Golden Blend's "Blue Train" e100g Premium Pipe Tobacco?

[Blackbeard's Delight]

So I found this brand of tobacco (Golden Blend's "Blue Train" e100g Premium Pipe Tobacco) at a cigar shop, of all places. It was the only pipe tobacco they had and it was cheap enough to make me want to try it. I bought a small tin for like $8. The packaging looks pretty fancy, which was all I had to go by. I smoked a bowl of it and didn't really like it too much... but then again, I have been regularly smoking Half and Half, Carter Hall, and Captain Black, so maybe my taste in bacci is tainted! But I am inclined to think if you ate at McDonalds every day for a year, a prime rib would still be delicious.

Anyway, has anyone heard of this brand? Is it a notorious cheap-o product? Or something I should be giving a chance? Just curious. I haven't seen this kind anywhere else before.

Thanks in advance for the opinions!

 

[Jim]

This review page may be of interest to you.
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=B&TID=2151

 

[Commander Quan]

It certainly seams to be a like it to hate it blend. Was there something specific that turned you off on the flavor? The blends you have been smoking have been mostly burley blends, so I'm wondering how much of the blue train blend is latakia and if that was it.

 

[Blackbeard's Delight]

This review page may be of interest to you.
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=B&TID=2151

Those reviews were pretty much right on the money. The tin I bought didn't really describe having a peach/white wine flavor, so I was going into it blind, but I did think out of the tin it smelled a bit fruity. It did seem to smoke much more bitter than I was expecting... it could be as Commander Quan suggests that the latakia blend being different than the burleys I have grown used to. I definitely had one expectation going in than I got while smoking it.

I don't want to give up on it after one bowl, so I will give it another shot. It definitely does bite too, as a lot of the reviewers mentioned, but I can handle that. Though if I'm not careful I am sure my tongue will look like a construction workers heel before that tin is used up!

 

[Commander Quan]

If it's fruity than it's not the latakia. Latakia tastes like you're sucking on a charcoal briquette.

Virginia leaf naturally has a lot of sugar. If you puff too hard it will burn you. Slow it down, and take sips on the pipe.

 

[Vlad]

If it's fruity than it's not the latakia. Latakia tastes like you're sucking on a charcoal briquette.

Smoking ember, maybe.

Thread heist! I remember the first time I smelled an English blend. I thought it was the stinkiest stuff I had ever put my nose to. Something just below Poo. And now I love taking deep sniffs of an open tin.

 

[Blackbeard's Delight]

If it's fruity than it's not the latakia. Latakia tastes like you're sucking on a charcoal briquette.

Virginia leaf naturally has a lot of sugar. If you puff too hard it will burn you. Slow it down, and take sips on the pipe.

Well I gave it another try. I slowed it down like you suggested, and it was MUCH better this time around. The flavor is definitely not like anything I have smoked so far (in my short pipe smoking history, anyhow!). I just fixed the stem of my briar to allow the bowl to stay lit most of the smoke (see stem fix thread!) but I still kept this smoke on the verge of going out, needing to re-light it several times. I definitely could taste the fruitiness right up front. The reviewers from the link above weren't kidding about the bite though. It sneaks up and then BOOM, you're feeling it bite. Despite that, I think I can get used to it. I guess it goes to show not to judge a bacci on one smoke alone!

 

[Blackbeard's Delight]

Smoking ember, maybe.

Thread heist! I remember the first time I smelled an English blend. I thought it was the stinkiest stuff I had ever put my nose to. Something just below Poo. And now I love taking deep sniffs of an open tin.

Pipe tobacco is strange, nothing like cigarettes. With ciggs you find out what brand you like and that's what you smoke. Pipe tobacco is more like booze... you may have a regular flavor, but you probably switch it up a lot depending on what you're in the mood for.

But I think you are referring to the lilac vegetal effect... it is nasty at first sniff, then you convert over and are a true addict. Then only the people who made the same switch understand, everyone else thinks you have a mutant nose for liking it!

If it's one thing I've learned here is to not give up on a product.... give it a few chances. Will I buy more Blue Train bacci in the future? I don't know yet, we'll see how I feel if I make it to the bottom of this really nicely designed tin!