Ken Byron Blends Great Virginias

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bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
5,973
51,335
41
Louisville
I've enjoyed the Byronic Slices and Fragments quite a bit.
Didn't mind the Livewire either especially in Summer.. reminded me of Peacehaven/Brighton and I can be a sucker for shag cuts.

At present I've been smoking a fair amount of the Mr Christian Brightside and the Patience of Dr Silence.
I love orientals so much that I'll smoke them on their own and love every minute of it. I also really enjoy CD Sunbear, so when I read the description of Brightside it was a no-brainer.
Another blend that I really like in moderation is Gawith Sams Flake. I love the tonquin application but it can be a bit bitey. When I read that the Dr Silence had a "tonka like" addition I thought what the hell.. and I've really enjoyed it. Topped in moderation and the blend of various virginias gives it a good depth and nuance.
 
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92degrees

Lurker
Feb 25, 2019
15
22
I was buying a lot of his blends when I was buying a lot of blends. Most everything has been good. I really like Verge Engine Overdrive, Mountains of Madness, and a few others. I was in love with Artifact Blend but never was able to buy enough to hold me over for very long. I feel like lately it's hard for me to parse what he's doing with blends based on the descriptions but maybe I'm not putting in enough effort.
 

pcfdave

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 10, 2021
108
186
I've been enjoying most of Ken's Virginia blends. Mostly enjoying his recent Santa Overdrive but all the other Virginia blends have been great. I didn't care for his Byronic Hiro at first. Mostly because of the format, it was cumbersome to cut, rub out and smoke. But the other day I had a bowl and thourally enjoyed it. Going to give Jupiter Slices another try too. Still trying to figure out what is the difference between those two anyhow. Wish I could have got the recent Country Squire release of old McCelland stuff "Whale Song". to compare with Ken's stuff. Oh well. Cheers.
 

pcfdave

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 10, 2021
108
186
Honestly don’t know beyond at times he mentions limited sources of which he makes blends so obviously he dictates the scarcity of what’s on hand. I figured most blenders have the power to choose however much to charge. Obviously if customers don’t want to pay their prices they have to reevaluate their pricing structure. Given he is a drop in the bucket compared to the volumes of C&D and GLP. I don’t really even compare the two. Scarcity or volume always drives the pricing. Good question though
 

Arthur Frayn

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 8, 2023
200
840
66
Sonoma county, Calif.
Honestly don’t know beyond at times he mentions limited sources of which he makes blends so obviously he dictates the scarcity of what’s on hand. I figured most blenders have the power to choose however much to charge. Obviously if customers don’t want to pay their prices they have to reevaluate their pricing structure. Given he is a drop in the bucket compared to the volumes of C&D and GLP. I don’t really even compare the two. Scarcity or volume always drives the pricing. Good question though
Just to clarify, I'm one who doesn't mind paying for craftmanship. So pinching pennies isn't my thing. I felt a little confused on how to buy a pound or more.
 

Worknman

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 23, 2019
968
2,819
He experiments and does some interesting things with different blends. I think he plays around with toppings more than other blenders too. I dont know if he sources from sutliff or not, but the tobaccos remind me of sutliff.

I found sakura to be quite good. Artifact blend is also good, maybe a tad bitey but not too bad.
 

kschatey

Lifer
Oct 16, 2019
1,118
2,271
Ohio
Just to clarify, I'm one who doesn't mind paying for craftmanship. So pinching pennies isn't my thing. I felt a little confused on how to buy a pound or more.
Shipping cost is included in the price. Prices per item used to be discounted as more items were added to the order, but that feature seems to have been removed.
 
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jmg81

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 8, 2019
234
1,523
Camp Humphreys, South Korea
Just to clarify, I'm one who doesn't mind paying for craftmanship. So pinching pennies isn't my thing. I felt a little confused on how to buy a pound or more.
Strictly speaking about the tobacco blends that he blends and not manufactured tins.

1-2 items will be regular priced
3-4 items will get you $1 taken off each item
5 or more will be $2 off each item

Most blends are sold in 2 oz packages, so if you wanted to buy a lb, you'd buy 8 of the same blend.

As mentioned above, there is a membership points system as well. 1 point per $ spent. Points can be redeemd at 20 points to $1. So kind of like a 5% cash back.
 
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pcfdave

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 10, 2021
108
186
Yeah I agree with said comments above. I find you pay a little more but are rewarded with consistently good to great tobacco. My experience with other major players it is cheaper but more of a gamble whether it is going to be great for my liking.