Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop

Haunted Bookshop was my first predominandly burley blend. I mostly go for latakia overload or else something vaguely aromatic.

Though also characteristic of a "haunted bookshop" (perhaps more in the lingering mustiness than in the flavor/aroma itself) I also feel this is very much a "country" sort of smoke. I enjoy it outdoors and often times in a corn cob pipe. For someone wanting a straight forward tobacco smoke with a bit of zip to it, it could easily be an all day blend. It very much reminds me (what little I remember)of the straight Burley and drugstore stuff my grandfather smoked in his beloved pipes.

The perique is in just the right amounts for me...a tang and pin-prick, but not enough to make you run for liquids. Though what I enjoy most about this is the light grassiness of the burley/VA compound in both flavor and room note.

It burns well. And bites very little. It leaves a bit of a lingering ghost in the walls and upholstery but not anything that should put off guests (or the S.O.) over the long term.

--UPDATE-- After a few months of maturation, and giving this a go in a cleaner pipe, I've found some additional qualities I both like and dislike. The VA/Perique starts out nice and strong, sweet, fragrant and spicey. The bowls have begun to end up with more of the "stale" and somewhat nasty burley taste that seems to turn so many off to this type of tobacco. I am unfortunately thinking that my Haunted Bookshop has been infested by ghosts of a less benevolent nature.

Cornell & Diehl
Haunted Bookshop

Blend notes: “A predominantly burley mixture with a touch of red Virginia and perique. Another of the late Bob Runowski's blends, named in honor of the famous novel written by Christopher Morley, Haunted Bookshop is a burley and Virginia blend with just a touch of perique.”

Or, really, just a burley blend with a bit of Virginia for some structure, and a slightly larger bit of Perique for a side-note of peppery spice. Burns and lights easily. There is no discernible difference between the regular and ‘cake’ which, really, breaks apart so easily that it’s hard to call it a cake.

This is a medium to full burley blend. If you like burley (not dark-fired KY) then this is a good blend. I like it but then I like burley. If I were to label Haunted Bookshop, I’d call it a BurPerVa in the order of tobacco importance.

HB is solid, steady, uncomplicated. Nutty from the burley, a bit of pepper from the Perique, not remotely sweet though. C&D tends to case their blends, but casing if done correctly does not sweeten as much as it draws out and enhances inherent flavors.

The way I will treat HB is to use it as a palate cleanser, a sort of interlude between a season of English/Balkans and perhaps a season of VaPer or a traditional VaBur or anything with KY. It’s not a go-to blend but will have a place on my shelf.

A solid 3 stars out of 4.

The tin note has an aromas of musk and sweet preserved fruit (in the realm of fig/date/plum/raisin).

When smoking the dry musk of the burly comes out first, perhaps because of the name, but brings to mind the pleasant smell of old books. The perique is present but not on every puff. The pepper spice fades in and out. The sweet creamy Virginias are more detectable with smaller sips and a cooler burning technique. Haunted bookshop is at its best when the Virginias are leading. within a single bowl the different tobaccos are rotating who is commanding the ship.

A pleasant smoke. The sweet cream aroma is leading the room note.


A solid 3 out of 4. Sometimes it sits on the shelf, but when in the mood for this blend it hits the spot.

Appearance: The tin was released in March 2022. Finely ribbon-cut in a milk chocolate color, almost mono-color, with occasional light Virginias. The moisture and consistency of the tobacco is perfect, it requires no drying or additional preparation.

Flavor: A fairly even smell of medium density, in which notes of milk chocolate with a lot of cocoa, hay-wood aroma with a slight touch of fresh mushrooms, a little dry wine, a little bit of spice and a little bit of brine are evenly intertwined. The bouquet is a bit strange, but not unpleasant.

Taste: smooth, soft, not too dense. Fairly bright nutty note with a slight earthiness and even lighter bitterness in the foreground, in support of it comes a slightly spicy and plumy note of perique with a touch of iron. I must say, with this tobacco I felt for the first time what some pipe smokers talk about - the iron flavor of perique. Woody, slightly sweet and fruity tones of Virginia complete the composition, almost not interfering in the duet of burley and perique (which, by the way, in this tobacco is less than it seems). Closer to the middle of the pipe separate notes mix into a general bouquet, with the woody-earthy-nutty taste of burley remaining at the head of it. The perique on the exhale weakens somewhat. The tobacco smokes slowly, cool enough, but requires some attention - overheating kills the sweetness, the tobacco begins to resemble a cigarette mixture. The strength of the tobacco is clearly above average, a standard large pipe gave me enough nicotine to feel a slight nicotine hit. The tobacco burns out almost completely into a light gray ash with no lumps, leaving no moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is quite persistent, woody and earthy.

