plus something "extra." When I first started smoking this blend I thought you could puff along like a freight like just about any other OTC burley and you wouldn't have any ill effects on the tongue or taste. This is where patience comes in. Slow down, enjoy the blend and the nuances. Once you figure out that a little heavier hand than normal in packing as well as a slow smoking cadence will reveal tastes you didn't think were there you'll be in pipe heaven. Let it smolder and smoke it just on the verge of going out. If you're a Virginia smoker then you'll understand that point. The initial light can be a little rough in taste and slightly peppery but give the blend a moment to settle down. Once the blend settles down a bit you'll experience the nutty/chocolate/cigar notes of the dark burley with the Virginia adding a very subtle sweetness and the perique adding interesting dark fruit (fig) flavors. Once in a while the perique will turn a little peppery but it's brief and usually when you began to puff a bit too fast. If you're not used to burley then you may be put off by the cigar and nutty notes and may come to you as "bitter" notes especially if you're used to smoking sweet aromatics or Virginias. Give this blend time to develop not only in your pipe but on your taste buds as well. I think this is a wonderful blend worth of attention from all of those who enjoy burley but are looking for a little something more. This is a great all day blend if you are into such a thing as well. C&D has hit another burley homerun and I couldn't be more satisfied in both flavor and nicotine.
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brogreggblues	08/16/2010	Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I received a 2 oz. baggie of this in a C&D sampler pack. I did not read TR's ratings on this blend before I smoked it, because I wanted my impressions to be my own, not tainted by others' reviews. As I was smoking this blend, I immediately sensed a bitter taste and smell. Less than halfway down the bowl, there was an increasing sensation I could only describe as "sour", and "old sweat socks". Imagine my surprise when previous reviewers mentioned these same characteristics! I'm a burley man. I love Boswell's Premium Burley, Granger, and Mild Kentucky Club. I also enjoy Prince Albert and Carter Hall. But not this stuff.
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Storm Watch	06/26/2010	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Well, I've had worse. That's why it gets 2 stars instead of one. For the price I expected better. Heck, for the price I'll take Prince Albert over this. Not much on the flavor department unless you puff so lightly it constantly goes out on you. Like the idiot that I am I have to try everything. I could have gotten twice as much of a drug store blend for the price of this stuff and been happier with the results.
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Puffingstuff	06/26/2010	Mild	None detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable
I think I could blend this myself. Three parts dry leaves from the yard, two parts dry leaves from the yard last year. What is this? I find far to many blends from C&D that are pale and tasteless like this one. Sorry, C&D you ripped me off on this crap.
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Jeremy	05/29/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This is an odd little blend, and hard to really get my mind around it. It can be harsh on the char light, but smokes fairly smoothly after that if you smoke carefully. The VA and Per is more like a seasoning than a flavor. So, it isn't really a burley, or a VA or a Perique. You have to basically take it on its terms, much like some of the interesting little micro-brews that are out there that pay no attention to style categories. Fortunately, it's a decent smoke and burns nicely. Worth giving a try, but I suspect it's a take-it-or-leave-it kind of smoke with little room in the middle. I like it enough to buy about once a year for variety. Oh, and don't dry it out as much as you might like - it smokes better when not bone dry, but the burley in it likes to dry out very quickly.
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PeteSavinelli	05/12/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This tobacco is vile. The pouch note, if any, is moldy and sour. In the bowl it is horrid. I thought it was just because I wasn't a "Burley guy". No. While I'm not a "Burley guy", I've smoked Burleys which I would be happy to give between 2 and 3 stars. I wouldn't smoke this again if someone gave it to me free.
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Rev. E. A. Hernandez	05/11/2010	Strong	None detected	Overwhelming	Tolerable
Like someone said of C&D's Purple Cow: I really wanted to like this. I'm a burley man. No objection to a few spiced points to a tobacco. Also naturally a Virginia fan. This stuff, which I purchased a bit of, from bulk, was dreadful. I can't ever say I have tasted moldy gym socks, pepper, and stale Chinese food all-in-one, but this is it. It has a bite that I hated, and I'd also classify it as rather sour. I noted the dryness of the sample I received. It was odd. Then I noted it had NO aroma of any kind. It doesn't even smell of tobacco. Is it possible I got something old, dry and with a hint of mold? Perhaps. It sure tasted like it. The reviews here are vastly overrated if that is what that stuff IS supposed to taste like. It took a malted and a bowl of Lane's 1-Q to fix this mess.
