Thoughts on C&D Haunted Bookshop

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MichaelM

MichaelM

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I've smoked through 6 bowls of Haunted Bookshop do far and found the experience to be interesting.  The short review:  I like it.
The first time I smoked the blend was late evening.  It packed easily, lit with no problem, and required no relights.  The overall experience, not flavor mind you, was very much like smoking a good cigar.  The flavor profile changed as the bowl progresed with different notes coming in and out as I smoked.  Initially it was very perique-forward, but in a non-sour spicy figgy sort of way.  This soon fell to the background and gave way to nice nutty burley.  The perique never vanished, just became less prominent.  I was really surprised as the Virginia leaf would come in and out as if there were pockets of sweet that accentuated the perique for a puff or two.  This lasted for most of the bowl.  The last 10 minutes or so saw a return of the perique in full force.  Again spicy and fig-like with no sourness.  The bowl lasted close to an hour and left only ash.  It was one of those magical pipe experiences where everything was just perfect.
The next day I was anxious to try HB again, and was frankly dissapointed.  Nothing but monochrome burley and notes of sour perique.  I was crushed.  Three more bowls produced the same dissapointment (all in different pipes).  Last night as I was sitting down to do some reading, I packed bowl #6, and once again found perfection.  I realized as I was smoking that while this was the 6th time I smoked the blend, it was only the second time I was fully relaxed and able to fully focus on the pipe.  Smoked slowly and with attention, this is just wonderfull stuff. Oddly, I think the fact that it burns so easily makes it too easy to forget and smoke too quickly.
I wish I could enjoy this blend anytime, but then I suppose it wouldn't be special. But when I have the time to truely enoy a pipe, HB will be a go to blend.
Mike.
 
Well, you've sold me on what to include in my next order. Interesting review and a glance at the list under your avatar suggest similar tastes. Thanks for posting.
 
I have very similar experiences with all of C&D's Burley forward mixtures that I have tried.

Epiphany - the first batch I had smoked wonderfully with just the right amount of bitterness in balance with the other flavors. The 2nd batch I purchased, 8 ounces in total has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. Same pipes used, no real changes in any other variables.

Billy Budd-had a handful of interesting smokes, the rest have been bitter, acrid, muddled tasting and completely uninspired.

Haunted Bookshop - starts off nice and becomes bitter, drying my taster up right quick. I haven't been able to finish a bowl yet.

One C&D made burley that I found to be somewhat compelling was GLP Barbary Coast. I loved the flavor, but I had trouble keeping it smoking cool & couldn't stave off tongue bite. Mind you, I have always been susceptible to at the very least some form of burley bite, be it slight or severe.
 
Excellent review there Mike, HB is a blend I've been meaning to get a hold of for a spell now, have to get to it sooner or later, glad you found a way to enjoy this blend so much, it's very nice when you get a blend to sing for ya aint it.  :cheers: :sunny: 
 
I liked Haunted Bookshop, but not enough to buy a second tin. I thought the burley was excellent and I enjoyed the perique presence, but I found myself getting bored by it by the time I finished the tin. I keep meaning to try Old Joe Krantz, which I've heard described as Haunted Bookshop's "big brother," but haven't acquired any yet.
 
Interesting stuff here. I consider Luxury Bull's Eye Flake to be one of the most "boring" blends out there, yet it's one I will always reach for when faced with two seconds of indecision. My conclusion: I like it.
 
I guess it depends what you mean by boring.  I like OJK (smoking it as I write in fact).  I get the big brother comparison, but to me the big difference is how the flavor changes as the bowl is smoked. OJK and LBF both seem fairly consistent to me in that regard.  HB seems to develop and change more, as long as I smoke it slowly.   I should have noted that my supply is bulk, not tinned.  I don't know if that would make much of a difference.  
I often find myself halfway through a bowl of LBF thinking there is something missing.  But that has never stopped me from finishing the bowl or buying more.  I guess sometimes I like boring :) 
Mike.
 
Nice review! It's amazing when one really gets a blend, shame it's not more consistent that it happens but when it does it's worth it!

Jim
 
I love Haunted Bookshop. It is light and tasty and easy to smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl.
 
