Ken Byron Blends Great Virginias

[bluegrassbrian]

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.

 

[92degrees]

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.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Correct. His virginia blends are what I keep coming back for.

 

[pcfdave]

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.

 

[JKoD]

Santa Drive is tasty.

 

[Arthur Frayn]

Can someone shed light on Ken's pricing structure. It's a little different from other blenders and seems a bit opaque.

 

[pcfdave]

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

 

[JimInks]

Can someone shed light on Ken's pricing structure. It's a little different from other blenders and seems a bit opaque.

The shipping prices are built into the overall price from what I have heard.

 

[Arthur Frayn]

The shipping prices are built into the overall price from what I have heard.

Thank you. btw, I enjoy your thoughtful reviews.

 

[Arthur Frayn]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Worknman]

He also has a point system that I've used before to get $10 off after $200 spent.

 

[JimInks]

Thank you. btw, I enjoy your thoughtful reviews.

I thank you for the kind words.

 

[jmg81]

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.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I have two words - Van "Go"!

 

[Ray Popp]

Just found his Website. Says he is a TN company ... anyone know where in Tennessee?

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I like KBV blends for something different. Great Virginias and always a little different. I'm one who likes what he's doing.

 

[coming to_falling too]

I like KBV blends for something different. Great Virginias and always a little different. I'm one who likes what he's doing.

Same. I've enjoyed everything I've had from him.

 

[pcfdave]

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.