The person who invented throat lozenges died last week. There was no coffin at the funeral.
Skippy's Blend of the Week
- Thread starter Skippy Piper
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"...no coffin..." Great line!
Skippy, another great write-up! As a confirmed cherry-holic I really appreciate your extensive testing of the genre. I'm trying to reduce my tobacco holdings so rarely buy, but I do keep notes on your experiences. Many thanks, these articles are a real benefit to pipesmagazine readers.
Skippy, another great write-up! As a confirmed cherry-holic I really appreciate your extensive testing of the genre. I'm trying to reduce my tobacco holdings so rarely buy, but I do keep notes on your experiences. Many thanks, these articles are a real benefit to pipesmagazine readers.
No problem, as I mentioned, I ended up making some lovely “Hobbit’s Weed” out of it, so it wasn’t a wasted purchase at all. Cherry is a hard flavor to nail down, as it has such a wide range of associations with medicine, candy, pies, all in addition to the fruit itself, so what works perfectly for one fella is another’s bane. I appreciate your ongoing reviews and as I said, I’ll eventually give TK-6 a try to see if it’s the one for me. I also hear good things about GH’s cherry aro and want to try it sometime as well.
Another great review.
For me, Watch City Cigar’s Bada Bing is the only cherry blend I need.
It is so good.
For me, Watch City Cigar’s Bada Bing is the only cherry blend I need.
It is so good.
Fair warning, Gawith Hoggarth's American Black Cherry and Samuel Gawith's Black Cherry Cavendish are by orders of magnitude the most cough syrup'y cherry blends I've ever tried. Samuel's Black Cherry Cavendish in particular had the peculiar quality of leaving a cherry cough syrup flavor practically embedded in my tongue, the taste of which could not be removed by any variety of food, cola, or mouthwash and persisted for about 4 hours after smoking.
On the flip side, Gawith Hoggarth's Kendal Black Cherry is rather lovely and has a very pleasant non-cough syrupy natural cherry fruit flavor coupled with a floral Lakeland essence that works with the cherry to create a flavor that reminds me very much of the aroma of a cherry blossom tree blooming in the spring. I'm not sure exactly what floral essence they use, but it isn't the rose-geranium essence found in #7 Broken Flake, Bosun Cut Plug, and Coniston Cut Plug that I find to be rather soapy tasting. It's more similar to the essence in Ennerdale Flake that I find quite pleasant.
I tend to only review blends that I have at least a somewhat positive initial impression of and Kendal Black Cherry is one that I've already smoked through half a tin of and should probably review at some point. It's a pretty good one!
Thank you Joe! I think there's a real joy in finding a pipe blend that suits you just perfectly, and I've been having a lot of fun sharing my experiences with everyone here along the way! Most of them don't end up being keepers for me, since I'm so darn picky about all sorts of things when it comes to pipe tobacco, but even those blends are still learning experiences and I think if you've learned something from a blend then your time wasn't wasted with it.
One of the biggest things I've learned is that what I used to think I wanted from a pipe tobacco, that being a really strong yet smooth blend with a nicotine wallop the size of an elephant, wasn't what I actually wanted at all. At the end of the day what I really find myself smoking 98% of the time is mild to medium strength blends with a smooth and and gentle retrohale that require no special preparation or dry time before smoking. Blends that I can just stuff in my pipe and take with me while out and about with no fuss and no need to worry about whether I have a meal on my stomach or not. A lot of the blends that initially made my keeper list but didn't quite meet the above criteria ended up getting later removed, since I just didn't find myself wanting to smoke them much at all after the review period was done.
On that note, you might be surprised how small my keeper list actually is after all the blends I've reviewed. At this point it is:
Lane Limited - RLP-6
Lane Limited - TK-6
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Mixed
Presbyterian Mixture
I am going to be revisiting Peterson Early Morning Pipe soon though, and Cornell & Diehl Pegasus as well. I don't have any Early Morning Pipe around at the moment and part of my brain thinks I may like it a little better than Presbyterian Mixture, so I'm going to pick up another tin of EMP and really compare them closely to see which I prefer.
I also remember really enjoying Pegasus aside from the throat irritation that I tend to get from Burley blends and C&D blends in general, but having recently discovered that I seem to be able to smoke Burley without much of any throat troubles if I smoke it in a pipe with a 6mm Dr. Grabow filter I think it's worth giving Pegasus another go. I should probably also pick up another tin of Haunted Bookshop for review and testing as well, since even without a filter and the throat irritation I often got from it I still enjoyed Haunted Bookshop enough to smoke through the entire tin I had of it! So, expect a Haunted Bookshop review coming at some point.
Thank you Joe! I think there's a real joy in finding a pipe blend that suits you just perfectly, and I've been having a lot of fun sharing my experiences with everyone here along the way! Most of them don't end up being keepers for me, since I'm so darn picky about all sorts of things when it comes to pipe tobacco, but even those blends are still learning experiences and I think if you've learned something from a blend then your time wasn't wasted with it.
One of the biggest things I've learned is that what I used to think I wanted from a pipe tobacco, that being a really strong yet smooth blend with a nicotine wallop the size of an elephant, wasn't what I actually wanted at all. At the end of the day what I really find myself smoking 98% of the time is mild to medium strength blends with a smooth and and gentle retrohale that require no special preparation or dry time before smoking. Blends that I can just stuff in my pipe and take with me while out and about with no fuss and no need to worry about whether I have a meal on my stomach or not. A lot of the blends that initially made my keeper list but didn't quite meet the above criteria ended up getting later removed, since I just didn't find myself wanting to smoke them much at all after the review period was done.
On that note, you might be surprised how small my keeper list actually is after all the blends I've reviewed. At this point it is:
Lane Limited - RLP-6
Lane Limited - TK-6
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Mixed
Presbyterian Mixture
I am going to be revisiting Peterson Early Morning Pipe soon though, and Cornell & Diehl Pegasus as well. I don't have any Early Morning Pipe around at the moment and part of my brain thinks I may like it a little better than Presbyterian Mixture, so I'm going to pick up another tin of EMP and really compare them closely to see which I prefer.
I also remember really enjoying Pegasus aside from the throat irritation that I tend to get from Burley blends and C&D blends in general, but having recently discovered that I seem to be able to smoke Burley without much of any throat troubles if I smoke it in a pipe with a 6mm Dr. Grabow filter I think it's worth giving Pegasus another go. I should probably also pick up another tin of Haunted Bookshop for review and testing as well, since even without a filter and the throat irritation I often got from it I still enjoyed Haunted Bookshop enough to smoke through the entire tin I had of it! So, expect a Haunted Bookshop review coming at some point.
Skippy, I am not sure if your Pegasus had any age on it, but I found Pegasus to be harsh when fresh. I did notice throat irritation at first. But I found that jar time quickly smoothed it out so I bought a pound of it ten months ago. I filled several 8 ounce jars, loosely packed, and put the remainder in Mylar. I have smoked a few bowls lately including a bowl last night. I noticed how much it had improved with ten months in a jar. It was very smooth, with no irritation at all. No comparison to the fresh product.
You might want to try putting some back for six months or more in a jar and see how that goes. If it is in a tin and not bulk I would crack it open to let some fresh air in and let it rest. You may want to try this with other C&D blends that irritate your throat.
I enjoy reading your reviews. Keep on trucking.
Edit: I think exposure to fresh air plays a part in mellowing it out, not just time in the jar. The first jar I was smoking from seemed smoother than the jar that was unopened when I moved to the second jar. I now open the jars on occasion to let some fresh air in. I could be wrong. I will know for sure when I open the first Mylar bag and try it.
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I have had similar experiences where tobacco just needed to be set out to breathe and let the vinegar (was not a water/moisture issue) dissipate before packing. I’ve got some Low Country Waccamaw in a jar that’s been there 1.5 years and I remember loving it over a year ago. I tried it recently and could taste nothing but vinegar. Once I tried laying the tobacco out to dry before packing, the problem was solved.
You'll get no argument from me on that one! My experience with C&D blends in general is that they smooth out a lot with age, especially if you're willing to stash them away in a jar for a year or more. My impression is that outside of their limited edition releases C&D uses mostly recent tobacco crops that haven't been aged very long before being blended up, and they don't tend to steam treat their tobacco or add much in the way of casings to smooth it out so what you get is a very raw and unadulterated smoking experience that packs a lot of flavor but can be rather rough on the throat and olfactory bits.
However, six months or more in a jar can really improve their blends a lot! I've got some Yorktown that I've had jarred up for a year and a half and have sampled every few months along the way, and it has definitely improved dramatically with age both in terms of it's flavor and smoothness. It's actually going to be next week's blend of the week for me after I hammer out tonight's Orlik Golden Sliced review.
