What Do You Think About Ken Byron Blends?

[jerry]

I am working my way through a bunch of Ken Byron ‘s blends. I really like ‘em. I also like how they’re packaged. Opinions? PS: I smoke them all in Meerschaums. Like my friend, the late Fred Bass, I’m a “Meerschaum Man.”

 

[Casual]

I’m not a fan of the marketing style. Too mysterious and flashy for me.

I’ve tried Burley Morning Pipe and Moriarty. They’re fine.

I would try the recent collaboration blends with Eldritch Pipes just because I like Chris Kelly. But, like mso489, I’m not going to chase down perpetually out of stock blends.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Only one I’ve had is Sakura, and only because a buddy on here sent me a sample. It was good. I really enjoy aromatics that are lightly topped, and I like Oriental/Turkish. That blend ticks both of those boxes.

 

[jerseysam]

My biggest KBV hot-take is the more folks trying a thing with pipe tobaccos, the better. I'm hot and cold on certain tobaccos or the release race to get them.....but at the end of the day I'm glad for folks trying a thing like KBV (decent effort at boutique retail).

In terms of blends, Moriarty, Burly Morning Pipe, and Sakura are my usual buys.

 

[Sonorisis]

A different approach for sure.

 

[greeneyes]

It's an interesting business model. I wonder where the idea came from esoterica.

 

[BROBS]

I’ve found about 25% of his blends decently good. The others I bought I smoked maybe 1-2 pipes and sold it all at a loss on here. I’m done with it.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

It's an interesting business model. I wonder where the idea came from esoterica.
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Judging by how "cool" KBV is trying to be, I'd say the model was Supreme? ?

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I am working my way through a bunch of Ken Byron ‘s blends. I really like ‘em. I also like how they’re packaged. Opinions? PS: I smoke them all in Meerschaums. Like my friend, the late Fred Bass, I’m a “Meerschaum Man.”

Jokes aside, there are a few KBV that are more than decent, but like someone has already mentioned I'm not in the market for another unicorn to chase after - there are many a bulk blend that are far superior but does not have the cool "limited stock" marketing behind it.

 

[mso489]

A Forums member shared a sample of Sakura with me, and it is the only cherry flavor aromatic that ever tasted good to me, because it attempts to simulate the blossoms and not the cherries. I'm so overstocked for the rate at which I smoke, I try not to order blends, but this is appealing.

 

[hawky454]

I still haven’t tried them. A forum member gifted me Jupiter Slices but I still haven’t tried it yet. Apparantly he’s got a fan base as you’ll see a lot of members smoking his blends in the WAYS thread.

 

[hawky454]

but at the end of the day I'm glad for folks trying a thing like KBV

This!

I think Glynn Quelch was the master boutique blender, it’s a shame he had to give it up, he had a natural talent for it and he was sourcing great tobacco! But I’m very happy that we have people like Ken in the community!

 

[tfdickson]

Verge Engine Overdrive is a fantastic VaPer, similar to Watch City’s Rouxgaroux.

Dr Silence is my other favorite, VaBur with a light (but definitly there) tonquin topping.

 

[NomadOrb]

Sakura is probably the only blend I actually liked, so KBV is not for me. It was fun to get caught up in the hype.

 

[cigrmaster]

I must admit to never trying a single one. My cellar is full of aged stuff that I love to smoke. If I tried one of Ken's and loved it then my insidious TAD would take over again. I finally got it under control mostly. The only thing I buy now are aged tins that are all the same blend from the same mfg. Most of these are at least 16 years old so I can only get them sporadically. If the market was slammed with this particular blend I would never be able to control myself. I have not tried a new blend in over 2 years and I don't plan on trying anything else. My problem is if I find something I love, I have to buy at least 100 tins as the thought of running out is too much to take.
Yes I definitely have issues, and knowing you are crazy is half the battle.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I didn't care much for the KBV blends I tried. Too much topping.

 

[americaman]

Currently smoking one of his Halloween blends: The Dread Planet. It has aged Virginias, Basma, Yenidje, and Katerini Orientals. This is a really good, creamy, sipping blend with some subtle sweetness from what I’m guessing are the aged tobaccos. It definitely has that vintage tobacco quality. I have a tendency to puff hard, but with this one I don’t need to, because every draw is fulfilling.

One thing that sets Ken Byron apart is that he’s using aged tobacco in a lot of his blends. Resident reviewer @jiminks has highly rated a lot of his blends. Here is his review of The Dread Planet:

The basma, yenidje and fragrant katerini offer earth, wood, a lot of floralness, herbs, vegetation, some dry sourness, spice and buttery sweetness, along with light smokiness. The yenidje sports a very small “unflavored soda note”. They are the lead components. The aged matured red Virginia is the lead Virginia, and receive plenty of contending support from the stoved Carolina, and the potent African bright and dark Virginias. They provide some fermentation, a burst of tangy ripe dark fruit, a lot of sugary stewed dark fruit and floralness, earth, wood, bread, a fair amount of tart, tangy, acidic citrus, grass, vegetation, sugar, light spice and ruggedness along with minute touches of vinegar. They are supporting players. The floral quality of the African Virginias meld well with that of the Orientals to make it one of the more dominant aspects of this blend. The raisiny, earthy, woody, figgy, very plumy perique is a condiment. The strength and nic-hit just pass the medium mark. The taste is a step past the center of medium to full. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few light rough edges, but this mixture is smoother than one would normally expect from this genre. Well balanced and complex, it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent sweet and floral, sour and spicy, deeply rich, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable during your smoking day. I suggest a wide bowl, e.g., an author or pot for this one to capture all the nuances offered. Four stars.

 

[jerry]

I appreciate your opinions. I find his approach to marketing interesting ... and kind of fun!

 

[dcon]

“Neither praise or blame is the object of true criticism. Justly to discriminate, firmly to establish, wisely to prescribe, and honestly to award. These are the true aims and duties of criticism.”

William Gilmore Simms

That pretty well sums my feelings of KBV. More power to him. I am intrigued by the attempt. For my taste, some hits and some misses.
Just my additional 2-cents: As a cherry blend aficionado, the fact that Sakura is different than other cherry blends does not necessarily correlate to it being better than other cherry blends.

 

[dochowl]

I'm a fan. I look at KBV like having a friend that is really good at homebrewing beer. You know he is going to put out consistently good product (not that I like them all), hitting some one out of the park. And like my homebrew buddies, sometimes you gotta enjoy those magical batches when they happen, since you know they won't be made again. Small batch at its core.

All said, I'm a fan of what he's done with a lot of the straight virginias (Byronic, Jupiter Slices), Va/pers (Pork Chops and Apple Sauce is a personal favorite), along with a variety of orientals that you just don't see too much. And like @tfdickson, one of my favorites is The Patience of Dr Silence. Perfect balance of the tonquin on that one.

And for what it's worth, my wife loves the artwork.

 

[musicman]

I like most of his blends that I’ve tried, but others have left me wanting.

Mycroft, Verge Engine Overdrive, Burly Morning, Sabotage, Dr Silence and The Dread Planet are wins in my book. I didn’t care too much for Pork Chops and Applesauce and Byronic Slices though.

His approach to marketing is unique in the industry and, I think, quite welcome. It does annoy me that he makes all his announcements on Instagram. I HATE Instagram.