Cigar Bum Drugstore Pipe Tobacco Reviews

[Branzig]

Thanks for the pouch Tobias, it won't last long! ipe:

I was pleasantly surprised my Troost Special Cavendish I must say. For an OTC the quality was really good. so good in fact that my pouch is already gone!

[Bruck]

Sounds like you're volunteering to do a review

I could do one - would you like it in this thread? I think it qualifies. I only have the Black and Gold, but happy to write a little review of it.

[Tobias Lutz]

I could do one - would you like it in this thread? I think it qualifies. I only have the Black and Gold, but happy to write a little review of it.

This would be the place

[Cardinal]

Tobacco: Captain Black Royal
Blend Contents: Black and Golden Cavendish
Pipes: Stanwell bent and a no-name basket briar (my first pipe)
Tin Note: Vanilla
Prep: No prep, just pulled it out of the pouch and smoked it up.

Notes:
The Captain was cut into loose ribbons, and packed easily. It didn't seem too moist coming out of the pouch, so I just smoked it right away. I got a pretty nice vanilla aroma from the pouch.

This tobacco is very mild to me, and the vanilla I smelled up front doesn't come much through in the smoke - just a hint of vanilla and a hint of caramel, and otherwise very little taste. It did burn well and gave off plenty of white smoke, so points for that as well as the pleasant, mild room note.

I retrohaled a lot (is that still what we call it while piping?) and never got any nicotine feel, so I'll say this is pretty low strength in addition to the mild flavors. Can't say I'd buy more, with my tastes running to more full-bodied now, but there wasn't anything offensive about the tobacco and I could see it being alright to introduce someone to the world of pipes.

Thanks Tobias for the chance to try it!

[quo155]

T.L. I have reviewed the baccy sent by you, I will compile my notes and photos and try to get the results on here tonight...FYI!

[tmoran]

Tobacco: Borkum Riff Special Mixture No 8
Age: 6/11/2013
Blend Contents: Maryland, Burley, Cavendish, Kentucky, Virginia, Black Cavendish, Oriental/Turkish
Pipes: No name meer, MM Missouri Pride, MM Legend, Jima
Tin Note: Vanilla, honey, fruit
Prep: Varied.



Notes:
The tobacco is a bit damp upon initial opening of the pouch, but not too damp to smoke. The cut is a fairly consistent ribbon with tobaccos ranging from very light to almost black, and everything in between. Their is a strong aroma of vanilla from the Cavendish, and also some sweet fruit and a little bit of honey.

While I mentioned this tobacco was smokeable right out of the pouch, I found the flavors and smoking quality to be greatly enhanced when given some time to dry. The best smoke I got from it was when I left some on a plate by accident overnight and packed it in a pipe for my morning commute.
Once dried, I found this tobacco to burn and stay light fairly easily. Only an occasional relight was needed.

The flavors were sweet, and to me, the vanilla from the Cavendish was more of a background flavor. The fruit and honey were more dominant, with a bit of nuttiness from the burley and some very faint VA flavors. The various other tobaccos I could not distinguish. The flavors and topping stayed true to the bottom of the bowl. The topping never burned off or diminished.

At times, the tobacco seemed on the very edge of biting, but never got there. If you pushed it, this tobacco could definitely fry your tongue. A moderate amount of temperature control is required. Ash was fine and medium gray in color.

I was pleasantly surprised by this tobacco. I've never had a Borkum Riff blend, and to be honest, I actively avoided them. Needless to say, I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I've smoked quite a few bowls so far, and plan on finishing the pouch. I don't think I'll buy more of this stuff, but it opened my mind about the various Borkum Riff offerings. Thanks for prying my mind open, Tobias!