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Blend of the Week #32: Orlik Golden Sliced
It might sound strange but I always get a little nervous when I have to review one of those best selling all time classic sorta blends, and Orlik Golden Sliced definitely fits that description! What if I don't like it? Or what if my review doesn't do it justice? Heavy is the head that clenches the pipe. There's probably not much sense in worrying about those kind of things though, since everyone's tastes are different, so onto the review!
Upon opening the tin you'll be greeted by a lovely little gold foil packet containing some of the most neatly sliced and stacked flakes you'll ever see. Say what you will about STG, their flake presentation is always very visually appealing and put together with care. The flakes themselves are varying shades of golden to chocolate brown and have an orange'y citrus and floral dandelion sort of aroma to them. If I didn't know any better I might be inclined to think that Orlik Golden Sliced was a Lakeland scented blend, because there's definitely something decidedly floral about the tin note.
The lightly moist flakes separate easily and aren't fussy at all about your preparation method. You can fold and stuff them and they'll smoke just fine fresh from the tin, albeit with a few more relights required, or do what I do and rub them out then give the tobacco a little dry time before smoking. I find about half a flake rubbed out is just right to fill most medium sized pipe bowls, though you will notice a little stickiness on your fingers after rubbing out a flake which indicates that there certainly is a topping present here.
When touched with a bit of flame the first flavor from the smoke that greets me is indeed that floral dandelion-like topping, and to a lesser extent an orange'y citrus topping reminiscent of bergamot. Not far behind the toppings is some very nice and already well aged bright Virginia leaf flavors. I'm not sure how much age STG's bright Virginias have on them before being blended and pressed into flakes for Orlik Golden Sliced, but it must be at least a couple years because the Virginias here have none of the rough edges or harshness you'd find with younger Virginias.
What you do get from the tobacco itself is an assortment of bright lemon citrus, black tea, green grass, and fresh cut hay flavors with the tiniest little touch of honey sweetness that only shows up for a second or two on rare occasion. All the flavors on display are very bright and summery and well suited to smoking in warm weather, or during the colder months when you could use a reminder of the tastes of summer. The room note is mild and light, toasty, and similar to bread baking in the oven; so it's unlikely to offend anyone you may wish to smoke it around.
Mechanically speaking it's a pretty solid blend as well. Once rubbed out and dried a bit to the point that it's almost but not quite crispy before packing and lighting (a good practice for any Virginia blend) it lights easily and requires few relights, isn't overly picky about burn temperature, and remains flavorful even when puffed more aggressively than one probably should. Like all bright Virginias it does burn a touch hot though, so slow smoking is recommended to keep your pipe cool and in good order. After smoking it leaves behind just a little bit of moisture residue in the bowl, making for a fairly easy cleanup. The nicotine content is a solid middle of the road medium and fairly standard for a Virginia flake. Nicely satisfying to those who enjoy a bit of Vitamin N but shouldn't be overwhelming to those lacking in experience with it.
The one knock I can make about Orlik Golden Sliced's mechanics though is that the retrohale is very sharp and stingy on the sinuses. If you've ever had someone tell you a joke while you were sipping a glass of lemonade and had a swig of it go up your sinuses and come out your nose then you already have a pretty good idea of what the retrohale on this one both feels like and tastes like. Suffice it to say I don't recommend retrohaling Orlik Golden Sliced with any regular frequency. You do get a mild taste of plum from the teeny tiny itty bitty little amount of Perique present in the mix on the retrohale, but in this case I think the (plum) juice isn't worth the (eye watering) squeeze. Even when smoked in a pipe with a 6mm Dr. Grabow paper tube filter or Vauen Dr. Perl activated charcoal filter, which I'll sometimes employ to tame the retrohale on an unruly blend, the acidic sinus blast of Orlik Golden Sliced could simply not be tamed.
That seems like a good segue into my final thoughts and personal opinion on Orlik Golden Sliced, because I think this may be one of those "tastes change over time" sort of situations. Back when I had just started pipe smoking I used to really appreciate the bright, citrusy, and floral flavor of Orlik Golden Sliced; but as time has gone on I've come to prefer mellower blends with less acidity to the smoke and a gentle retrohale that doesn't sting the sinuses. I'm somewhat of a habitual retrohaler and often retrohale reflexively whether I'm intending to or not, so for a blend to make my personal keeper list it really has to have a smooth, gentle, and comfortable retrohale without any sinus sting to it.
Needless to say the feeling of lemonade coming out of your nose is neither smooth, gentle, nor comfortable; so Orlik Golden Sliced is going to be a pass for me. However, for those who don't frequently retrohale their tobacco I think there's a lot to like here! I completely understand why this has become such an iconic summertime blend, since it really does encapsulate so many of the aromas and flavors of summer in one tidy little package, it's just a bit rough on the schnoz for my liking. I can be a shrewd judge sometimes too.
Moving onto next week's blend of the week, it's time for another Virginia blend! I have a couple more Virginia blends I'd like to get through before the hot and humid weeks of August are done, and while I'm not terribly optimistic about finding a keeper among them due to my aforementioned issue with the sinus stinging retrohale on most Virginias that haven't been dark fired, I'm still willing to give them a fair shake. I paid for 'em so I might as well try smoking 'em! ...I may just have to smoke some Black Cavendish for a couple days to help my sinuses to recover before I can get on to the next one. Lane BCA to the rescue?
Anyway, next week's blend of the week is...
Cornell & Diehl Yorktown
It might sound strange but I always get a little nervous when I have to review one of those best selling all time classic sorta blends, and Orlik Golden Sliced definitely fits that description! What if I don't like it? Or what if my review doesn't do it justice? Heavy is the head that clenches the pipe. There's probably not much sense in worrying about those kind of things though, since everyone's tastes are different, so onto the review!
Upon opening the tin you'll be greeted by a lovely little gold foil packet containing some of the most neatly sliced and stacked flakes you'll ever see. Say what you will about STG, their flake presentation is always very visually appealing and put together with care. The flakes themselves are varying shades of golden to chocolate brown and have an orange'y citrus and floral dandelion sort of aroma to them. If I didn't know any better I might be inclined to think that Orlik Golden Sliced was a Lakeland scented blend, because there's definitely something decidedly floral about the tin note.
The lightly moist flakes separate easily and aren't fussy at all about your preparation method. You can fold and stuff them and they'll smoke just fine fresh from the tin, albeit with a few more relights required, or do what I do and rub them out then give the tobacco a little dry time before smoking. I find about half a flake rubbed out is just right to fill most medium sized pipe bowls, though you will notice a little stickiness on your fingers after rubbing out a flake which indicates that there certainly is a topping present here.
When touched with a bit of flame the first flavor from the smoke that greets me is indeed that floral dandelion-like topping, and to a lesser extent an orange'y citrus topping reminiscent of bergamot. Not far behind the toppings is some very nice and already well aged bright Virginia leaf flavors. I'm not sure how much age STG's bright Virginias have on them before being blended and pressed into flakes for Orlik Golden Sliced, but it must be at least a couple years because the Virginias here have none of the rough edges or harshness you'd find with younger Virginias.
What you do get from the tobacco itself is an assortment of bright lemon citrus, black tea, green grass, and fresh cut hay flavors with the tiniest little touch of honey sweetness that only shows up for a second or two on rare occasion. All the flavors on display are very bright and summery and well suited to smoking in warm weather, or during the colder months when you could use a reminder of the tastes of summer. The room note is mild and light, toasty, and similar to bread baking in the oven; so it's unlikely to offend anyone you may wish to smoke it around.
Mechanically speaking it's a pretty solid blend as well. Once rubbed out and dried a bit to the point that it's almost but not quite crispy before packing and lighting (a good practice for any Virginia blend) it lights easily and requires few relights, isn't overly picky about burn temperature, and remains flavorful even when puffed more aggressively than one probably should. Like all bright Virginias it does burn a touch hot though, so slow smoking is recommended to keep your pipe cool and in good order. After smoking it leaves behind just a little bit of moisture residue in the bowl, making for a fairly easy cleanup. The nicotine content is a solid middle of the road medium and fairly standard for a Virginia flake. Nicely satisfying to those who enjoy a bit of Vitamin N but shouldn't be overwhelming to those lacking in experience with it.
The one knock I can make about Orlik Golden Sliced's mechanics though is that the retrohale is very sharp and stingy on the sinuses. If you've ever had someone tell you a joke while you were sipping a glass of lemonade and had a swig of it go up your sinuses and come out your nose then you already have a pretty good idea of what the retrohale on this one both feels like and tastes like. Suffice it to say I don't recommend retrohaling Orlik Golden Sliced with any regular frequency. You do get a mild taste of plum from the teeny tiny itty bitty little amount of Perique present in the mix on the retrohale, but in this case I think the (plum) juice isn't worth the (eye watering) squeeze. Even when smoked in a pipe with a 6mm Dr. Grabow paper tube filter or Vauen Dr. Perl activated charcoal filter, which I'll sometimes employ to tame the retrohale on an unruly blend, the acidic sinus blast of Orlik Golden Sliced could simply not be tamed.
