Peter Stokkebye Cube Cut (PS41)

I like this blend a great deal. As someone had mentioned, this indeed looks like grapenuts...smallish tough cubes which make filling the pipe very easy. The initial lighting is important, spend some time getting it going and you will be rewarded. Dry this one out well and you'll have better luck with it burning more evenly. Now thats out of the way it burns pretty well...a nice slow burn. The aroma is slightly sweetish, like maple, in the bag. Though that maple can't really be discerned in the flavor, it comes up from time to time while smoking in the aroma (very nice) however never cloying. It has that typical nutty aroma but not as strongly as other burlies I've tried. I have been smoking more OTC burlies but wanted something more full bodied and this hits the spot...the VAs help with this. I got a little tongue bite when I first started this bowl but that subsided quickly. The price is pretty good for this, though many online sellers may be out since It took a little time to obtain. Give it a try...Highly recommended.

Update: 09/18/2009 Several bowls later this blend has disappointed me. The tongue bite I experienced slightly seemed to increase and as one reviewer already mentioned it feels like "mouth-bite". My entire mouth was feeling scorched...a shame really since this had so much going for it. I have to downgrade this to not recommended since I'm simply not able to smoke it due to the burn.

This is what pipe smoking is all about. The only other Stokkebye I know is Balkan Supreme, a singularly fantastic blend. Cube Cut is equally fantastic, in its own way.

Small cubes, somewhat logically, that pile up in the pipe and can't be tamped down easily. It tends to go out until enough cubes have ignited, but the patience is well rewarded.

What a flavour -- burley and virginia, as stated -- and I did not detect any real casing taste. Just pure tobacco, burning very slowly. This is similar to the classic burley blends. I have not tried Half-and-Half, but consider this a half-and-half blend. I would not regard Cube Cut as better than the classics, but an addition to the line-up, and I could adopt this as my ERR replacement. I sense some similarities, and would recommend this to anyone looking for a replacement to ERR or an alternative to CH, Sir Walter and the others.

Maybe after some aging Cube Cut will change a little. Some say burleys don't store well, but others don't seem to agree. I plan to sock away quite a lot for the inevitable tobacco drought within the next couple of decades, but will keep some on hand to smoke regularly. At the price, this stuff is almost a gift.

Interesting thing is -- no bite. No little ferrets nibbling the mouth or big dogs snapping their jaws. Not a lot of N punch in this, so I will probably make it my morning smoke.

Stokkebye's "Cube Cut" tobacco has a gentle, very complimentary fruit-like flavoring of some kind; whether it is a top dressing, casing sauce, or natural additive I cannot say. It may even be the magical result of "Cavendish pressing" Tennessee Burley and aged red Virginias (but I doubt it.) It reminds me of the apple-like flavoring I detect in Kentucky Club's "non-aromatic" blend -- the one in the blue & white can. That said, I hasten to add that Stokkebye's use of that flavoring is far more restrained and seemingly appropriate for the blend.

All you need to know about this stuff is covered in kilted1's review of 01/23/2006; and I couldn't describe the experience any more accurately or eloquently. I will say, however, that I had a lot more trouble with it than he did.

My chief gripe owes to my lack of technique in handling the hard, very uniform ⅛" cubes, or nuggets of pressed tobacco. It was difficult to light; demanded way too much attention with the tamper; and resisted every puffing tactic that I tried. I had to puff aggressively to maintain good smoke volume, but that made the tobacco start to bite, and the increased heat also caused the flavor to wash out. If I maintained the right pace to savor the admittedly good taste, I quickly lost the burn. Also, something I rarely experience, every smoke left an unavoidable heel of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl: dry dottle, but dottle none-the-less. Cube Cut burned better in a smaller diameter bowl, but not much better. I also crushed those little wood-like blocks of tobacco somewhat with a mortar and pestle, but that didn't help too much either.

