Boswell Pipes & Tobacco Berry Cobbler

This blend for me was just okay overall. The tobacco smelled great and definitely let's you know the description is accurate. It burned nice throughout. I didn't catch the berry note carrying over into my smoke (at least not to my satisfaction), though the sweetness was definitely there. The tobacco experience drew me to the door but didn't quite let me in. Generally, I seem to really enjoy the Boswell blends overall, but for some reason, this one just didn't quite hook me. Tried it in several pipes wanting a thoroughly enjoyable ride - just couldn't quite get there with this one. For me, the experience didn't match the hopes I had for this one upon smelling its note from the bag. Room note was great.

I bought a few ounces of Boswell's Berry Cobbler a couple of months ago, and got around to giving it a go this week. Upon inspection the color brown seemed to dominate with a good mixing of the black cavendish providing contrast. The strong scent of mixed fruit jam hit me upon opening, and this tobacco was in need of some drying out.

After letting it dry a bit, the first unlit sip brought the jam flavor along with it, as did the initial light. The flavoring never really burned off as I progressed down the bowl, it only became fainter. This tobacco burned hot for me no matter how I changed my puffing rhythm. I just couldn't seem to get along with it at all. There was not noticeable aftertaste and it left a superb room note just as advertised as it turned to a white ash. The room note indeed reminded me of fruit cobblers baking.

This tobacco burned a bit too hot for me as I mentioned, and the flavoring was not strong enough for my tastes. The flavoring was just noticeable enough after burning mostly off to detract from the taste of the tobacco. I probably will not be buying more of this, though I adore other Boswell offerings. Anyone who likes a simple aromatic will probably enjoy this more than I did.

I can't decide whether to give this zero stars, or three. So I'll compromise and give it two.

First, the good: it does smell wonderful and, unlike most aromatics, the aroma and flavors match. It smells and tastes of berries and caramel. I would recommend this tobacco to a beginner, for its light sweetness and its forgiving smoking qualities.

That said, I would not recommend it to anyone else. It's so mild there's really nothing left other than the casing. A first time smoker could puff away on this without coughing. That's fine if you're a first time smoker, but not if you aren't.

My experience with Boswell aromatics (and their blends in general) truly underscores the need to evaluate a blend within the context of its type, and not against some personal standard that may have no relevance to the mixture in question. It is ridiculous to start a review with "I hate aromatics, but I reviewed this aromatic blend anyway, found it to indeed be an aromatic, and therefore give it one star."

In this case, the critical factor to keep in mind is that Boswell blends these tobaccos to be extremely mild in nature. My experience is that they are truly mild in every sense. You are not going to experience any significant jolt of nicotine, and while the odor may be strong, the flavor on the tongue is certainly not. Now personally, I am not a huge fan of overly mild tobaccos. I like big strong blasts of tobacco flavor, and you are not going to get that here. I have not, therefore, rated this in relation to some absence of strength, as they are blended for mildness, and definitely achieve that goal. If you want a super mild aromatic blend, this is a blend to consider.

The tobacco itself is very attractive, and displays a mixture of what appears to be burley, cavendish, and virginias. It is obviously heavily cased, and the smell from the bag is very strong, and appealing if you like berry flavor. If you do not, then you are an idiot for buying something called berry cobbler, and deserve what you get.

This tobacco. as others have noted, can smoke a little hot if puffed without regard. What I have found is that it is very sensitive to the level of moisture when smoked. The first bowl of this was taken straight from the bag to the bowl, as I was impatient, and the smoke was hot, with little flavor. This was my fault, and not the tobacco's. A pet peeve of mine is when I read a review that considers tobacco moisture from the tin as a valid criteria for review. Pipe tobaccos in general must be stored at a humidity level which is greater than that which is optimal for smoking. I find no fault with Boswell that this tobacco, like 99% of all others, requires some drying out before it gives up it best smoking experience.

With that said, upon drying until it is dry to the touch, but not bone dry, you receive an entirely different smoking experience. It smokes much cooler, burns more evenly, and most importantly, has a richer, fuller flavor. I found this to include the berry casing, and some vanilla/caramel component which was very pleasant. The tobacco flavor is nominal in this blend, but I expect that this is what most aromatic smokers are looking for in the first place. I smoke aromatics when my wife is around, and I want to be able to get through a pipe while avoiding significant drama about how i am trying to drive her out of the house, etc. She loved the smell of this blend, so mission accomplished!

Once you get it lit, it burns evenly and well, and relights require little drama or tongue damage. Overall a very nice aromatic smoke. I find that it smokes cooler than Devil's Holiday, another berry blast blend, with a little less tobacco flavor, but more of the topping coming through if smoked slowly.

One thing I did notice is that there is sometimes a funky berry aftertaste which is different, and dare I say more artificial, than the initial very smell and taste. Boswell indicated to me that they use all natural casings and flavorings, and I take them at their word. One can imagine, however, that many things change when you light them on fire, so perhaps this is what is happening here with the berry flavor. When smoked at a high moisture level this aftertaste was more noticeable and intrusive. When the tobacco is allowed to dry, I noticed it more in the first half of the bowl, and nowhere near as frequently. The second half of the bowl is fuller, richer, and overall very enjoyable, and the caramel (to me) essence still keeps coming through.

These are nice aromatics, and to me very much in keeping with the American tradition of aromatic pipe tobacco. They do not look, smoke, or taste like a Danish or English aromatic, and that is pretty cool. So why two stars? That aftertaste, which I noticed in every bowl that I smoked to one degree or another. Palates are as individual as snowflakes, however, so I would recommend that you try this one for yourself to see how it hits you.

I wanted to like this. Anytime I have different experiences from others I always wonder about myself. However, I just couldn't get into this. It was like the berry flavor wasn't intense enough but then neither was the tobacco taste. It did burn well even though the tobacco seemed incredibly moist. I'll try it again soon...

Berry Cobbler is a good smoke, though it smells better than it tastes. Unburnt it smells better than any aromatic I've ever tried. The smell is delicious and I was really expecting a more pronounced berry taste. However, the sweet taste I was hoping for didn't come through as expected. I think this blend would be a 4 star blend if there was less burley and more cavendish.

Ok.This was the first Boswell blend i have ever smoked. The thing is that it is an overwhelming liquer-taste smoke. (Yes to me it tastes like brandy). This unfortunately can scare off those who can't tolerate heavy aromatic casings. Be careful this might also bite, but only if you smoke it too fast.

OK....but smoked hot for me....seemed spicy.

Less of everything compared to Xmas Cookie, to me.

Probably can't go wrong with it but you can go better.

This blend I feel has too much different fruit flavor going on with not one specific fruit flavor. The room note is not as attractive as Raspberry Cream according to non-smokers. I personally prefer a blend with one specific flavor. Nothing spectacular.