Strong Blends, Gentle on the Throat and Sinuses?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

@Skippy B. Coyote: I am not entirely sure what our friends at Pipes and Cigars have been up to with the War Horse blends since we sold out to them over 5 years ago. On the one occasion I smoked W.H Green I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had just chugged a bottle of anisette without the espresso chaser. It was meant to be a copy of or tribute to Condor Ready Rubbed. Somehow Russ went off on a journey of discovery and created what I have always described as 'the pipe tobacco for Tommy from Goodfella's' or something to be enjoyed after eating a sh*t load of pasta. It will probably suit you down to the ground and providing you don't eat it might possibly be the universal panacea of tobacco you are seeking!

Whelp, I'm sold! I also seem to recall @cosmicfolklore saying something about teeth chattering and hair falling out after smoking War Horse, which sounds like an experience I should probably have at least once. I'm having a heck of a time kicking my two decade long pack-a-day cigarette habit and still find myself reaching for a cigarette after a pipeful of Haunted Bookshop, so maybe War Horse will be just the ticket.

 

[condorlover1]

@Skippy B. Coyote: If you don't like the stuff you can always use an open tin as a moth repellent to save money on buying moth balls. Think of the stuff as the pipe world's answer to duct tape. Remember the famous advertising slogan devised by our great marketing man Dan Z....'War Horse. Tastes like shit. Buy some!'

 

[Streeper541]

Out of curiosity, is the Green version just as smooth as the Bar? The stronger aromatic top note of the Green sounds intriguing, and reviews seem to indicate that the slightly lower nicotine content of War Horse Green is less likely to put me on the floor than the Bar.

War Horse isn't as strong as it's made out to be. It's robust, don't get me wrong, but it won't knock you on your arse.

As for the green stuff.... I don't care for it. Me and aromatics don't generally get along. Could be a body chemistry thing, so I'm probably not the guy to ask.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

War Horse isn't as strong as it's made out to be. It's robust, don't get me wrong, but it won't knock you on your arse.

As for the green stuff.... I don't care for it. Me and aromatics don't generally get along. Could be a body chemistry thing, so I'm probably not the guy to ask.

I have a high tolerance, it's pretty damn strong....more so than some of the Gawith stuff...and it isn't very smooth IMHO.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Out of curiosity, is the Green version just as smooth as the Bar? The stronger aromatic top note of the Green sounds intriguing, and reviews seem to indicate that the slightly lower nicotine content of War Horse Green is less likely to put me on the floor than the Bar.

You’ll have to try both, as they are different animals. I have a preference for the green.
Neither is an all day nic replenisher for me. As I’m not fond of Latakia, I usually keep Irish Flake, Dark BirdsEye, or 1792DKF on hand as staples every day, and currently use GLP Sixpence and Navigator, University Flake, Dark Flake Aro, or such as things to mix it up.
About 60% of my smokes I like blends that give me the “crap I swallowed some of my Copenhagen” feeling in my core.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Oh, I meant to mention C&D Winchester: red Va with unsweetened Cav makes for a nice, easy going medium strength blend.

I wish I liked traditional burley blends more, I seem to love dark fired strong ones, but not so much the others.

 

[kcghost]

You can try C&D's "Mad Fiddler" and/or G.L. Pease's "Six Pence".

 

[badbriar]

Father Dempsey, Red Rapparee are quite smooth and medium plus in strength.

 

[BingBong]

Agree about Ennerdale, last 1/3 kicks N - prior to my experience of that, I found Peterson University Flake is similarly aromatic and N heavy in the final furlongs - quite surprisingly! I appreciate both.

 

[sablebrush52]

I just popped open a 2019 tin of C&D Carolina Red Flake and I'm very much pleased by it. Very good smooth red Vriginia flavor without a trace of sting. Lovely stuff.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I'm returning to this thread after a couple month's absence since, like any good pipe smoker, I take my darn sweet time getting to all things pipe related; and also because 1792 Flake is finally back in stock!

After smoking just about nothing other than Old Dark Fired and Nightcap for the past month I've decided that I do indeed like stronger tobaccos and don't seem to have any issues with nicotine sickness or nicotine hangovers if I keep the tobacco burning cool and slow and sip it at a leisurely pace, and I would very much like to kick my 26 year long cigarette habit, so today I placed an order for a variety of strong but hopefully fairly smooth blends that should scratch the nicotine itch:





I'll update the thread with my thoughts on them all once the order arrives and I have the chance to try them.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

The order has arrived! I haven't had the chance to smoke any of them yet, but here's some tin note sniff test thoughts as I get them all transferred into 8 oz Ball jars.




Kelly's Coin: Oh this one smells like something I'm going to like! The aroma is very much like that of Pegasus, which is a current favorite of mine, but much much darker and stronger smelling in the Burley department. It's similar to Old Joe Krantz Blue Label as well, but significantly darker smelling still.

Irish Flake: I thought this was going to be my favorite on tin note, but it actually smells kind of repulsive to me. There is that dark fired aroma, but with a sickly sweetness to it like licorice that had been boiled down to tar. I'm not going to be in any hurry to try this one.

Royal Yacht: Oh my goodness! I've never smelled anything quite like this before, and it's positively mouthwatering! To me Royal Yacht has an aroma like a freshly baked vanilla cupcake with marzipan and something else sweet that I can't quite put my finger on, but it's extremely pleasant. Blueberry muffin maybe? In any case, this may be one of the best tin notes I've ever smelled!

Nightcap: I've had this one many times before so it's not new to me, but it's easily my favorite (and probably the richest) English blend aroma I've ever smelled. So dark and campfirey! I just can't get enough of this stuff.

1792 Flake: Huh... burnt firecracker. It smells just like an exploded Black Cat firecracker. An odd aroma for a pipe tobacco to have, but I like it! Reminds me of smell of the evening air on the 4th of July after everyone has lit off all their fireworks, which conjures up all sorts of pleasant memories. I'll be looking forward to trying this one!

War Horse Bar: Now this is an odd one with all sorts of strange scents going on, but it weirdly reminds me of the Nakhla Single Apple hookah tobacco that used to be a favorite of mine back when I smoked a hookah many long years ago. It's quite an odd smelling blend, but not in a bad way and I feel like I'm probably going to enjoy smoking it.

Kendal Dark: It's dark fired Virginia and it smells just like you'd imagine dark fired Virginia to smell! It reminds me a lot of the old pouches of Drum RYO cigarette tobacco you used to find in drug stores, and it's making my mouth water a little.

Coniston Cut Plug: I was expecting this to have a fair bit of Lakeland essence going on (which is why I ordered it) but I honestly can't smell any here. The only aromas I'm getting are dark fired Kentucky, Burley, and Virginia. Did Gawith just forget to sauce this batch? I'm sure it'll still be plenty tasty, but I was really hoping to get some Lakeland essence with this one and there just doesn't seem to be any here.


Whew! That's everything! I'm not sure which I'm going to smoke first, though Royal Yacht and Kendal Dark definitely have the most alluring tin notes to me. What I do know though is that I'll be saving Irish Flake for last!