CB Pipe Tobacco Review Bombing Run Version 2.0: THE REVIEWS

[Alligator Gar]

Date 17APR15
Name Alligator Gar (Jim)
Tobacco AA Fuschia MacBaren Latakia Blend circa. 2000
Pipe Ben Wade Plateau Freehand
Indoor / Outdoor Covered Porch


Presents as small black nickel sized disks flecked with gold V shaped bits.

Attachment 1943
Think micro-celery. I believe these are slices of an experimental rope from Pete's basement. The tobacco is moist and sticky. It has strong notes of prune and raisin. Secondary molasses scent comes through under the dark fruit. I'm pairing with a Desani sparkling water with a hint of lime.

I'm smoking this in my newly acquired Ben Wade.
Attachment 1948

I have no idea how this pipe is going to smoke. It fits my hand like a .45 ACP.
Attachment 1949

The plateau top looks like a pair of sharkskin boots I once owned. After packing the shark's ass with tobacco I find I could have used twice as much as I'd dried. It has a very tall bowl that gulps tobacco. I take a test pull and am satisfied with how the pipe draws. Same fruity, sweet flavor that I smelled.

I pack with the progressive fill and tamp method and put fire to her. Tamp, light, tamp, light. Very tough keeping this stuff lit. First impression is a piney taste, progressing to a burnt cork taste and smell. I don't detect ANY sweetness in the smoke and it lets me know early on that it's a little bitey. I think this pipe has a factory char on it and may not be fully broke in, but I was too eager to smoke it to care. I'm not sure it's fair to blame the heat and bite on the tobacco.

Halfway through, the ash shows the tobacco is not being fully consumed.

Attachment 1946
When I overturn the bowl, along with the dust comes shards of black, burnt tobacco. After resting the bowl for a little and drawing it back to life without a light I detect a meaty, vinegary flavor much like Hassenpfeffer. The retrohale is satisfyingly pungent without being peppery or repellant. The smoke is very white and doesn't seem to have a lot of nicotine. The overall experience reminds me of smoking a cigarette, something I'm not the least interested in. It is now out and out biting but it's not bothering my throat. I will say once it's lit, it stays lit, allowing me to slow down and not worry about it going out. Clenching the freehand is giving me TMJ. Freehand does not equal hands free.

There aren't a lot of tasting notes in this review because I didn't taste much. I would be interested in some sort of exchange program where I surrender the rest of Fuschia AA in return for equal amounts of Fuschia A. Now that tobacco tasted like something. I'd rather that frog's bottom flavor than nothing at all.

When we are done with the reviews we should have an informal exchange, now that I think about it. We can list what we liked and what's up for swappage, and see if we can pair up. Pete was generous with the samples, might be worth $5 shipping to double down on our favorites.

3/5 Would smoke again if I was running low on the good stuff.

[Horsefeathers]

Details:
Date: 4/16/2015
Name: Horsefeathers
Tobacco: U - Pink C&D Exclusive
Pipe: Neerup Bent Apple
Indoor / Outdoor: Outdoors (Garage)






Observations & Examination (how it looked, felt and smelled): The tobacco was sealed in an air tight pouch. Opening the pouch revealed a soft ribbon cut tobacco. It was mostly a medium brown color with some darker tobacco mixed throughout. The smell was fairly strong and straight forward; spot on raisins and chocolate (or the most underrated movie theater candy, raisinettes!). Letting it get some air didn't seem to affect the smell in the slightest.

Preparation (how did you prepare and pack it): The pipe was packed with my best attempt at the Frank Method. Gravity filling the bowl and then topping off with a solid pinch of tobacco. The pack passed the draw test so I proceeded with the smoke.

Burn:After the struggles I had the with the last tobacco sample I wasn't sure what to expect burn wise. Turns out this took right to the flame. After a pair of charing lights I was off to the races. Over the course of the bowl I only had 4 relights with 3 of them coming in the final 3rd of the bowl. The smoke itself was cool and one thing I noticed was that there was a distinct creaminess to the smoke directly after a relight. They also, made my throat a bit dry / scratchy. otherwise it was mostly unremarkable (not in a bad way, just indistinct).

The tobacco was paired with glass of water.

Flavor:The flavor was really interesting, dancing all over in the first third. I was initially hit with a wet hay / grassy flavor that varied in intensity. After a short time a very sugary flavor developed on the roof of my mouth. This sugary flavor would come and go throughout the first third. Somewhere in second third the hay and sugar gave way to a slight cacao. It was also at this time that a floral quality started to build. The floral / soapy flavor just continued to build through the final third until it was the primary flavor, but never really too strong or off putting. The only other thing of note would be the retro-hale which was very mild, but presented notes of baking spice. It's also the smoothest tobacco I've retro-haled. No tingle or burn what so ever.

