Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop

This blend doesn't do much for me - the burley in the batch I received is quite bland.

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.

Not as good as I had hoped. Bland and reliable. A putzing around the house smoke. I'm finding that Cornell and Diehl bulk blends are becoming a major disappointment. I say that with regret.

After giving this blend a fair shake now with repeated sampling, I still find that Haunted Bookshop overall just runs too far toward bitter.

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.

If Mr. Runowski wanted to do something haunted, he might've added a bit more spice, some balkans and perhaps a surprise or two, like deer tongue or cloves. This didn't haunt me or even put the slightest chill down my spine. An unubiquitous smoke for passing the time when there aren't any good books or good friends around.

Two of five stars

When I first took a whiff of Haunted Bookshop in the bag I was taken back to the time when as a very small boy I got my first sniff of Bull Durham tobacco in the purse-string pouch. Burley...the real thing, no casing or flavoring. And that's mostly what Haunted Bookshop is...real, high grade, burley, seasoned only with a little Virginia and perique. The taste is nutty, with a hint of sweetness to start, with a cool burn and no bite. Toward the end of the bowl, it goes a bit bitter, but so it is said, that is the nature of it. For those too young to remember the taste of the grand old burley tobaccos once so prevalent on drugstore shelves, like George Washington, or the original versions of Granger or Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed, try this one.

The pouch aroma is pleasant in grassy hay sort of way like picking dry grass. The mixture a mostly a nutty burley base with the support of red virginias and perque in the scene saying hello to my taste buds and to nose. The leaves mostly yellows and gold and thick The first torch I got a strong whisp of the red virginia and a tickle in my nose from the perque. Before mid bowl the burley starts the party and finishes the party with wishes of a big pipe so that I may enjoy this longer. My wife might tolerate this one so yay!

I've been trying this tobacco out for the last several days and I just haven't hit pay dirt yet. That's not to say I don't like it. The blend is rightly named for the taste is very mysterious.

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.

Well, it seems this tobacco is very appreciated around here, but I dissent... It has a very nice dark sweetness, and the piquant notes from perique are pleasant too... but I find that the burley used here can turn quite bitter and nasty (like a relit cigar), with a dustiness which can certainly be evocative of an old bookshop filled with old tomes and spiderwebs but which doesn't fit my taste. It's the same bitter cigarishness that I dislike in some other C&D blends!

This is a pleasant, mild smoke. There is nothing flashy about this blend except for the name. I occasionaly like to smoke this especially when i've been smoking blends that are very assertive in strength and flavor. I find this a nice change of pace compared to some of the more assertive blends that I smoke. This is very natural tasting to me and smokes very cool. This is nutty, lightly sweet, clean and pure. I enjoy this and recommend it.