Grand Croupier Bone Yard
(3.47)
It may be a luck of the draw, but the odds, at least, are in your favor: Grand Croupier's Boneyard may be composed of a random assortment of English/Latakia blends, but they are high quality English/Latakia blends, themselves composed of quality leaf to start with. Considering the results of our past blind review on Grand Croupier's all-sorts-of-all-kinds blend, expect a good smoke, at a very good price.
Details
| Brand | Grand Croupier |
| Series | Grand Croupier |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Burley, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Unknown, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Mixture |
| Packaging | Bulk |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium to Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.47 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2020 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Like several other reviewers, I am new to this blend, and am finding it to have some irregularities, but it is actually endearing to me, not a negative. I have over 100 tobaccos in my library and I like variety, although I am on a quest to pare down my collection and focus on cellaring the very best in larger quantities, rather than having smaller quantities of many blends. I tried this due to the interesting reviews. It has impressed me so far. The presentation is varied, with ribbons, chunks, flakes and yes, a few stems here and there. You could call it the hot dog of tobaccos. The lips and assholes collected from the packing plants floor and pressed into tasty meat tubes isnt for everyone. The same goes for this blend. It is not uniform. Each bowl offers a different experience, but for me they have all been satisfying. It needed minimal drying, some rubbing out, and a little bit of stem removal. After that, an easy light and smoke. I purchased 4 ounces and have tried half a dozen bowls so far, and they have all been slightly different. There is obvious latakia, perique, virginias, and some burley and then who knows what. For a purist, who is looking for absolute uniformity and repeatability, this is not your bag. But for the price, if you want to enjoy a top shelf english, that is full of surprises, by all means, try it. For the price, its a no brainer. I will definitely be buying a pound to cellar and age, as it is such a low cost option to experiment with. Like others, I hope people don't go crazy and buy massive amounts and clean them out. As a disclaimer, I am not a huge C&D fan, but I am enjoying the Captain Earles line from Hermit, which they technically own, but does not seem to be infected with some of the bulk cheap tobacco that I think a majority of the C&D line is burdened by. If you like English blends, and you are frugal, then this is a must try. 3 stars for now, but that may change with time.
Pipe Used:
Meers, cobs, briars
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 2017 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
Grand Croupier - Bone Yard (Grand Croupier).
So, as this is high-end sweepings, reviews could vary! But the pouch I got smokes nicely.
Because of the nature of it the pouch comprises many different cuts: leaves, broken flakes, ribbons, and twigs. The moisture's good, and it smell's typically English.
On to the smoke: mine contains a lot of Latakia; both woody and smoky. I also get quite a nice Oriental flavour, and a notable touch of Perique; it's a fairly robust batch. I get a thick, medium temperature, bite-free, smoke, from Bone Yard.
The room-note's exactly as I'd expect from an English, and the nicotine's medium to strong.
This pouch is worth four stars, but I bet they'll all differ. With that in mind, I think three stars is fair.
Recommended.
So, as this is high-end sweepings, reviews could vary! But the pouch I got smokes nicely.
Because of the nature of it the pouch comprises many different cuts: leaves, broken flakes, ribbons, and twigs. The moisture's good, and it smell's typically English.
On to the smoke: mine contains a lot of Latakia; both woody and smoky. I also get quite a nice Oriental flavour, and a notable touch of Perique; it's a fairly robust batch. I get a thick, medium temperature, bite-free, smoke, from Bone Yard.
The room-note's exactly as I'd expect from an English, and the nicotine's medium to strong.
This pouch is worth four stars, but I bet they'll all differ. With that in mind, I think three stars is fair.
Recommended.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Rosslare #03
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 07, 2015 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Strong |
Bit of a lottery apparently but I'm well pleased with my first gamble... a very good quality latakia in with some good solid Turkish leaf . Bit peppery on the tongue due to the perique but I'll be definitely coming back for another bet.
Pipe Used:
Bari (big bowl)
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 19, 2019 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Just received a couple ounces of this. Now smoking my 2nd bowl. On the 1st bowl, I wasn't sure what to expect; consequently, I wasn't really impressed. But this morning I'm finding it to be quite interesting. It is quite peppery/spicy and bright. The retrohale has a nice tingle to it. As it stands, I can see me getting more of this in future. I expect it will remain in the general profile of an English blend, which appeals to me. Heck, if you got a batch you didn't like, I expect if you got another batch later on, you might find blending them could yield an improvement.