Comments and Conclusion:This was really interesting tobacco, and to date would be the most nuanced pipe tobacco I've smoked. I really enjoyed the first two thirds or so, and the Floral / soapiness (which I now believe to be what everyone refers to lakeland essence) never got too strong, but still isn't something I think I'll go seeking out at this point. I also believe that this tobacco has far more to offer in terms of flavor than what I was able to discover. A more experienced smoker or someone with a better palate would find much I have missed I'd imagine. If what I've described in the flavor profile ticks anyone's boxes I'd have no problem recommending this to someone. Smoke this one when you have some time to set aside though as I think it would be much more rewarding that way.

Next up is D - Yellow!

[Branzig]

Date: 4/17/15
Name: Branzig
Tobacco: Green W Vac Sealed G&H Mixture #12
Pipe: 1940s Custombilt & 1930s Custom-bilt
Outdoors



Observations

Examination: The tobacco is in a loose, ribbon cut. The color is of light Va and orientals mixed in with dark latakia strands. The scent is very latakia forward, bold and smokey with a hint of sweetness. A little moist out of the bag.

Preparation: Let the tobacco sit in the hot sun for about 15 minutes. Used the Frankity-Frank-Frank method of packing for both bowls.

Burn: Smoked like a champ! No need for relights, tamped real easy. Light grey ash with minimal dottle left over.

Flavor: The only word that comes to mind while I smoke this stuff is luxurious. From the charring light to the bottom of the bowl, this stuff had a great and heavy feel too it. The latakia is up front and the dominant feature of this blend. The latakia used isn't the oily variety found in some blends, but a high quality one. A great smoky and spicy profile. The Virginia's and Oriental leafs add the perfect amount of sweetness and a tiny hint of sour that is just right. The flavor profiles don't change much throughout the bowl, but that is fine because from start to finish this stuff is tasty!

Comments and conclusion: A bold and full bodied Balkan. Excellent flavor and amazing mouth feel. Smoked it along with my dark roast coffee, and the two complimented each other very well. A little bit of nicotine in this one. My only complaint is that if you aren't careful, this one can bite bit. A few times I felt that familiar sting on the tongue, but a quick cadence adjustment nipped it in the bud. My last bowl of this was on a warm sunny afternoon, and I have to admit that the flavors (almost) made me wish there was some snow on the ground. Or at least some yellow in the tree leaves.

[Alligator Gar]

Date 17APR15
Name Alligator Gar (Jim)
Tobacco C Yellow G&H Dark Flake Unscented
Pipe MM Great Dane Spindle
Indoor / Outdoor Covered Porch

I was pretty excited about this tobacco. It is in what I believe is flake form and looks good enough to eat. It was vacuum packed in a tear and seal package. The vacuum unfortunately made three flakes as one, effectively welding them together into one SuperFlake. I thought this was the stinky one out of the four, but in retrospect it was Fuschia A that was the culprit. I'm still belching that scent a week later. I paired this with some 正山小種/立山小種 (Lapsang Souchong) and orange blossom honey. The smokey sweet tea is a perfect compliment to spicy tobaccos.

I'm smoking this in my Corn Cob Great Dane.
Attachment 1954
I love this pipe because it's big, it's a sitter and because Warren gave it to me.

I peeled some threads off the nominally dry SuperFlake and rubbed in a vigorous circular manner. The tobacco fluffs up incredibly well into piles of dark brown, brown and gold flat string.
Attachment 1953
I use the pack/tamp method and end up with a plugged draw. I dig it out and try again using a lighter hand. It seems to be easy to over compress this cut because I still have a bit of a restricted draw. It may benefit from the swirly palm pack method, and now I'm wishing I knew how to do that. I soldier on and take multiple swings at getting her lit. First thing I taste is toast and caramel. I associate caramel with tobacco rich in natural sugars in the cigar world, but in the case of this blend the slight sheen of the flake tells me nature might have had some help.

Moving a little deeper into the bowl yields a floral lilac taste with low notes of soap. I'm a little shocked by this and not sure whether I'm disgusted or intrigued. Let's just say distrigued for now. This taste has the odd effect of making me salivate, which is annoying to the extreme. While listing the things that pissed me off, let me add that I could not keep this pipe lit. If I wanted to take a thirty second break I would need to relight. I lit this bowl 20 times if I lit it once. Probably my fault. I wasn't proud of the packing job, as noted previously.

The second half of the bowl transitioned to red pepper, a jarring contrast to the original floral taste. The retrohale was dandy; nice and tingly. My throat started getting tight, if you know what I mean. I actually enjoyed the pepper more than the floral arrangement. Hot embers ricocheting off the back of my throat signaled the welcome demise of this entire experience. I really appreciate the opportunity to try different blends risk free. When the big reveal comes this exercise is really going to help define my tastes. Thanks!

