Reviews

[BigCasino]

Just out of curiosity how many bowls do you smoke before giving your review of a certain tobacco? and if there are multiple bowls is that consecutively? or one a day? one a week? are there other blends in between?

I like reading the reviews and really like how some folks ideas differ, shows how different everyones tastes can be

 

[monbla256]

If and when I write a "review" I try to do it based on smoking a full tins (at least 50grams) worth. I have written my "impresions" on a blend, but they are usually based on a couple of bowls and are just that, an "impression" not really a full on "review". But considering that these are a persons SUBJECTIVE observations and NOT fact, they need to be taken as such and a person really should smoke a whole tin themselves before making a decision about a particular blend/mixture. If the 'bac hits you wrong from the first light, understandably it's not "up your alley" and there is no need to continue with it! JMHO

 

[planetary]

If and when I write a "review" I try to do it based on smoking a full tins (at least 50grams) worth.

This.

 

[Wet Dottle]

I don't write reviews, but I've been keeping notes about all the tobaccos I've smoked for the past 15 years, just a short paragraph to remind me of each blend. Different blends need different amounts of bowls: there are some for which one bowl is all it takes, others may need more than one tin. It depends on many factors, including the complexity of the blend, my disposition towards it, and even the maker of the blend.

 

[BigCasino]

I don't write reviews, but I've been keeping notes about all the tobaccos I've smoked for the past 15 years, just a short paragraph to remind me of each blend. Different blends need different amounts of bowls: there are some for which one bowl is all it takes, others may need more than one tin. It depends on many factors, including the complexity of the blend, my disposition towards it, and even the maker of the blend.

I keep a dossier for cigars, or at least I used too, I would tape the bands in the journal and then write the size, shape, wrapper, binder, filler or at least as much as I knew about it, and then a brief description of my thoughts on the cigar, I kind of got away from doing that, I had been thinking of starting one for pipe tobacco, and I really should get back to my cigar dossier

 

[DrT999]

It depends on the tobacco (I do review on tobaccoreviews.com). If I don't like it, it will be a short review and perhaps not many pipes tried. Otherwise, anywhere from half a tin to a full tin.

 

[KevinM]

I rarely review because, a) there are already good review sites avail to all and sundry, and b) I rarely have anything to add for good or ill and c) I often read a review of a tobacco that I'm familiar with and wouldn't recognize it from the unlabeled review, plus d) I just stick to and restock my cellered hoard of bulks of which I'm sure I have a lifetime supply, and e) I'm beginning to see the wisdom of sloths. None of this is intended to discourage reviewers or the chase for anyone's own personal Acadia. And I may mention my personal likes and dislikes if asked, which isn't intended as a "review."

 

[Richard Burley]

I ain't never gonna do a review 'cuz I can't trust my own skull. About a year ago, I tried Escudo and hated it. Just recently, I popped open another tin, lit up, and thought it the best tobacco in the world. Ludicrous. Reading a review that I might have written would be flirting with insanity. By the same token, my reading anyone else's review would be pointless, though I do make an exception for those of Mr. Kyle Weiss, whom some of you may have heard of, and anything Mr. Greg Pease might have to say. It's interesting how some blends are burley, virginia, and latakia, while others are virginia, latakia, and burley. (Strike the last sentence--I just can't resist being a sarcastic a'ho'.)

 

[BigCasino]

I ain't never gonna do a review 'cuz I can't trust my own skull. About a year ago, I tried Escudo and hated it. Just recently, I popped open another tin, lit up, and thought it the best tobacco in the world. Ludicrous. Reading a review that I might have written would be flirting with insanity. By the same token, my reading anyone else's review would be pointless, though I do make an exception for those of Mr. Kyle Weiss, whom some of you may have heard of, and anything Mr. Greg Pease might have to say. It's interesting how some blends are burley, virginia, and latakia, while others are virginia, latakia, and burley. (Strike the last sentence--I just can't resist being a sarcastic a'ho'.)

well this was one of the reasons I was asking cause I had read on more than a few occasions where some had at first not liked the tobacco but then later on tried it again and then did like it, So I was just curious, i try to pay attention to their description of the tobacco and less attention on if they liked it or not

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Richard, being funny and flattering will get you everywhere with me. :lol:

Reviews are...ugh.

Here's the thing. When I first encountered tobaccoreviews.com, I knew what to expect. In our "yelper" society, everyone's a funnyman, everyone gets a public, justified opinion, and boy, they'll lay it on thick. Notice I didn't use a metaphor that time, such as "thicker than bullslime on a cow's arse." See what that does? It cheapens the mix. Great for the bar, but when it oozes [sic] into the polite company of the Internet...hell, who am I fooling?

Tobaccoreviews.com reviewers are largely a joke. Three-word reviews, star-rating system (and those who have no idea how to use it, or merely abuse it), and poetic goofballs that are too high on nicotine to give an objective opinion...

...so I started writing my own. For BoB or you guys? No. To pin down and organize my own thoughts. I have spreadsheets and logs, journals and thoughts on all of my piping experience. It's practically data collection...really FUN data collection. Final conclusions (and even snap-judgements) are cataloged and placed here, where people I know, like, respect and can discuss, will read them, and I can go back and read the archives of my thoughts (and others') later on...

...and it all kind of melds together. Even a year ago, I can go back, sigh and snerk a little at my noobishness, knowing what I know now, and it's brilliant. The whole process is. A year from now I'll probably do the same.

I suggest anyone new keep even light notes on their pipes and tobacco. I go overboard (as is my nature) with much, but the foundation is sound. I like to write, and it just so happens the Brothers here like to read--so, why not combine the two? I also enjoy reading other Brothers' thoughts on tobacco--helps whittle down my ever-growing "to try" list.

I'll never post reviews on TR.com. It's a useful site, but insight is kind of laughable. Hence my signature line I use here. If you don't like the way something's being done...

...review for yourself, whether others read it or not--that's the key.

8)

 

[KevinM]

+1 for Kyle's conclusion. But one thing I'd suggest for visitors to TR -- There are a lot of reviews, and in some cases the sample size approaches what would be needed for a bonafide random sample. So if a tobacco has a couple hundred reviews and is hanging on to its fourth star, it might be worth looking into. But the wild variation among wild individuals tends to force things into the mid-range on TR.

For some tobaccos, The Professor's review site uses a quantitative score for aspects of tobacco (strength, room note . . . (Only The Professor reviews on this site, no public input) Personally I like the broken down quantitative approach, because The Prof hits the things I'd be interested in. He doesn't do it for everything he reviews. Maybe it was a late addition to the site. Sometimes I think the Professor's site was a clever way to assure a steady flow of free tobacco

 

[Cadfael]

Whatever happened to the professor?

 

[Deleted member 2386]

I don't write reviews, but I've been keeping notes about all the tobaccos I've smoked for the past 15 years, just a short paragraph to remind me of each blend. .

That's a really good idea! I'm gonna have to start one of those myself...