I have also bought (in bulk) Peter Stockkebye Bulls-eye and Lancer's Slices. All three are tasty and relatively inexpensive goto smokes.
Rating 3 due to possible inconsistencies batch to batch.
Edit next day. The retrohale was a little too peppery so I mixed in about 1 part Lancer's Slices with 2 parts this. Much better IMHO.
I have also bought (in bulk) Peter Stockkebye Bulls-eye and Lancer's Slices. All three are tasty and relatively inexpensive goto smokes.
Rating 3 due to possible inconsistencies batch to batch.
Edit next day. The retrohale was a little too peppery so I mixed in about 1 part Lancer's Slices with 2 parts this. Much better IMHO.
Pipe Used:
Falcon, small bowl
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
new from bag
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2019 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Extra Strong |
Initial light it burned hot and quick with a large coal. But as I rub out all my tobacco pretty aggressively- some had turned to powder. Which I think caused the rapid combustion. Firstly I was surprised by the creaminess of the smoke - flavor was a bit muddled and confused for an English- actually muddy, reminding me a lot of G.L. Pease Gaslight in a good way.
I started to retro-hale and discovered that it has a nice little bit of perique to it, yum ! Flavor is kind of a baking chocolate, the cheap kind out of the can - which I love! No real topping noticed , and also absent is the flavor of red wine and vinegar finish that I get from lots of English’s, (Not a huge fan of that profile.)
The Virginia hides in the background giving a little sweetness, and in the front is a combination of Latakia perique along with plain burley. This is creating a very earthy and musty smoke reminiscent of dry leaves and leather. The flavor drifts in and out with intensity. Which makes sense as I am working through a grab bag of different tobacco blends.
Next time I think I might skip rubbing out the bowl , in hopes I get a more varied and transitional smoke. Toward the end of the bowl the creaminess has gone and the flavor has become a chili flake spicy on the palate. Not sure if that’s perique or a strong dose of some sort of oriental. It’s neat that the flavor changed , but unfortunately it’s not to something good. Then finally the chili burn left and got replaced by a charred oak flavor.
The beginning of the bowl was great! But the second half the flavors became harsh. This is just my first bowl of boneyard , and first impressions. I will revisit this review after I smoke more. And I’m kind of hoping that each bowl can pack a new surprise. I’m giving this blend a 3 star review just based off the neat opportunity to have a grab bag smoking experience and the fact that the quality of the tobacco is good. If after 20 bowls I find each one is exploring undesirable flavors oftenly throughout the smoke, I will drop this rating, but I hope that doesn't become the case.
So now , I’ll just have to smoke a few more…
Jan
I started to retro-hale and discovered that it has a nice little bit of perique to it, yum ! Flavor is kind of a baking chocolate, the cheap kind out of the can - which I love! No real topping noticed , and also absent is the flavor of red wine and vinegar finish that I get from lots of English’s, (Not a huge fan of that profile.)
The Virginia hides in the background giving a little sweetness, and in the front is a combination of Latakia perique along with plain burley. This is creating a very earthy and musty smoke reminiscent of dry leaves and leather. The flavor drifts in and out with intensity. Which makes sense as I am working through a grab bag of different tobacco blends.
Next time I think I might skip rubbing out the bowl , in hopes I get a more varied and transitional smoke. Toward the end of the bowl the creaminess has gone and the flavor has become a chili flake spicy on the palate. Not sure if that’s perique or a strong dose of some sort of oriental. It’s neat that the flavor changed , but unfortunately it’s not to something good. Then finally the chili burn left and got replaced by a charred oak flavor.
The beginning of the bowl was great! But the second half the flavors became harsh. This is just my first bowl of boneyard , and first impressions. I will revisit this review after I smoke more. And I’m kind of hoping that each bowl can pack a new surprise. I’m giving this blend a 3 star review just based off the neat opportunity to have a grab bag smoking experience and the fact that the quality of the tobacco is good. If after 20 bowls I find each one is exploring undesirable flavors oftenly throughout the smoke, I will drop this rating, but I hope that doesn't become the case.
So now , I’ll just have to smoke a few more…
Jan
Pipe Used:
Ascorti Business KS stack
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
2 years
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