That seems like a good segue into my final thoughts and personal opinion on Orlik Golden Sliced, because I think this may be one of those "tastes change over time" sort of situations. Back when I had just started pipe smoking I used to really appreciate the bright, citrusy, and floral flavor of Orlik Golden Sliced; but as time has gone on I've come to prefer mellower blends with less acidity to the smoke and a gentle retrohale that doesn't sting the sinuses. I'm somewhat of a habitual retrohaler and often retrohale reflexively whether I'm intending to or not, so for a blend to make my personal keeper list it really has to have a smooth, gentle, and comfortable retrohale without any sinus sting to it.
Needless to say the feeling of lemonade coming out of your nose is neither smooth, gentle, nor comfortable; so Orlik Golden Sliced is going to be a pass for me. However, for those who don't frequently retrohale their tobacco I think there's a lot to like here! I completely understand why this has become such an iconic summertime blend, since it really does encapsulate so many of the aromas and flavors of summer in one tidy little package, it's just a bit rough on the schnoz for my liking. I can be a shrewd judge sometimes too.
Moving onto next week's blend of the week, it's time for another Virginia blend! I have a couple more Virginia blends I'd like to get through before the hot and humid weeks of August are done, and while I'm not terribly optimistic about finding a keeper among them due to my aforementioned issue with the sinus stinging retrohale on most Virginias that haven't been dark fired, I'm still willing to give them a fair shake. I paid for 'em so I might as well try smoking 'em! ...I may just have to smoke some Black Cavendish for a couple days to help my sinuses to recover before I can get on to the next one. Lane BCA to the rescue?
Anyway, next week's blend of the week is...
Cornell & Diehl Yorktown
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Blend of the Week #31: Lane Limited TK-6
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I've always had a bit of a contentious relationship with cherry aromatics. I love the idea of a cherry flavored tobacco, but there's almost always something about them that just wears poorly on my palate after repeated smokes. Most of them have a somewhat medicinal cherry cough syrup background note that becomes more and more obvious each time I smoke it until it's the main thing I end up tasting every time, and the few that don't have that cough syrup note all have their own issues.
I love the bright and juicy candy cherry Tootsie pop flavor of Paladin Black Cherry, but it has by far the most absolutely vicious sinus stinging retrohale of any blend I've ever smoked. You don't dare breathe even a wisp of it out of your nose unless you happen to enjoy the feeling of your sinuses being flooded with battery acid. Lane Very Cherry is a long-time favorite of mine in the cherry aromatic department that doesn't have any retrohale issues, but the flavor isn't really "cherry" so much as it is a mix of cherry, almond, cinnamon, and vanilla which creates a sort of cherry danish pastry overall flavor profile that—while delightful in it's own way—has proven to be just not really what I'm looking for in a cherry blend over the long haul. What I'm really after is just a straightforward "tobacco and cherry" blend without much in the way of other flavors involved.
Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish does give me that straight cherry flavor I'm looking for fresh out of the bag, but as it ages in a jar over a period of months the medicinal cough syrup note becomes more and more prominent until it takes over the blend. Cult Blood Red Moon hits probably the closest to what I'm looking for in a cherry blend, but I could do without all the extra chocolate and vanilla flavors and it does tend to have a very syrupy quality to the smoke; like a fountain drink that wasn't mixed quite right and had way too much syrup and not enough carbonated water so it ends up tasting sickly sweet. I also find Blood Red Moon to be completely devoid of any nicotine whatsoever.
This is where Lane TK-6 comes in. Appearance wise it looks quite similar to Blood Red Moon, coming in a fairly wide and chunky ribbon cut mixture of Black Cavendish and Burley tobaccos, but is less wet and sticky feeling between the fingers and only slightly moist. The tin aroma smells just like Blood Red Moon as well, with that same sweet candied cherry scent that has just a bit of chocolate and vanilla wafting around in the back. It's no surprise that it does though, since Lane is the manufacturer for both blends and when smoked TK-6 reveals that it does indeed have the same cherry topping as Cult Blood Red Moon; but the chocolate and vanilla notes have been toned way down to the point that they're barely noticable even when you're actively looking for them. In fact, I'm not sure there's even any chocolate topping in there at all and the mild cocoa note I get a little hint of every now and then might just be a naturally occuring flavor of the Burley tobacco in the mix.
The quantity of cherry topping added has been reduced significantly as well, which I think is a good thing since it makes the smoke no longer syrupy or overly sweet and lets more of the natural woody, nutty, chocolatey Burley tobacco flavor shine through. TK-6 is still a somewhat sweet tasting aromatic blend, but it never becomes sickly sweet and even after smoking it every day for 2 weeks I've yet to find myself tiring of it or noticing any medicinal cough syrupiness. It's a really well balanced blend suitable for all day smoking if you've got a taste for cherry aromatics, and it wears on the palate nicely over time with no unwanted flavor notes. The reduced quantity of toppings also means that TK-6 thankfully doesn't leave your pipe a soaking wet mess after smoking like Blood Red Moon does. You'll still probably want to give the inside of the bowl a quick wipe down with a paper towel after the pipe is done, since it does leave behind a little bit of moisture and sticky residue, but vastly less than Blood Red Moon and other similarly wet aromatic tobaccos.
In terms of TK-6's smoking mechanics, it takes to the flame and burns quite well straight out of the jar with no dry time required, and will smoke down to the bottom of the bowl with few (if any) relights required. It's a very well behaved blend mechanically speaking and can be puffed fairly vigorously without turning harsh or unpleasant tasting, though it can start to taste a touch burnt if you really freight train it or smoke it outdoors on a windy day. On another positive note, the retrohale is quite smooth and gentle on the sinuses; offering a better taste of all the flavors at play without any stinging or burning sensation. Like many Lane blends, TK-6 is one that new pipe smokers should have no trouble getting a good flavorful smoke from. It's got a little bit of nicotine in it, which for me is much appreciated since TK-6 doesn't leave me scrambling to rush out for a cigarette after finishing a pipe like Blood Red Moon does, but it's still a pretty small amount and not enough to trouble a new pipe smoker unfamiliar with the wiles of Lady N. I'd say it's about at the center of mild on the nicotine scale.
I think the best simple description I could give for this blend is that Lane TK-6 is to Cult Blood Red Moon what Lane RLP-6 is to Captain Black Original. The same toppings are there, but toned down enough that the blend is no longer overly sweet and more suitable for all day smoking; and you get a good bit more natural tobacco flavor as well. I'm a big fan of RLP-6 too, it's probably my all time favorite aromatic tobacco overall, so it's no surprise that Lane TK-6 has quickly become my new favorite cherry aromatic! This is one of those blends that just gets everything right in my book, and cherry blends in particular are awfully difficult to get right, so I'm pleased to say that TK-6 is a definite keeper for me and will be replacing both Lane Very Cherry and Cult Blood Red Moon on my keeper shelf. It's my new go-to cherry blend that really ticks all the boxes in terms of what I look for in a cherry aromatic, and since I know from experience that Lane aromatics tend to cellar unusually well and retain their flavor for many years in a jar, I'll be ordering a pound of TK-6 once I finish up the small jar I have left. It's king of the cherry hill in my book!
Looking ahead to the coming weeks, there's only about a month of summer left up here in Minnesota before the autumn chill begins to set in, so I think August would be a good month to focus on the assortment of Virginia based blends I've been meaning to review. While I like smoking aromatics year round, Virginias are very much a warm weather tobacco for me and I enjoy them most during the spring and summer; just like how I prefer to smoke dark fired and English blends during the colder autumn and winter months.
To start off the Virginia month I'll be revisiting a blend that I remember enjoying very much in my early days of pipe smoking and smoked through a whole tin of a couple years back, and while I generally avoid blends containing Perique since it tends to bug my throat, I don't remember the tiny bit of Perique in this one ever bothering me in that regard. What I do remember though is this blend tasting like all the aromas of a warm summer day. Wildflower meadows, dandelions, green grass, and iced tea with a squeeze of lemon. Whether or not it still tastes like that to me is yet to be seen, but either way I'll find out because next week's blend of the week is...
Orlik Golden Sliced
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Lane Limited TK-6 Review Addendum:
I always say my reviews are never final, because sometimes there's aspects of a blend or flavor traits that take longer than a week of daily smoking to pick up on. As a case in point, I've now been smoking Lane TK-6 regularly for about a 3 weeks and just the last few days I've started to notice a fairly strong medicinal cough syrupy edge to the cherry flavoring.
It might be a temperature and humidity dependent thing since I didn't notice it all during the review process when it was the height of summer scorching hot outside all day and all night, but now that the weather is starting to cool off a bit I'm getting a pretty profound cherry cough syrup flavor every time I fire up a pipe of TK-6. It really lingers on the lips and isn't terribly pleasant.
