Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco Shop Blend for Cary Grant
(2.93)
Kramer's created this medium-bodied mixture especially for one of their customers, the iconic actor Cary Grant. Using our English Blend as a base, they carefully layer in a small portion of Irish Aromatic for a little more sweetness.
Notes: From Kramer's website--I did not find this blend when I first looked through my parent's rolodex. But when a customer noticed Cary Grant's photo and asked what he smoked, I looked more carefully. Sure enough on the back of one of the cards, my mother had written Cary Grant - and what he smoked. My parents said he could not have been more delightful - but my mother did say that when he came in the shop, she had to almost trip my father to be sure she got to wait on him! (It kind of made up for Marlene Dietrich holding my father's hand when he repaired her lighters!)
Details
| Brand | Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco Shop |
| Blended By | Marsha Kramer |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Irish Mist |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.93 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 07, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
I ordered a couple of tins of Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant from Smokingpipes.com after they announced it. I’d never heard of Kramer’s, and was pleasantly surprised to find such an iconic business alive and well, in California of all places. Allen Kramer personally blended his tobaccos to suit his clients, including the aforementioned Blend for Cary Grant. This appealed to me because it was a blend created for Grant personally, and not a large tobacco company blend that had slapped his name on the label.
Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant is a blend of black Cavendish, Latakia, Orientals, and Virginia with, as Kramer’s says, a bit of Irish aromatic layered in.
Upon open a fresh tin I immediately smell hints of both sweetness and Latakia, as well as the Orientals. The tobacco is ready to smoke right out of the tin and requires no further drying time. It’s neither too moist nor too dry and takes to the match easily.
I enjoy English and Latakia blends immensely, but the added touch of sweetness was something I found to be intriguing. This turns out to be a lighter English aromatic blend, but it’s nothing like the aromatics I’ve experienced. There’s no over-sweetness and the smoke is cool and dry on the palate. I found there to be no tongue bite and the tobacco did well at a fast pace as well as a slow puff. However, puffing slowly and coolly will bring out more of the flavors and nuances found in this blend.
I would say the blend is a bit more Oriental forward, but with a full roundness that is pleasing to my entire palate. The sweetness is there just on the tip of the tongue and the Latakia plays the bass note, creating a nice, round fullness to the blend. There is enjoyment in every puff, with different flavors popping up and surprising you here and there in a delightful way. As I smoked this fresh from the tin, some time may lead to flavors melding more together, although Kramer’s claims to use tobaccos that are already aged. It does, indeed, seem that some healthy aging has already taken place.
The tin note tended to be one that reminded me somewhat of C&D’s Golden Days of Yore, although the two taste nothing alike, and perhaps that of GL Pease Ashbury. The flavors tend to lean somewhat toward a tin of Ashbury that has been aged in a jar for a good six months or so, but with a roundness of a bit more Latakia and the sweeter notes added. As an English aromatic, this could be seen as a crossover blend much like Frog Morton Across the Pond. ATP was my first English blend and brings back a lot of fond memories for me. Kramer’s has Cyprian Latakia, however, whereas the Frog has Syrian, so there is a noticeable difference there.
I have read that the room note on this blend is quite appreciable, and found that to be true as I smoked my first bowl outside of the local music store in our downtown one evening. A patron exited the building stopping to say my pipe smelled great and reminded her of her late father. She thanked me for the memories.
As stated, I enjoy heavier Latakia blends immensely. I will be trying Kramer’s Father Dempsey when I can get my hands on some. I also enjoy VaPers to a great degree, especially nearer to springtime. But I find Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant to be a lovely blend that I would like to keep in my permanent rotation. It’s great for anytime of the day, or as an all day smoke if one prefers. I especially see this as great blend to put in my cob and sip on as I go fishing this season.
Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant is a blend of black Cavendish, Latakia, Orientals, and Virginia with, as Kramer’s says, a bit of Irish aromatic layered in.
Upon open a fresh tin I immediately smell hints of both sweetness and Latakia, as well as the Orientals. The tobacco is ready to smoke right out of the tin and requires no further drying time. It’s neither too moist nor too dry and takes to the match easily.
I enjoy English and Latakia blends immensely, but the added touch of sweetness was something I found to be intriguing. This turns out to be a lighter English aromatic blend, but it’s nothing like the aromatics I’ve experienced. There’s no over-sweetness and the smoke is cool and dry on the palate. I found there to be no tongue bite and the tobacco did well at a fast pace as well as a slow puff. However, puffing slowly and coolly will bring out more of the flavors and nuances found in this blend.
I would say the blend is a bit more Oriental forward, but with a full roundness that is pleasing to my entire palate. The sweetness is there just on the tip of the tongue and the Latakia plays the bass note, creating a nice, round fullness to the blend. There is enjoyment in every puff, with different flavors popping up and surprising you here and there in a delightful way. As I smoked this fresh from the tin, some time may lead to flavors melding more together, although Kramer’s claims to use tobaccos that are already aged. It does, indeed, seem that some healthy aging has already taken place.
