Tuesday, August 18, 2026

The Haunted Bookshop

 So, I have been enjoying a tobacco blend by Cornell and Diehl called The Haunted Bookshop.  It is a blend by the late Bob Runowski and named after a book by Christopher Morely.  In the book, Morely weaves three subplots into a surprise ending.  The book is set in 1919 Brooklyn, New York.  President Wilson is set to go to Europe.  One subplot involves the Haunted Bookshop and its pipe smoking owner.  Another involves the disappearance and reappearance of a book on the shelves of the shop.  The third involves, what else, young love.  It's a fun little whodunit.

Like The Haunted Bookshop, Runowski weaves together three types of tobacco to create a blend that the over-the-counter blends should have been.  The burleys are the most prominent tobacco.  It is high quality, without casings or toppings.  It is rare to find a blend with uncased burley.  The virginias play a secondary role.  Always present in the background, they balance the earthy Burley with their typical sweetness.  Sometimes, like an apparition, they will appear for a moment before fading again to the background.  Finally, Perique adds a peppery spicey note to the blend.  You can sense it best on retro hale, where it may tickle the nose.  You might even sneeze!

 One warning, The Haunted Bookshop has a reputation for being somewhat strong in nicotine.  I don't have any problem with it, and I could smoke it all day.  But for new pipe smokers, I suggest using a small-bowled pipe, or put it down when you start feeling it, and pick it up again later.  While I have never been sick from nicotine, it can be quite distressing.      

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