Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop

This is PA with the gloves off. The new ribbon cut puts this up a star. It's much easier to pack and smoke, but it's still basically a powerful codger burley. The kind of codger you don't leave alone with your kids.

As opposed to OJK, with its massive amount of Perique and more VA, this is more burley and not the real dark tasting stuff, but relatively medium tasting, but strong in N nevertheless.

I find myself missing the odd topping which I remember from PA or other minimally cased OTCs that I don't smoke anymore, despite the flavor from the Perique and VA (if there is any VA flavor it is miniscule). This slightly hollow flavor, despite the contribution from the Perique (This kind of Burley basically has no flavor which is why it is always cased) is the reason I give it 3 instead of 4 stars. Just a touch of that Rum stuff which GLP has in Haddos, for example, would really help this out, imo.

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.

I'll preface this review by stating that I tend towards VaPers, Orientals, and some aromatics. I don't mind burley at all, but prefer it way in the back of the bus. This has clearly influenced how I feel about Haunted Bookshop.

I wanted to really like this blend, but it is just rather blah. The tin note is earthy, with that classic tobacco smell - oddly, I do get some licorice notes in there. The taste is med, but (IMO) lacked any depth or imagination. It starts out tricking you into thinking that this might be a nice experience, but is soon replaced by an ashy, heavy taste that just never stops. I'll admit there are these little moments where it tries to seduce you again - but don't be fooled!

The room note is somewhere between leafy detritus, and a homeless man smoking a butt he found on the road. If you have a partner, don't to expect to get any compliments on how awesome it smells - trust me, you'll be outside and on your tod.

It packs well, lights well, and stays that way for pretty much the whole bowl. Please don't let my experience put you off, but if you are like me, don't say I didn't warn ya'.

Why? Why selltobacco that tastes of ashtrays? This is the worst tobacco i´ve ever tasted. It only tastes harsh. It´s jarring to your senses. Stay away!

This is another Burley Mixture from Cornell and Diehl. For me, I note only the Burley and the Perique, but not the Virginia. Is somewhat good, decent, I like, but is clearly inferior to other Burley based tobaccos as: Butternut Burley and Old Joe Krantz. 2 Stars.

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! 😉

Beginning: I can’t even lie, this tobacco knocked me on my ass the first time we met. I had been smoking aromatics and had tried one Virginia based blend that I didn’t really care for at the time so the full bodied smoke and healthy dose of nicotine (especially on an empty stomach) really hit me. But it’s just what I had been looking for. I wanted tobacco that TASTED as good as it smelled. And boy does HB deliver.

Middle: It smelled musty, dusty, with a hint of figgy, nutty, sweetness in the background. Not that bready kinda sweetness of VAs. Not as subdued with the citrusy lightness of Virginia’s. Nothing like I had ever had before. I loaded up a bowl with a cup of coffee by my side and it was *a whole newww world*. Burley world, that is! I was in love!

End: The taste is akin to a cigar in terms of its intensity. But the flavor itself is a rounded, nutty, peppery smoke that pairs so well with coffee! Smoked slowly, you really get more nuanced flavors of each of the particular components mingling around in your bowl.

Now, to be fair, I had been watching a few Matches860 videos before trying this out. And his love of the blend was 100% the driving force behind me trying it. But I can’t say I regret caving into his peer pressure. It changed my Smoking life.

Who this blend is for: Cigar lovers looking to break into pipes. Lovers of big bold flavors. Call me crazy but besides Carter Hall, I might even recommend HB as a first burley blend to other smokers. If you don’t like it, then chances are you aren’t going to like any burley blends any time soon. But luckily, it’s a cheap standby that’s readily available. So whenever you’re feeling the itch to try it again, you can always come back for more.

Who this blend is not for: If you aren’t into burley, you will not enjoy this. Period. BUT! Give it some time. Our tastes changed, pallets get tired and interests get piqued. Come back to HB if you’ve tried and weren’t a fan. Smoke it slower than you did before, try it in a cob! Try it with coffee! And whatever you do, enjoy yourself!

Happy smokes everyone

-Toto

First let me say that I love burley. Burley based blends like C&D's Big n Burley are very good, straight burley's like Solani 656 are wonderful. This, this is a different animal. The smell out of the jar is simply burley, a nice mild smell. The entire sample is a light brown, where is the red VA, I cannot see it, its not in the aroma at all. A very small smattering of perique by the look of things too. Taste is no better. I get a sourness that is not really present in burley for me. Don't confuse sour for bitter, a slight bitterness comes in good burley with a note of cocoa. This is not that, it is sour. Occasionally a little pepper comes in from the perique but no dark fruits nor are there tangy elements from the VA. I don't think this has any red VA in it! At about mid bowl it turns from this sour mess into a harsh ashy cigarette like flavor profile that continues until I have had all I can take. This is not from the pipe. I have tried it is several pipes I have cleaned my pipes and tried it again with the same result. I will not finish the sample.