The tin note tended to be one that reminded me somewhat of C&D’s Golden Days of Yore, although the two taste nothing alike, and perhaps that of GL Pease Ashbury. The flavors tend to lean somewhat toward a tin of Ashbury that has been aged in a jar for a good six months or so, but with a roundness of a bit more Latakia and the sweeter notes added. As an English aromatic, this could be seen as a crossover blend much like Frog Morton Across the Pond. ATP was my first English blend and brings back a lot of fond memories for me. Kramer’s has Cyprian Latakia, however, whereas the Frog has Syrian, so there is a noticeable difference there.
I have read that the room note on this blend is quite appreciable, and found that to be true as I smoked my first bowl outside of the local music store in our downtown one evening. A patron exited the building stopping to say my pipe smelled great and reminded her of her late father. She thanked me for the memories.
As stated, I enjoy heavier Latakia blends immensely. I will be trying Kramer’s Father Dempsey when I can get my hands on some. I also enjoy VaPers to a great degree, especially nearer to springtime. But I find Kramer’s Blend for Cary Grant to be a lovely blend that I would like to keep in my permanent rotation. It’s great for anytime of the day, or as an all day smoke if one prefers. I especially see this as great blend to put in my cob and sip on as I go fishing this season.
Pipe Used:
Peterson St Pat Day Pipe 2016, Bjarne Freehand
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I just finished my first bowl in a Savinelli 320. At first light, my first thought was quite simply..."Yum!" I was able to detect the smokiness of the latakia, right along with the sweetness of the virginias and the cavendish. Now, I'm saying I could detect the latakia, but it wasn't latakia heavy. I'm not sure if I could get a good handle on the orientals or not... perhaps adding a tangy spiciness... they did seem to play in the background a bit. The smoke off the bowl found it's way to my nose, adding to my enjoyment what seems to be quite a pleasing room note, adding to the sweetness I could detect on my tongue. I believe the Irish aromatic added to the blend does more for the room note than taste. It did get a bit bitey for me, but not terribly so. I had been drinking some juice with pineapple in it, which may have contributed to that. I didn't detect much of a nicotine presence. If anything, there was enough there to help me feel relaxed. Which is fine. Sometimes I want a greater nicotine hit, sometimes I don't.
All in all, it was an enjoyable smoke, with enough going on between the separate components to keep it interesting with flavor I could detect from each (I will try to get a better handle on the orientals next smoke). The room note seemed pleasant... to me anyway. I would easily consider this an all day blend, and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to take their first steps into blends containing latakia, as the latakia wasn't overwhelming the other components. It's a great blend, and I'm looking forward to my next bowl.
Edit: After smoking through this tin exclusively in the Sav 320, I tried it in a William Anderson pipe that I had commissioned some time ago. A blend like this, I would normally think would be best in the 320 with its wide chamber. The William Anderson has a smaller chamber at about 2 centimeters wide. The blend actually seems to deliver more flavor in the narrower chamber, especially the sweetness of it. While the other flavors continued to sing, the sweetness really came alive, more pronounced. I did have to relight a couple more times, but that's not a problem. A wonderful smoke!
All in all, it was an enjoyable smoke, with enough going on between the separate components to keep it interesting with flavor I could detect from each (I will try to get a better handle on the orientals next smoke). The room note seemed pleasant... to me anyway. I would easily consider this an all day blend, and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to take their first steps into blends containing latakia, as the latakia wasn't overwhelming the other components. It's a great blend, and I'm looking forward to my next bowl.
Edit: After smoking through this tin exclusively in the Sav 320, I tried it in a William Anderson pipe that I had commissioned some time ago. A blend like this, I would normally think would be best in the 320 with its wide chamber. The William Anderson has a smaller chamber at about 2 centimeters wide. The blend actually seems to deliver more flavor in the narrower chamber, especially the sweetness of it. While the other flavors continued to sing, the sweetness really came alive, more pronounced. I did have to relight a couple more times, but that's not a problem. A wonderful smoke!
Pipe Used:
Savinelli 320 Marte, William Anderson
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 10, 2022 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
Well aint life funny sometimes!
After hearing wonderful things about Kramers Father Dempsey, I just had to give it a try. While I tend to believe (nothing scientific here, and probably all in my head) tinned versions of blends tend to be slightly better than bulk versions, I rarely pass up the opportunity to grab a trial run of an ounce to decipher the need to stock up or not.
While I was buying Father Dempsey.......ach, why not? What is a few bucks for a few more blends to try? So Carey Grant and Danny Kaye also paid my pipes a visit.
Much to my surprise, I believe this Carey Grant is my favorite of the bunch, and the strangest thing is....I am not sure why I like it so much.
A ribbon cut tobacco of mostly medium to light colors. The moisture when I got the sample was just right. The bulk bag note is led by the orientals and latakia. I am not sure I really pick up the aromatic type topping in there, in fact I am pretty sure if I did not know they were there I would not notice them at all.