So, I'm rescinding the "keeper" status of TK-6 and will be going back to revisit Cult Blood Red Moon and Lane Limited Very Cherry when I place my next pipe tobacco order; as I'm currently out of both. One of those two will likely end up being my permanent "keeper" cherry blend, since I don't recall ever noticing any medicinal cough syrup flavor from either of them.
Come on, man!
I actually picked up a 50¢ sample of TK-6 this past weekend at NASPC from the STG table, and my desire to do so was entirely based on your review. As I mentioned before, I also bought some Lane Very Cherry thanks to your writing, so now I’m wondering if you’re an STG shill!
(Just joshing, of course!)
I'll have you know I would never compromise my integrity for profit!
...Unless STG wanted to send me a couple pounds of Presbyterian Mixture and RLP-6 at least, then I may be open to negotiation.
On the plus side, at least it only cost you $0.50? Give it a try and let me know what you think. I had to smoke TK-6 probably 20 to 25 times before I noticed any medicinal cough syrupiness, but now I taste it every time. While I wait to order some more Lane Very Cherry and Blood Red Moon for reevaluation I think this week I'll crack open the jar of Paladin Black Cherry I've had sitting in my cellar for the past 5 months and see if a bit of age has smoothed out the retrohale any.
LOL. Totally kidding you, as I mentioned before, even though the Lane Very Cherry wasn't to my liking, it didn't go to waste, and if I discover that the TK-6 isn't either, I can always make more Hobbit's Weed with it.
The Country Squire makes a cherry blend called Trumpeter that I have a few ounces of in my cellar, have you tried that one by any chance? They are having a sale this week for their anniversary, or I would be happy to send you a bit to try!
The Country Squire makes a cherry blend called Trumpeter that I have a few ounces of in my cellar, have you tried that one by any chance? They are having a sale this week for their anniversary, or I would be happy to send you a bit to try!
Cherry blends are a funny thing for me, since whether or not they have that medicinal cough syrup note almost seems to just depend on the day. I smoked TK-6 for two weeks and never tasted anything cough syrupy, but now I taste it every time.
On the other side of the coin, in my TK-6 review I said I had written off Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish because after sitting in a jar for a few months the cherry flavoring started tasting medicinal and cough syrupy to me, but tonight I went backed and smoked a pipe of it for the first time in about a month and didn't taste anything medicinal or cough syrupy at all. It just tasted like RLP-6 but with a mild and mellow old timey cherry hard candy sort of flavor instead of chocolate and vanilla.
If I was to interrogate my taste buds right this very minute and demand an answer as to what the best tasting cherry blend is they'd probably say the Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish that I just finished a pipe of, when just a month ago I they thought it was cough syrupy. At this point I'm not sure I even trust my own reviews when it comes to cherry blends!
What I do know for sure though is that I'm willing to give any cherry aromatic a fair shake and would gladly try The Country Squire's! I won't be ordering any more tobacco until September or October, since late summer is always a bit of a financial crunch time for me, but I'd gladly accept a sample of any cherry blend to try.
In the meantime I think I should spend some more time with Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish and revisit TK-6, Blood Red Moon, and Very Cherry again to see if I can finally make up my darn mind about them all. If there's one thing I've learned about pipe smoking it's that time and experience are the solutions to just about any problem you may encounter.
I'm a week late on this one, but making up for it with two blend reviews this weekend! Enjoy!
Blend of the Week #33: Cornell & Diehl Yorktown
Remember when I said I wasn't going to smoke Cornell & Diehl blends anymore because they always seem to irritate my throat? Well, here I am back on the C&D train because there's a small handful of their blends that I just can't seem to say no to; and Yorktown sure is one of them.
Popping open the tin you're greeted by an aroma that smells like... well, nothing really. Fresh out of the tin I don't recall Yorktown having any discernable aroma, nor did it have much of any flavor when smoked, but after stashing it away in an 8 ounce Ball jar for a year and a half it has become something rather wondrous that I think is well worth a review. I don't normally review aged tobacco, past popping it in a Ball jar for a couple weeks to build aroma and flavor after cracking open the tin, but this Yorktown does have a year and a half of age on it (opening and sampling a bit every few months along the way) and that's about how long it took to become something exciting and interesting to smoke in my personal opinion; so bear that in mind when reading the review ahead.
That all said, after a good 18 months in a jar the tin note of Yorktown is a vibrant mix of dark earthy autumn leaf litter and tangy aromas from the red Virginias, and bright grassy scents with a touch of lemony citrus from the bright Virginias. The tin note alone is enough to inform you of it's contents, though for the sake of clarity Yorktown is a mix of stoved red Virginias that have been combined with bright Virginia then restoved, with a little fresh unstoved red Virginia added in at the end. It comes in a medium thickness ribbon cut mixture that's exceptionally dry and ready to smoke straight from the tin or jar, my aging recommendation not withstanding.
Flavor wise the stoving process adds a little bit of toastiness to the familiar autumn leaf litter and slightly tangy flavor of the red Virginias, with the bright Virginias popping in here and there to provide a mild pop of lemony citrus that compliments the tanginess of the red Virginias quite well. Based on the flavors of the smoke it seems to be about 70% red Virginia and 30% bright Virginia, and is very reminiscent of G.L. Pease Union Square but with the addition of that slight toasty note, more tanginess in the reds, and overall softer flavor profile from the stoving process.
I remember not liking the bright Virginia in Union Square very much, the citrus notes from the brights really felt out of place in that blend to me, but I do enjoy them in Yorktown and feel like that occasional spark of citrus flavor really works with the tangier red Virginias in this blend and elevates the softer flavor profile to keep it from becoming dull or flat tasting. Normally I tend to think of Virginia blends as hot weather summertime smokes only, but this one has enough different flavor nuances going on that I can see it being enjoyable to smoke year round. The autumn leaf litter'y flavor of the reds seems like it would be perfect in the fall, the warm toasty edge and strong bold flavors of the whole mixture would be well suited to the cold winter months, and the occasional citrus notes from the brights work nicely in the warmer spring and summer months. I've often been critical of C&D's blending choices in the past, but there are some blends of theirs that I think are just perfect flavor wise and Yorktown is most certainly one of them.
Both the flavor and tin aroma of Yorktown are just mouthwatering to me, and in an odd turn of events it seems bystanders enjoy it as well! I got nothing but compliments on the warm toasty "bread baking in the oven" room note of Yorktown, which is a rare thing for red Virginia blends since they can often come across as cigarette'y to non-smokers, but Yorktown was universally praised and cleared for indoor enjoyment by the family.
Another surprise with Yorktown is the nicotine content, which has to be the strongest I've ever experienced from a pure Virginia blend outside of Gawith's ropes and twists. It's not going to put you on the floor like a rope tobacco might, but it is somewhere between the very top end of Medium and the bottom of Strong. It's definitely got some punch to it, though not enough that I'd feel the need to have a sizable meal on my stomach before smoking it. Yorktown is still a "smoke it anytime and don't worry about the nicotine content" blend for me, though I imagine those who might not be as familiar with Vitamin N might find it to deliver quite the wallop. A small amount of caution may be in order with this one for some, but for me I found it to be very relaxing satisfying. About as strong as a blend can get before it starts drifting into potential nicotine sickness danger zone; right about the same strength as Haunted Bookshop if that's a helpful frame of reference.
Mechanically it's a wonderfully well behaved blend, packing and lighting with ease due to it's pre-dried ribbon cut presentation and burning down to a clean white ash with no moisture left behind in the bowl. Typically Virginias of this quality come pressed into moist flakes that require rubbing out and a good bit of dry time before smoking, but Yorktown is a very simple and straightforward "just load your pipe and smoke" affair. I do wish more blending houses presented their Virginias in a simple and convenient pre-dried ribbon cut like Yorktown, since it really does make it a great grab-and-go blend for those like me who enjoy smoking their pipes while out and about.
Altogether I really only had two issues with Yorktown. The first is the retrohale, which is quite sharp and stingy and it does leave the back of my sinuses near the top of my throat feeling a little sore and inflamed for a couple hours after smoking. I've had that same experience with every pure Virginia blend that wasn't dark fired though, so that's more of a me problem than a Yorktown problem. There's typically a good bit of acidity to the smoke produced by Virginias that my throat and sinuses just don't particularly appreciate.
The second is that, like all Cornell & Diehl blends, Yorktown really gives me a sore throat. I don't know if it's just C&D's raw and rustic blending style of not steam treating their tobaccos before blending them or if it's a particular casing or method of prepping their tobaccos for blending that they use across all their lines, but my throat simply does not like anything made by Cornell & Diehl; including their sub-brands like G.L. Pease and Low Country. Whether it's an aromatic, Virginia, Burley, or English blend, if it's made by C&D then it's sure to leave me with a sore, scratchy, inflamed feeling throat after smoking it.
