Right off the bat, I am neither an aro lover nor a hater. My mainstay blends are non-aros, but I enjoy a change off. The problem with most aros are they are so heavily topped that the underlying tobacco is nothing more than a combustible sponge, and apparently many blenders don't feel the need to undermine their profits by using good-quality tobacco. However there are a good number of aros (albeit a small percentage, given the huge selection available tinned and bulk) which are good smokers. Cult Blood Red Moon makes it to the list.
The first thing even before opeining the tin, is the name and the tin art. The name "Cult" does not instill confidence in me, a veteran pipe smoker. And the tin art and Blood Red Moon name seem like more befitting something you'd expect to find in a weed store. I almost felt like I should get at least one tattoo and piercing before I smoked it. Almost. But putting aside my biases, I opened the tin.
Under the typical pleated paper wrapper is a clear cellophane disc rather than the cardboard one is accustomed to. Idk why they do that, probably it's cheaper. The answer to every puzzling question is usually money. But it does allow the smoker a glimpse at the tobacco a couple seconds earlier than other blends
The tobacco is a rough-ribbon cut of dark mahogany mixed with black. Color-wise it evokes dark cherries and dark chocolate. Idk if that was intentional, but if so it was quite clever subliminal marketing. The tin note is unmistakably cherry, but I can't say I could smell chocolate. But the cherry aroma is quite realistic, and does not reek of artificial flavoring.
The moisture level was perfect upon opening. I squeezed a bunch together and it promptly fell apart, whereas I had expected it to stick like a spit-wad. I was duly impressed, because I hate having to dry my tobacco and believe a blender worth his salt should ship every blend at perfect smoking moisture. And because typically, drying an aro causes some of the flavor to evaporate. Not the case with Blood Red Moon, it was raring to go.
Packing was a no-fuss operation. I simply stuffed a loose wad into my pipe, added a little capper and pushed down to a light springy feel, and the draw was perfect. The charring light was easy, and in fact I merely tamped a little and never had to relight for the rest of the bowl.
The flavor of cherry (and whatever else is in there, it's rather hard to pick anything else out given the overwhelming cherry-ness) was delightful, and so was the room note. It definitely smells like cherry though, not the "old time grandpa's pipey" aroma so many people love. But it's not a sickly-sweet cherry aroma, not like a cherry-scented air freshener or candle. I would call it a subdued, classy, elegant cherry aroma.
Blood Red Moon makes copious thick, creamy smoke with just a slow, sipping cadence so there is no impetus for billow-lovers to puff hard. However just to put it to the test, I puffed it like a freight-train. Doing that certainly causes a loss in flavor, but I could not get it to bite even a nip. That's commendable for an aro, and good news for newbies. I could easily recommend Blood Red Moon to new pipe smokers, as it is quite forgiving to less-than-optimal packing, lighting and puffing technique.
It is also quite mild in the nic department. I don't inhale but I doubt even that would induce any kind of nic hit. This is a blend strictly for lovers of a deep, satisfying cherry aro flavor. In fact you can still taste it a hour later, in a good way. And surprisingly, there was no goop in the bottom of the bowl...in fact unlike most blends, I was able to smoke Blood Red Moon all the way to the heel without having it go nasty on me.
Would I consider this an every-day smoke? Yes, instead of a fattening dessert after a meal I think it would be wonderful. Would I consider it an all-day smoke? Well, for health reasons I think smoking anything all day is a bad idea so I don't do it. But I think Blood Red Moon is one of those blends where less is more, and I could see it getting old if smoked too frequently. I mean, if you could eat cherry cobbler all day long every day then maybe this is an every-day blend
The first thing even before opeining the tin, is the name and the tin art. The name "Cult" does not instill confidence in me, a veteran pipe smoker. And the tin art and Blood Red Moon name seem like more befitting something you'd expect to find in a weed store. I almost felt like I should get at least one tattoo and piercing before I smoked it. Almost. But putting aside my biases, I opened the tin.
Under the typical pleated paper wrapper is a clear cellophane disc rather than the cardboard one is accustomed to. Idk why they do that, probably it's cheaper. The answer to every puzzling question is usually money. But it does allow the smoker a glimpse at the tobacco a couple seconds earlier than other blends
The tobacco is a rough-ribbon cut of dark mahogany mixed with black. Color-wise it evokes dark cherries and dark chocolate. Idk if that was intentional, but if so it was quite clever subliminal marketing. The tin note is unmistakably cherry, but I can't say I could smell chocolate. But the cherry aroma is quite realistic, and does not reek of artificial flavoring.
The moisture level was perfect upon opening. I squeezed a bunch together and it promptly fell apart, whereas I had expected it to stick like a spit-wad. I was duly impressed, because I hate having to dry my tobacco and believe a blender worth his salt should ship every blend at perfect smoking moisture. And because typically, drying an aro causes some of the flavor to evaporate. Not the case with Blood Red Moon, it was raring to go.
Packing was a no-fuss operation. I simply stuffed a loose wad into my pipe, added a little capper and pushed down to a light springy feel, and the draw was perfect. The charring light was easy, and in fact I merely tamped a little and never had to relight for the rest of the bowl.
The flavor of cherry (and whatever else is in there, it's rather hard to pick anything else out given the overwhelming cherry-ness) was delightful, and so was the room note. It definitely smells like cherry though, not the "old time grandpa's pipey" aroma so many people love. But it's not a sickly-sweet cherry aroma, not like a cherry-scented air freshener or candle. I would call it a subdued, classy, elegant cherry aroma.
Blood Red Moon makes copious thick, creamy smoke with just a slow, sipping cadence so there is no impetus for billow-lovers to puff hard. However just to put it to the test, I puffed it like a freight-train. Doing that certainly causes a loss in flavor, but I could not get it to bite even a nip. That's commendable for an aro, and good news for newbies. I could easily recommend Blood Red Moon to new pipe smokers, as it is quite forgiving to less-than-optimal packing, lighting and puffing technique.
It is also quite mild in the nic department. I don't inhale but I doubt even that would induce any kind of nic hit. This is a blend strictly for lovers of a deep, satisfying cherry aro flavor. In fact you can still taste it a hour later, in a good way. And surprisingly, there was no goop in the bottom of the bowl...in fact unlike most blends, I was able to smoke Blood Red Moon all the way to the heel without having it go nasty on me.
Would I consider this an every-day smoke? Yes, instead of a fattening dessert after a meal I think it would be wonderful. Would I consider it an all-day smoke? Well, for health reasons I think smoking anything all day is a bad idea so I don't do it. But I think Blood Red Moon is one of those blends where less is more, and I could see it getting old if smoked too frequently. I mean, if you could eat cherry cobbler all day long every day then maybe this is an every-day blend
