Haunted Bookshop First Thoughts

[texmexpipe]

Picked up a 4oz bag of this from SPC. I've been exploring burley blends of late and took the opportunity of a new pipe to try a new blend as well. SPC says "Haunted Bookshop is a Burley and VA blend with just a touch of Perique."

The pouch note lets you know that this blend is aptly named, it's slightly sweet but only faintly so, and musty in a very pleasing way. The initial light was delightful. Notes of nutty burley and plum where very upfront. Then I experienced immediate spice. I was a little taken back because of the description that I'd read. The perique is quite strong and present. I suspect that some of the spice is from the dark fired as well. I smoke Bayou Morning regularly and enjoy perique but wasn't suspecting this. It was very upfront for the first half of the bowl. When this blend began to be magic was when I started to sip it slowly. Then the favors began to show themselves nicely. The retro hale is dark stewed fruit and spice, the burley's nuttyness is in the aftertaste and the VA never to my taste brought any sweet to the party just a subtle earthiness. I suspect that it is what lends that musty note to the blend. The room note will not make you popular by any means. I think this will be a contemplative blend for me as smoking slow is a very conscious thing for me. It would be easy to label this blend harsh or a one trick pony. Complex isn't a description that I'd give it either. Given proper attention everyone plays very nice together. The nicotine is notable and should be handled with care if you're not used to it, however it's not over the top.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This is one that I enjoy quite a bit as well. Always order a couple of pounds when SPC has their C&D sales.

 

[pitchfork]

My first time smoking Haunted Bookshop was not pleasant. Being new to natural burley blends, it was so harsh and I hated it. But now it's one of my favorites and one of the few blends I buy in larger quantities.
Great write-up, though. I wonder if it isn't the Perique that's harsh, but the particular combination of burleys used and the presence of some bright VA. By contrast, I've always found Old Joe Krantz, which is loaded with Perique, to be somewhat smoother.

 

[cortezattic]

Wonderful write-up, Tex! A good example of focused pipe smoking -- a discipline I often struggle with. I've enjoyed HB for many years, and I think your observations are spot-on and nicely verbalized -- itself a difficult thing to do.

 

[mso489]

C&D is the master of burley blends. I haven't tried this one, but a number of their others. If you like burley, C&D probably has a suite of blends you'll like.

 

[tuold]

pitchfork wrote:

My first time smoking Haunted Bookshop was not pleasant. Being new to natural burley blends, it was so harsh and I hated it. But now it's one of my favorites and one of the few blends I buy in larger quantities.

I'm still in the "not pleasant" stage but I'm glad there is hope I'll like it someday. I've got four ounces in a jar in my cellar waiting for the day. I've tried other burley blends I like but this one just chokes me.

 

[shutterbugg]

My first thought upon hearing the name was "who tf wants to smoke a blend that smells like an old bookshop?"

 

[texmexpipe]

The more I smoke this the better it becomes. I'm about 8 bowls into it now and while my first thoughts still stand this blend is just fantastic. The burley is just delicious, and once I found the right pace for this it just sings a beautiful song. The perique is not the spice monster it was the first time and really adds a dark fruit note to the whole bowl.

 

[perdurabo]

This is an everyday smoke. I've got one of those big medicine jars, with 4 to 5 ounces of the stuff in there. It's cool, I walk up to this antique marble top book case, I've got my Absonthe Paraphnellia, and this big medicine jar of Haunted Bookshop. Pour a glass of Absinthe; louche and pack a bowl of the Bookshop. Nice.

 

[deathmetal]

Jump straight into Old Joe Krantz for another take on this formula. Both are great stuff.