Cigar types - How close?

[David_Lawrence]

This is about the pipe tobacco blends containing cigar leaf or otherwise being compared to our cousins of the tobacco world. Now I acknowledge there's a certain faux pas (I promise I won't resort to that language often) in joining a pipe forum to ask what most resembles cigars but I'm not a 'cigar guy' as such, I'm more attracted to the diverse range of tastes and flavours and sampling things worlds apart.

Which brings me to my latest snag—the most celebrated cigar type blends can only be sourced from across the Atlantic and while the shipping fees on the site in question are very reasonable, it's the tax and duties that have me questioning the whole thing. So...

I'll list the different blends in case anybody here has experience with them, what I'm really looking to find out is ultimately whether even the most cigar-like pipe tobacco is close enough or even just unique/different enough to warrant going out of your way for. I suppose we could get lost in the 'What is a cigar?' question but broadly speaking, the coffee/sweet chocolatey tobacco taste of a Romeo y Julieta Churchill Havana is a taste I'd pay through the nose for.

• On the British side of things, Robert Lewis' 123 blend contains finely crushed Havana leaf, which sounded very promising until I read from numerous reviews that it's really more of a cameo than a leading act. I'll eventually sample this one regardless as it does sound like my thing but it sounds like a 'no cigar'.
• Over to the United States we have G. L. Pease, first with Robusto which appears to have the most renown when it comes to those elusive cigar flavours.
• Also from G. L. Pease is Key Largo, which is clearly very popular but which, much as the Lewis 123, seems to be more of 'subtle cigar notes' than 'I Can't Believe It's Not Cuban'.
• First then from Cornell & Diehl, Habana Daydream—perhaps this reviewer quote sums the whole game up: "As close to a cigar as I've been able to find in a pipe blend. It's still a far cry from a cigar". Once again we have an incredibly popular blend and once again I'm getting the sense that it's like trying to find gold in a silver mine, as the song says.
• And finally then, Cornell & Diehl's Billy Budd (Melville at Sea) which intrigues me as much with its promises of smoke as thick as its nicotine kick as it does the possibly mythical cigar-like pipe tobacco.

To whittle this down, let me summarise what I'm seeking here:

-Do any pipe blends resemble cigar flavours to any significant degree?​

-If so, which in your experience has the fullest resemblance?​

-Would you say the four American blends mentioned are well worth importing regardless of the cigar aspect for their overall quality?​

-If you live in the UK and have imported tobacco from the US, what sort of cost increase did you incur? From my rough calculations, it looked like I could expect an extra 35% on top of the retailer's bill. That's quite hefty for someone seeking something he suspects can't be found.​

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Thank you for reading!

 

[Chasing Embers]

Not to me. Even shredding a cigar and smoking it in a pipe completely changes the experience. I do love pipe blends with cigar components, but the difference is night and day. As for a nicotine kick, never gotten one from pipes or cigars. The only time I've noted effects of nicotine were from smoking cigarettes or chewing whole leaf.

 

[David_Lawrence]

Have you found any of the cigar-likes to be noteably cigar like when compared to other pipe tobaccos though? Setting aside their comparisons to cigars, are they significantly different to non cigar blends?

Also, do you recall the names of any you enjoyed? Cheers.

 

[shanez]

As stated, pipe smoking is an altogether different experience than cigar smoking.

That being said, GH&C Dark Flake Unscented smells like Copenhagen but reminds me of a La Flor Dominicana double ligero in flavor and strength but it's not the same.

I tried Key Largo and hated it. Now that it's been sitting for 10 months I'll have to try it again and see if it's improved.

