House of Calabash Wild Rose

(2.88)
Three light turkish’s with white burley, and red virginia makes for a poplular, dry and even smoking mixture. This light aromatic provides a good room note and like my other aromatics is an excellant choice for public smoking. I found this blend to be very balanced for aromatic’s and a good everyday smoke acceptable to you and to others.

Details

Brand House of Calabash
Blended By Steven Books
Manufactured By House of Calabash
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Burley, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring Floral Essences
Cut Ribbon
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.88 / 4
2

3

3

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Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 06, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
I bought this in the hopes that this would be the same as Rich's City of Roses but it seems to be a shadow in comparison.

So far all the blends that I have tried from Msr. Books solo attempts have been just OK not great.

This comes as a surprise because his blends were just superb when he worked and blended at Rich's. It seems like he lost something after he left. In the same token - all the blends he crafted at Rich's still taste great! Go figure?

Now off topic - I have tried to find his House of Calabash web site and it no longer exists - instead one is directed to a Facebook Page. This is just plain dumb as I have no idea on what's being offered, what's available and how much?

All in all this does not bode well for Msr. Books latest enterprise as I am more apt to go to other tobacco sites when it comes to placing orders.
Pipe Used: Italian Billiard
PurchasedFrom: HoC
Age When Smoked: New
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 19, 2016 Mild to Medium Mild Medium Pleasant
Burley is highlighted in this. The Oriental and Virginia do blend in nicely to deepen the flavor. Topping is nice and a little floral. Like reviewer Clanobuklin, I too was looking forward to this being like City of Roses which Steven Books brought to Rich's. however, this is a little different and I like it! I disagree with Clanobuklin tremendously on Rich's tobacco. Rich's I believe kept the names but didn't have the expertise. ALL Rich's tobacco's have declined and no longer are the same blends if they are blended in house. I can't buy tobacco at Rich's anymore because they are a shadow of what they were. Steven Books didn't just take his old recipe's and rename them. He reworked them a little bit at his new shop and Wild Rose is a great example of that.
Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum
PurchasedFrom: House of Calabash
Age When Smoked: 6 months
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 03, 2014 Mild Very Mild Mild Pleasant
I purchased some of this on a whim while ordering a few other flavors from Mr. Book’s store front last year. I have run Wild Rose through several different pipes in an effort to try and find some its subtleties. While I agree that Wild Rose smokes very burley forward, I do get very slight fragrant hints of spicy Turkish coming through, especially when I smoke this in a meerschaum or cob. Any Virginia flavor is barely hinted at, and comes through perhaps as a sliver of sweetness on the finish. Past the half way mark, the Turkish really shines and the smoke becomes much spicier, which for me is a welcome bonus.

In a briar pipe, any of the lighter flavors especially the sweet accent of the rose petal, get quite lost in the mix. That said, I think Wild Rose is perfect for a meerschaum, cob or perhaps even a clay, briar not as much.

As a fan of mixtures like Grasmere Flake, I would have very much enjoyed a bit more floral flavor here, as the rose essence is quite understated. However, I am sure my preference was not what the blender intended with this.

Altogether a simple but good blend, a bit pipe dependent, but overall I enjoyed it.
Pipe Used: Meerschaum, cob & various briars
PurchasedFrom: House of Calabash
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 03, 2014 Mild Very Mild Mild Pleasant
I have been a huge lover of everything Steven Books, IMHO, one of America’s top blenders. Wild Rose is the first Books blend that hasn’t bowled me over. I have been smoking a two ounce purchase on and off for more than a year. Like all of Book’s blends, the tobacco is of very high quality. The pouch scent is mainly Burley and just a hint (at least to my nose) of rose. I would not compare it to the floral/rose scent found in some Lakeland style blends. WR needs some dry time before loading up. The Burley is great, but as another reviewer pointed out, it just seems to be a basic, lightly sweetened Burley. I get just the slightest hint of rose and that may be the point as Books tends to be careful to not overshadow the real flavor of the tobacco in his aromatic blends, which is something I appreciate. I think that this would be a great blend for Burley lovers looking for something a tad bit sweet or aromatic lovers looking for more tobacco flavor. It leaves a really nice room note and I’ll finally finish my purchase, but Wild Rose is a onetime deal for me.
PurchasedFrom: House of Calabash
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 06, 2013 Extremely Mild Very Mild Mild Pleasant
To my taste, this is mostly a mild burley with just hints of the component tobaccos and the casing. Nothing wrong with the blend, but it's not for me. I was hoping for a bit stronger casing, but at least it's not overly sweet.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 29, 2013 Mild Mild Mild Very Pleasant
While this is a 'lighter' blend profile than many on the pipe tobacco spectrum, that in no way diminishes its place on the mild side. Books signiture burley blends counters what I perceive to be the harsher, more typical burley blends from C&D. This is friendly without being simple. While I have been smoking a pipe for decades and I include Penzance, Stonehaven, Red Raparee and Uhle's Bishop's Move in my rotation I tend to favor these Books blends. There is a special balance that all these blends share in common even though they taste wildly different. I believe that Steven Books has created a standard in his blends that others might do well to pay careful attention to.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 04, 2013 Very Mild Very Mild Very Mild Pleasant
A bit lighter in color with a slightly more fine cut than Grandfathers Own, this has the subtle but unmistakeable aroma of roses in the bag. This essence is very light but noticeable. The flavor was extemely mild and this blend needed to be snorked continuously to extract the flavor.

Much quieter in flavor than Grandfathers, this also had some of that Books' "Old Timey" flavor that I get in spades with "First Pipe". But it's very subdued. This is an aro in the strict sense of that term (as I understand it) but it is very lightly flavored and scented, smokes extremely dry and does not lose its flavor down the bowl. I would not have minded a bit heavier flavor. This is a very fine tobacco, but I liked it less than most of Mr Books' blends because it was just too mild for my tastes. But if you're looking for something very nuanced with a light, refreshing flavor, this is one to check out.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 04, 2012 Very Mild Very Mild Mild Pleasant
I don't think Steven Books makes a bad tobacco. Steve said that he crushes rose petals to give this tobacco it's rose essence. A mild Burley blend,the delicate rose flavor comes through best in a meerschaum and deserves your full attention. This blend pairs nicely with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Soli Deo gloria!
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