Haunted Bookshop is one I have been meaning to try for quite a while, but haven't gotten around to. I still have the better part of 8oz of OJK that I bought purely on its reputation and never developed a taste for. I love burley in all forms, but this one just didn't do it for me. Since the two are so often referred to together, I doubt I'll care for Haunted Bookshop much, but at some point I'll have to give it a try.

I did just restock on Uhle's Perfection Plug, which has quickly become my go to burley, dare I say, surpassing my beloved Prince Albert as my "grab and go" smoke.
 
I have some, but had not found it other than pretty much monochromatic. However, I have recently adjusted the way I pack my pipes and the way I light them. I find I get a more pleasant smoke with my new methods. I owe this blend another visit before I state my preference.
 
I like HB but love OJK, though I realize it's not for everyone. The c&d burley blend I've just tried and am developing a fondness for is Burley Flake #3.
Anyways, this was a really nice review post, thanks MichaelM.
 
I have been smoking HB often for a number of years. I always have HB and Billy Budd on hand. I have not found it to vary from batch to batch or tinned to bulk versions, though I might just be lucky. I have found that when I really like a particular blend and smoke it repeatedly, the magic fades, so I don't smoke the same blend more than 2 bowls in a row, even if those bowls are days apart.
 
Richard Burley":zs2mz0d4 said:
Interesting stuff here.  I consider Luxury Bull's Eye Flake to be one of the most "boring" blends out there, yet it's one I will always reach for when faced with two seconds of indecision.  My conclusion:  I like it.
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Couldn't have said it any better and I too seem to grab it now and then, maybe hoping it has come of age and will surprise me.........no such luck as yet. :| As far as liking it.......
well, I really can't go that far and say that. It's just okay.
 
Just opened a tin of C&D Haunted Bookshop. These are my initial notes on my first bowl.

Med and dark brown cube cut. Smells nutty and sweet. Appears faily dry right out of the tin. Nutty woody flavor with some underlying pepper. Pepper is medium in strength and really tingles the tongue. Midway thru takes on more woody notes. Burns fairly cool but required several relights. Strong and spicy in the retro hale, zings the back of my throat. Just a slight touch of sweentess in the beginning which fades quickly. Picked up a touch of floral notes at the end. Burns fairly quickly nice dry ash. Makes my mouth water. Not bad but not a keeper 8.75/10 rating

Close to Bald Headed Teacher, but I think I prefer Haunted Bookshop
 
fsu92john":f6d2ihz8 said:
I liked Haunted Bookshop, but not enough to buy a second tin. I thought the burley was excellent and I enjoyed the perique presence, but I found myself getting bored by it by the time I finished the tin. I keep meaning to try Old Joe Krantz, which I've heard described as Haunted Bookshop's "big brother," but haven't acquired any yet.
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Krantz is overrated, about the same Bookshop, which is a "sometimes" smoke. Billy Budd is much more interesting with the added cigar leaf flavor in the background; still a sometimes smoke.
 
juanmedusa":6v7fu4zl said:
I like HB but love OJK, though I realize it's not for everyone. The c&d burley blend I've just tried and am developing a fondness for is Burley Flake #3.
Anyways, this was a really nice review post, thanks MichaelM.
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Ditto +1
 
My taste for HB and OJK have changed quite a bit. I enjoy them both. There's something to be said about a good burley mixture, especially when the weather warms up.
 
DrumsAndBeer":ps6jqvhb said:
My taste for HB and OJK have changed quite a bit. I enjoy them both. There's something to be said about a good burley mixture, especially when the weather warms up.  
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I agree, for the most part...although I haven't warmed to HB nearly as much as I have OJK...then again, I'm a perique junky, so that may have something to do with it.
 
The more I smoke this blend the more I am appreciating it. I was so set on being an English blend smoker but got turned off by how raw my mouth always felt after smoking them that I tended to give up versus expanding my choices to VaPers and burley

Now that I am focusing on the other tobacco blends I am enjoying them more. Escudo remains my #1 favorite to date, but I am enjoying HB, especially in the morning.

So what other burley blends (other than OJK) would you guys recommend that I can try down the road?

I've tried Bald Headed Teacher, which I liked but probably should give it another chance since my conversion. I also tried Exhausted Rooster, Bow Legged Bear and Prince Albert all of which did nothing for me. I would prefer blends that don't have toppings.

Thanks

 
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