In these sort of situations I usually like employing a Vauen Dr. Perl Jr. activated charcoal filter or a Dr. Grabow paper tube filter to tame down the rough edges of the smoke, though in the case of Yorktown the retrohale is sharp enough that the Dr. Grabow paper tube filter did nothing to diminish the sting of the retrohale to any noticable degree. A Vauen charcoal filter did smooth out the retrohale a little tiny bit, but at the cost of a fairly significant loss of flavor from the smoke and the retrohale still wasn't terribly comfortable. Unfortunately the filters weren't very effective at eliminating the sore throat I typically get from Cornell & Diehl blends either, which was rather disappointing since I have had some success preventing a couple of C&D's Burley blenda like Pegasus and Haunted Bookshop from giving me a sore throat by smoking them with a filter.
In spite of my personal difficulties with it though, I do think Yorktown is an absolutely marvelous red Virginia forward blend that is likely to be very much enjoyed by fans of the genre who are willing to give it a year and a half to age, don't mind a rather potent sharp retrohale, and don't have the throat sensitivities to C&D's raw and rustic blending style that I do. It gets top marks for both ease of smoking and flavor, it's just a little rough around the edges for me.
Blend of the Week #33: Cornell & Diehl Yorktown
Remember when I said I wasn't going to smoke Cornell & Diehl blends anymore because they always seem to irritate my throat? Well, here I am back on the C&D train because there's a small handful of their blends that I just can't seem to say no to; and Yorktown sure is one of them.
Popping open the tin you're greeted by an aroma that smells like... well, nothing really. Fresh out of the tin I don't recall Yorktown having any discernable aroma, nor did it have much of any flavor when smoked, but after stashing it away in an 8 ounce Ball jar for a year and a half it has become something rather wondrous that I think is well worth a review. I don't normally review aged tobacco, past popping it in a Ball jar for a couple weeks to build aroma and flavor after cracking open the tin, but this Yorktown does have a year and a half of age on it (opening and sampling a bit every few months along the way) and that's about how long it took to become something exciting and interesting to smoke in my personal opinion; so bear that in mind when reading the review ahead.
That all said, after a good 18 months in a jar the tin note of Yorktown is a vibrant mix of dark earthy autumn leaf litter and tangy aromas from the red Virginias, and bright grassy scents with a touch of lemony citrus from the bright Virginias. The tin note alone is enough to inform you of it's contents, though for the sake of clarity Yorktown is a mix of stoved red Virginias that have been combined with bright Virginia then restoved, with a little fresh unstoved red Virginia added in at the end. It comes in a medium thickness ribbon cut mixture that's exceptionally dry and ready to smoke straight from the tin or jar, my aging recommendation not withstanding.
Flavor wise the stoving process adds a little bit of toastiness to the familiar autumn leaf litter and slightly tangy flavor of the red Virginias, with the bright Virginias popping in here and there to provide a mild pop of lemony citrus that compliments the tanginess of the red Virginias quite well. Based on the flavors of the smoke it seems to be about 70% red Virginia and 30% bright Virginia, and is very reminiscent of G.L. Pease Union Square but with the addition of that slight toasty note, more tanginess in the reds, and overall softer flavor profile from the stoving process.
I remember not liking the bright Virginia in Union Square very much, the citrus notes from the brights really felt out of place in that blend to me, but I do enjoy them in Yorktown and feel like that occasional spark of citrus flavor really works with the tangier red Virginias in this blend and elevates the softer flavor profile to keep it from becoming dull or flat tasting. Normally I tend to think of Virginia blends as hot weather summertime smokes only, but this one has enough different flavor nuances going on that I can see it being enjoyable to smoke year round. The autumn leaf litter'y flavor of the reds seems like it would be perfect in the fall, the warm toasty edge and strong bold flavors of the whole mixture would be well suited to the cold winter months, and the occasional citrus notes from the brights work nicely in the warmer spring and summer months. I've often been critical of C&D's blending choices in the past, but there are some blends of theirs that I think are just perfect flavor wise and Yorktown is most certainly one of them.
Both the flavor and tin aroma of Yorktown are just mouthwatering to me, and in an odd turn of events it seems bystanders enjoy it as well! I got nothing but compliments on the warm toasty "bread baking in the oven" room note of Yorktown, which is a rare thing for red Virginia blends since they can often come across as cigarette'y to non-smokers, but Yorktown was universally praised and cleared for indoor enjoyment by the family.
Another surprise with Yorktown is the nicotine content, which has to be the strongest I've ever experienced from a pure Virginia blend outside of Gawith's ropes and twists. It's not going to put you on the floor like a rope tobacco might, but it is somewhere between the very top end of Medium and the bottom of Strong. It's definitely got some punch to it, though not enough that I'd feel the need to have a sizable meal on my stomach before smoking it. Yorktown is still a "smoke it anytime and don't worry about the nicotine content" blend for me, though I imagine those who might not be as familiar with Vitamin N might find it to deliver quite the wallop. A small amount of caution may be in order with this one for some, but for me I found it to be very relaxing satisfying. About as strong as a blend can get before it starts drifting into potential nicotine sickness danger zone; right about the same strength as Haunted Bookshop if that's a helpful frame of reference.
Mechanically it's a wonderfully well behaved blend, packing and lighting with ease due to it's pre-dried ribbon cut presentation and burning down to a clean white ash with no moisture left behind in the bowl. Typically Virginias of this quality come pressed into moist flakes that require rubbing out and a good bit of dry time before smoking, but Yorktown is a very simple and straightforward "just load your pipe and smoke" affair. I do wish more blending houses presented their Virginias in a simple and convenient pre-dried ribbon cut like Yorktown, since it really does make it a great grab-and-go blend for those like me who enjoy smoking their pipes while out and about.
Altogether I really only had two issues with Yorktown. The first is the retrohale, which is quite sharp and stingy and it does leave the back of my sinuses near the top of my throat feeling a little sore and inflamed for a couple hours after smoking. I've had that same experience with every pure Virginia blend that wasn't dark fired though, so that's more of a me problem than a Yorktown problem. There's typically a good bit of acidity to the smoke produced by Virginias that my throat and sinuses just don't particularly appreciate.
The second is that, like all Cornell & Diehl blends, Yorktown really gives me a sore throat. I don't know if it's just C&D's raw and rustic blending style of not steam treating their tobaccos before blending them or if it's a particular casing or method of prepping their tobaccos for blending that they use across all their lines, but my throat simply does not like anything made by Cornell & Diehl; including their sub-brands like G.L. Pease and Low Country. Whether it's an aromatic, Virginia, Burley, or English blend, if it's made by C&D then it's sure to leave me with a sore, scratchy, inflamed feeling throat after smoking it.
In these sort of situations I usually like employing a Vauen Dr. Perl Jr. activated charcoal filter or a Dr. Grabow paper tube filter to tame down the rough edges of the smoke, though in the case of Yorktown the retrohale is sharp enough that the Dr. Grabow paper tube filter did nothing to diminish the sting of the retrohale to any noticable degree. A Vauen charcoal filter did smooth out the retrohale a little tiny bit, but at the cost of a fairly significant loss of flavor from the smoke and the retrohale still wasn't terribly comfortable. Unfortunately the filters weren't very effective at eliminating the sore throat I typically get from Cornell & Diehl blends either, which was rather disappointing since I have had some success preventing a couple of C&D's Burley blenda like Pegasus and Haunted Bookshop from giving me a sore throat by smoking them with a filter.
In spite of my personal difficulties with it though, I do think Yorktown is an absolutely marvelous red Virginia forward blend that is likely to be very much enjoyed by fans of the genre who are willing to give it a year and a half to age, don't mind a rather potent sharp retrohale, and don't have the throat sensitivities to C&D's raw and rustic blending style that I do. It gets top marks for both ease of smoking and flavor, it's just a little rough around the edges for me.
Blend of the Week #34: Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish
I could make this review real quick and simple by just saying, "It's cherry flavored RLP-6" but that wouldn't be very interesting or fun to read, so I may have to expound on the idea a bit. In terms of it's appearance you've got a nice little mix of somewhat chunky ribbon cut Burleys and Virginias with a smattering of Black Cavendish here and there, and seeing as how Smoker's Pride is a sub-brand of Lane Limited (which in turn is a sub-brand of STG) it's no surprise that the tobaccos in use here look, smell, and taste fairly identical to those found in Lane's RLP-6.
The ratios are a little different, with less Black Cavendish and more bright Virginia in S.P. Cherry Cavendish than there is in Lane RLP-6, but the tobaccos in use do seem to be the same; and since RLP-6 is probably my #1 favorite everyday anytime blend that's a very good thing in my book. The only real big difference is that instead of the chocolate and vanilla (and possibly a bit of caramel) topping found on RLP-6 this one has a very simple and straightforward cherry topping that creates a really enticing cherry candy sort of tin aroma with none of the dreaded medicinal cough syrup odor you find with many cherry aromatics.
