Are there any St Bruno smokers here ? What was your opinion and experience ?
St Bruno
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I've been smoking it since I got on the pipe in the 80's. A shadow of it's former self but, with what's available today, it's still got something that most other blends are lacking.
I use to really like the original in the 80's. Nothing quite like it. I was excited to see it come back. Bought one tin of the new stuff and not sure if I finished it. All it has in common with the original is the name, to me, nothing special about it at all. Some may enjoy it but don't expect it to be anything like the original. It had some very unique flavoring, and lots of it.
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The reason I asked is I tried it when I was new to pipe smoking. I remember coming out of the smoking room at work (remember them ?). I SAW where I had to go, and walked towards it.........I was so lightheaded it was unbelievable. I felt like I`d had about six large whiskeys and beer chasers. I felt like that for nearly an hour. A seasoned pipe smoker was amazed when I told him about the St Bruno.....lol. He said he was not surprised as this was a SERIOUS pipe tobacco.
I used to like St Bruno but like a lot of blends the manufacturers seem to 'dumb them down' to suit a new generation of pipe smokers. Maybe it is the crop cycle, changes in soil or fertilizers, global warming/cooling or whatever. Neither Condor nor St Bruno taste anything like how they used to taste back in the mid 1980s. Nothing these days has the 'nicotine knockout' factor that tobacco from yesteryear would deliver the smoker and hence my mixing together black and brown twist to amp things up.
The first thing you should understand is that Denmark is the place where British blends go to die.
Now that we have that out of the way, the current St Bruno is not the equal of the Ogden's product. For one thing, the base tobaccos lack the depth and richness of the Ogden's version.
That said, I like the current version on its own merits, even though it doesn't hold a candle to what I smoked when Ogden's made it. I prefer the ready rub to the flake, which is a little flat in comparison.
Now that we have that out of the way, the current St Bruno is not the equal of the Ogden's product. For one thing, the base tobaccos lack the depth and richness of the Ogden's version.
That said, I like the current version on its own merits, even though it doesn't hold a candle to what I smoked when Ogden's made it. I prefer the ready rub to the flake, which is a little flat in comparison.
Couldn't have put better myself.
I don't bother with the flake: why pay a large premium for something I'm going to rub out anyhow?
On this side of the pond, both versions seem to have increased in price quite considerably, making St. Bruno, an old favourite, something I rarely order now.
I understand that when you smoke St Bruno that women will chase you through the streets, so be careful with it.
I've only tried the current iteration (2021 tin date), and really enjoyed it. Virginia with some dark-fired for depth, plus a mysterious flavoring, what's not to love? I've got a few more tins in the cellar, the price is the main thing slowing me down from buying a lot more for the future.
@Briarcutter The Clay King has smoked a few packets of St Bruno Ready Rubbed in his clays; I'd like to find out how long I can make a clay pipe of it last- my best time is 54min
Try some G&H black rope!@Briarcutter The Clay King has smoked a few packets of St Bruno Ready Rubbed in his clays; I'd like to find out how long I can make a clay pipe of it last- my best time is 54min
If you like St. Bruno you'll appreciate the black rope. I think it would be marvelous in a clay.I'm smoking the rope now.
@Briarcutter I'll have to try it. Would suit clay pipe era living history re-enactments. No pipeweed at next weekend's living history festival due to the smoking ban - Jason the blacksmith is going though.
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I bought a package, very similar if not identical to Amphora Dark fired Kentucky, made by Mac Baren too, hmm. Good, but I doubt as mentioned here like the original.