Bijou... Anyone?

[hillbillyjosh]

I just received my second order couple days ago.
With the heavily anticipated arrival of Bijou.
Read the reviews. Watched some video reviews. Got all fired up for this one.
Cracked the can. Light familiar smell. Packed a bowl. Got a good char, and commenced smoking.
Straight cigarette taste..... put it down let it cool, lit it back up. Same cigarettes taste.
Not a fan.
Any other blends like this so I can avoid.
I'd be willing to trade this Bijou once I hit 100 posts. I'll cellar it till then.
New favorite. Old Dark Fired. Now that's good stuff.
And came to conclusion after trying Smokers Pride Black Cav, and Lane BCA.
PS Black Cav is better.
Also enjoyed 7seas Black.
Sutliff Chocolate Mouse has too much chocolate.
Combined with Sutliff Espresso. Is a nice treat.
I would compare it to DE Tabak Red Eye.
I'm gonna blend a little PS black coffee, to tone down that chocolate a little more.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

I wouldn't give up on the Bijou just yet. That is part of the "cellar" series and is sort of intended to age a bit (though many seem to like it new). Maybe jar it, give it a year and reapproach?

 

[hobie1dog]

With the heavily anticipated arrival of Bijou.
Straight cigarette taste..... put it down let it cool, lit it back up. Same cigarettes taste.

That would kill it for me. Thanks for posting this for us.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm sure that issues have been fixed, but after last year's Bijou faux pas, I won't go near it.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

I must have missed that. Another mold issue?

 

[hillbillyjosh]

I was going to throw it straight in my humidor.... but also heard about last years issue. So I cracked it to confirm everything was kosher.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

I'd jar it to seal it for best aging if you're going to keep it.

 

[philobeddoe]

I had been curious about Bijou, now maybe not so much.

 

[hillbillyjosh]

Made with 2003 red virginias... that's not aged enough?
Will do Tom. I will come back after a couple months.

 

[hillbillyjosh]

Yes Tom, mold was found in many tins last year by various buyers. I believe the batch was isolated, and all is well.... well enough I suppose.

 

[halfy]

My attitude towards a blend would change by aging, the typical converging period is half to two years...The first few bowls of Bijou were not so pleasant. It was a bit rough and newish to me so I put it back in cellar(I threw in about a hundred tins of tobacco I don't appreciate so much at first). A few months later I happened to give it a try, I really regretted I bought just two tins ...

 

[hillbillyjosh]

Interesting....

 

[hillbillyjosh]

Might been a little better tonight. Hmmmm....

 

[josephcross]

If it's red Virginias, let it dry and sip slow.

 

[rigmedic1]

I recently opened a tin of Bijou, around 2 years old. The Katerini seemed to be dominant, with a sour note on top of the Virginia flavor, with no sweetness at all. I actually liked it, and smoked through the tin in about a month as part of my rotation. I have another tin that I purchased out of the first release, and plan to let that one age. I would buy it again.

 

[hawky454]

Doesn't taste like cigarettes to me. Has a fairly strong honey topping on it too. It's a pretty darn good blend, I enjoy it. I'd do the two pipe trick and sort of prep you palate with a smoke just prior to lighting up the Bijou. You may have an entirely different experience. Most of the time when people say a blend tastes like cigarettes they aren't picking up on the subtleties for what ever reason. The two pipe trick may help you taste the blend a little better, it works for me.