Boswell’s is technically my local tobacconist and has been for years, so of course I’ve smoked a whole slew of his blends, and with that I’ve had a long time to think about this. Not in any way to throw shade, and I do mean that, but if it was between The Country Squire’s blends and Boswell’s blends, TCS wins by 20,000 leagues. Boswell’s blends aren’t horrible, but I wouldn’t call any of them that I’ve smoked more than okay. The reason as to why I personally feel this is less up-in-the-air in my mind and instead is much more of a paradoxical “objective subjective” is because I have visited both stores many, many times in the last few years, and during this time I didn’t smoke any other B&M’s blends other than his.
Why try other house blends when there is so much to try here already? Seemed silly.
So, I smoked and smoked and their blends for a years, some more, some less, but at the end of the day, and I’m sad to feel this way, but his blends in my eyes are simply okay at best.
Trust me, I never wanted to find them all just so-so, they just smoked that way, no matter which pipe I stuffed it into.
Their English blends either bore or overwhelm (but I must state that I am not a Latakia infatuant), his burley blends don’t stand out in any noticeable fashion than any other burley blend I’ve had, his VA/VAper selection is microscopic and dull, and a sizeable chunk of his blends, both aromatic and non-aromatic have this particular sweet topping that while I’m sure is doing its best smoothing over some of the leaf’s rougher edges, is ultimately unpalatable to me. I spent years trying to look for one that I actually dug, and when I finally found one, Blackjack, a blend touting honestly good flavor, a real nice old fashioned blend, I found it really truly bites me, no matter how long I dry it. I’m no chuffer neither, proper bummed I was as I do really like it, but the most delicious blend isn’t worth a higher chance of mouth cancer.
Though, who knows or really cares, I often feel like a glitch in the matrix of pipe smokers when it comes to both his pipes and blends anyway, as I’ve never had either his pipes or blends coax from me anything more than a slight, silent, sullen “meh.”