[quo155]

Tobacco: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Half & Half (Pouch)
Age: 3/18/13
Blend Contents: Burley and Bright Tobacco (Burley, Virginia)
Pipe(s): Missouri Meerschaum non-filtered Mizzou Corn Cob
Tin Note: Raisins
Prep: It needed no drying time; Packed: Stuff and Puff Method & Musket Ball (x2)

Notes:
Initial: My initial thought was that this tobacco had a great aroma. Though I do not care for raisins in general, they smell good and this tobacco smelled as such. The tobacco seemed to have just the right humidity and it packed very easily, each of the three times.

Smoking: It smoked very easily and stayed lit well. It produced a good ash, flat black with specs of white. It did however begin with an immediate bite, so I throttled back quite a bit and yet it continued to bite abrasively, each and every puff. The smoke was generally thick, light grey.

Flavor: Once lit, for me…it lacked any real flavor and quickly went downhill. It did have tiny hints of raisins but that would generally fade away after the first few minutes. To be honest, the tobacco reminded me a lot of cigarettes. That would make sense with the high content of burley tobacco and I was unable to find much Virginia. I had hoped it would get better as I smoked each bowl but it did not.

Conclusion: I love the aroma I get as I open the pouch; it tries to bring me back to a time of when I was young. However, after smoking the three bowls for the review (and since then, another two just to give it another try), this is not a tobacco that I would recommend. However, keep in mind that this tobacco has been around since 1909 and has a following just like any other. It has been reviewed thousands of times and it’s pretty much split from person to person.

Simply put: Once I was smoking H&H, it lacked any flavor or enjoyment…for me.

T.L…THANK YOU for the pouch and the chance to try something new. I really appreciate it and I do hope you can appreciate my honest review.

[BryGuySC]

Tobacco: Borkum Riff Special Mixture No 8
Age: 6/11/2013
Blend Contents: Maryland, Burley, Cavendish, Kentucky, Virginia, Black Cavendish, Oriental/Turkish
Pipes: No name meer, MM Missouri Pride, MM Legend, Jima
Tin Note: Vanilla, honey, fruit
Prep: Varied.



Notes:
The tobacco is a bit damp upon initial opening of the pouch, but not too damp to smoke. The cut is a fairly consistent ribbon with tobaccos ranging from very light to almost black, and everything in between. Their is a strong aroma of vanilla from the Cavendish, and also some sweet fruit and a little bit of honey.

While I mentioned this tobacco was smokeable right out of the pouch, I found the flavors and smoking quality to be greatly enhanced when given some time to dry. The best smoke I got from it was when I left some on a plate by accident overnight and packed it in a pipe for my morning commute.
Once dried, I found this tobacco to burn and stay light fairly easily. Only an occasional relight was needed.

The flavors were sweet, and to me, the vanilla from the Cavendish was more of a background flavor. The fruit and honey were more dominant, with a bit of nuttiness from the burley and some very faint VA flavors. The various other tobaccos I could not distinguish. The flavors and topping stayed true to the bottom of the bowl. The topping never burned off or diminished.

At times, the tobacco seemed on the very edge of biting, but never got there. If you pushed it, this tobacco could definitely fry your tongue. A moderate amount of temperature control is required. Ash was fine and medium gray in color.

I was pleasantly surprised by this tobacco. I've never had a Borkum Riff blend, and to be honest, I actively avoided them. Needless to say, I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I've smoked quite a few bowls so far, and plan on finishing the pouch. I don't think I'll buy more of this stuff, but it opened my mind about the various Borkum Riff offerings. Thanks for prying my mind open, Tobias!

Careful, Tim!
You just might find everyone else's Borkum Riff leftovers in your mailbox!

[tmoran]

Careful, Tim!
You just might find everyone else's Borkum Riff leftovers in your mailbox!

I am in the habit of severely punishing anyone who sends unsolicited tobacco samples Hope you have plenty of room in your cellar for my proprietary blend of M-79, Ennerdale, and Captain Black White Pouch.

[BryGuySC]

I am in the habit of severely punishing anyone who sends unsolicited tobacco samples Hope you have plenty of room in your cellar for my proprietary blend of M-79, Ennerdale, and Captain Black White Pouch.