Contemplating Pegasus

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Snook

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 2, 2019
865
4,360
Idaho
I've heard a lot about Pegasus on here and am considering adding a few ounces to my next order. However, I really haven't enjoyed the other blends I've tried from C&D: Haunted Bookshop, Old Joe Krantz, Crooner. Would you say that Pegasus is in a similar vein as those, or is it different enough that it would be worth trying?
 

abecox

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 8, 2010
765
8,190
Cleveland, OH
I enjoy all of those blends that you don't care for, I'd say Pegasus is in the same boat but much sweeter and a bit more carmely than Haunted Bookshop or Old Joe. It's definitely the easiest going of their Burley line but if you didn't care for their other blends it might go to say that you might not like Pegasus.
 

Snook

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 2, 2019
865
4,360
Idaho
I enjoy all of those blends that you don't care for, I'd say Pegasus is in the same boat but much sweeter and a bit more carmely than Haunted Bookshop or Old Joe. It's definitely the easiest going of their Burley line but if you didn't care for their other blends it might go to say that you might not like Pegasus.
That's kind of what I was thinking. I'll continue giving the others a try. Maybe I'll develop a better palate for them later down the road. Thanks for the input!
 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
6,931
11,988
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
Have you read the review of Pegasus by its creator, the late Bob Runowski;, on tobaccoreviews.com? Dated 11/08/2001, here's what he had to say:

"OK, I understand that Pegasus is one of my own offspring, but I am partial to it. In the blending, I sought to find a mixture that really reflected rather common American tobaccos which could be enjoyed as a smoke through the day. Years ago, I enjoyed smoking Bond Street, and my hope was to approach the flavor of Bond Street with its pleasant room aroma.

"The base of the blend are three burleys: cube cut, white and dark. They are the majority tobaccos. The two virginias and the unsweetened black cavendish provide the flavor. I have grown very fond of ribbon cut virginia with its matured sweetness and clean burn. Black cavendish has drawn criticism because of the travesty which some blenders have inflected upon it with the "bag o' smokes" available in some venues. But, C&D black cavendish is uncased and very smooth, w/o excess sugars.

"Smoking Pegasus is best in a larger bowled pipe, to allow the tobaccos to meld. I chose a Ben Wade large Dublin which I got from Bill Unger of NASPC. In the first lightings, the initial bitterness of burleys are expressed, but then their fullness is tasted followed fairly quickly by tasting both virginias and the BC. The smoke never seems to fall into any harshness and levels out into clean and pleasant experience. I believe that both the new and more experienced smoker will find Pegasus acceptable."

He mentioned Bond Street, which I tried years ago and did not like, but I LIKE Pegasus! Buy two ounces and see for yourself.
 

Sig

Lifer
Jul 18, 2023
2,065
11,728
54
Western NY
Pegusus is one of my favorite blends, but I don't care for OJK or HB.
Pegusus is much more sweet in the Virginia sense and it is much more mellow and less harsh in my opinion.
I always noticed that Pegasus seemed "creamy" and developed thick smoke. Awhile back I watched a video of Jeremy Reeves saying that's exactly what unsweetened black Cavendish does. It adds body and smoke volume without adding much flavor. He said the black Cavendish has almost no flavor on its own.
This is what Reeves says and it aligns with my creamy and thick smoke thing I've noticed with Pegusus.
Also, it's mainly a Burley blend with far less Virginia.
The video is on the C&D YouTube channel. Look for the Pegusus video if you wanna see it.
Here it is.
 

renfield

Unrepentant Philomath
Oct 16, 2011
5,881
52,104
Kansas
Pegasus is more “approachable” than OJK or Haunted Bookshop. A nice benchmark Burley blend. Great with coffee. Try a couple of ounces.

It also ages well. Not as noticeably as straight Virginias and VaPers but it does mellow and very slightly sweeten. (IME with some 9 year old Pegasus).
 

tmcg81

Lifer
May 8, 2020
1,157
19,042
NJ
Pegasus is a blend that i liked as soon as I tried it. So I bought a pound and then found some other tobacco that I liked. Completely forgot about my jars of Pegasus for a year. Tucked back into them and I liked it even more. I've found that it's the blend that I reach for when I want a pipe but don't have any strong feelings about what I want to smoke. It's dependable and hits the spot.
 

SmokingInTheWind

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 24, 2024
745
4,050
New Mexico
I bought 4 oz of bulk. I didn’t care for it at first. I thought it was a bit harsh. Some time in a jar smoothed it out. I would smoke a bowl or two a week and it got progressively better. After a month or so it had improved dramatically. If you decide to try it, don’t rush to judgement.

Perhaps exposure to fresh air from opening the jar occasionally helps take the edge off In the short term. I recently bought a pound and put it up in Mylar. I am curious if long term aging will have the same effect.

I haven’t tried OJK or HB so I can’t compare, but I am enjoying OJK Blue lately. You might want to order a few ounces along with the Pegasus.
 
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Steddy

Lifer
Sep 18, 2021
1,928
33,224
Western North Carolina
Pegasus is the codger burley to rule all others. I’d say try it even if you didn’t like Old Joe or Haunted Bookshop. It’s different enough to warrant a sample as there is no Perique in it. I’d say Pegasus is a good introduction to C&D Burley blends, especially if you’re coming over from traditional codger burleys and looking for something a little more “natural” tasting.
 

Skippy Piper

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 19, 2023
965
11,454
St. Paul, MN
Every tobacco blend that's widely well regarded is worth trying at least once, though if you don't care for Haunted Bookshop then you probably won't like Pegasus since it's basically just Haunted Bookshop with the Perique swapped out for unsweetened Black Cavendish. It's got the same rustic, nutty, barnyard'y Burley flavor as Haunted Bookshop but without the peppercorn spice from the Perique and instead has a very mild sweetness from the Cavendish.

Personally I think Pegasus is great and consider it to be the quintessential ideal of what a non-aromatic Burley blend should be, but as with everything in life your results may vary. On the plus side, it's really cheap to pick up an ounce of it in bulk to try; just give it about two weeks in a jar to let it's flavor and aroma build before trying it if you buy the bulk version instead of a tin. Straight out of the bulk bag it can taste a little flat, but a couple weeks in a jar will make it taste just like the tinned version. puffy
 

pantsBoots

Lifer
Jul 21, 2020
2,535
9,997
Haunted Bookshop and Pegasus are nothing alike, IMO. I love Pegasus and have cellared several several pounds. Haunted Bookshop is awful - I tried a dozen bowls over the course of a couple years and eventually just emptied the tin into a bonfire. Foul stuff.