This is a great smoke because of its subtlety. It is a super non obtrusive smoke, and that is a compliment. It burns so well, is very easy going, and based on my personal preferences, I should not like this. I am mostly a VA/VAPER/VABUR smoker, and don't spend a lot of time with english blends. That said, when I do smoke english blends, I like latakia to be very up front and in your face. Often times, the middle of the road blends that people rave about I find a little....plain. The truth is, I really really like this blend. There is something about it. I feel the aromatic topping does add to the smoking experience, but not in an overt way. Oh and, what even is the taste of irish mist? Whiskey? Blended shamrocks?
I also found in my exploration of this lovely little blend, that it really shines in smaller deep bowls, in fact, I have a smaller Dr. Grabow Omega that I almost never smoke, but for some reason, this blend just sings in it.
Give this one a shot.
After hearing wonderful things about Kramers Father Dempsey, I just had to give it a try. While I tend to believe (nothing scientific here, and probably all in my head) tinned versions of blends tend to be slightly better than bulk versions, I rarely pass up the opportunity to grab a trial run of an ounce to decipher the need to stock up or not.
While I was buying Father Dempsey.......ach, why not? What is a few bucks for a few more blends to try? So Carey Grant and Danny Kaye also paid my pipes a visit.
Much to my surprise, I believe this Carey Grant is my favorite of the bunch, and the strangest thing is....I am not sure why I like it so much.
A ribbon cut tobacco of mostly medium to light colors. The moisture when I got the sample was just right. The bulk bag note is led by the orientals and latakia. I am not sure I really pick up the aromatic type topping in there, in fact I am pretty sure if I did not know they were there I would not notice them at all.
This is a great smoke because of its subtlety. It is a super non obtrusive smoke, and that is a compliment. It burns so well, is very easy going, and based on my personal preferences, I should not like this. I am mostly a VA/VAPER/VABUR smoker, and don't spend a lot of time with english blends. That said, when I do smoke english blends, I like latakia to be very up front and in your face. Often times, the middle of the road blends that people rave about I find a little....plain. The truth is, I really really like this blend. There is something about it. I feel the aromatic topping does add to the smoking experience, but not in an overt way. Oh and, what even is the taste of irish mist? Whiskey? Blended shamrocks?
I also found in my exploration of this lovely little blend, that it really shines in smaller deep bowls, in fact, I have a smaller Dr. Grabow Omega that I almost never smoke, but for some reason, this blend just sings in it.
Give this one a shot.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 29, 2020 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I recently purchased this since it was on sale and I don't have a lot of experience with English blends. I tend to gravitate towards aromatic blends and this is listed by many as an "aromatic English" so I figured it was worth a shot.
The tin notes a topping of "Irish Aromatic" but I don't pick any of that up (I'm not sure what it even is supposed to smell like); instead I get the familiar smell of English blends: wood, smoke and leather.
The blend packs very well and is of the perfect consistency out of the tin. Easy to light and no bite whatsoever. The flavor is a mild sweetness from the Virginia with spots of woodsy smokiness from the Latakia. There are moments of enhanced sweetness, especially through the nose, presumably from the topping.
Overall a pleasant and mild smoke. Uncomplicated and highly enjoyable. Perfect to watch the sun rise with a cup of coffee on the porch, but also works as an all day smoke.
Highly recommended, especially to those looking to try an English blend but isn't quite familiar with the genre.
The tin notes a topping of "Irish Aromatic" but I don't pick any of that up (I'm not sure what it even is supposed to smell like); instead I get the familiar smell of English blends: wood, smoke and leather.
The blend packs very well and is of the perfect consistency out of the tin. Easy to light and no bite whatsoever. The flavor is a mild sweetness from the Virginia with spots of woodsy smokiness from the Latakia. There are moments of enhanced sweetness, especially through the nose, presumably from the topping.
Overall a pleasant and mild smoke. Uncomplicated and highly enjoyable. Perfect to watch the sun rise with a cup of coffee on the porch, but also works as an all day smoke.
Highly recommended, especially to those looking to try an English blend but isn't quite familiar with the genre.
Pipe Used:
Corncob, Peterson 304 System
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 15, 2020 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
If you're a new pipe smoker trying to decide which tobacco to start with, this is an excellent choice. It has a light aroma. The blend contains an excellent mixture of Turkish, Latakia, Virginias all in a perfect balance. The Latakia gives it some body, the Turkish Orientals offer a nice tart compliment. It's a perfect cross-over blend between an aromatic and an English. It's one of my favorite blends and has replaced my "aromatics" as my favorite non-aromatic aromatic.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli Nonpareil 9111
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2019 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
6/11/19
I will come back for a more detailed review, as I'm only making my way through my second bowl, but this is delicious. Scratches the Frog Morton's Cellar itch (though not as sweet). Tastes and smells delightful, burns easily with no bite.
I will come back for a more detailed review, as I'm only making my way through my second bowl, but this is delicious. Scratches the Frog Morton's Cellar itch (though not as sweet). Tastes and smells delightful, burns easily with no bite.
Pipe Used:
C&D / MM Corncob
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh out of the bag
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