Getting on to loading it up in a pipe, the tobacco isn't overly wet, it's just slightly moist as one would expect from any Lane aromatic; and it packs, lights, and stays lit easily with no trouble whatsoever. The flavor of the smoke yields a mix of grassy and slightly tart bright Virginias as the lead component, woody Burleys that have just a little nuttiness to them trailing not far behind, a very mild sweetness from the Black Cavendish in the back, and a mellow cherry top note that reminds me very much of an old timey cherry hard candy. It doesn't overpower the tobacco flavors but blends together nicely with them to create a very cohesive and balanced flavor experience where the cherry topping doesn't taste at all out of place and compliments the base tobaccos well.
Of all the cherry blends I've tried, Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish gives you the most natural tobacco flavors along with the cherry topping; and it's surprisingly good quality tobacco too, especially considering the price and the big bulk bag packaging. The cherry topping does diminish in strength about two thirds of the way down the bowl, but it stays present in the background for the entire smoke and never disappears completely. It just takes a backseat to the tobacco flavors for the last third of the smoke.
Is the cherry flavor medicinal or cough syrupy though? I've had a couple times where I felt like it was a bit cough syrupy towards the very beginning of the bowl, but the vast majority of the time I'd say that no, it isn't. Whether or not a cherry flavoring is cough syrupy can be a very subjective matter though and even I flip flop on whether or not my favorite cherry blends are cough syrupy with some regularity, so I think it's a subject best left at, "I generally don't think it is but your mileage may vary." What I can say for sure though is that after smoking it at least twice a day every day for a week any medicinal cough syrup hint that may or may not be there never became apparent enough for me to want to stop smoking S.P. Cherry Cavendish or make me wish I was smoking else.
On that note, I really do think this makes an excellent all day smoke. The base tobaccos are mellow and pleasant, the cherry topping is mild, not overly sweet, and unobtrusive enough that it doesn't linger on the lips or tongue after smoking so as not to overstay it's welcome, the smoke is gentle and easy on the mouth and neither too acidic nor too alkaline, the retrohale is smooth and comfortable on the sinuses, and it's got that perfect "lower end of medium" nicotine content that'll keep you feeling relaxed and peaceful without risking nicotine sickness if you choose to smoke multiple bowls back to back. Putting all those attributes together it seems like a blend particularly well suited to keeping a pipe of it hanging from your lip all day long. The room note is especially pleasant and enticing to non-smokers as well so you're not likely to get much of any complaints if you do choose to smoke it all day long. They'll definitely know you're smoking something cherry flavored, but probably not mind it one bit.
Another interesting feature of note is that Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish leaves your pipe unusually clean and dry after smoking, with none of the sticky residue you'd typically find left in the bowl after smoking an aromatic. The only other aromatics I've ever had that smoked as clean and dry as this one were Mac Baren's vanilla offerings (Vanilla Cream, Vanilla Flake, and Vanilla Roll Cake). S.P. Cherry Cavendish also doesn't seem to leave behind any discernable ghost in the pipe, which I think is a first for a cherry aromatic. I smoked S.P. Cherry Cavendish in the same pipe for 4 days straight then loaded up the chamber with a pure Virginia and could not detect any residual cherry flavor when smoking the Virginia, so I feel fairly confident saying that this is one cherry blend (possibly the only one) that won't ghost your pipe.
Is Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish my new favorite cherry blend that'll be taking the cherry aromatic spot on my keeper shelf though? It's a tough call since there are so many cherry blends I enjoy, but I do really like how Virginia and Burley forward it is and not just a big mass of goopy Black Cavendish with only a smattering of proper tobacco like Cult Blood Red Moon or Lane TK-6 are. There is a little Black Cavendish in S.P. Cherry Cavendish, but it's just there to add a bit of body and smoothness and balance out the tart grassiness of the Virginias with a touch of mild sweetness. The Black Cavendish is used sparingly and to good condimental effect rather than being the focus of the blend like it is in Blood Red Moon or TK-6.
I also really like how the added topping is a singular cherry note, and you won't find any almond liquor or cinnamon here like there is in Lane Very Cherry or chocolate and vanilla like there is in Blood Red Moon and TK-6. This is just tobacco and cherry, and unlike Paladin Black Cherry (another blend that sticks to the "just tobacco and cherry" formula) I don't find the smoke from S.P. Cherry Cavendish to be overly acidic or harsh. They really balanced the pH just right with this one. The fact that it has probably the highest nicotine content of any cherry aromatic outside of the medicinal cough syrup nightmare that is Gawith's Sweet Black Cherry Twist and the vastly more pleasant yet decidedly floral Kendal Black Cherry is much appreciated as well, even if it is just a "lower end of medium" strength, and I also like how it leaves your pipe fairly clean and dry after smoking and doesn't seem to leave behind any cherry ghost either. Normally I have a dedicated pipe I use just for cherry blends, but this is one I'd feel comfortable putting in any pipe and not have to worry about any ghosting from it.
With all that taken into account, on paper Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish should be my new favorite cherry blend. I'm hesitant to say that it is since I tend to flip flop on what my favorite cherry blend is with some regularity and I know that recency bias can be a factor when reviewing a new blend, but this one certainly does remedy all my complaints about every other cherry aromatic I've tried and nails all the points I look for in a cherry blend. So, I'm tentatively sticking Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish in the cherry aromatic spot on my keeper shelf. Long may it stay there.
I could make this review real quick and simple by just saying, "It's cherry flavored RLP-6" but that wouldn't be very interesting or fun to read, so I may have to expound on the idea a bit. In terms of it's appearance you've got a nice little mix of somewhat chunky ribbon cut Burleys and Virginias with a smattering of Black Cavendish here and there, and seeing as how Smoker's Pride is a sub-brand of Lane Limited (which in turn is a sub-brand of STG) it's no surprise that the tobaccos in use here look, smell, and taste fairly identical to those found in Lane's RLP-6.
The ratios are a little different, with less Black Cavendish and more bright Virginia in S.P. Cherry Cavendish than there is in Lane RLP-6, but the tobaccos in use do seem to be the same; and since RLP-6 is probably my #1 favorite everyday anytime blend that's a very good thing in my book. The only real big difference is that instead of the chocolate and vanilla (and possibly a bit of caramel) topping found on RLP-6 this one has a very simple and straightforward cherry topping that creates a really enticing cherry candy sort of tin aroma with none of the dreaded medicinal cough syrup odor you find with many cherry aromatics.
Getting on to loading it up in a pipe, the tobacco isn't overly wet, it's just slightly moist as one would expect from any Lane aromatic; and it packs, lights, and stays lit easily with no trouble whatsoever. The flavor of the smoke yields a mix of grassy and slightly tart bright Virginias as the lead component, woody Burleys that have just a little nuttiness to them trailing not far behind, a very mild sweetness from the Black Cavendish in the back, and a mellow cherry top note that reminds me very much of an old timey cherry hard candy. It doesn't overpower the tobacco flavors but blends together nicely with them to create a very cohesive and balanced flavor experience where the cherry topping doesn't taste at all out of place and compliments the base tobaccos well.
Of all the cherry blends I've tried, Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish gives you the most natural tobacco flavors along with the cherry topping; and it's surprisingly good quality tobacco too, especially considering the price and the big bulk bag packaging. The cherry topping does diminish in strength about two thirds of the way down the bowl, but it stays present in the background for the entire smoke and never disappears completely. It just takes a backseat to the tobacco flavors for the last third of the smoke.
Is the cherry flavor medicinal or cough syrupy though? I've had a couple times where I felt like it was a bit cough syrupy towards the very beginning of the bowl, but the vast majority of the time I'd say that no, it isn't. Whether or not a cherry flavoring is cough syrupy can be a very subjective matter though and even I flip flop on whether or not my favorite cherry blends are cough syrupy with some regularity, so I think it's a subject best left at, "I generally don't think it is but your mileage may vary." What I can say for sure though is that after smoking it at least twice a day every day for a week any medicinal cough syrup hint that may or may not be there never became apparent enough for me to want to stop smoking S.P. Cherry Cavendish or make me wish I was smoking else.
On that note, I really do think this makes an excellent all day smoke. The base tobaccos are mellow and pleasant, the cherry topping is mild, not overly sweet, and unobtrusive enough that it doesn't linger on the lips or tongue after smoking so as not to overstay it's welcome, the smoke is gentle and easy on the mouth and neither too acidic nor too alkaline, the retrohale is smooth and comfortable on the sinuses, and it's got that perfect "lower end of medium" nicotine content that'll keep you feeling relaxed and peaceful without risking nicotine sickness if you choose to smoke multiple bowls back to back. Putting all those attributes together it seems like a blend particularly well suited to keeping a pipe of it hanging from your lip all day long. The room note is especially pleasant and enticing to non-smokers as well so you're not likely to get much of any complaints if you do choose to smoke it all day long. They'll definitely know you're smoking something cherry flavored, but probably not mind it one bit.
