Fresh it is a bit rough. I agree with the jar time smoothing things out a bit. After a few years it is remarkably smooth. I have a bunch from 2018 and 2020 that I smoke occasionally. This is the time of year that I smoke it the most. In the heat of summer I find it too heavy and I can't smoke it inside over winter out of respect for my wife lol.
Love and Hate: The Tale of the Haunted Bookshop
- Thread starter rsshreck32
- Start date
I love it for its uniqueness. Do you think it more polarizing than Royal Yacht?
I like it. Haunted Bookshop and Hal O' the Wynd both scratch the same itch for me. I take them camping, and fishing. Plenty of bold natural flavors that don't require much focus to enjoy.
I enjoy it and usually throw it in the rotation when wanting something different after a bowl of something else like OJK or Pirate Kake to change it up.
I do not know, just in my experience I've seen alot more discussion around love/hate of Haunted Bookshop. I've never tried Royal Yacht, so I probably just wasn't paying attention to what people say about it.
Love it.
However, living in Bulgaria forces me to ration my supply.
However, living in Bulgaria forces me to ration my supply.
It's not that polarising, everyone seems to like it. I'm the sole voice of reason on the entire thread lol
It's polarizing because it's a blend for the purists, for those who want the taste of raw tobacco and little else. From the article below:
"Cornell & Diehl does produce tobaccos that are entirely free of flavorings, like Haunted Bookshop and London Squire."
Aromatic Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com
Learn more about how aromatic pipe tobaccos are made, including the differences between casings and top notes.
www.smokingpipes.com
I thought it was okay. Not my favorite but I don’t hate it. That said I haven’t smoked any in months.
I found it’s good for keeping mice, snakes and other critters out of the barn. Spread around the yard, it will keep coyotes and bears from coming around. For smoking in a pipe? No way! It taste like horse shit.
I've never met a Bob Runowski blend I didn't enjoy. So, I'm going to say, Love
But, I'm with @username in the "OJK is preferred" camp.
But, I'm with @username in the "OJK is preferred" camp.
It's the only bowl I can never finish. The flavor and aftertaste carry a strong association with binge smoking a pack of Camels from my youth. In fact, when I first tried it, I was convinced I had a bad tin and bought a second tin that had a little age on it. That didn't help at all. I'll still revisit it every now and then, but my brain can't disassociate the dirty, re-lit cigarette flavor I get. Mad respect to those who can appreciate it. It definitely haunts my palate.
I've got a tin of Haunted Bookshop Cake in the cellar, "aging" while I smoke up a few other open jars. I've smoked a few bowls of C&D's blending burleys, alone or mixed with other things. While I've always been able to finish them, no combination has made me fall in love yet. I'll give HBC an honest try, though!
While I can’t say I love it, it’s my go-to don’t want to think about it tobacco. Though, as many have said, I am preferring OJK lately. My next bulk buy will probably replace HB with OJK.
It's one of the few non-aromatic bulk blends my local shop sells. I but an ounce or two every month and jar it up. I can smoke it and enjoy it fresh, but even two months in the jar makes a big difference to me. My go to evening smoke for the fall.
Never tried this blend, but I'm guessing I would despise it, ditto OJK. Burley and I don't get along particularly well--for me, it has to be condimental to a VA base, not the other way around. Peterson Sherlock Holmes is a good example. A dusting of burley, just so you know it's there, a nice counterplay to the bright sweetness of the VAs. Mac Baren Golden Extra is about as burley heavy as I can get. Beyond that, I'm left wanting to massage aloe vera gel into my trachea. Even Pegasus was just too damn harsh. But hey, that's just me. I know there are plenty of pipe smokers out there who would say, "Cool, more for me!" I'm fine with that. And the flip side of that coin is all the myriad aromatics those folks pass by that I gleefully stock up on. That's the great thing about pipe smoking--everybody doesn't have to agree.
Don't you agree? Don't you?!? C'mon, don't be an asshole and disagree with that!
Don't you agree? Don't you?!? C'mon, don't be an asshole and disagree with that!
Thanks for the inadvertent recommendation! I love the flavors of Burley but my throat doesn't always agree on the matter, so I'll pick up some Golden Extra on my next tobacco order in case Pegasus ends up being too harsh on my throat like Haunted Bookshop and Old Joe Krantz are. I always assumed it was the Perique in them that bothered my throat, but maybe it really is just the Burley.