For me the experience was not as pleasant as pipe smoking should and can be. There are too many good, hassle-free tobaccos out there for me to struggle with Cube Cut.

If you are an outdoor smoker, or your technique is better than mine, or you are enticed by some of the more enthusiastic reviews of this blend, then I suggest you first try a sample, available in 1 oz. packages by OutwestTobacco.com for $2.25 as of this writing.

Blends like this have reduced my intake of blends like Granger and their ilk to zero. As the companies which own the venerable trademarks count on the name to make up for gradually declining quality, here is a humble, very reasonably priced alternative.

My tastebuds don't pick up any topping, but I won't argue if yours do; I just get fine quality burley with just enough virginia to stave off monotony.

I had to adjust my smoking technique to deal with what is a new cut for me: just a light fill, about three-quarters of a bowl, and a gentle tamp, and away I go.

I'm quite happy to have taken everyone's advice on this one. Should I mention that this is bliss in a cob?

Just a brief addition. I have been working my way through a pound of this and the room note has recieved nothing but praise from those around me. So, it's dirt cheap, tastes like real tobacco, and generates praise from those near and far. Maybe the next order should be for two pounds?

Toasted grapenuts cereal; I want to put this in milk and serve it to the wife the next time she yells at me for pipe smoking in the house.

This is a decent, good burley in the way that the kid down the street is an honest, hard-working kid. I don't really want to shoot the breeze with him on a daily basis but I'll smile and wave hello.

The burley in here tastes good. The VA gives it mid-body. The first part of the bowl is almost cavendish-sweet but that's gone a quarter of the way in.

My ratings: 1 star: wouldn't smoke again 2 star: decent, might smoke again 3 star: will smoke again 4 star: must have on-hand at all times.

This blend : 2.3

Images evoked include a mummified santa clause dropping brain-tweezers into the the parents' stockings of all the bad little boys and girls. It's going to be an undead egyptian Christmas!

A friend sent me a generous amount of this tobacco with the promise of more should I like it (evidently it's not his cup of tea). I didn't know what to expect upon first taking a look, but I must say I found this one a very pleasant surprise. Being a Burley fancier, and lover of all things ?Virginia? this one is a definite winner. I smoke several other Peter Stokkebye offerings and it looks as though I'll be adding another to my cellar.

Appearance: Nice cubed Burley and Virginia presentation that reminds me of ?GrapeNuts? cereal (for those not in the USA or Canada, GrapeNuts is a very ?granular? cereal roughly cubed. The colors vary from tans to a deep chestnut brown

Aroma: This mixture has a deep sweet aroma very enticing. Immediately one smells a deep hay-like quality, not of hay in neat bales stacked in the barn; rather of freshly mown hay, slowly drying in the summer sun. Deep, sharp and earthy. Carmel tones and nuts are evident, as in pecan or butternut. There is a darker scent to this as well leading me to believe that some of the leaf has been toasted in some manor. There seems to be a slight ?fruit essence? used at some point, though just by smelling it alone, I'd be hard pressed to identify it.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture and I employed a gravity feed and a very slight hand packing the bowl. I have chosen a Jan Zeman YPSC 2003 Volcano/Bulldog which I smoke VaBur mixtures in frequently. Several bowls of Cube Cut have been smoked in this pipe to reduce other blend prejudices.

Lighting can be a little temperamental with this one until it really gets going frequent re-lights are necessary. As expected, the initial flavor very Burley, with a thick silky mouth feel, brighter notes of fruits and caramel are evident from the fine Virginia. Hay-like tones and smells and flavors of Autumn are abundant with deepening flavors of nuts and a slight fruit essence (which at least one other reviewer identifies as apple) is noted. While I'd not go as far as to say this is an ?Apple flavored? mixture, I do suspect a small amount of apple essence is used in the product. It is a distinct enhancement flavor, not a dominating one, just ?there enough? to make for interest and something slightly out of the ordinary/