Another interesting feature of note is that Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish leaves your pipe unusually clean and dry after smoking, with none of the sticky residue you'd typically find left in the bowl after smoking an aromatic. The only other aromatics I've ever had that smoked as clean and dry as this one were Mac Baren's vanilla offerings (Vanilla Cream, Vanilla Flake, and Vanilla Roll Cake). S.P. Cherry Cavendish also doesn't seem to leave behind any discernable ghost in the pipe, which I think is a first for a cherry aromatic. I smoked S.P. Cherry Cavendish in the same pipe for 4 days straight then loaded up the chamber with a pure Virginia and could not detect any residual cherry flavor when smoking the Virginia, so I feel fairly confident saying that this is one cherry blend (possibly the only one) that won't ghost your pipe.
Is Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish my new favorite cherry blend that'll be taking the cherry aromatic spot on my keeper shelf though? It's a tough call since there are so many cherry blends I enjoy, but I do really like how Virginia and Burley forward it is and not just a big mass of goopy Black Cavendish with only a smattering of proper tobacco like Cult Blood Red Moon or Lane TK-6 are. There is a little Black Cavendish in S.P. Cherry Cavendish, but it's just there to add a bit of body and smoothness and balance out the tart grassiness of the Virginias with a touch of mild sweetness. The Black Cavendish is used sparingly and to good condimental effect rather than being the focus of the blend like it is in Blood Red Moon or TK-6.
I also really like how the added topping is a singular cherry note, and you won't find any almond liquor or cinnamon here like there is in Lane Very Cherry or chocolate and vanilla like there is in Blood Red Moon and TK-6. This is just tobacco and cherry, and unlike Paladin Black Cherry (another blend that sticks to the "just tobacco and cherry" formula) I don't find the smoke from S.P. Cherry Cavendish to be overly acidic or harsh. They really balanced the pH just right with this one. The fact that it has probably the highest nicotine content of any cherry aromatic outside of the medicinal cough syrup nightmare that is Gawith's Sweet Black Cherry Twist and the vastly more pleasant yet decidedly floral Kendal Black Cherry is much appreciated as well, even if it is just a "lower end of medium" strength, and I also like how it leaves your pipe fairly clean and dry after smoking and doesn't seem to leave behind any cherry ghost either. Normally I have a dedicated pipe I use just for cherry blends, but this is one I'd feel comfortable putting in any pipe and not have to worry about any ghosting from it.
With all that taken into account, on paper Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish should be my new favorite cherry blend. I'm hesitant to say that it is since I tend to flip flop on what my favorite cherry blend is with some regularity and I know that recency bias can be a factor when reviewing a new blend, but this one certainly does remedy all my complaints about every other cherry aromatic I've tried and nails all the points I look for in a cherry blend. So, I'm tentatively sticking Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish in the cherry aromatic spot on my keeper shelf. Long may it stay there.
As far as next week's blend of the week goes, there actually isn't going to be one since I'm taking a month or so off from reviewing blends to do a little experiment! I've noticed that for the past couple weeks any blend other than Lane's super mild aromatics have been giving me an awfully sore throat whenever I smoke them, including my usual favorites like Presbyterian Mixture and Gawith's Kendal Mixed that have never bothered me before, and it's starting to feel like my throat has just decided that it doesn't like anything other than extremely mild aromatics.
I've tried smoking my usual non-aromatics in 6mm filtered pipes with Dr. Grabow paper tube filters and Savinelli balsa wood filters, which didn't really do much to make them any easier on my throat, though smoking them with a 6mm Vauen Dr. Perl Junior activated charcoal filter did seem to help somewhat; but not enough to completely eliminate the problem. With that in mind, next week when finances allow I'm going to pick up a Molina Barasso (110) pipe that takes 9mm filters and a box of White Elephant 9mm activated charcoal filters then just smoke it for awhile with a variety of blends that typically bother my throat and see how it goes. Try some C&D burley blends like Pegasus and Haunted Bookshop, try some of Gawith's dark fired blends like Kendal Dark and Dark Plug, maybe give Yorktown and Autumn Evening another go, and see if a 9mm filtered pipe smooths them out enough to make my throat happy again.
I figure a 9mm charcoal filter should offer the most filtration you can get in a pipe, so it seems worth trying since I'd rather not be stuck only being able to smoke mild aromatics for the rest of my days. I know when I smoke cigarettes that a non-filtered cigarette will give me a sore throat but a filtered cigarette generally won't, so I'm somewhat hopeful that the same might apply to pipe tobacco if I use a quality filter designed to reduce harshness. I've also got a doctor's appointment coming up in the last week of September to make sure there's not anything of medical concern going on with my throat, just to be on the safe side.
For now though I'll be taking a break from reviewing blends to see if I can get my throat issues sorted out, and crossing my fingers that a 9mm charcoal filtered pipe might solve the problem. I've always been of the mindset that a non-filtered pipe gives you a better taste of the tobacco, but when it really comes down to it I'd rather smoke a filtered pipe than not be able to smoke non-aromatics at all so I'm gonna give it a try. Wish me luck!
I've tried smoking my usual non-aromatics in 6mm filtered pipes with Dr. Grabow paper tube filters and Savinelli balsa wood filters, which didn't really do much to make them any easier on my throat, though smoking them with a 6mm Vauen Dr. Perl Junior activated charcoal filter did seem to help somewhat; but not enough to completely eliminate the problem. With that in mind, next week when finances allow I'm going to pick up a Molina Barasso (110) pipe that takes 9mm filters and a box of White Elephant 9mm activated charcoal filters then just smoke it for awhile with a variety of blends that typically bother my throat and see how it goes. Try some C&D burley blends like Pegasus and Haunted Bookshop, try some of Gawith's dark fired blends like Kendal Dark and Dark Plug, maybe give Yorktown and Autumn Evening another go, and see if a 9mm filtered pipe smooths them out enough to make my throat happy again.
I figure a 9mm charcoal filter should offer the most filtration you can get in a pipe, so it seems worth trying since I'd rather not be stuck only being able to smoke mild aromatics for the rest of my days. I know when I smoke cigarettes that a non-filtered cigarette will give me a sore throat but a filtered cigarette generally won't, so I'm somewhat hopeful that the same might apply to pipe tobacco if I use a quality filter designed to reduce harshness. I've also got a doctor's appointment coming up in the last week of September to make sure there's not anything of medical concern going on with my throat, just to be on the safe side.
For now though I'll be taking a break from reviewing blends to see if I can get my throat issues sorted out, and crossing my fingers that a 9mm charcoal filtered pipe might solve the problem. I've always been of the mindset that a non-filtered pipe gives you a better taste of the tobacco, but when it really comes down to it I'd rather smoke a filtered pipe than not be able to smoke non-aromatics at all so I'm gonna give it a try. Wish me luck!
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It's been about 3 weeks since my last update so I figured I'd pop in and let y'all know what's been going on in my pipe smoking world.
The first event of note is that I spent a great many smokes closely comparing the over half a dozen different cherry aromatics in my cellar, including samples of three I've yet to review that were graciously donated by a pipe buddy, and at the end of it all there was one very clear winner for which was my favorite: Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish.
There's something a little funny about the cheapest big bulk bag OTC blend being my favorite of the bunch, but I really think it has the most pleasant and non-cough syrupy cherry topping I've ever found in a pipe blend with just the right amount of mild sweetness for my palate; and it's coupled with a very mellow and tasty mix of Virginias, Burleys, and Black Cavendish.
Strangely, for a blend that's called "Cherry Cavendish" there's surprisingly not much cavendish in it at all, but I think it's just the right amount to make the blend smooth and agreeable without becoming goopy or detracting from the natural flavors of the Burley and Virginia. Lane really outdid themselves with this blend, and I'm gonna absolutely cry a river if Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish ever gets discontinued. I'll be cellaring this one deep.
As far as my whole sore throat situation goes, it's been two steps forward and one step back. I did pick up fresh tins of Cornell & Diehl Briar Fox, Pegasus, Haunted Bookshop, Autumn Evening, and Yorktown (the last of which already had a year of age on the tin when I got it and was excellent right from the get go) as well as a variety of pipe filters to try smoking them with. What I learned is that for me the Dr. Grabow and Medico paper tube filters as well as Savinelli balsa wood filters don't do much at all for reducing the harshness of C&D's blends or preventing the sore throat I typically get from smoking them, though I have had varying degrees of success with charcoal filters.
I found White Elephant and Savinelli's 6mm charcoal filters to be very effective for smoothing out the rough edges of harsher blends and preventing me from getting a sore throat smoking them, but they both drastically muted the flavor of the tobacco and made the draw much tighter than I'd like. I really had to suck the pipe like I thought money was going to come out if I puffed it hard enough to be able to pull any smoke through those filters. However, White Elephant's 9mm charcoal filters and Vauen's Dr. Perl Junior 6mm charcoal filters both have been doing a relatively good job of smoothing out blends without lessening the flavor of the tobacco or overly tightening the draw on the pipe.
