Brunello

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Joined2019-02
Last Visited2023-02
LocationFauquier, Virginia

With 41 years of pipe smoking I've now tried 438 commercial blends (so far) and done a lot of my own blending. However, I plan on only submitting reviews if I feel I can add to the discussion or point out something that may not have been mentioned.

My own methodology is firstly to try every new tobacco in a cob, briar, and meer, because each of these materials react differently to the various components in a blend. Next, for the purposes of a review, I evaluate similar blends in direct comparison, sometimes with two bowls lit at the same time, in order to establish a sense of context. Like in wine tasting, I believe it is by direct comparison of similar blends played against each other that we refine our palates and ferret out the strengths and weaknesses of a blend.

Unless one is growing or buying unprocessed leaf, all commercial tobaccos have had some sort of casing. That is where individual preferences are revealed. Myself, I can tolerate small amounts of vanilla, tonquin, nuts, or some dark fruits like figs, but I don't care for chocolate or berry flavors in my smoke. Therefore, I'm always on the lookout for certain keywords when I read a review. Just because something gets a 3.8 rating doesn't mean everybody is going to be wowed with it.

Reviewers who say "I can't really describe the flavors - but I love it!" don't help me at all. Some people make fun of those who use descriptions like "hints of toasted sunflower seed" - and maybe there really are some people who have lived sheltered lives, subsisting on Mac n' Cheese, who have never tasted a sunflower seed - but I think any curious or adventurous soul has probably tried more foods and drinks than they may realize. The descriptions are just there to jog the memory - for those who like to ponder what they are experiencing.

Badges

Motivator Has upvoted at least 80% of the time.

Reviews

84 reviews
57 helpful votes 		4 star:
23 Strongly Recommended
3 star:
33 Recommended
2 star:
27 Somewhat Recommended
1 star:
1 Not Recommended