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build the toothsome mixtures of Burley, Virginia, nuts and apples develop in strength slowly along predictable lines. Slowly and gently the blend comes ?together? building in richness and strength to a level of somewhere between ?medium and full?. The rich buttery mouth feel continues building as well making each mouthful of creamy smoke something one savors, not in any hurry to exhale. Once an even light and cadence are achieved this is a self maintaining blend indeed, needing very little attention of tamper. Maintaining the ash is easy as well, and this slow burning blend usually lasts me well over an hour.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, the bowl never really changes. This blend remains consistent throughout. The final third has matured nicely with all the flavors working in deepening harmony. Absolutely no temptation toward tongue bite is noted, very cool and even burn rate noted throughout. This is a favorite candidate for outdoor smoking. While not a complex blend at all, Cube Cut has the kind of richness and fullness of flavors to keep my interest without having to think much about it. It seems the perfect companion for outdoor sporting activities such as hunting or fishing or camping especially in cooler weather. I think this blend and a strong cup of ?camp coffee? would warm the soul in ?deer camp?.

Supplemental Notes: I think that Cube Cut has earned a place in my cellar, maybe not for everyday, but for those times when I long to be outdoors all day in less than ?ideal? weather. Rating for those interested in numbers *** stars

A lovely chocolatey/nutty burley that goes best with coffee/tea in the morning. Smokes best in tall and narrow bowls IMHO. Filling your pipe is easy but as mentioned by others it needs to be packed a little more than typical cuts so the little cubes touch each other and burn properly. With practice you’ll smoke this as easily as any ribbon cut blend but it will take a few bowls to get the hang of it. And the cube embers can truly easily fall out of the bowl or jump out and burn a hole in your shirt or pants. Not recommended for on-the-go smoking; enjoy while sitting down. A well-priced burley that tastes like a high end version of an Old Codger ‘baccy.

Sucks fresh. Like, not good. I’ve let it age a good 6 months or more and to me, it’s a completely different blend and for the positive may I add so with that, my rating is a 4 out of 5. Burleys and aged virginias married together in this blend taste quite nice together after aging in a glass jar for some months. Give it a try.

Strength: Mild to medium. It's there, but it's light. Nicotine is light as well, easily a morning or all day smoke.

Flavoring: None detected. I've gone back and forth trying to decide if this has a topping, there is something in the jar note that could be a topping, but I believe this is the Cavendish process coming though and melding with the Burley and the Virginia,

Taste: Mild to medium. I mostly get a friendly, mellow, sweet nuttiness throughout the bowl. Overall, it's a little sweeter toward the beginning and a little more earthy toward the end, but I've been able to coax out some fruity notes early on and some chocolatey, almost caramel or molasses notes toward the end, although, not in every bowl.

Beard note: Pleasant to Tolerable. Smells just like the blend tastes, sweet, earthy nuts. Once the nuttiness subsides, the distinct smell of tobacco smoke takes over. SO doesn't mind smelling it on me.

Notes: In my experience, this blend ships very wet, so the cubes have needed 2-3 days of drying before they're what I consider dry enough to smoke without issue ("dry enough" being near crispy, it needs to be very dry to stay lit) I prefer to "codger scoop" this blend with my pipe, give the bowl a few firm taps to settle the cubes and then give it a light pack with your finger to get it down below the rim, the draw will be looser than expected, but this is fine as the cubes will expand quite a bit once you light it. Be prepared to give it multiple charring lights before it gets going and watch out for cubes that want to roll out of the pipe. You'll likely need a few relights throughout, also tamping may require a firm hand, but don't overdo it or you'll pack it too tightly. Most importantly, this blend will get hot if you're not careful, so take it slow.

Rating: 4/4, highly recommended. Peter Stokkebye 41 Cube Cut is a really good codger style burley, it's simple, inexpensive and just plain pleasant. For the record, this is my all time favorite tobacco.