Love and Hate: The Tale of the Haunted Bookshop

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seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
3,109
11,135
Canada
Fresh it is a bit rough. I agree with the jar time smoothing things out a bit. After a few years it is remarkably smooth. I have a bunch from 2018 and 2020 that I smoke occasionally. This is the time of year that I smoke it the most. In the heat of summer I find it too heavy and I can't smoke it inside over winter out of respect for my wife lol.
 

jbfrady

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 27, 2023
741
3,211
South Carolina
In the short time I've been smoking a pipe, I have not encountered a more polarizing tobacco than Haunted Bookshop. So, what say you? Love it or hate it? For my part, I love it.
It's polarizing because it's a blend for the purists, for those who want the taste of raw tobacco and little else. From the article below:

"Cornell & Diehl does produce tobaccos that are entirely free of flavorings, like Haunted Bookshop and London Squire."

 

EchoPlex

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 9, 2023
136
967
It's the only bowl I can never finish. The flavor and aftertaste carry a strong association with binge smoking a pack of Camels from my youth. In fact, when I first tried it, I was convinced I had a bad tin and bought a second tin that had a little age on it. That didn't help at all. I'll still revisit it every now and then, but my brain can't disassociate the dirty, re-lit cigarette flavor I get. Mad respect to those who can appreciate it. It definitely haunts my palate.
 
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irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,275
4,094
Kansas
It's the only bowl I can never finish. The flavor and aftertaste carry a strong association with binge smoking a pack of Camels from my youth. In fact, when I first tried it, I was convinced I had a bad tin and bought a second tin that had a little age on it. That didn't help at all. I'll still revisit it every now and then, but my brain can't disassociate the dirty, re-lit cigarette flavor I get. Mad respect to those who can appreciate it. It definitely haunts my palate.
Same for me. Seemed too bland.
 
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Aug 11, 2022
2,663
20,893
Cedar Rapids, IA
I prefer the cake version of HB. Pressed seems to bring out a missing element from regular HB.
I've got a tin of Haunted Bookshop Cake in the cellar, "aging" while I smoke up a few other open jars. I've smoked a few bowls of C&D's blending burleys, alone or mixed with other things. While I've always been able to finish them, no combination has made me fall in love yet. I'll give HBC an honest try, though!
 

Mortamyhr

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2023
524
1,531
Nashville, TN
While I can’t say I love it, it’s my go-to don’t want to think about it tobacco. Though, as many have said, I am preferring OJK lately. My next bulk buy will probably replace HB with OJK.
 
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Redtech

Lurker
Mar 20, 2023
20
50
It's one of the few non-aromatic bulk blends my local shop sells. I but an ounce or two every month and jar it up. I can smoke it and enjoy it fresh, but even two months in the jar makes a big difference to me. My go to evening smoke for the fall.
 

Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,833
28,146
39
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
Never tried this blend, but I'm guessing I would despise it, ditto OJK. Burley and I don't get along particularly well--for me, it has to be condimental to a VA base, not the other way around. Peterson Sherlock Holmes is a good example. A dusting of burley, just so you know it's there, a nice counterplay to the bright sweetness of the VAs. Mac Baren Golden Extra is about as burley heavy as I can get. Beyond that, I'm left wanting to massage aloe vera gel into my trachea. Even Pegasus was just too damn harsh. But hey, that's just me. I know there are plenty of pipe smokers out there who would say, "Cool, more for me!" I'm fine with that. And the flip side of that coin is all the myriad aromatics those folks pass by that I gleefully stock up on. That's the great thing about pipe smoking--everybody doesn't have to agree.

Don't you agree? Don't you?!? C'mon, don't be an asshole and disagree with that! :ROFLMAO:
 

Skippy B. Coyote

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 19, 2023
549
6,684
St. Paul, MN
Mac Baren Golden Extra is about as burley heavy as I can get. Beyond that, I'm left wanting to massage aloe vera gel into my trachea. Even Pegasus was just too damn harsh.

Thanks for the inadvertent recommendation! I love the flavors of Burley but my throat doesn't always agree on the matter, so I'll pick up some Golden Extra on my next tobacco order in case Pegasus ends up being too harsh on my throat like Haunted Bookshop and Old Joe Krantz are. I always assumed it was the Perique in them that bothered my throat, but maybe it really is just the Burley.