2.5/5 Would smoke again if I was offered a taste--just to be polite.

[Alligator Gar]

Date 17APR15
Name Alligator Gar (Jim)
Tobacco Q Yellow Balkan Sasieni
Pipe MM Diplomat
Indoor / Outdoor Covered Porch

Before smoking I purged my palate with a large chocolate malt and a Fausto Lancero with water back.

This sample looked pretty ordinary. It was a big bag of black and tan.
Attachment 1955
I loaded it in a MM Diplomat. Cow head for scale.
Attachment 1957
I paired this with some Amrit tea and gall berry honey. Amrit is some weird looking tea.
Attachment 1959
The tobacco has pleasant barn scents of hay and warm critters.

A little drying made the tobacco less springy and it loaded well. Opening notes were a mid range tobacco and cream taste. Baking spice was present on the smooth retro-hale. The nose feel was actually better than the mouth feel. The ash is a clean white scalloped layer.
Attachment 1958
A little swish of tea cooled the sides of my tongue and throat.

The blend burns well and cool and profits from an occasional tamp. It never billows smoke but is very refined in how it burns. The flavor is a very mannerly spice, cream and hay. No heavy leather or earth flavors emerge, just a little umami characteristic of well aged tobacco. The room note is weedy. Yes, that kind of weedy. It is a good mild mannered experience, something along the lines of Early Morning Pipe. I would make this my first smoke of the morning, much as I do Cubans. It has some nice nutty and vegetal subtleties that would be fascinating on an unburnt palate.

I've smoked three bowls of Q since I received it and I don't have anything bad to say about it. I would recommend it to a novice smoker or someone who doesn't like getting their face melted and Nic buzz on. I suggest you try you a bowl of Q and see if you agree!

4/5 Would smoke again, wouldn't mind keeping a half pound back.

[JustTroItIn]

Date: 4/18/2015
Name: JustTroItIn
Tobacco: Yellow R Dunhill #965
Pipe: 519 Seattle / Malaga / Hilson Bolero
Smoked both in and outdoors.



Observations
This is a mixture of light and dark brown ribbon cut tobacco. The bag note has a pleasant musty odor. No dry time was necessary before packing a bowl. I have had several bowls in three different pipes, all gravity filled and then a pinch of tobacco shoved on top. There was no gurgle inducing moisture from any of the pipes, it burned wonderfully to a fine gray ash, and left almost no dottle in the bottom of the bowl.



The flavor is mild and produced no tongue bite. It had a very light caramel like sweetness with a touch of licorice. The taste and strength was consistent for the entire bowl.



Comments and conclusion
I wouldn't call this a complex tobacco but a simple medley of flavors. I have no idea what this tobacco may be but it's something that can be smoked and enjoyed at anytime of day. I'm looking forward to finding out what it is.

[Horsefeathers]

Details:
Date: 4/17/2015
Name: Horsefeathers
Tobacco: D - Yellow MacBaren Virginia #1
Pipe: Missouri Meerschaum Legend
Indoor / Outdoor: Outdoors (Garage)








Observations & Examination (how it looked, felt and smelled): This tobacco was the second of three sealed in an air tight pouch. I cut open the pouch and revealed a coarse dry tobacco in large strands. While this did not arrive in a flake format the overall cut reminded me of a flake that had been lightly, but fully rubbed out. The strands were a medium brown to yellow-brown color. The intensity of the aroma was moderate revealing a wet grass and citrus smell, slightly sweet. Reminded me of pineapple upside down cake somewhat. After the tobacco aired out a bit the smell didn't change much but the scent lightened up a bit overall.

Preparation (how did you prepare and pack it): I again packed the pipe with my best attempt at the Frank Method. Due to the size of the tobacco the gravity fill step filled the bowl quickly. A solid pinch and press topped it off.

Burn:The tobacco took to flame easily, producing a nice moderate smoke. Tamping every few minutes kept it right on burning. I had no issue with relights until about the middle of the bowl where the tobacco was going out every minute or so. After about 5 relights I decided to dump the ash. After the ash dump I was right back on track to the bottom of the bowl. The tobacco burnt into a fine gray ash with the exception of a few small unburnt strands of tobacco. I would add that this was a fairly warm smoke throughout. It never caused discomfort or bit my tongue, but the smoke was noticeably warm.

Flavor: Definitely the least to say here. The flavor was that of a sweet hay and an occasional citrus note. Other than that it never really changed over the course of the whole bowl. The retrohale did produce a bit of spice, but didn't really alter the flavor. Very straight forward tobacco, which was in stark contrast to my previous review.

