Haunted Bookshop - Love Or Hate...

[--dante--]

Wow! I did not realize B. Runowski made Old Joe Krantz as a clone of Haunted Bookshop! Cool!! I enjoy Haunted Bookshop but REALLY LIKE Old Joe Krantz. And I must mention that I LOVE Old Joe Krantz Blue label ))
kindly
mike
ps--thanks for including this info. in your post!

I can't say he was making a stronger clone of HB, but I've smoked 'em both for years, and they really are the same excepting strength and spiciness. They are both his style, for sure. The ingredients are the same, just a matter of degrees.

 

[--dante--]

Looking for more nuanced flavors rather than slap you in the face flavors

Give OJK Red Label a try if you would still like something like OJK but with a touch of Latakia. It will be in line with your current tastes, I think.

 

[--dante--]

Truthfully Adagio is my favorite of them. The tin note smells of old cheese and dirty socks but don't let that stop you. It's a great blend.

Let me know what you think if you try it.

Honestly, old cheese and dirty socks are to me an indication I'm onto something

 

[--dante--]

Looking for more nuanced flavors rather than slap you in the face flavors

I can appreciate that -- I just don't think the blends we're talking about slap anyone in the face. If they do, it's to say "wake up and stop looking for flavors!"

 

[dcicero]

I had a bowl where I think I understood the name. Could never recreate the experience. Haven't had it since.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Your descriptions make this sound so appealing to me!! I'll have to try the whole leaf blending out (got some varieties sitting in the sealed bags right now just begging to be smoked ))

Thanks so very much for posting this.
kindly
mike

When I make the blend again this is what I’ll do:

equal quantities of burley and bright leaf. For bright leaf i prefer it to be red/orange/double bright forward but anything should do. I roll these into sticks and then slice into ribbons. (Remember total dry weight)

stuff tobacco into a jar and add half of its weight in water. Put jar in slow cooker water bath for 24hrs on low (about 190f).

Add sliced/cubed perique at about 5% of original dry weight of vabur blend

put in something to press for 24hours - I’ve found just stuff into a ziplock and sort of pressing it down, wrapping the bag around it to shape and then putting in the vice to work well.

once out, slice and rub out. Dry blend out until it weighs “original dry weight + 5%”. Alternatively, if you have a vacuum sealer, you can let your cake age while still in medium case before drying down.

 

[logs]

I can't say he was making a stronger clone of HB, but I've smoked 'em both for years, and they really are the same excepting strength and spiciness. They are both his style, for sure. The ingredients are the same, just a matter of degrees.

Runowski actually reviewed many of his own blends on Tobacco Reviews. You can still read them if you know what to look for (although it's gotten harder now that most reviews prior to 2010 have lost their original names and are lumped under "Emeritus Account").

Here's Runowski's review for Old Joe Krantz (note the four stars he gives himself ):

 

[--dante--]

Runowski actually reviewed many of his own blends on Tobacco Reviews. You can still read them if you know what to look for (although it's gotten harder now that most reviews prior to 2010 have lost their original names and are lumped under "Emeritus Account").

Here's Runowski's review for Old Joe Krantz (note the four stars he gives himself ):

View attachment 80858

Thanks for posting this! I love it!

 

[ClenchedBilliard]

In times past I was a 3-5 bowl a day C&D burley smoker. My favorite was OJK but I also smoked a fair amount of HB, usually on the morning commute. I get the cigarette-ish thing, but to me it also had more of a grainy Grape Nuts cereal taste which I liked. Plus I noticed that after a little time in the jar it had a pleasant musty flavor and aroma that reminded me of old books. It may very well be the power of suggestion that brought out the old book notes, but if it was intentional it is brilliant!

 

[--dante--]

In times past I was a 3-5 bowl a day C&D burley smoker. My favorite was OJK but I also smoked a fair amount of HB, usually on the morning commute. I get the cigarette-ish thing, but to me it also had more of a grainy Grape Nuts cereal taste which I liked. Plus I noticed that after a little time in the jar it had a pleasant musty flavor and aroma that reminded me of old books. It may very well be the power of suggestion that brought out the old book notes, but if it was intentional it is brilliant!

I get what you mean by that -- it sets a certain tone, as opposed to "Elegant Emu, Purple Cow, Audacious Varmint", etc. Even given the latter are good blends. Note: Admittedly I haven't had AV.

 

[ClenchedBilliard]

A

I get what you mean by that -- it sets a certain tone, as opposed to "Elegant Emu, Purple Cow, Audacious Varmint", etc. Even given the latter are good blends. Note: Admittedly I haven't h

I get what you mean by that -- it sets a certain tone, as opposed to "Elegant Emu, Purple Cow, Audacious Varmint", etc. Even given the latter are good blends. Note: Admittedly I haven't had AV.

Admittedly I don’t recall trying that one either. Riverboat Gambler and Evening Rise are both good C&D burleys as well, though in a bit different vein.

 

[--dante--]

A


Admittedly I don’t recall trying that one either. Riverboat Gambler and Evening Rise are both good C&D burleys as well, though in a bit different vein.

 

[--dante--]

A


Admittedly I don’t recall trying that one either. Riverboat Gambler and Evening Rise are both good C&D burleys as well, though in a bit different vein.

I was kidding about the last one (Audacious Varmint) -- it doesn't exist, but if it did, it'd be a C&D blend

 

[logs]

Here's a couple of other of Bob Runowski's old posts on Tobacco Reviews, if anyone's curious.

PEGASUS Review


MORLEY'S BEST Review

 

[northernpipeshed]

Found it boring, even after several bowls over two years of aging.

I used to love it......until they changed the cut a few years back......but something else also changed ( as with OJK)

Now I agree it's just mehhhh.....

 

[ClenchedBilliard]

I was kidding about the last one (Audacious Varmint) -- it doesn't exist, but if it did, it'd be a C&D blend

Hey, it sounded legit haha. They should consider that for a future blend.

 

[beezer]

I only recently gained an appreciation for C&D blends. For years my tastes found most of what I tried to be harsh and extremely rough around the edges. The only time I would grab a tin of something is if I needed to push my cart over the edge to get free shipping. On more than one occasion I couldn't make it to the bottom of a tin and either gave it away or in a rare case or two tossed it.

Fast forward to today...most mornings when I want a stout blend to get my day started I reach for a C&D blend. I've grown to enjoy their offerings and increasingly look to add more variety to my cellar.

I haven't tried Haunted Bookshop, but will add a pair of tins the next time I place an order.

 

[JKoD]

I like it. There are certainly better smokes out there, but I’d have no issue smoking this regularly. OJK and Burley Flake #1 are better for burley blends...but, I don’t get quite the same amount of burley flavor from bookshop. I seem to find the perique a bit more in this one for the first half and then settle in to a simple tobacco for the remainder of the bowl, perhaps considered flat. I do like the nicotine this offers and I’d consider this a more rugged smoke...so, if you are fu-fu and need umbrella’s in your beverages, you better pass.