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john1179	05/11/2010	Very Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant
GREAT NAME! DIDNT NOTICE MUCH ABOUT THIS TOBACCO HOWEVER. REALLY DIDNT HAVE ALOT OF TASTE OR AROMA. JUST A REALLY GOOD STRAIGHT FORWARD TOBAC!!!
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Davetopay	03/20/2010	Mild	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I got this in a trade, so I can't vouch for the average condition when you buy it in a shop. It didn't feel cased and doesn't taste to me like it is dosed with flavorings, but just tastes like good burley which has been spiced with perique and VA leaf in such a way as to create a very relaxed soft tasting blend. I have come to like it as a palate cleanser of sorts between bowls of my more pungent blends. The sweet/baked va shows up every now and then and the burley has a nice aroma without being perfumed. This is what I had always hoped more of the codger burleys would be like. A solid 2.75 star tobacco. Nothing wrong with it, not too complex or high falutin' and fancified. Just tasty, cool burning, easy going pipe smoking. One little note...if you are a quick puffer, you won't get burned or bitten, but if you can keep this on the edge of going out it will show you a bunch of little surprises.
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don1688	03/15/2010	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
The flavor jumps around pretty nicely. I don't taste the burley so "up front" throughout the bowl as most reviews have noted. I taste the Va within all the time and it is the dominant weed in the first third. Burley does come through more there after and is the main character with perigue giving that pepper and fruit flavor in-and-out like a non-perique dominated smoke should, this blend progresses very nicely. Nice tobacco and a blend I can see smoldering in some pipes all day. I have smoked "fresh" and currently a tin I opened with 3 1/2 years age. I feel the aged tin has a more Va feel, but don't think this is one you must age to be satisfied. "beeftip" sums it up quite nicely.
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beeftip	03/15/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I get a kick out of reviews for burley blends that state the tobacco tastes like cigarettes. Cigarettes have burley as the main component. That's why burley tastes like cigarettes. Unless you sauce the hell out of burley, you're going to get cigarette "flavor" at some point. Even Aged Burley Flake, which is so highly revered by so many tastes like cigarettes. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows anything about tobacco that Haunted Bookshop tastes at times like a cigarette. But it's a damn fine cigarette! If I could have bought cigarettes that tasted this good, I probably would still be smoking them. The perique and virginia tobaccos lend themselves well to the overall balance in the fine blend. The perique goes from peppery to fruity and back again throughout the bowl. The virginia adds a nice but subtle sweetness that remains constant. At times the burley tastes a little like chocolate, at others it's kind of nutty. It's subtle and if all you think about while smoking this is that it tastes like cigarettes, you'll miss it. The first light is harsh. It takes a couple of minutes for it to settle down. It's not pleasant, but it is tolerable. Don't freak out. It burns nice and clean. Easy to keep lit. It's a great burley. Don't smoke it if you don't understand burley tobacco. This is a great blend and deserves to be reviewed by those who can appreciate burley for ALL of its flavors and nuances.
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SmokeKing David	03/06/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I am beginning to enjoy C&D burley blends, but this seemed too bitter. The leaf is of obvious quality, as you would expect from this blender...which earned this mix a second star. But Haunted Bookshop just didn't seem very enjoyable to me. Still, many smokers seem to like it, so try it and see for yourself. Govern Yourself Accordingly.
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Matt	01/21/2010	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is my first burly based blend that wasnt an aromatic, that could be why I was looking for a bit more in this. Its not bad just alittle boring. If I go with non-aromatics Ill stick to Vir/Per. I can see what some of the other reviewers have said about it being dry in the tin but I thought it was just slightly drier than what im used to. It burned well with one relight and left my pipe clean.
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Matty	10/20/2009	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
This is a tobacco to go to and just smoke for awhile. When you do not want to think about what pipe with what tobacco for a while. Just pack it up and get to know the burly that comes through on the first few puffs. Do not let this discourage you the virginia is soon to follow. And when you let it pass through your nose you are glad they threw in the perique. A nice light tobacco taste is nice change for this flake and plug aficionado. I let all my other tobacco's age and just smoke this for a month or so. Ok so sue me I still hit the Condor too!
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