The name of this blend intrigues me. A bow legged bear? What? How come? Who thought of that? Since I seem to match that description, I?m very comforted by the notion. It?s about time I get some recognition.

This was an out of the norm purchase for me. The LA Tinderbox, my local, yet often maligned (by me) B&M, doesn?t carry C&D blends, and by that extension, they neither carry any Pease blends. I asked one of the shop workers why they would ignore such a prominent force in the pipe tobacco industry. He shrugged it off as to suggest these people are amateurs, then pointed off to a dark corner of the store, where hidden out of view lay two dusty tins of Bow Legged Bear. I suppose he was trying to suggest upon me that C&D blends are impervious to consumer demand. I asked this very early on in my pipe smoking days?all of two years ago. ?Look at those tins,? I thought. My tastes demand only the freshest product.

Two years later, and those tins still sat on the shelf. I got my hands on them not so long ago, and noticed the date?wait for it?August 29, 2001. The guy who helped me out was anxious to get rid of them, and offered each for $5. He told me, ?You?d better open one before you leave, I?m not sure if they?re any good.? For the love of God, this man works in a tobacco establishment and has no idea of anything. ?Should I do him the favor??, I considered. I?d rather have not opened the tin in the shop, but under orders I broke the seal. Mind you, this wasn?t the current C&D tin design with the plastic lid and the air tight container, but the old, all aluminum design. A wonderful aroma of fermented tobacco lifted from the can, and he looked at me, astonished to see a beautiful package of tight, black bricks, wrapped in tissue.

This is the same Jackass that tried to talk me out of buying Escudo quite some time ago.

Having opened this baby up, I didn?t waste much time digging into it. Bow Legged Bear is strong as hell, thank all things Perique. There was a period when I swore off Perique, but I?ve been gradually bringing myself to reappraise its various qualities, and I would go so far as to say it makes all the difference in this blend. I don?t know much about aging, other than a feeling that Perique is some kind of magical presence that must have stewed my sample to new heights. I fear somehow I may go on another binge, and I will not cower this time, I swear it.

There?s something of a controversy regarding Bow Legged Bear. There?s so much crap in this mix, no one can really form a consensus on its taste profile. I can only be subjective regarding this matter. To my senses, Bow Legged Bear does not recall any English mixtures I?m familiar with. The Burley puts it in another category, one that doesn?t quite exist as a defined genre. Being somewhat averse to Burley, physiologically, I suspect, I approached Bow Legged Bear with a short apprehension. In practice, I can?t make heads or tails of the leaf, as to me, it?s been drowned out by nearly everything else that constitutes this blend. I know I?m a lousy person for cursing Burley in my recent Edgeworth review, but I cannot complain here.

There?s such a varied nuance, I feel as though I?d never tire of this bearish fellow, crooked posture and all.

There is plenty of Latakia here. Not a lot of dimension, but plenty of flavor. The Perique is anything but weak - really, there is nothing weak at all in this one. I even noticed the nicotine - a rarity for me.

If you like bold flavor, get yourself a Bear hug.

I find this tobacco very heavy in nicotine and "presence", but not equally tasty: all flavors seem a bit muddy and hushed, a bit similar to the latest versions of Nightcap.

The smell in the tin is earthy and musky, reminiscent of bitter cocoa. There is Latakia, but it is muffled by the other olfactive notes.

This tobacco is actually quite balanced as all the ingredients sing in a chorus and do not stand out immediately, but this is IMHO also a fault as the taste is quite dull too, compared to Pirate Kake and Longevity.

The nicotine punch is hefty (stronger than Nightcap, perhaps): after a few puffs, this tobacco leaves me nauseated and weak. But, as I said, this is probably due to my intolerance to large measures of Perique rather than because of the nicotine.

I guess you should try this tobacco anyway as it has many fans and it has plenty of potential to appeal to some smokers.

Yes, it is for Latakia mavens, but the sweet presence of the Virginias and warm undertones of Perique foil a Latakian overthrow of the mixture.

This arrives at a perfect humidity, crumbles into a fine square cut, and packs with ease. Although the first few minutes deliver a monochromatic hot-tar Latakia trip, the sweetness and stewey Perique start to unfold with a measured pace of puffing. The lower level of moisture does wonders for staving off the heat of the Virginia, and a medium-size pipe has always served well for this tobacco.

A tin of BLB is always amongst my order to the tobacconist, and this has served as a "go to" smoke after dinner since I first tried it.

UPDATE March 2005: This is still a fantastic smoke. I am positive that aging in the tin is necessary for the complexity of flavor to develop; and boy does it develop. BB is an English at first, but it unfolds, and unfolds and unfolds. About half way down the bowl, no two puffs taste the same. This is very complex.

My only advice to the detractors is simply: Lay down a tin of this for a few years. You will be rewarded with a very pleasant surprise. Although not as strong as Penzance, it has a complexity not unlike that blend.

I loved it before and I love it more now.

BLB is a fine mixture of Virginia, Latakia, Perique, and Turkish tobaccos -- all favorites of mine. This is a fairly huge blend, given all of the power hitters in the line-up. However, each component plays nice. The smoker is treated to a very balanced offering of some very different types of leaf. The Krumble Kake presentation is always welcome.

If you want a blend that is full of flavor and body, yet smokes cool, burns well, and performs consistently from charring light to the heel of the pipe, give this stuff a try.

I only gave Bow Legged Bear a rating of "I smoke this on occasion" because my tobacco rotation is out of control as it is and I'm just not positive about keeping this one on as a full-time smoke. That is not to say that I don't have tremendous interest in this fine piece of work from the Tarlers.

Bow Legged Bear is essentially Briar Fox with latakia, and lots of it. It bears the same beautiful shape, and sports just a tad more moisture (both are still too dry). They both yield a very dry cloud of smoke that is a little too cigarettish for my liking. It tastes very good, but I prefer the rounder quality found in Penzance, and a touch more sweetness in the VAs would be welcome. A lot of folks should like this one a lot, but I don't think I'll ever fully fall into that category, as for some reason this blend gives me too many hints of a cheap cigar.

Bow-Legged Bear? One-Trick Pony would be a better name.

The appearence in the tin is somewhat reminiscent of the season old mulch one scrapes off the bottom of their lawnmower. But that's not what we smoke for anyway. And the aroma in the tin would have to be described as somewhat unappealing. But once you've filled your bowl, which by the way is as fun as it is easy, and you set this concoction to flame, wham! This is by no means a weak blend. The first thing I notice is the latakia; tangy, smooth, and biteless. But the latakia soon starts taking a bit of a bow to the other tobaccos, and one starts noticing the perique, virginias, and turkish in turn wafting in and out through the first half of the bowl. A nutty, almost warm aroma is preasent throughout, but it's the turkish that dominates through the last half of the bowl. The perique to me seems to be a tad defiscient, and would be the only improvement I would recommend. As for nicotine content, fear not. If you are one of the nicotine dependent among us, then BLB would definitely do the trick for you. Although this is a calm, cool, and well rounded blend with pronounced high and low notes, it is truly not for everyone. But, if it's tobacco you love, and strength is an attribute for you, then I'd say give it a try. This may be on your top five list.