For most of the time I’ve smoked a pipe, I’ve loved bouncing from one blend to another, always trying something new. I’ve racked up a few favorites, but I always have had this nagging feeling that I’m missing something by not giving any one blend its due.

More precisely, I’ve been wondering to myself if I can enjoy a blend more by smoking a tin of it in a week or two, rather than over the course of a month or two.

I finally got around to giving Old Joe Krantz a try a while back, and later Bailey’s Front Porch. Both from Cornell And Diehl. At some point within the last week I decided to see how long I could exist on a diet of just these two blends. In the last few days, I’ve strayed by a bowl or two of something else here and there, but I’ve largely limited myself to these two excellent blends.

They are both “all day smokes” which to me means they aren’t complicated, or “complex” as some like to describe their favorites, nor do they bite, and most importantly - they taste good enough you’d want to smoke them all day! It doesn’t mean they are low in nicotine content, and they are definitely not lacking in flavor. I definately picked two great candidates. One has Latakia, the other does not.

I hope I stick this out for a while as I’m already noticing things. OJK is getting about 2/3 of my attention and I’m smoking it in various pipes. Tasting a tobacco in one pipe now, and another pipe a few days or a week later isn’t enough to discern the difference the pipe makes, but dumping a bowl from one pipe, and lighting the same blend in another pipe soon after does. This is something I’m seeing more clearly.

More observations will follow if there is ever a part two.

For a change, I’m going to do a “live review.” Usually, I try to get to know a blend a while before putting my thoughts together - this one I’m going to write as I smoke it for the first time.

The flame seemed to jump into this tobacco and nearly light itself. The various tobaccos are cut in such a way packing was a matter of gravity filling and a light tap. Initial tastes were rich, smooth, round, seemingly sweet, and almost creamy. This appears to have about as much chance of biting as a Hershey bar. The gentlest pulls produce generous volumes of smoke accompanied by a wonderful balanced flavor.

I talked to Craig Tarlor when I ordered the sampler this came from. I asked for American style English blends - a blend that would be easy to smoke all day, rich and sweet - this tobacco fits the bill perfectly.

About halfway through the bowl, all the components are holding their own and continue to provide balance. In other similar blends from other brands I’ve noticed that I enjoy the special way Burlies, Latakia, Virginia, and Perique all work together. The Burley brings in a special dynamic not found in blends containing only the other three components.

Towards the bottom of the bowl, the flavor grows more robust, yet still refuses to bite or tire the pallet and ends with a tiny pinch of dottle at a dry heel. The Vitamin N and rich taste has left me satisfied, yet prepared to light up another without reservation.

Blue note has stiff competition with other aromatics in my rotation that smoke better, taste better, and are more economical.

I’m not a big fan of fruity type flavors in my tobacco - even in an aromatic, and this one is fruity, but I’m not basing my overall review on that bias.

The blend is extremely sweet which only aggravates the intensely shrill high notes from the sour fruit flavor and tangy Virginias.  There are no real bass notes to balance it out.  It will bite easily which is a real downer for any aromatic - when I reach for a aromatic I’m looking for a comfort smoke that requires no concentration.  

Blue Note just doesn’t deliver.  I can understand why some like it, but it isn’t my idea of a good aromatic or blend in general.

People told me this is a burley blend.  I’d call it a Perique blend!  Perique is center stage here, and holds your attention the entire bowl.  The other components stay out of the way and allow the star to show her stuff.

Perique’s fig-like fermented character shines with OJK.  You get the peppery character too, but raisiney, stewed prune flavor isn’t lost among the other flavors like it is with some other blends.

The overall taste is no-nonsense and one dimensional.  I’m not saying that like its a bad thing.  Very sturdy - it borders on harsh but doesn’t cross that line.  Its robust, its in your face, and doesn’t pretend to be gentle, but it doesn’t abuse you either.  All that Perique cools the blend down - tongue bite should never be a problem.  OJK is a great source of Vitamin N and one bowl might even exceed your daily allowance.

The blend comes in a cut that is very easy to pack and smoke.  It rates high on my smoke-ability scale.  Puff on it all you want.  It might knock you on your ass, but it won’t leave any bruises.

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I’m not sure if that’s even a word, but I’ve found myself using the term a lot lately on the pipe discussion boards.  What does it mean?  Pretty much, it describes the quality of a blend that allows you to puff away at it with abandon with no ill effects.  This isn’t a mandatory thing for blends I enjoy.  A lot of the tobaccos I enjoy do not rank high on the smoke-ability scale.  Nearly all the VAs and the majority of English blends I smoke require a little care and caution against too rapid a smoking cadence.  So its not always a fault.

On the other hand, when you combine smoke-ability with great taste you have something really special. 

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This blend from Greg Pease’s Fog City Selection generated a little controversy in the pipe world because it is billed as a Virginia blend and the small amount of Latakia it contains is not mentioned in the tin description, which reads:

Tin description

Rich, ripe, red leaf forms the base of this wonderful Virginia blend. The flavours are deep and round, with a smooth, natural sweetness, and subtle notes of orange peel, roasted oats, leather and peat. The smoke develops richness as it progresses, delivering a long, clean finish that is never cloying or syrupy, with hints of malt and grapefruit. For lovers of darker, natural, unstoved Virginias.

If I hadn’t known about it ahead of time, I don’t know that I’d have been able to identify the Latakia, but I do wonder what makes this blend taste different than other Virginia blends I’m used to. It has some deeper bass notes that are robust and brisk and almost like burley - maybe even cigar leaf - but not. There is that wonderful, natural, Virginia sweetness but you have to pay attention or you’ll miss it. I do get a little of the leather, roasted oats, and maybe even orange peel mentioned in the tin description, not sure about the grapefruit and malt.

There’s a lot of body to this blend. It keeps growing more and more bold and earthy as the bowl progresses. I wouldn’t call this an all day smoke by any means - not because of nicotine content, which by the way, is noticeable - but because personally I’d consider it too rich. Save this one for after dinner. It’ll stand up to a couple fingers of Scotch.

This is definately a unique VA. I didn’t quite “get it” at first, and I’m still adding to my “tobacco flavor-vocabulary” as I (slowly) work through the tin. It arrives on the slightly moist side so I suggest letting it dry. It’ll be interesting to see what some age does for this one.