 

[stogie37]

Hi David - I’m actually smoking a bowl of Robusto as I type. I am an avowed cigar lover with a humidor of thousands, and over 2 decades of regular partaking (decade + aged Havana’s, Dominicans & Hondurans to newly released and everything in between) All of that to qualify what I’m about to say next: Even though I have fair amounts of both Pease blends cellared, if I want a cigar flavor profile, I select a cigar and light it. Period. Once I came to grips with that, I was no longer disappointed in Robusto (my favorite of those I’ve tried) and can now really enjoy smoking it as a pipe tobacco with a uniquely rich character and maybe the ghost of a cigar note on occasion. The place this blend most closely resembles a cigar is upon relight(s)... Yuck - harsh and acrid. As mentioned by others above, I’ve crumbled the cut tops of Montecristo No.2’s into Virginia and Turkish tobacco in the hopes of creating what I was looking for - no success. Rubbed out coins of favorite cigars - not even close. So, for the time being, I would be sure you’re happy paying a premium for some premium PIPE blends and maybe your palate will find a pleasant surprise. For me, the search continues. Half-heartedly! Best wishes - Stogie

 

[augiebd]

I have an unopened tin of Key Largo and hope my experience is better than you had Shanez. The only cigar like blend I’ve tried to date is Old Port Mild. This is based on some inexpensive rum and wine cigarillos that are available in Canada. It is not the cigar experience pipe tobacco you seek.

 

[David_Lawrence]

Thanks all, that will temper my expectations appropriately! To my surprise, I found the Kendal Dark A to have the dark, full and heavy cigarish taste and feel that its description had noted. When it arrived and I smelled it in the tin, I thought I'd made a mistake in buying it as I really don't like its beef jerky type scent but the smoke is something else entirely. It's not a sweet Havana type coffee/chocolate cigar element but rather the thick and heavy taste—my mouth is left with the flavour of a cheaper cigar, which is better than it sounds!

Naturally I went ahead and purchased a 2oz tub of the Robust, the Havana Daydream and the Billy Budd because even if the cigar aspect is minimal, they sound like interesting and satisfying smokes and ultimately that is what I'm really looking for. Also because I have abysmal willpower when it comes to spending money on curiosities.

Overall I do much prefer the pipe smoking experience to cigars, if nothing else for the leisurely and self set pace and the more relaxing feel of lightly puffing and slowly drawing. I do love the taste of a rich Havana but not being rich myself, I couldn't enjoy them as a regular indulgence as the cost of even a cheaper good cigar (like the R&Js) is the same as 50g of some beautiful pipe tobacco that I can 'have and eat too'.

Very interested to see what these two American brands are like, not so excited to see what bonus charges I'll be greeted with though!

 

[anotherbob]

-Do any pipe blends resemble cigar flavours to any significant degree?[/INDENT]

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from my experience Key Largo is awesome but yes it is just a hint. The most cigar like one I've tried is Foxes the Bankers it seriously taste like a cuban with a hint of pipe to it. Seriously that's a must try blend!

 

[trubka2]

The diversity of human palates never ceases to amaze. The cigar leaf in Robusto and Key Largo is totally in-your-face to me. I love both blends, but the cigar component is not subtle for me at all. In Billy Budd, it drowns out everything else except the Lat. And I'm a daily cigar smoker, not some delicate flower with an ultra-refined VA-only palate.

When I have a hankering for a cigar but don't want to break one out for whatever reason (mainly cost, if I'm honest), I often reach for HH Old Dark Fired. Not saying it's cigar-like or anything like that, but it seems to somehow scratch that itch for me. Ditto for Dark Flake Unscented.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The best cigar like pope tobacco I’ve had is HU Nyala bar none. I’m a GLP fan but do not like Robusto at all.

 

[mso489]

I enjoy C&D Billy Budd with cigar leaf, and I have blending cigar leaf to add to other blends now and then, or to smoke by itself. That being said, I'd discourage people from looking for cigar flavor with cigar leaf in a pipe. Cigars are a designed smoke, like eating in a good restaurant where everything is arranged and you sit down and enjoy it. With a pipe, you make a lot of decisions all the way -- which pipe, which blend, how you pack it, if you mix in any other tobacco. It's just enough different that it won't give you a cigar experience, and a cigar won't simulate a pipe. The taste you get from a given tobacco may be reminiscent, but still won't taste the same. That's my take. It's pretty personal. Someone else may find cigar leaf is cigar leaf, however it is smoked. But it's not my experience.