Cult Blood Red Moon

My experience with this blend is identical to Cen-Tex's -- it was just OK fresh out of the tin, but after letting it sit in my tobacco cabinet for a couple months it came alive. The flavor is full on creamy cherry. Not too sweet and not just a fruity after taste like other cherry tobaccos I've tried. It's smooth and delicious. While not my favorite tobacco of all time, it's in my rotation and will stay there unless it gets discontinued like a lot of "new discoveries" seem to end up lately. But I don't think that will happen to this blend. It's a keeper.

When the tin is first opened you get the feeling that this is going to be a sugary chocolate cherry mess. Smells like a box of cherry cordials. Lights easy and smokes easy, did not gum up my pipe as I thought it might. If you are looking for a good cherry blend this may well be your tobacco. I will most likely smoke it as a dessert.

Cult "Blood Red Moon"

This American-style aromatic is heavily topped with rich chocolate and a very natural but sweet and pronounced cherry. It tastes like chocolate covered cherries, but the good ones bought at a candy store and not the cheap prepackaged ones on the drugstore shelf.

The tobacco is quite moist from the tin and will benefit from an hour or so drying time during our typical early spring Minnesota weather. It loads easily and evenly into a pipe; I initially used a cobb, as I was afraid of leaving behind The Pipe Ghost from Hell in any of my briars. The flavoring is quite strong, to the point where there is no tobacco flavor left in its wake.

Do I like it? Yes, but only because I got the tin on sale. I found Black Cordial to be as good and at 1/4 the normal retail price of the Cult tin.

This behaves very well in the pipe and burns down to a mottled grey ash with a small amount of dottle and just a little bit of sludge. Slow smoking cadence of course, helps reduce the dottle and goop...but this still smokes wet and sticky. Not a problem for users of cheap cobbs and/or those who don't mind having to do vigorous maintenance of the pipe after each bowl. Burned to the heel with a total of 1 charring light, one initial light and three relights in a large bowl meerschaum billiard. And yes, this tobacco was made for meers and cobbs.

For me, this tobacco was tongue bite hell. If one gets a little careless and overpuffs, the tongue will fry. Slow and gentle with this one. I suspect the tongue bite comes more from my reaction to the chemistry of the casings than to the steam this weed generates when smoked. It took two full days of not smoking to heal from one bowlful's tongue bite. This however might be attributed to my body chemistry as much as to the tobacco itself, and other smokers might not have the same problem.

The artwork on the tin is cool. The tobacco is beautifully presented in the tin and smells appetizing as one could ever want. The tin aroma translates completely to the flavor of the smoke. It's good, but I don't think it is worth the tin price. These days, I buy tins for aging and bulk for smoking right now. As I can't see this tobacco as being one which would benefit from aging, the two tins I bought will be the last two tins I'll buy. Even so, I give this 3 stars; it is a quality product for fans of super sweet and flavorful aromatics. I can't give it four stars, because I don't find it to be a great value for what it is, and because the tongue bite (possibly my fault or that of my chemistry) was too much to handle on a regular basis.

There's good cherry blends and bad cherry blends ........ this is a good one for sure ! The flavoring isn't overdone and the blend lights easily , burns well , tastes good and the Room Note is great . It's has a smooth quality to it and it's basically a blend that has some thought behind it . It is medium flavored and not a high aromatic but not a mildly flavored aromatic . If you've been leery of trying a cherry because you got waylaid by some awful overly flavored horrid cherry blend , have no fear ... this isn't that blend . Another good cherry blend to try , which is even a little less flavored is MacBaren 7 Seas Red , which is exceptional

I love cherry tobaccos with whiskey and Blood Red Moon is either my favorite or second favorite that I’ve tried.

Rich strong cherry vanilla aroma from the tin. Heavy black cavendish. Packs great. Smokes great. Not an overwhelmingly sweet or artificial cherry flavor. Subtle hints of cherry, vanilla, and chocolate. You’ll defiantly know you’re smoking a cherry tobacco. Retrohale is fantastic on this. I went thought this tin asap it was that good.

*update 15 Jan 2022*

Opened a fresh tin. Smells like cherry vanilla chocolate. Moisture is above average but smoked fine from tin.

The taste is a smooth mild sweet tobacco flavors and a bomb of cherry. By far the best cherry tobacco out there. Does not smoke harsh or burn. Multiple bowls in a sitting and no bad mouth taste or tongue bite. Impressive. Room note is great. Highly recommend.

After a couple of disappointing aromatic experiences, I thought I would have to at least try cherry aromatics to be certain before taking an extended aromatics break. I left that tin alone for months, until one evening, in the mood for something different, I cracked it open. The notes of chocolate are clear on the nose, slightly less on the taste but still present. The cherry taste lingers in the mouth, but a somewhat synthetic or dry cherry flavor, like cherry candy or cherry tea, not like cherry pie.

Update: I've smoked this three times now, and every time I woke up with a headache. I've never felt that with any other tobacco, which makes me wonder what looms in the leafs. I'm somewhat hesitant to try again, but I think I have to, for science.

3rdguy

One of the better aromatics I have tried. Does not quite match up to the tin note which I think in a cherry note lends to itself. Many of the others are over the top.

Burns well, nice room note and affordable. What more can you ask for? Not an every day or even every week for me but a monthly for sure.

Upon opening the fresh tin, you are HIT with a strong medicinal cherry tin note with a blast of strong "Paint Thinner" fumes. You definitely want to allow these "volatile" vapors to dissipate prior to packing. I didn't and thus I had to dump my first bowl. When I say "Vapors", it's like breathing "Nail Polish Remover or Paint Thinner" fumes ! Ok, 30 hours of an open tin and we have the "nail polish remover " down to a smokable level, you're left with a vanilla/cherry tin note. What's strange, is that initially you would expect the tobacco to be overly damp from the topping, it's not, and after 30 hours open, it's not real dry either?

The initial taste, after 30 hours, wasn't bad, but you have to sip this real slow or bitterness creeps into the smoke. I got a Cherry Chocolate flavor, more cherry than chocolate. I think if I were an aro smoker this might get 4 stars, but since I'm not, I'd give this 2 with an extra star for respect of my Aromatic Pipesters. You may ask why I even bought this blend? Well, I was looking for a change of pace, but this was too much change

This stuff is solid, but seems to be way overrated. Smells great in the tin, although the cherry is more of a cherry flavoring akin to candy, soft drinks, chap stick, etc., not the warm, deep, low-noted black cherry. I got some chocolate/cocoa notes from it, but they were overpowered by the cherry. Good cut and moisture. Tried to bite, but just kept a high-pitched tingle, instead.

Addendum--I went back to it a week later, and liked it a lot better. The bite was much less, and the cherry/chocolate were richer and deeper.