Borkum Riff Cherry Liqueur

This blend seems to be in every tobacco shop and drug store in the country, that is the USA. I bought my first pouch in 1978 when I was a newbie pipe smoker. I thought at the time it was decent, smelling nice, like an aromatic should. The way it tastes and smells are quite different. Not a strong Cherry flavor, I think I was looking for tobacco that tasted like candy, this tasted well, like tobacco. It wound up in my sock drawer, and kept the socks smelling nice for many a year. I tried other Cherry tobaccos through out the years, and most of them taste like cough syrup, which has made me hate Cherry tobacco. Tried a new pouch of this stuff late last year for nostalgic purposes, it has become expensive ($6.50 opposed to 90 cents in the 70's), still has a nice room note but no flavor. It also bit my entire mouth, not just the tongue. People must like it because it's everywhere, maybe it is good for keeping sock drawers smelling nice, which is where my new pouch is.

I have only been smoking a pipe for a few months at this point, but I know that this one is something to avoid. I bought a pouch of it from my local smoke shop, because the price was a few dollars higher than the other pouches beside it and I (VERY MISTAKENLY) mentally equated that with quality. I tried it in a pipe I wasn't overly fond of anyway, thankfully, because I don't ever want to taste that again. It tasted like someone was spraying my tongue with hot, wet, sour cherry pits. I feel I must emphasize the "sour cherry" part of this review, as that is the most terrible cherry taste I have ever experienced. I threw the pouch away at that point, I can't imagine wanting to try that ever again, and I sure don't want to torment my friends with that.

I hope I don't have to bury my pipe to get away from that awful memory.

The local smoke store owner knows that I've been trying a lot of different things of late and did his best impression of a side show hawker to get me to buy a pouch of this. Though it had two strikes against it as far as I was concerned, (I've tried other Borkum Riff blends and didn't like any of them, and the fact that I've noticed that not a single pouch has been sold out of the display), I finally agreed and bought a pouch.

I have come to the conclusion that he clearly hates me. Either that or he is desperate to get rid of the stuff. I have always liked the smell of cherry in a pipe tobacco. I have yet to find one that doesn't taste like vomit.

First, this stuff bites. Not kidding. Secondly it actually made my cob gurgle. I've never had a tobacco that could make my cobs gurgle before. I'm glad I didn't try this in my good pipes. My wife claims that the room note isn't very good and she'd rather I didn't buy 'any of that carp' again. She doesn't have to worry.

I won't throw it away. There is always the chance I will run into someone born with no taste buds who might like it.

"Be careful because it bites. OK, I didn't believe anyone on this one, so I had to try it myself. Do yourself a favor - DON'T DO IT! Why, oh why did I do this??? Dastardly, despicable and a downright abomination."

AWFULL!!! HORRIBLE!!! PLASTIC TASTING!!! "DON'T DO IT!!!" This stuff needs taken off the market...can you spell G R O S S???

Why, oh why did I do this???

One word sums up this noxious blend.....Eeeeeeeeeew

I started pipe smoking a few months ago and this was one of my first two blends that i purchased. The first time i smoked this blend, it was right out of the just opened pouch and it was horrible. It was acrid and bitter.

Well I just purchased a new pipe, dr grabow duke - bent, and the first thing i tried was a blend of Prince Albert and Captain Black Cherry that refused to light. So i dumped that out and filled my new pipe with Borkum Riff Cherry Liqueur.

Well the pipe is misdrilled, the air channel from the bowl hits the middle of the filter. So basically i smoked it in an unfiltered pipe.

Well it was a wonderful smoke. It was generally very smooth and mild. The only tongue bite was at the charring light, initial and two relights.

I had a verry hard time detecting a roomnote, but the taste was wonderful. Not only did i get a good strong taste of chocolate (think high end Belgian chocolate) but it had a strong hint of cherry in the background, and i do NOT mean artificial cherry kool aid flavoring, i mean fresh, over ripe cherries you just picked from the garden.

Well I need to update my post on this tobacco. I am seeing that the packaging has changed so maybe the formula has been changed. At this moment I need to include the fact that the compounds produced by this tobacco stick to your pipe like fresh manure to your shoe treads. Very hard to get out, actually, i dont think i have gotten it out. and ive sanded the chamber down to bare wood twice now, and scrubbed it out with high proof alcohol many times. As well as smoking some extremely goopy products from tobacco galleria. OTher wise its a great tobacco.

Well, Borkum has capitalized on yet another opportunity to follow a bad idea to its ultimate conclusion. The composition of tobaccos "a delicious blend of light aromatic Virginia and rich, cool smoking Burley tobaccos" could be anything, 'cause there is no room for tobacco flavor in this experience.

I had to try this on my quest for the ideal cherry blend, but had my already low expectations dashed after trying a bowl from a friend's pouch. I almost gave up before even trying as the sticky texture was horrid. About 1/2 a bowl was more than enough for me.

My recommendation: do not insult any pipe you respect with this blend.