The Country Squire Fans - Let's Talk

[Peterson314]

I'm somewhat shocked you can't taste the flavors. I regularly smoke Old Toby and it is almost sickly sweet with vanilla and molasses; the Cherokee I just got is a bit strong for me and similar to an english blend. PS Blend is Latakia forward but very mild with no bite; Green Dragon and Second Breakfast are very strongly flavored Virginia blends. Green Dragon being similar to Capstan Blue; Rivendell is a strong chocolaty blend with a bit too much burley for me. Hunting Creek is the stronger of the english blends with a bit more perique. I find their blends much stronger and more flavorful than brand tobaccos I have smoked.
Maybe you should slow down and sip the tobacco ??? If you smoke too fast they are all just hot ash.

This is good to hear.

I almost got the sickly sweet from Old Toby, but it vanished. Hard to describe.

I've been smoking for 20 years, and I know how to go slow. That wasn't the problem, but I did smoke Old Toby in a cob that had a fairly narrow bowl. Next time I try it, I'm going to pick my widest pipe.

And maybe it just needs a few months of timeout in the jar.

 

[Peterson314]

I spent time with Old Toby and Rivendell, but Old Toby is damn sweet, and the perique is just a little too noticeable for me. Still smokable, and I will smoke what I have left, past then, who knows. Can color up a meer like crazy.
I wanted to love Rivendell too, and it’s not bad, it’s just not something I reach for. I’ll tell you what though, their Figgy Pudding, Cordial Friends, and Shepard’s Pie, those have really struck a cord with me. The first two not being too sweet, and none are sticky.
Hell, Shepard’s Pie is one of my favorite blends with Latakia in it. Tastes not only similar, but actually, truly better than any popular Latakia unicorn blend I’ve ever smoked. Damn, damn, damn good stuff, and I’m not even a heavy Latakia smoker.

Damn.

I specifically stayed away from Cordial Friends, but I decided against Figgy Pudding and Shepard's Pie when I hit "buy".

I've got 7 others to try. I'm sure to find some flavor somewhere.

 

[clynch]

I just got old Toby and Cordial Friends along with some others from CS. I found the Old Toby to be intriguing. I like Captain Black. I feel Old Toby fills that same niche. They aren't the same but they are Aros. I'm liking Old Toby very very much. Going to put it into my rotation. Looking forward to trying cordial friends.

 

[kcghost]

I listened to the show since it came on the internet but in the last few weeks I decided to give it up as the guy who doesn't know anything about tobacco was doing 90% of the talking.

 

[Egg Shen]

The figgy pudding is great. I let mine dry for 16 hours - more than intended. It smoked great, lots of flavor. I haven’t dug into the cordial friends yet. I have not tried any of their others.

 

[Elric]

I've tried quite a number of their blends to excellent effect. I originally bought a sampler pack of their Middle Earth themed blends. Kingsfoil was the standout to me and I ended up cellaring a pound of it followed by 1/2 pound of Green Dragon. The rest of the sampler; Bag End, Old Toby, Second Breakfast and Rivendell were fine but just didn't pop to my taste buds like Kingsfoil and Green Dragon. I certainly wouldn't turn any of them down if offered a bowl.

Cornishman is a very good light-to-medium English. The only reason I didn't cellar any is I've got a fair amount of other blends in that genre represented. I understand Angry Cornishman is a similar blend with more Latakia so I may try that at some point.

As far as their 2022 Holiday blends, I found Cordial Friends to taste a bit tawdry to me. It had a certain "cheap" fruit taste I found off-putting but my father-in-law loves it. Figgy Pudding was very nice though and I put away 1/2 pound. Both smoke down with minimal ash and few relights, something of a rarity to me these days.

 

[jaytex1969]

I, too, have only tried the Whale Song, so far.

I happen to love it, but I often love the blends that others describe as light in flavor.

If the cellar were not already so unwieldy, I'd probably get a sampler box from them.

 

[pappymac]

I listened to the show since it came on the internet but in the last few weeks I decided to give it up as the guy who doesn't know anything about tobacco was doing 90% of the talking.

