Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop

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.

I found this blend to be somewhat of a challenge, and after smoking my fair share of it I have decided that it isn't quite to my taste. Haunted Bookshop is not without its merits. It does have ample strength, and those that enjoy strong burley with plenty of structure will likely appreciate it. However, I think that it lacks the counter sweetness of its big brother blend Old Joe Krantz. The flavor carries a light hint of burnt tire rubber and as well as an astringent bitter quality. However, minus OJK's higher percentage of Virginia leaf, Haunted Bookshop has a drier flavor and presents a smoke that's a bit lighter in body but more rough on the tongue. It's not as spicy, flavorful, or as inspired as OJK and as a result, not as interesting. The flavors improve towards mid bowl and smooth out quite a bit once a good layer of ash is formed, but altogether I just can't find the same enjoyment or wow factor that I found in Joe Krantz.

UPDATE 4/24/15 - I am bumping this up a star. It seems over the last month that I have developed a taste for Haunted Bookshop. I won't pretend to understand exactly why; all I know is I have been continually reaching for this blend. That said, the thing that I enjoy the most about this mixture is how skillfully the perique is applied. With each sip of the pipe it provides a polite piquant sting and if I draw a little harder, the spiciness intensifies and the flavor noticeably deepens. With several bowls under my belt, my palate has adjusted to Haunted Bookshop's earthy bitterness and the nicotine level is near perfect. Now, I still find Old Joe Krantz a bit more interesting, but from the standpoint of strength, Haunted Bookshop is more accessible and not as stout.

This mixture is not my cup of tea, it was too harsh for my taste. I think it taste somewhat cigar´ish but not in a good way, more like a 1$ cigar from the gas station. But in other hand I also found that the taste was a little nutty in the background, which I liked. But that did not weigh up to the taste of cheap cigar

Maybe it’s just me. I really enjoy the VaPer blends such as GLP’s Haddo’s Delight, and even Dunhill’s Elizabethan Mixture. This was my first foray into the burly/perique territory and will be my last! The sweetness and perique just doesn’t mix well on my tongue. The aftertaste was not the usual for perique and there must be other casings in this mix which did not add any enjoyment. After the charring light a strange goo taste and texture began to emerge. Then the bitterness of the hot smoke kicked in.

Honestly, I have VERY seldom dumped a bowl halfway through, but I did with this junk. Sorry, C&D , you have some excellent blends, but this is certainly not among them. Even Cater Hall is a burly blessing compared to the dusty and dank bookshop.

When I called C&D to place an order for the tobaccos I usually smoke, such as Briar Fox, After Hours, Habana Daydreams, etc., I added one more tin for a trial, on a whim, as I was attracted to the name. This was my first foray into Haunted book shop and became my last.

The nose delivers the damp smell of English antique furniture, which matches the images the said name gives. The musty smell of old books. Taste: dusty, bitter, and earthy. I am a big fan of C&D, and I love VA/PE blend, but it's not my taste. So far, I skip this one in my next order. At least, until I come back to it some day with some more experiences.

The flavor jumps around pretty nicely.

I don't taste the burley so "up front" throughout the bowl as most reviews have noted.

I taste the Va within all the time and it is the dominant weed in the first third. Burley does come through more there after and is the main character with perigue giving that pepper and fruit flavor in-and-out like a non-perique dominated smoke should, this blend progresses very nicely.

Nice tobacco and a blend I can see smoldering in some pipes all day.

I have smoked "fresh" and currently a tin I opened with 3 1/2 years age. I feel the aged tin has a more Va feel, but don't think this is one you must age to be satisfied. "beeftip" sums it up quite nicely.

I bought this tin, solely on the name alone. In the tin it smells like a mixture of old cigarettes and hay. It was rather dry if I remember correctly. As for the taste, well it was like smoking cigarettes. I have kept the tin in hopes that I could add something like McClelland's 5100 to improve it, but I have yet to do so. Not recommended.

01/15/09 - This is a "blue-collar" review from a long-time pipe smoker who is neither a connoisseur nor a gourmet. I like subtleties up to a point, beyond which I cannot detect them. There are very few aromatics that I like anymore. I love orientals, latakias, and Virginias, but burley gives me some trouble. Most of the time, I like stronger blends over weaker ones and in larger pipes than smaller ones. I have exceptions to all of the above. With that said . . .

This review is of tobacco from a 50 g. tin of fresh vintage.

Medium brown and light tan ribbons, this smells like straight burley. Starts out very mild with little taste. Pleasant room note! Tastes a bit nutty early on, but by mid-bowl, this has turned monochromatically sour and bitter. Having little experience with burleys, I got this after reading all the reviews and references. I really, really wanted to like this, but it has convinced me that unflavored burley blends are NOT for me. My loss.

Compares to any unflavored blend where the burley predominates. While I dislike most burley blends, C&Ds #104, Crooner, has a great taste and doesn't turn bitter in the bowl.

I will not be keeping this blend on hand.

I give it only two leaves out of nine.

I really hate to give this only one star, especially in light of its many fans, but I find no redeeming qualities here whatsoever. I love burlies (especially C&D burlies) yet all I've found here is a musty, dried out mess that tastes and smells like a stale generic cigarette. I smoke Old Joe Krantz and Morley's Best all the time, but I've completely given up on this one.

I hope your experience with this is better than mine!