Abundant smoke from tobacco has a pronounced woody-nut odor, similar to cigarette odor. It is unlikely to appeal to your household. On top of that, this odor stays in the room for quite a long time.

What's the bottom line? It is very difficult for me to evaluate burley-based blends, as I practically do not smoke them. But I can't help but admit that something about this blend has me hooked. I would have preferred a little more perique in the flavor, but then I'm afraid it would just put me down - it's not lacking in strength.

Good stuff! I reviewed the pipes in various materials and decided that clay was the best.

Easy to burn, no bite, and no sharp edges, the lady says it smells like tobacco should, neither fragrant nor smelly, and nicotine satisfies, leaving you emotionally stable reading.I will buy again

Among all the burleys I smoked, this one is different and fills a very clear niche while fascinatingly living up to its name. An every present \"muskiness\", old wood, underlying vinegar/fermentation notes, a slight nuttiness, subtle sour sweet tone, very noticeable spice and an appealing ashiness evoke mental images of an old, mysterious attic or a no longer frequented, dusty bookshop. This blend is stout, has an almost cigar-like quality to it. It\'s solid on the Vitamin N but not as strong as some reviews might make you assume. Still, it hits all the taste buds in the right places and leaves nothing left to ask for. There\'s a profound aftertaste, ashy but in a surprisingly pleasing way. Ashiness in taste has often been an unpleasing, unavoidable byproduct of pipe smoking to me. But strangely in Haunted Bookshop it became one of the selling features and the convincing reason to make me reach for this jar in my cellar. I can understand how to some HB is too cigarette like. I would call it a caricature at best and it probably stems from the single reason that it\'s a burley forward blend with a distinct ashiness to it. I abhor the smell of cigarettes and Haunted Bookshop doesn\'t trigger that related repulsion. In the tin, it comes on the wetter side. There are darker, clearly fermented leaf pieces in the blend partially covered with white dots which can easily be mistaken as mold. Careful inspection, the lack of cross contamination, and a confirmation from C&D identify it clearly as harmless crystalized aging byproduct. I have seen the same in a new tin opened only a month from production date and never detected any issues with mold. I can confirm the \"manure\" tin note that however doesn\'t translate to the smoke. The perique will slowly take over as the blend ages. The spiciness becomes even more noticeable which already starts after a few months of age. Throughout the bowl, the smoke becomes a little tamer, more velvety and richer while the spiciness lifts but just a tad. The room note is not always welcome, not even among pipe smokers. Unless you\'re Matches860, Haunted Bookshop isn\'t an all-day everyday smoke. It fills a very specific niche, and has a certain time and place. It\'s an occasional smoke that not everyone will like, but I dare everyone to try at least once.

Package note of pungent fermented vegetation and earth. Tobacco is a mix cut of ribbon and broken flake, Tobacco color is reddish brown and tan with a little darker brown mixed in. Moisture content is great. No drying/prep needed. Burns moderately with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium to strong. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and mostly consistent, with notes of peaty sour vegetation, dry bitter, spices, very nutty, earthy, mild sugar, slight spicy, very woody, slight molasses, mild dark fruit, mildly savory, a spiced raisin background note, and a very peppery retro. Burley is leading with Perique supporting. Virginia is getting pulled along by the scruff of its neck. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

I received it as a gift but just the name of this tobacco is beautiful and all blends in this tobacco don't have harmony. strong tobacco, honestly I don't like it

I’m not sure what it is… but I think I need a break from trying C&d blends, for few years at least. Nearly every one of them I have tried, smell amazing, have a great cut, great moisture from tin… but all behave the same way… Sour and Ashy. Personally, this tasted more like a burnt/sour gram cracker than it did Tobacco. I really really want to like your brand, but it seems that will be a long journey.