Comments and Conclusion:Overall not too bad. It was easy to pack, easy to light, and the flavor was good if not a bit one dimensional. I could see this being an all day smoke, and would label as a set it and forget it tobacco. Never really requiring too much attention, but still providing a bowl of satisfaction.

Next is the final blind sample up for review R - Pink!

[GWBowman]

My fourth and unfortunately final review



Details
Date 4/19/2015
Name GWBowman
Tobacco Q-orange Balkan Sasieni
Pipe MM Cob Legend
Indoor / Outdoor Indoors

Observations
Examination
Visually it’s dark brown, medium brown and black strings intermingled in about equal portions. The tobacco has the delicious smoky smell of Latakia. It’s a little damp and clumps if squeezed together.
Preparation
Because of the moisture content, I put some out on a saucer to dry for about 30 minutes. Packed the bowl with a Frankish method.
Burn
The tobacco lights easily and burns well to a grey ash. The smoke is white and abundant.
Flavor
Latakia is the star of this show from beginning to end. There’s a sweet and sour Virginia taste that darts in and out as the bowl is smoked keeping this from being monotone in flavor.

Comments and conclusion
This is a delicious English. Definately Latakia forward without being overpowering. It’s a high quality offering that would be welcome in most cellars.

[Horsefeathers]

Details:
Date: 4/18/2015
Name: Horsefeathers
Tobacco: R - Pink Dunhill #965
Pipe: Savinelli Obi-Two Billiard
Indoor / Outdoor: Outdoors (Garage)





Observations & Examination (how it looked, felt and smelled): This tobacco was the third of three that came sealed in an air tight pouch, and is the final tobacco up for review. Opening the pouch I was greeted with a distinct but not too strong aroma of burning wood / campfire. I felt like there was an faint underlying scent of raisins, but I'm also wondering if I just think most pipe tobacco smells like raisins...? The tobacco it self was finely cut into many small individual strands. I believe this would qualify as a shag cut. It was dry to the touch, but not so much so that it was crunchy.

Preparation (how did you prepare and pack it): For the third straight time I again packed the pipe with my best attempt at the Frank Method (and I do believe I may be getting the hang of this). I checked the draw and thought that it may be just a tad on the snug side, but decided to just forge ahead since it didn't seem to greatly impacted.

Burn: The tobacco was so small that it took 3 charring lights before I had a solid even layer of ash to tamp. Once I had it going I had no issue with the burn. I did have two relights. One being me getting distracted and talking for too long. The other was towards the bottom of the bowl. I lit and it immediately went out again. I dumped the ash and got another 5-10 minutes before I was truly to the bottom. Anecdotally, it'd be nice if all pipe tobacco burned this easily. The smoke it self was moderate and pleasant, never becoming hot or astringent. The bowl itself seemed to give off more smoke than other pipe tobacco I've smoked.

Flavor:For the second straight tobacco the flavor was pretty straight forward. There were mostly notes of soap / perfume with not much change throughout. The flavor overall stayed a a mild-medium intensity, and for me was just at the right spot for this flavor profile. Retrohaling didn't change the flavor at all, but did amp up the intensity of the flavors overall. Therefore after my second pass through the sinuses I abstained from any further attempts.

This tobacco was paired with a glass of water.

Comments and Conclusion:I feel like this is what I should have started with when doing the reviews. This had a very similar overall flavor profile to C- Pink (The dark flake), but was much milder. I'd equate this to easing into the pool over jumping straight into the deep end with C - Pink. I also didn't get much in the way of nicotine with this tobacco. I feel like anyone who likes the soapy / perfumey profile would find this a great morning smoke. I'd also say due to the over all experience would be a great into into pipe smoking for someone who was new to pipes as well.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to review these samples, and hope these have been of some value for Pete's sake! (see what I did there, hardy-har-har)

[Madbricky]

Deadline? Crap.
Here is your quicky review. No pics.Details
Date 4/19/2015
Name Madbricky
Tobacco D Pink MacBaren Virginia #1
Pipe MM Cob CG
Indoor / Outdoor: Indoors

Observations
Examination
Visually it’s a ready rub sliced cake just like Mclelland 5100 series.Brown and yellow pieces in a matured cake. Nice Va dried hay odor, and same aroma on cold draw.
Preparation:
Because of the moisture content, I warmed in my tin warmer and cooled to dry. Packed the bowl with pieces as they came with a Frank method.
Burn:
The tobacco lit easily and burned well with sipping to a grey dottle. The smoke is white/blue and abundant. Relights only after tamping edges down as typical for large bowl pipe.
Flavor: Started out sharp and spicy red virginia and quickly cooled down to a sweet and super mild citrus with red Va finish on back of palate. Comments/Conclusion:Yummy, just like 5100 cake with added citrus. I would cellar a couple pounds just for the lovely aromas. The simple and pleasant flavors are A+
Thanks for the sample!
Craig