Preferences: Unknown

Date Blend Reviews Helpful Rating Avg Rating
2023-02-03 John Aylesbury - Latakia Blend 12 0 ★★☆☆ ★★☆☆ 2.4
2023-02-03 John Aylesbury - Commander Flake 2 0 ★★★★ 4.0
2023-02-03 John Aylesbury - 40 Years Edition 2 0 ★★☆☆ 2.0
2023-01-31 John Patton - Latakia Junction 14 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2023-01-31 John Patton - Storm Front 46 0 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.6
2023-01-31 John Patton - Dark Horse 17 0 ★★★☆ ★★★☆ 3.1
2023-01-30 John Patton - Oriental Dusk 17 1 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.2
2023-01-30 Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River Rum Barrel Aged 12 0 ★★★★ 3.8
2023-01-30 Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged 25 0 ★★★☆ 3.8
2023-01-27 Wilke Pipe Tobacco - Rumcake 54 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.6
2023-01-27 Missouri Meerschaum - Lord Morgan (Crumble Kake) 3 0 ★★★☆ 3.3
2023-01-25 Wilke Pipe Tobacco - Rum and Maple 4 0 ★★☆☆ 2.8
2023-01-25 Wilke Pipe Tobacco - Vermont Maple Cavendish 47 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2023-01-25 Cornell & Diehl - Autumn Evening 297 0 ★★★★ ★★★☆ 2.8
2023-01-25 John Aylesbury - Dragon Flake (Danish) 7 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2023-01-25 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Second Breakfast (Middle Earth Series) 11 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2023-01-24 Robert Lewis - Wingfield Mixture 18 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2023-01-24 Robert Lewis - Orcilla Mixture 31 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.2
2023-01-24 Sutliff Tobacco Company - Opulence #31 (Sutliff Private Stock) 1 0 ★★☆☆ 2.0
2023-01-16 Barling - Tradition (1812) 9 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.2
2023-01-16 Barling - Garnet (1812) 8 0 ★★☆☆ ★★☆☆ 2.0
2023-01-15 Astley's - No.99 Royal Tudor Full Latakia Mixture 30 1 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 2.8
2023-01-15 Astley's - No.88 Matured Dark Virginia 21 1 ★★★☆ ★★☆☆ 2.5
2023-01-15 Astley's - No.55 Elizabethan 20 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.1
2023-01-15 Astley's - No.44 Dark Virginia Flake 55 2 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2023-01-12 Cornell & Diehl - Super Balkan 29 0 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.8
2023-01-12 Brebbia - Balkan (Mixture No. 10) 34 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.4
2023-01-12 4noggins - Britt's Balkan 55 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.4
2023-01-09 4noggins - Three Blind Moose 30 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2023-01-08 4noggins - Thomas' Blend 19 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.4
2023-01-08 4noggins - Prairie Wind 32 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2023-01-08 Outwest Tobacco - Western Sunrise 4 1 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 2.5
2023-01-08 4noggins - Father Orin 7 1 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.1
2023-01-04 4noggins - Nutty Professor 7 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★☆ 3.1
2023-01-04 4noggins - Bald Headed Teacher 78 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.4
2023-01-03 Brebbia - Latakia Flake Mixture No. 9 28 1 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.4
2023-01-03 El Rincon de la Pipa - No. 1 16 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.6
2023-01-03 Cornell & Diehl - Izmir Turkish 21 0 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.6
2023-01-02 B&B Tobacconists, llc - Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard 52 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2023-01-02 Sutliff Tobacco Company - Sweet Virginia #707 14 0 ★★★★ ★★★☆ 3.1
2023-01-02 Sutliff Tobacco Company - TS24 Blended Turkish Ribbon (Blending) 6 0 ★★☆☆ 3.2
2023-01-02 Sutliff Tobacco Company - TS19 Turkish 3 0 ★★★★ 3.7
2023-01-01 F & K - Merde de Cheval 14 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.1
2023-01-01 F & K - Lancer Slices 12 1 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.1
2022-12-31 F & K - Black Bayou Mist 9 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★☆ 3.0
2022-12-31 F & K - Sterling Balkan 759 5 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.2
2022-12-31 Mac Baren - Amphora English Blend 11 0 ★★★☆ 3.2
2022-12-31 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Boswell's Premium Burley 43 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.2
2022-12-30 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Titus Blend 6 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 2.8
2022-12-30 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Black Jack 4 1 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.0
2022-12-30 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Honey Roast 2 1 ★★★☆ 3.5
2022-12-30 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Magnum Blend 17 1 ★★★☆ ★★★☆ 2.6
2022-12-30 Ashton - Consummate Gentleman 78 0 ★★★☆ ★★★☆ 3.1
2022-12-28 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Northwest Trek (English Aromatic) 11 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.8
2022-12-28 The Country Squire Tobacconist - White Rose (Aromatic) 6 1 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2022-12-28 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Cherokee 11 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2022-12-28 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Ruins of Windsor (Squire Original) 2 1 ★★☆☆ 2.5
2022-12-28 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Shepherd's Pie 13 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2022-12-28 Mac Baren - Amphora Virginia 65 1 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.4
2022-12-25 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Cowboy Coffee 7 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.7
2022-12-25 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Indian Outlaw (Squire Original; Aromatic ) 6 0 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.8
2022-12-24 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Old Toby (Middle Earth) 24 0 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.7
2022-12-24 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Bag End (Middle Earth) 11 0 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2022-12-23 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Figgy Pudding (Aromatic) 6 1 ★★★★ 3.5
2022-12-22 Mac Baren - Amphora Kentucky Blend 33 0 ★★★★ 3.3
2022-12-21 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Choctaw (Aromatic) 4 2 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2022-12-21 The Country Squire Tobacconist - Rivendell (Middle Earth Series) 20 2 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.6
2020-07-05 Robert McConnell - Scottish Flake 104 3 ★★★★ ★★★☆ 3.3
2020-06-28 Sillem's - Commodore Flake 29 3 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.7
2020-06-28 Arango - Balkan Supreme 52 1 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.8
2020-06-28 Planta - Full English 11 2 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.6
2020-06-14 Solani - 763: White and Black 72 0 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.1
2020-06-14 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Imperial English 3 1 ★★☆☆ 2.7
2020-05-16 Samuel Gawith - Skiff Mixture 222 4 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.5
2020-05-16 J. F. Germain & Son - Eighteen Twenty 49 1 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.2
2020-05-16 4noggins - Weybridge 33 2 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.4
2020-05-16 4noggins - Tewksbury Hobbit's Weed Match 18 1 ★☆☆☆ ★★★☆ 2.6
2020-05-16 Cornell & Diehl - Black Frigate 55 4 ★★★★ ★★★☆ 3.1
2020-05-09 Robert McConnell - Scottish Cake 119 2 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2020-05-09 Fribourg & Treyer - Golden Mixture 33 1 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.2
2020-05-09 Robert McConnell - Piccadilly Circus (Heritage) 6 4 ★★☆☆ ★★★★ 3.3
2020-04-26 Ashton - Gold Rush 47 3 ★★★★ ★★★☆ 2.7
2020-04-26 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Northwoods 148 1 ★★★☆ ★★★★ 3.5
2020-04-26 Mac Baren - Amphora Burley Blend 35 4 ★★★★ ★★★★ 3.2