That's why I gave up on the podcast several years ago - too much Beau and not enough Jon David.

 

[Hillcrest]

This is good to hear.

I almost got the sickly sweet from Old Toby, but it vanished. Hard to describe.

I've been smoking for 20 years, and I know how to go slow. That wasn't the problem, but I did smoke Old Toby in a cob that had a fairly narrow bowl. Next time I try it, I'm going to pick my widest pipe.

And maybe it just needs a few months of timeout in the jar.

That could be ... I prefer larger pipes (chambers of 20mmx40-55mm). I tend to be gluttonous with some blends so I don't always dry the tobacco as I should and deal with a wet smoke as needed ! I have noticed that I prefer the virginias in my MM Mark Twain cob vs the flavored aromatics. So your solution may make a considerable difference. Also pack lighter then tamper as needed as you smoke down. I loved Rivendell the first two times I ordered it ... the third batch had noticeably more burley and too much for me so I gifted it to my nephew who is not as burley sensitive and smokes less often anyway. All good !

 

[pipesandscotch]

I have a fairly wide and deep cellar with a lot of the usual tobaccos we collect.. I do enjoy TCS blends. I find their Tidewater almost a ribbon version of OGS, Bag End is a wonderful smooth Scottish blend and Green Dragon, Cowboy Coffee, Kingsfoil, and Meriwether are also very good, imo. For an aromatic, I prefer Rivendell. Old Toby is a bit sweet for me. I guess you could say I am a fan!

 

[trouttimes]

I like Rivendale a lot. Same for Shepard’s pie. I use Old Toby to spice up things like 1q.

 

[Hillcrest]

I like Rivendale a lot. Same for Shepard’s pie. I use Old Toby to spice up things like 1q.

That sounds intriguing ... I'll have to try that !

 

[Peter Turbo]

I've smoked a bunch of their blends now and have a few on hand but nothing in great quantities.

 

[Peterson314]

I like Rivendale a lot. Same for Shepard’s pie. I use Old Toby to spice up things like 1q.

Awesome. I have a couple ounces of Rivendell, so that will be my next smoke.

 

[krizzose]

I use Old Toby as a mixer with straight bulk burleys. I smoked some Meriwether not too long ago and found it a bit boring, but I’ll swing back to it to give it another try. I’ve been meaning to order some Figgy Pudding.

 

[Sir Yak]

Figgy Pudding was the first aro that I ever really liked. I also enjoy Cherokee. I would say that the flavor is subtle but I get better flavor off of those 2 than other aromatics I’ve tried over the years.

 

[ClenchedBilliard]

Figgy Pudding is the only aromatic I've found besides Wilke Vermont Maple that actually tastes like something. Shepherds Pie and Angry Cornishman are very pleasant everyday English blends, as is Bag End though it is a bit mild for my smoking tempo. Northwest Trek defies convention and is just an all around enjoyable smoke. Cowboy Coffee is a masterpiece. Oh well, more for me I guess.

 

[Lyon0oq]

Their Green Dragon is a staple of mine, and it is also the first bowl I pack for any friend who wants to try smoking a pipe for the first time. I brought out some Figgy Pudding from 2021 that had been sitting in a jar since the holidays last year, and WOW is it tasty.

 

[pipingfool]

I've tried a handful of their blends and have enjoyed them all, but some more than others.

The first ones I got were Kingsfoil, Rivendell and White Rose. I really enjoyed Kingsfoil, but the other two were too sweet for my liking and White Rose had, well, a very floral topping to it. This was before I had any experience with Lakeland blends.

Then I actually visited the store on my trek from Tampa to Seattle this summer and picked up Green Dragon and Faulkner's Flake. And I have to say that I love both of these. They might become staples in my cellar.

PS - I also listen to the show and would call myself a casual fan. But I try to separate my opinions of the show from my opinions of the Shop. The Shop is Jon David's baby and I think he does a great job at keeping a real and authentic tobacco shop going.

YMMV

 

[isaac]

Your description is how I feel about Boswell’s aromatics.

Sometimes a blender just doesn’t work for a smoker