LIPIPE
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- Dec 18, 2010
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Several days ago I recommended the purchase of Cornel & Diehl's Engine 99 blend. I smoke it and I like it. Dave in Philly followed up with a post suggesting the addition of Star of the East to the suggested C&D order. What I was remiss in doing was not telling you who made the recommendation to me; as a matter of fact, the recommendation for both blends. We have a brother here among us who posts infrequently. Nonetheless, he is a connoisseur of our pleasure and a veteran pipe aficionado. I first met this gentleman several years ago on another pipe forum and like several of the guys here, Aristokles and I keep up with each other via personal e-mail regularly. My point here is to cordially introduce him to any of you men who have not had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Aristokles on a previous occasion. Engine 99 is one of his favorite smokes and I'm so very glad to have received his advice to try it. So with a tip of my hat and pipe in my mouth I'm sending him a high five and concluding with a cut and paste copy of his TobaccoReview.com review of Engine 99 written in August 2009....
"I am on my ninth bowl of this new purchase - ninth in 36 hours, which is a long time for me to smoke one blend only (ever since Finck's English changed). This is a sleeper, and a surprise for me. It's been on the shelf at El Fumador -Sewickley, PA- every time I've been in over the last six months and I just passed it over (maybe the name of the blend did not resonate for me). However I finally bought 4 ounces last Wednesday afternoon on way into work. I cleaned out a still-warm partial bowl of a McClelland Grand Oriental in order to give this an immediate test; this was the wrong thing to do as my first taste might be ghosted by the Classic Samsun (as indeed it was). At lunch at tried another bowl to better effect. On way home yet another, followed by yet another two hours later. If one gets the impression that I was impressed with this blend then one would be correct. Obviously Engine 99 is an evolutionary blend of two other C&D blends one of which itself is a variation of yet another. But is works well. The blend is poised with no one component fighting any other, but all complementing each other. Contrary to smoke other opinions I find this to be a complex experience with a lot happening in the bowl and all of that is just plain good and tasty. It is also what I call a thinking man's smoke- extremely pleasant without being distracting. Perfect smoke for times of other tasks such as creative writing or programming...or just thinking (if indeed that is what I do). I've only had one bowl of Balkan Sobraine in my life - traded with my college roommate for a bowl of my Dunhill #965 and hence I have virtually no experience with which to liken this to any other. For Room Note, I had to guess as Tester (wife) was not within nose range this morning and made no unsolicited comment.
Temporary rating of 3 stars - might go to four later.
Update: OK, after 17 bowls, this gets kicked up a notch to 4 stars."
"I am on my ninth bowl of this new purchase - ninth in 36 hours, which is a long time for me to smoke one blend only (ever since Finck's English changed). This is a sleeper, and a surprise for me. It's been on the shelf at El Fumador -Sewickley, PA- every time I've been in over the last six months and I just passed it over (maybe the name of the blend did not resonate for me). However I finally bought 4 ounces last Wednesday afternoon on way into work. I cleaned out a still-warm partial bowl of a McClelland Grand Oriental in order to give this an immediate test; this was the wrong thing to do as my first taste might be ghosted by the Classic Samsun (as indeed it was). At lunch at tried another bowl to better effect. On way home yet another, followed by yet another two hours later. If one gets the impression that I was impressed with this blend then one would be correct. Obviously Engine 99 is an evolutionary blend of two other C&D blends one of which itself is a variation of yet another. But is works well. The blend is poised with no one component fighting any other, but all complementing each other. Contrary to smoke other opinions I find this to be a complex experience with a lot happening in the bowl and all of that is just plain good and tasty. It is also what I call a thinking man's smoke- extremely pleasant without being distracting. Perfect smoke for times of other tasks such as creative writing or programming...or just thinking (if indeed that is what I do). I've only had one bowl of Balkan Sobraine in my life - traded with my college roommate for a bowl of my Dunhill #965 and hence I have virtually no experience with which to liken this to any other. For Room Note, I had to guess as Tester (wife) was not within nose range this morning and made no unsolicited comment.
Temporary rating of 3 stars - might go to four later.
Update: OK, after 17 bowls, this gets kicked up a notch to 4 stars."
