Rich's Tobaccos - superb blends that you must try!

[clanobucklin]

Hello Amigos! Rich's Cigar Shop is a fine purveyor of pipe smoking tobaccos. You might have run across one of my reviews on one of their blends early on last year. I stopped smoking them for a while after legendary blender Steven Books went on to his own venture - ala House of Calabash.
With some trepidation I started buying tobaccos again from them again and I have to say Bill Schindler is doing an amazing job blending some of our "Rich's Favorites" not to mention adding some new ones to the mix.
Currently I am smoking a wonderful blend called Rainy Days and Mondays which is a highly complex blend of tobaccos that I think has a smidgen of cigar leaf in it. It is off the charts in taste.
Other recomendations:
Boar's Head - this an all time favorite of mine as it has a sweet and sour kind of taste which elevates it above your standard English Mixture - highly recommended.
Smoking Wicked - hell the name sold me right there. This an English with pressed VA's, latakia and good dose of Perique. Wonderful. Easy and cool smoking - this is a blend that you can smoke anytime.
Bill's Blend - Okay it's name after Bill Schindler and I have to say this Aromatic is right up there with the killer blend "Woz." While Woz is a mystery Aromatic blend - it highly complex and is reputed to have some kind of herb mixed in (Arrow Root?) - Bill's Blend is a straight up Va blend that has several different ribbon Va's in it. What sets Bill's Blend apart is the usage of Armangac - which imbues a sweet flavor that is completely different. This is a blend you would like to smoke after dinner - not heavy at all - and absolutely delicious.
Retro Grandpas - Steven Books created Grandpas which he now calls Grandfather's Own. This is new tack on the name created by Bill based on a 50 year old recipe. It is wonderful, highly complex and semi aromatic. I get cocoa, butter, carmel, maple, and oatmeal - definitely worth a try if you like complex semi aromatic blends.
Old Fashioned 759 - this a heavy latakia blend that is so smooth that if you love heavy latakia blends - you gotta try this. Originally blended by Steven Books this blend was suposed to be a "clone" of Balkan Sobranie Gold - which I never tried. We are talking a highly complex Balkan style tobacco - one of my favorites.
Rich's has many other killer blends as well - but my little pop cooler can hold so much tobacco - so I am giving a shout to these blends and encourage all fellow pipe smokers to check Rich's Pipe tobaccos out.
Until next time - Adios Muchachos!
Clanobucklin

 

[rickpal14]

Damn you Charles!!! :nana:
I am trying to be a good boy and clear out the cellar a little before more TAD sets in.... Not gonna happen now!!! :D

 

[zanthal]

I used to puff an aromatic particularly because it had a sweet and sour sort of flavor, you've piqued my curiosity.

 

[matchstickman]

You certainly know good tobacco when you see it, so I may have to dive in and try some of these. Thanks for the recommendations.

 

[stogie37]

Nice! Well, Boar's Head & Smoking Wicked are now on my "to order" list. Can you tell me anything about the tobacco consistency/texture? Particularly with these two blends. I'm referencing the light, dry feel of many of the C&D blends compared to the more dense, moist style of say a McClellands blend. Do these lean either direction? Thanks!

 

[clanobucklin]

Most of the blends are perfectly humidified. They are not too dry or moist for that matter. Consistency? Texture? most of the blends that I have tried are either ribbon, flake or in the case of Smoking Wicked - a pressed flake that is rubbed out leaving a chunky feel. The consistency has not faltered since I have been smoking them for over 2 years now. I had a brief hiatus after Steven Books left - thinking that the quality would drop or the blends would be off - not so! They have remained consistent. Boar's Head tobacco is the only blend that looks different as far as the cut of tobaccos go. However, the blend is still excellent and one of my favorite medium smokes in the English Style.
I forgot to add this one in my last entry: That is -
City of Roses - now called Wild Rose at House of Calabash - I like this one a lot. Rich's blend is a superb mixture of tobaccos that have been called "almost" an Aromatic. Welll...I think this might be misleading - it is not an Aromatic like the kind we are used to - meaning there is no topping or flavoring that mar the beauties of these fine tobaccos. I would call it a "Natural Aromatic." The blend is a smooth mixture with Turkish tobaccos added. The result is a very highly complex medium blend with a spiciness that is very tasty. For some - this could be an everyday/anytime of day smoke. There is a light sweetness (subtle) with a buttery spiciness that just hits the palate - just right. For me it goes great with any kind of beverage pairing - coffee, wine, water, beer, etc. On hot days its not overbearing, while on rainy or foggy days it is a pure comfort kind of smoke. For Aro lovers this might be the one that gets you to branch out into non Aromatic Territory and for English/VaPer lovers - this might be the one you might want to give a go when wanting try something different in your pipe.

 

[stogie37]

Thanks for the quick response! - that's pretty much what I was after.

 

[clanobucklin]

Just got in another 8 ounces of City of Roses. This blend is awesome as it has a superb tobacco taste - the turkish tobaccos hit the ball right out of the park. I love this blend because it can be smoked almost anytime of day. Mild enough for the morning and full enough for a pleasant after dinner smoke. Last night I had a bowl with a couple of glasses of Chardonnay and it was a perfect smoke. This blend is not sweet - more off dry. I encourage all fellow members to give this a try - that is if you are looking for a blend that tastes like "tobacco" and not some overly cased or overly spiced blend with tobacco condiments ie perique or latakia.

 

[terry]

Dang!! like dangling candy in front of a kid...lol..thanks for the recommendations.

 

[waznyf]

Just placed my first TAD order... Looks like I might be placing another.

 

[loneredtree]

Looks like a bad TAD coming. I was going to stop by Rich's next week and house of Calabash too. Now I am going to need a lot of cash or plastic. I will need to schedule some sampling time also. So little time so many wants.

 

[lordnoble]

My wallet and bank account are screaming for your silence, clanobucklin! I've been gearing up for a large TAD order but now I may have to re-think what I'm going to get!
-Jason

 

[clanobucklin]

Enjoy Guys and Gals. I think there is something for everyone on that list. Going out to smoke a bowl of City of Roses right now!