Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop

***Update 11-08-07

As you will see below the dotted line, my initial review was based on a somewhat defective batch of this blend. I asked Craig Tarler at Cornell & Diehl and he said they had a "dry" batch. He apologised profusely, and more than made up for it. I asked for a different blend to replace this. He sent it, AND another sample of Haunted Bookshop free. They are just the nicest folks down there. If you ever have problems or questions, just call or email them. I am sure they will work it out.

After giving Haunted Bookshop another chance, I see what everyone was gushing about! This is a sublime blend. There are no casing flavors, just pure tobacco. You may think you are smoking a strong tobacco. Then you realize that the natural flavors of this blend are so full, complex and enjoyable, that it is actually richness of flavor and not overt strength.

I would grade it medium in strength. The sum of the parts really just creates a whole new entity that seems like it has always been exactly that way. Sort of "meant" to be.

This blend remains interesting, yet the same throughout the bowl, (I know that sounds contradictory)... you can pick up on the seamless combination of tobaccos throughout the bowl. (It is NOT like some other blends where the charring light is overwhelmingly one flavor, and by mid-bowl you can't taste it anymore...)

This smokes down to a very fine white/grey ash, proving the purity of the tobaccos used.

Though their Crooner blend is still my favorite, I will make room in my rotation for Haunted Bookshop when I want a slightly stronger & satisfying smoke.

Well done

---

My sample, like other reviewers, arrived bone dry. I tried a few bowls because I really WANTED to like this blend.

It was like going into an old hay shed and gathering up some twigs, straw, leaves etc, that had been drying for 30 summers, and stuffing it all into a pipe and lighting up.

This smoke was so harsh, hot and unpleasant, I can't imagine it being the same smoke that other reviewers raved about. Other than harsh twigs, straw, etc... I could not detect ANY of the tobacco flavors.

Literally like smoking a thirty year old burlap bag. I will ask them about this upon my next order...

The large multi colored flakes are easy to gravity fill a pipe with. Lights easy, smokes dry. Subtle nutty tones, always very smooth with a musty aroma. Initially somewhat bland, as I progressed through an 8 oz tin, Haunted Bookshop grew on me in a positive fashion. Its flavor became much more pronounced as familiarity and experience afforded greater enjoyment with every bowl. Haunted indeed, in the sense that it must be frequented to truly appreciate. The more you smoke it, the better it gets. If you enjoy natural tobaccos with a smooth, mild character, you just might enjoy Haunted Bookshop.

04/17/06 For a complete review, see Norm's excellent review below. I think he hit the nail on the head. For me Haunted Bookshop is a great change of pace from my normal fare, Virginia and Virginia/perique blends. The burleys are smooth, round, and nutty. Despite the different cuts of burley, Haunted Bookshop packs, lights, and smokes effortlessly. The Virginias and perique are just condiments, but provide a little sweetness and fruity taste. Haunted Bookshop reminds me of what I think pipe smokers of the first half of the Twentieth Century might have preferred. Perfect for a long day on a tractor or an evening on a train. It's simple, yet there's something special about it. It could easily be an all-day smoke; there's no tongue bite or bitterness. Highly recommended for someone looking for a high quality burley blend. It is also very affordable.

Update-11/04/06-I'm on the last few bowls of an 8 oz. tin of Haunted Bookshop. I opened it earlier this year, and it was my first taste of this blend. I don't really have the words for how much I've grown to love this blend. After my first few bowls I knew I liked it, but I never thought I would come to feel this way. I think there might be something borrowed from the Dark Lord in Haunted Bookshop, because it has a hold on me in a mysterious way.

I'm primarily a Va and Va/perique smoker, but I have always had a weak spot for burley. I had been searching for something that graps me like Cumberland, but not as expensive, something that could be an all-day smoke. Haunted Bookshop fits the bill to a tee. The burleys are top notch, highlighted by the dark-fired leaf. Upon dissection, I believe the cube-cut is the dark-fired leaf that I like so much. The burley really dominates, but the red Virginia is critical because it brings a sweetness and ties it all together. A little perique seasons the blend and highlights the red Virginia. This is a truly perfect blend composed of the best quality leaf that I could imagine.

Upon lighting, there is a tingle of sharpness on the tongue that I have grown to expect and crave. Don't worry, it settles down quickly and smokes smoothly. Relights are a breeze, and it even DGT about as well as any blend I smoke. It's surprising that a predominantly burley blend would DGT so well, but I swear it does. I no longer worry about sitting down a half-smoked pipe and picking it up the next morning. In fact, I look forward to it.

I'm sad that my tin is coming to an end. Unfortunately, I don't have another well aged tin to open. Fortunately, I have a semi-well aged tin of Old Joe Krantz waiting. I haven't tried OJK yet, but it looks to be similar to HB, and I have high hopes for it. I don't think it has the dark-fired leaf that I love in HB, so we'll see.

Bob Runowski is becoming one of my favorite blenders and C&D is becoming one of my favorite brands.

Nutty, smooth, and slightly creamy in texture. Lights easily and smokes thoroughly, albeit quickly, all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Burley. A nice, relatively mild tobacco that is nice after a large meal.

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.

Ah yes, the infamous Haunted Bookshop. I’ll admit, it does have a taste reminicent of cigarettes, but in a good way. The Perique stops it from tasting like a straight cigarette and instead leads it more on a cigar or va/per path.

The tin note is pretty much chocolate but the taste is completely different, with notes of coffee, wood and leather, almost like a cigar. It's quite surprising how this has no cigar leaf in it, but since C&D are famous for their burley blends I guess I will just give credit to their expertise.

The burley and virginia work in harmony, with the perique providing a slight spice.

Overall a fantastic blend, but the nicotine content is quite high, so tread carefully if you can’t handle that very well.

I like the coarse cut of this blend with the broken flake mixed in.it. It makes every bowl Slightly different. The bag aroma is honestly the worst smell of any blend I've smelled. I dont want this to sound gross but honestly it smells like feet and throw up. Its sounds terrible but the flavors really make up for the bag aroma though.

First light I get a big pop of a brown sugar sweetness with a cocoa like flavor. It carried all the way down but lightens the further it goes down. The cocoa became less sweet and more nutty. I can pick up on the perique here and there with a slight spiciness. The dark burleys start coming out more with its earthy, spicy, cigar like character. Burns cool and clean with no bite.

This is a great example of burleys at their best. I purchased 7 different blends this past week and Haunted Bookshop has taken the lead of all of them. I like it enough that I've ordered a half pound. C&D does burleys very well and I will be getting into more of them as I go on.