Blender's Gold Toasted Cavendish

Blech.

I bought this to see how drug store tobacco smoked. Save your time, save your pipe and save your money.

I purchased this for 11.99 per 12 ounce bag at Walgreens in hopes that it would be a suitable Black Cavendish for when the mood strikes me. What I found is that there is as much humectant used in this blend as there is tobacco. Almost no flavor whatsoever. If you're thinking, "Hey, Lane's BCA for a buck an ounce", think again. This is not even close to BCA in any capacity.

Oh, no. Not Blender's Gold. These blends are terrible. No flavor. Made from bat droppings....Well let me set the record straight. Now I usually don't smoke black or toasted cavendishes by themselves, but I am really digging this. And all it took was a little prep work and patience. I popped open a can and set out enough for a couple of bowls on parchment paper for a few hours. I packed half a bowl and lit up. Tasted like smoked oranges with a dark chocolate note. Sweet, tangy and malty with a hint of pepper. I even stuck my face in a cloud of smoke and can't find the words to describe the experience. It was that good. The bottom of the bowl got sweeter but a little warm, so take your time with this one. An OTC this good for $9 a can? I must be dreaming. Nope, this has got to be one of the best smokes I ever had. No goop, dottle or gurgle. A dry smoke. Ended with a fine grey ash. Did a little research and found out these blends use burley that has been aged for up to four years. The traditional cavendish method is utilized to smooth out the taste. Top notes are added in the final stages. Occasionally, depending on blend, Virginia is mixed in for sweetness and presentation.

UPDATE 4-24-17: BGTC makes a great blending component and I found the key to really enjoying the BG line. Once dried, crush down before loading the bowl. Give a false light, then come back to it a few minutes later. Great smoke guaranteed.

I picked this up at Walgreen along with a couple cans of "Natural". The "Natural" was pretty good to start with, altlhough it lost its appeal by the time I was halfway through the tin. This stuff is, well, difficult to describe, and it is the first tobacco I've ever had to scrape out of my pipe. I don't see how it could be used as a mixer because it didn't seem to have any discernable flavor. Also, when I went back to a bowl of "Natural" to cleanse my pipe bowl this stuff had left a taste in the bowl which lasted through half a bowl of the "Natural" before disappearing.

This is my first negative review ever. I understand that Cavendish is a process which is done to burleys or Virginias to produce a product which is then sweetened or flavored. Many aromatics have a heavily cased black Cavendish to add a particular aromatic flavoring to the blend. But this is so awful I don't see how it can do anything positive for another tobacco.

It's like that bit of dialogue in the movie "Better Off Dead." The wife serves up some gooey sludgey stuff to her family. The husband says, "what IS this?" She says, "It's bacon... you like bacon." He replies, "I know it's bacon but what have you DONE to it?" and she says, "I boiled it."

I know it's tobacco but what have they DONE to it.

What can I possibly say about this tobacco? Its better suited packed into a trash, not a pipe. The flavour is horrid and the feeling it leaves in your mouth is even worse, I attempted to smoke a bowl of it walking home from when I purchased it. I smoked about 1/4 of a bowl before I emptied my pipe and almost emptied the container along with it. I did however have some success mixing it one part to two parts prince albert original, it made the PA last longer without much flavour changing. It was an okay use for it but still not good.

Here is my 2012 review and I am not an all together experienced pipe smoker. That said I have sampled many of the brands you find in the midwest from grocery stores, drug stores and various places not including tobacco shops. I purchase these "big bag" tobaccos for the price. They are the cheapest you can buy locally but there are even better deals online

This tobacco for me is just a "mixer base". I like to add it to other tobaccos of finer distinction to make the more expensive brands last that much longer. If you read the other reviews you will know you need to dry it out for a few days. I have also tried a new trick where I soak a few ounces in whiskey and then let it air our for a few days. After about 3-4 days it is still damp and messy but the food dehydrator makes short work of that! You are left with a very nice tobacco with this labor and great for adding to a fine flake (mixed well by hand).

If you enjoy mixing tobaccos at home you will find this to be much fun to use along with the other flavors they offer.

Straight out of the bag is risky as it will gunk up a pipe and (for me at least) give you bite (tongue goes numb). I have puffed as gentle as I could and still the tobacco bites without drying and mixing.

This is my daily smoke and gives me what I expect... A pleasant tasting,even burning tobacco that is good on the go, indoors or out that doesn't offend thoes around me. I save my english blends for the evenings.

I missed my window and have to wait to go to my local tobacconist next week. I only have PA left in the garage (see my PA review). So I stopped by Walgreen's and bought this bag of 12oz. As soon as I dumped a bowl full out I thought well thats what I get for $9.99 this clump of rain Forest floor. I tried to light it then tried again and one more time. Hey a nice round glow in the middle of my cob! It stayed that way to the bottom. It smoked cool and tasted like custard. My middle kid came out and said "that smells like burnt marshmallows. I asked is that good or bad? She said "I don't know" he he. For the money it is way better than PA. I know, I heard everyone gasp at the blasphemy. I would rather be stuck on an island with this than PA. I cant wait to get the tobacconist so I can see what a "real" blend is like because this is good a little sweet but good. It lasts a half hour in a cob and burns even.

Like everyone else says, this tobacco needs to be dried out before smoking. Once dried, however, I found it a pleasant enough smoke for when I just wanted to smoke something sweet. Mixed 50/50 with BG's Rich Vanilla, and left to get acquainted for a few days, it makes for an even more pleasant smoke so long as that's what you're looking for.

If you enjoy playing mad scientist with tobaccos, as I do, it does make for a good black Cavendish base for mixing your own aromatic blends. And it accepts flavoring very well. Frankly, that's what I'm looking for in any straight Cavendish, and if I can get it for $1 an ounce rather than $5 an ounce so much the better.

As with other BG blends I have to dry it out in a baking pan for a few days before smoking. If you like a very sweet cavendish then you might like this. For my part, although I do enjoy other BG blends this one is only tolerable.