I say "relatively" because it does feel like every now and then a little puff of smoke will sneak through the filter without hitting the charcoal and punch me in the throat, so they aren't 100% effective at eliminating harshness for me, but I have managed to smoke Pegasus five times with them and only got a sore throat from it once. They do have their limits though, and darker Burley blends like Haunted Bookshop seem to overwhelm them and start roughing up my throat at about the halfway point of the bowl. They have been reasonably effective with Briar Fox, Pegasus, Yorktown, and Autumn Evening though and it's been nice to be able to smoke those blends again without too much throat discomfort.
My testing is still a work in progress and I've probably got at least a few weeks worth left to do once my throat recovers from the Haunted Bookshop induced sore scratchiness that's been bugging it for the past 5 days, but once my throat is all back to normal I plan on smoking each of the C&D blends I picked up for a good 4 or 5 days straight with both the White Elephant 9mm charcoal filters and Vauen Dr. Perl Junior 6mm charcoal filters to really see how effective they are at preventing throat irritation with different blends over a longer period.
Lastly, I do have a couple ounces of Gawith Hoggarth Brown Flake Unscented, Carter Hall, and Prince Albert on the way that I'm looking forward to trying out as well! I've had Carter Hall and Prince Albert in the past and really enjoyed them, though they both started bugging my throat after awhile (but not nearly as much as C&D blends do) so I'll be very curious to see how they smoke with my preferred charcoal filters! Gawith's Brown Flake Unscented will be entirely new to me, but given how much I generally enjoy Gawith's Virginia and Burley blends I think it'll be worth trying.
I still have a real genuine concern that at the end of all this testing I may find that even with a charcoal filter the only blends that are consistently comfortable on my throat and don't cause soreness or irritation will be Lane's mild aromatics, but I'm gonna give the filters a real good and thorough try before I throw in the towel since I would very much like to find at least one non-sweet blend that I can comfortably smoke for when I start feeling burnt out on Lane aromatics.
Even if that isn't how it works out though it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, since I do love Lane RLP-6 (HG-2000 is really growing on me as well), Captain Black Original, and Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish; and I think at the end of the day what really matters in this hobby is that you smoke what you like and like what you smoke. It doesn't matter if it's a rare and valuable Esoterica blend, a budget priced OTC aromatic, or anything in between; as long as it's a tobacco you find pleasant, relaxing, and comfortable to smoke then it's the right blend for you.
That's all the news for now but I'll pop back in again when I've got an update to share!
The first event of note is that I spent a great many smokes closely comparing the over half a dozen different cherry aromatics in my cellar, including samples of three I've yet to review that were graciously donated by a pipe buddy, and at the end of it all there was one very clear winner for which was my favorite: Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish.
There's something a little funny about the cheapest big bulk bag OTC blend being my favorite of the bunch, but I really think it has the most pleasant and non-cough syrupy cherry topping I've ever found in a pipe blend with just the right amount of mild sweetness for my palate; and it's coupled with a very mellow and tasty mix of Virginias, Burleys, and Black Cavendish.
Strangely, for a blend that's called "Cherry Cavendish" there's surprisingly not much cavendish in it at all, but I think it's just the right amount to make the blend smooth and agreeable without becoming goopy or detracting from the natural flavors of the Burley and Virginia. Lane really outdid themselves with this blend, and I'm gonna absolutely cry a river if Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish ever gets discontinued. I'll be cellaring this one deep.
As far as my whole sore throat situation goes, it's been two steps forward and one step back. I did pick up fresh tins of Cornell & Diehl Briar Fox, Pegasus, Haunted Bookshop, Autumn Evening, and Yorktown (the last of which already had a year of age on the tin when I got it and was excellent right from the get go) as well as a variety of pipe filters to try smoking them with. What I learned is that for me the Dr. Grabow and Medico paper tube filters as well as Savinelli balsa wood filters don't do much at all for reducing the harshness of C&D's blends or preventing the sore throat I typically get from smoking them, though I have had varying degrees of success with charcoal filters.
I found White Elephant and Savinelli's 6mm charcoal filters to be very effective for smoothing out the rough edges of harsher blends and preventing me from getting a sore throat smoking them, but they both drastically muted the flavor of the tobacco and made the draw much tighter than I'd like. I really had to suck the pipe like I thought money was going to come out if I puffed it hard enough to be able to pull any smoke through those filters. However, White Elephant's 9mm charcoal filters and Vauen's Dr. Perl Junior 6mm charcoal filters both have been doing a relatively good job of smoothing out blends without lessening the flavor of the tobacco or overly tightening the draw on the pipe.
I say "relatively" because it does feel like every now and then a little puff of smoke will sneak through the filter without hitting the charcoal and punch me in the throat, so they aren't 100% effective at eliminating harshness for me, but I have managed to smoke Pegasus five times with them and only got a sore throat from it once. They do have their limits though, and darker Burley blends like Haunted Bookshop seem to overwhelm them and start roughing up my throat at about the halfway point of the bowl. They have been reasonably effective with Briar Fox, Pegasus, Yorktown, and Autumn Evening though and it's been nice to be able to smoke those blends again without too much throat discomfort.
My testing is still a work in progress and I've probably got at least a few weeks worth left to do once my throat recovers from the Haunted Bookshop induced sore scratchiness that's been bugging it for the past 5 days, but once my throat is all back to normal I plan on smoking each of the C&D blends I picked up for a good 4 or 5 days straight with both the White Elephant 9mm charcoal filters and Vauen Dr. Perl Junior 6mm charcoal filters to really see how effective they are at preventing throat irritation with different blends over a longer period.
Lastly, I do have a couple ounces of Gawith Hoggarth Brown Flake Unscented, Carter Hall, and Prince Albert on the way that I'm looking forward to trying out as well! I've had Carter Hall and Prince Albert in the past and really enjoyed them, though they both started bugging my throat after awhile (but not nearly as much as C&D blends do) so I'll be very curious to see how they smoke with my preferred charcoal filters! Gawith's Brown Flake Unscented will be entirely new to me, but given how much I generally enjoy Gawith's Virginia and Burley blends I think it'll be worth trying.
I still have a real genuine concern that at the end of all this testing I may find that even with a charcoal filter the only blends that are consistently comfortable on my throat and don't cause soreness or irritation will be Lane's mild aromatics, but I'm gonna give the filters a real good and thorough try before I throw in the towel since I would very much like to find at least one non-sweet blend that I can comfortably smoke for when I start feeling burnt out on Lane aromatics.
Even if that isn't how it works out though it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, since I do love Lane RLP-6 (HG-2000 is really growing on me as well), Captain Black Original, and Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish; and I think at the end of the day what really matters in this hobby is that you smoke what you like and like what you smoke. It doesn't matter if it's a rare and valuable Esoterica blend, a budget priced OTC aromatic, or anything in between; as long as it's a tobacco you find pleasant, relaxing, and comfortable to smoke then it's the right blend for you.
That's all the news for now but I'll pop back in again when I've got an update to share!
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After a month off from reviewing pipe blends I'm itching to put pen to paper again, so expect a new blend review coming next weekend! While I haven't really figured out my throat issues yet past, "My throat doesn't like Cornell & Diehl blends" or come to any definitive conclusions about whether or not it's worth trying to smoke C&D blends with a charcoal filter that smooths them out but diminishes the flavor or if I'm better off just smoking blends from other companies that don't bug my throat to begin with, along the way I did discover a Burley blend that doesn't seem to bother my throat at all; and I've really fallen in love with it this past week so I'd like to give it a proper review!
To give you a hint as to what this blend might be, it's been around since the early 1900's and does have a topping but is so lightly topped that I don't think it qualifies as an aromatic. It was incredibly popular throughout Appalachia in it's heyday, has a surprisingly pleasant room note for a Burley blend, and in addition to being a great pipe blend it was also commonly used as a cigarette rolling tobacco before the advent of pre-rolled packed cigarettes and makes for probably the tastiest hand rolled unfiltered cigarette I've ever smoked. It's a blend with connections to both King Edward VII and Mark Twain, was a major sponsor of the Grand Ole Opry for many years, and has remained relatively unchanged for over 100 years. Can you guess what it is?
To give you a hint as to what this blend might be, it's been around since the early 1900's and does have a topping but is so lightly topped that I don't think it qualifies as an aromatic. It was incredibly popular throughout Appalachia in it's heyday, has a surprisingly pleasant room note for a Burley blend, and in addition to being a great pipe blend it was also commonly used as a cigarette rolling tobacco before the advent of pre-rolled packed cigarettes and makes for probably the tastiest hand rolled unfiltered cigarette I've ever smoked. It's a blend with connections to both King Edward VII and Mark Twain, was a major sponsor of the Grand Ole Opry for many years, and has remained relatively unchanged for over 100 years. Can you guess what it is?