Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop

The ratios, it's all about the ratios. Whereas Old Joe Krantz is quite heavy on the perique, Haunted Bookshop is more balanced and won't develop rough edges because of this. All things being equal, I'd have HB any time over OJK. The nutty properties of this tobacco are more apparent here than in OJK. The problem with OJK is the perique will take over soon, and this will push back the burley properties of this tobacco. About HB, the main role of the burley leaf is not to add support, or to improve the burning properties of the blend. Burley leaf is rather added as the main component; this blend is all about the burley. There is nothing worth mentioning about the tin note, it just smells of tobacco, but if you like burleys you will probably find the smoking experience out of this world. Sadly enough, it tends to burn faster than expected, but it smokes quite cool in your bowl. The perique leaf appears to transition from tangy to peppery in the last quarter of your bowl, which is something to be expected. As for the nicotine content, it is still high, I'd say, but nowhere near OJK anyway. I think they call this blend HB because of the musty properties it develops as you progress with your smoke, but I say this in a good way. Yes, this tobacco ticks so many boxes for me, so it is going to get a rating of 4 stars.

(Edit 17/11/2017) PS. It looks as though they've named this tobacco "Haunted Bookshop" in honor of a novel written by Christopher Morley.

Summary: a Burley-forward blend with a Va/Per hidden within.

Cornell & Diehl makes a range of its Burley, red Virginia, and Perique blends, starting with "Haunted Bookshop" on the gentle end, moving to "Old Joe Krantz" in the middle, and inching just a little past that with "Burley Flake #1." If you want sweet tobacco, go elsewhere; also, this uses a lot of the dark Burley which hits some people quite hard, especially in the digestive tract, and so they will rank it as having more nicotine than it does because the effect is greater on them. The slightly "green vegetation" flavor that accompanies such Burleys hovers in the background of this blend, which brings forth a harmonious relationship between the Perique and red Virginias that provides an undertone to the white/dark Burley mix which dominates its flavor. Over the course of the bowl, the Virginias caramelize and meld into the Perique flavor, making it more spicy like dark-fired leaf and less tangy like the sweet-sour taste of most Va/Pers. If you view "Haunted Bookshop" as a Burley blend that flavors itself with a Va/Per, the delight in this flavor combination becomes apparent. The low moisture content means that this blend burns quickly unless incubated with a breath smoking technique, and if you smoke it quickly, it will turn ashy. This is an all-day smoke for me, but only because I am inured to the Burley gut punch and it takes over an hour for a medium-sized bowl. Sweeter than "Old Joe Krantz" (or the massively dry-tasting and almost dusty "Burley Flake #1"), "Haunted Bookshop" delights Burley fans who want a blend without the intrusion of toppings or the sugar blast of bright Virginias.

Tonight’s feature presentation is Haunted Bookshop, and Burley is the star of the show! This is my anytime, anywhere, any mood pipe tobacco. When I can’t decide what to smoke, this is what I reach for. This burley blend always satisfies. Burns cool and dry. Lots of smoke output. Slightly above medium nic hit. Can’t beat it for the price when bought in bulk.

Another hit on my quest to sample the best of C&D’s Burley-forward blends, Haunted Bookshop breaks the mold (pun intended) with cheek by actually smelling like a musty old tome both in its popped tin and when it’s lit and smoked. Short ribbons are at perfect moisture, so HB is easily stuffed, lit, and smoked down to nothing. Burn rate is a fair clip. The Burleys are quite nice, adding fragrant woods and some meadow flowers to the scent. The Perique is musty and a little sour, to balance the tannins and spices. The VAs seem to be mostly piquant, earthy reds, and perhaps some earthy browns, adding some sugar and some structural body to the blend. There's plenty of smoke. I smoke HB meditatively and it is consistent, top to bottom. Strength is medium. With a little application, tastes are toward full. Aftertaste is the best of the smoke, trailing off with Angostura. Room note is great for me, hopefully tolerable for captives.

I suppose Haunted Bookshop won’t be a 4 for everyone, if only because it’s different in a different way. I’m in the aye camp, very pleased I followed other reviewers who have enjoyed this blend and reported their findings here at TR. My tin is young, and I’ll update here, apropos.

Just from smelling this one unlit, you know you're in for a ride. Now, I'm not a fan of ribbon cut. I usually find it too light for my Single-Malt-Addicted pallet. But this blend… It works… Lighting it reveals how burley should feel like. It bites just a bit (which I like), just to remind you the fact that you're having a pipe right now. The taste is earthy, nutty and rich – but not fermented and cigar like which means that it's just the right amount of Perique. Behind all that hides a sweetness, so mild that you'd need to meditate to detect. The right amount of Virginias. Pretty quickly, after a few tamp, flavor develops and balances. The body rounds up a bit and right there I moved to the breath method to enjoy the mid-bowl properly. The nicotine content in this one is mild-medium.. Didn't knock me off my chair, but also didn't really got that itch... It's a good blend for mid-day, but lack some nicotine for my taste.

Now, I love this blend but note that it's on the heavy side. Many pipers I know found it too heavy (which is good for me, since I got their batch), so I'd recommend trying a sample or a 1 oz batch before acquiring a stock of it.

Bob hit the nail on the head with the perfect proportions of each tobacco to make in my opinion, one of the best burley blends on the market. This is my go to daily smoke. It is a blend that you can never really get too tired of. Has the perfect amount of nicotine and burns without a problem any day. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a natural smoke.

Haunted Bookshop is one of my favorite blends, and a regular staple of my piping. A perfectly blended Burley centric blend with just a small dash of Virginia and a smaller dash of Perique to balance. I almost never tire of smoking it, and can smoke it all day. Runowski was a master blender with everything he touched, preferring to center on Burley and old world style American tobaccos. Just a straight forward Burley blend with a dash of zest from the other two components and done to perfection. Best in a medium sized bowl. Great in a cob. I worry when I get down to only a few pounds remaining on hand.

Oh wow! What a pleasant surprise! I'd recently seen this baccy being recommended on YouTube (…either MuttnChopPiper or Alan Harrelson) and so I ordered a couple of tins which arrived today. So this definitely goes on my "A list". I'm an English Blend aficionado, but this stuff is to quote Mary Poppins "Practically Perfect in every way" (…well, so far!) - as to flavourings, toppings, casings, and all the other phrases and descriptions I've seen used in reviews, well I've only been enjoying the pipe for around 70 years, so perhaps in time I'll begin to understand what all these "experts" are yapping about! 😉

This is a great Burley blend with just the right amount of Perique. Something very familiar tasting to ex-cigarette smokers. This is easily an every day blend. This is very similar to Old Joe Krantz, but with a little less Perique, I believe. Its dry out of the bag, lights easy and stays lit. I find that it burns pretty quick and will often need to reload since it can be gone before you know it.

finding this blend kept me in the hobby. I had started with Virginians and Latakia blends, but just wasn't feeling it. After really discovering Burley, I found this blend which was my real first all-day, go-to pipe tobacco.