CAO Eileen's Dream

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Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,735
27,431
39
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
As a newer pipe smoker who has been migrating toward VAs and away from aromatics, I was nonetheless excited to try this one. I have had good experiences with aros on the milder side (Peterson Connoisseur's Choice, Ashton Winding Road, Mac Baren Vanilla Roll Cake etc.), but had quite awful experiences with the goopier, saturated aros, one of which was another CAO blend, Cherrybomb. However, one of their others, Moontrance, is a favorite of mine in that genre, so I cracked the tin of ED and went in not knowing what to expect.

Unsurprisingly, fantastic tin note. This is one of the several reasons I enjoy a good aromatic blend. Also unsurprisingly, many aros need significant dry time out of the tin. ED was no exception, but that just gives me more time to enjoy the tin note. I know the drill with aros; pack lightly, draw lightly, and draw less frequently than I'm tempted to, lest my tongue cite provisions to me in the sections of the Geneva Convention banning torture. And you know what? I did a fairly good job of it, but as for enjoyment...I thought it was "just alright." Not a disappointment like Cherrybomb, but also not satisfying, like 1Q for example. Just a generic sweet taste, but very nebulous, nothing definitive. I prepared myself for a completely soaked final quarter of the bowl, and my preparation was rewarded with precisely what I expected. As I said, I know the drill with aros. SP.com should sell mini-wetvacs. They'd clean up, no pun intended.

As I was dumping the detritus, I began to notice a rather funky room note. I hadn't noticed it when the tobacco was burning (I only smoke outdoors), but after it was finished and no more smoke was in the air, this scent hit me out of nowhere, and it wasn't a good thing by any stretch. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I thought I might've been imagining it. Once I went indoors to put my accoutrements away, I received confirmation; it wasn't just me! My wife, who usually enjoys the room note of just about every blend I smoke (even the stinky Lat bombs), mentioned that I smelled like an old man who had been smoking bad tobacco all day! It smelled like something overtly artificial to her, way more so than anything else I'd ever smoked (including Capt. Black Cherry even), and I couldn't help but agree at that point. She noticed the same thing I did, but phrased it in such a way that I immediately hopped in the shower while my pipe was cooling down outside. I don't need that s**t! The shower took care of it, but I was left to ponder this for the rest of the evening. What was that thing?! Was it an entity, like the BO in the Seinfeld episode "The Smelly Car?" Perhaps, as the great Nigel Tufnel once put it...best to leave it unsolved.

Needless to say, look for my post this week in the Tobacco Sale section of the forum (two sealed tins plus most of a third). I think I'll stick with the myriad other aromatic options I have, for the sake of my tongue and my marriage.

P.S. Errr....has anyone else noticed this?
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,610
I'm picky about aromatics. Either they are tobacco forward with flavoring just complementing the tobacco, or they give off unpleasant odors and tastes and weird aftertastes. The worst bite and chemical burns I've had have been from aromatic blends, holiday blends with heavy flavoring being the worst. As soon as I went to mostly non-aromatics, these problems disappeared. Burning the vast array of flavorings is bound to produce some odd byproducts, odors, and tastes. Brands that offer only aromatics, I avoid.
 

Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,735
27,431
39
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
I'm picky about aromatics. Either they are tobacco forward with flavoring just complementing the tobacco, or they give off unpleasant odors and tastes and weird aftertastes. The worst bite and chemical burns I've had have been from aromatic blends, holiday blends with heavy flavoring being the worst. As soon as I went to mostly non-aromatics, these problems disappeared. Burning the vast array of flavorings is bound to produce some odd byproducts, odors, and tastes. Brands that offer only aromatics, I avoid.
You make a very good point. CAO is indeed one of those brands, but blessedly the only one in my cellar that is exclusive to aros. I agree 100%, the toppings should just be complimenting the tobacco, rather than interfering with it. I'll be happy to move on from this one.
 
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saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,192
5,115
Natural tobaccos afford much pleasure. To practice the mindset of smoking tobacco treated with artificial flavor, to me, is just goofy. Why, when one already has a great deal of flavor?

You can say flavor is where you find it, or smoke what you like and like what you smoke, etc. You can say it, but in the case of additives, I don't know why you would.
 

TheDesertPiper

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 5, 2021
137
539
Arizona
I like Eileen's Dream. Not the most tantalizing aromatic I have ever smoked, but I enjoy it. Never had (or at least noticed) that artificial BO from hell you are describing.
 
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ChuckMijo

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 26, 2020
775
2,355
Mix it with some chocolate flavored tobacco and a little Jacknife plug. Quite nice. Smells and taste like a York Peppermint Patty.
 

Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,735
27,431
39
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
Generally, I'm migrating away from the super flavored stuff. I acquired someone else's cellar, so I've been going through blends over the last year or so I've had it, and most of the ones I've sold or traded out have been the really heavily cased aros. I remember specifically the P&C "Out Of Office" blends were absolutely over the top with it.

I do have a chocolate blend that I really enjoy (Drew Estate Central Park Stroll), but mint is not my jam! I've got so many different aros going at the moment that I'm just going to move on from this one. They can't all be gems, right?
 

Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,735
27,431
39
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
Update: so I sold all the ED, but this experience forced me to crack a tin of my other CAO blend (Bella Vanilla) and try it, just to see if the same problem came up again. Fortunately, it did not; BV is noticeably more subdued than ED on all accounts. Spousal hatred avoided...again. ?
 

jewman22

Lifer
Apr 2, 2021
1,110
10,956
Ontario Canada
I quite enjoy this blend on occasion, and like others have already said, mild dressing as more of a condiment, rather than the main course.
But I will note that this blend looses a great deal of both flavour and aroma after about a month in a jar. It does not keep very long after opening, so make up your mind in a hurry if you like it.
 
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Kissel bixby

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 10, 2021
113
163
Really wanted to love eileens dream. Started off eehhh. I like English n aros. I love Irish cream n didn't get any hint of it. Half way through the tin, it grew on me, subtle, sweet, burns for a decent amount of time. The wife liked the smell, even when she was close to me. Not sure if I would buy again. I like Moontrance better.
 
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