Riverboat Gambler
OK, I went and loaded my Mandarin with Riverboat Gambler and I'm about half a bowl in so this is real, real preliminary, almost real-time. I can't say I've ever had anything like this. And I must say that I am truly surprised and very impressed. Bob Runowski is generally synonymous with codger burley and all things retro and old school. There are certainly aspects of this in RG but there's a much bigger portion of the blend devoted to this amazing complexity and synergy, something totally different. I never in a million years thought I would ascribe these adjectives to a Runowski blend but RG is sophisticated, panoramic, and eclectic. The component tobaccos are obviously more than a random mix of Burley, Virginia, Perique, and Turkish (yes, I said Turkish), there seems a very well orchestrated symphony in this blend with each tobacco bringing something very unique to its presentation.
The pouch note almost suggests a semi-fruity, semi-aromatic burley. Based on pouch note alone, the smoker is almost prepared for something that smells a lot better than it smokes. Once fire hits tobacco though all bets are off. Hold on to your hat, here we go. There seems to be a complete absence of the cased fruitiness that the pouch note prepares you for. In its place though, you'll find a delicate but pleasant flavor and a magnificent palate-coating aftertaste that will immediately make you stop what you were doing and devote your full attention to this blend. I did so literally, thinking "Wow! This is fantastic. What is that?" I sat back in my chair and totally concentrated on the flavors as if trying to hear a barely audible noise. Not that this blend lacks in flavor or punch but I just had totally never tasted anything like this and was trying to figure out what tobacco was doing what.
Burley was not running the show here, that was probably the most surprising for me. Everything seemed to be there in equal measure coming together in a masterful presentation. It definitely has the smoking manners of the burley and the sweetness of the Virginia. As for the Perique and the Turkish (a combination you would think would render RG ridiculously overspiced and very harsh), I would say the Perique is very subtle probably more so than in Haunted Bookshop. In fact the only time I really noticed it was exhaling the smoke through my nose (I got that perique tingle). The Turkish is probably the most remarkable of the lot. Its interplay with the other tobaccos and its effect on the blend as a whole was a very complete and very pleasant surprise. Instead of the expected, very spicy, rather brutish taste, it seemed to add body and a sort of creamy smoothness at the same time.
This really is a tough one to sum up. Unlike other tobaccos, that sometimes seem to attempt too many things at once and do none of them with much distinction or quality, RG does them all remarkably. It's simultaneously full and smooth, it's not goopy or cased but has a certain mild sweetness to it, plenty of nicotine but not in a harsh or abrupt delivery. A bowl of Riverboat Gambler is quite like visiting the Louvre, the Smithsonian and Disney World in three consecutive weeks and trying to pick out that one thing that you were most impressed by, quite an impossible task because everything was fantastic, unique and very memorable. If you are prone to the classic American burlies but occassionally crave something a bit more high speed, RG is totally for you. If you like Walnut, RG is an absolute must. If your tastes lean away from the pedestrian burlies and towards more stimulating high end tobaccos, I promise Riverboat Gambler can run with the best of them. If you're into those highly complex English blends, tobaccos that just have you in awe from bowl one, then add RG to your line-up. Most assuredly it will provide all the ooohh and aaaah you could ever want.
Burleyphiles have known Bob to be the Oracle of all Things burley for quite some time. With Riverboat Gambler he has clearly stepped out of the box and made a play for the rest of the pipe smoking world. My money says he'll be very successful. As there seems to be something here for every taste and all seemed to be addressed quite well.
__________________
"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure."
- 1OLDGI's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Flag as offensive
Complementary tobaccos, I hoped....
I sincerely appreciate the kind words and the excellent review. 'Gambler was a new experience for me. When I assembled the West Virginia series (Bailey's Front Porch, Walter Franklin, and Home from the Hills), I was trying to consider the possibilities of burleys and latakia, with VAs as the condimental leaf, along with light applications of perique and black cavendish. BC is a truly under-appreciated tobacco for softening and deepening the character of a blend.
Perique has intrigued me as a component tobacco. Perique has been misused at times, with over applications lending a harshness and a pepper-quality that annoys. I wanted to explore using tobaccos native to the American South, and, hopefully, celebrate their diversity. And, I wanted a blend with balance among the components. So, reading Twain and Walker Percy and Faulkner and Tennessee Williams, I began having these fleeting images of a tobacco series to honor them. Then, there were those images of the arcane and the exotic which come to mind from the deep New Orleans' South, fundamentally the Creole and Cajun cultures. Somehow, all this "stuff" coalesced into the basic components of 'Gambler. The turkish leaf was my tribute to the cosmopolitan qualities, and the mysteries of the European influences to New Orleans.
But, my cardinal rule in blending is whether people would enjoy smoking it, actually whether Joe Krainz would smoke it. So, stout and flavorful, but not too 'over-the-top', basic available tobaccos.
I am really happy that you enjoyed it.
"What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet, Long live the weeds and the wildness yet. " Gerard Manley Hopkins
Thank you 1OLDGI.
That was an excellent review on what sounds to be an excellent blend. I have just added it to my “get” list with a five star rating. I also down graded Manhattan Afternoon based on Q’s experience, not totally written off just moved down where it may fall below the “wallet cut off” depending on what is above it.
Of course, it is always a pleasure to catch a glimpse of that precarious little tart that lurks behind that somewhat stoic burley façade of yours.
GR Good Review
Fume in pace, ckr
1OLDGI...
I believe, after reading a number of your posts, that you and I have similar tastes. Presently, I'm on a quest to find one more blend to compliment Old Joe Krantz and Haunted Bookshop. Perhaps Riverboat Gambler is it. At any rate, thanks for a very well written review.
"If you can't send money, send tobacco." -George Washington to the Continental Congress, 1776
Official
It is officially on my "To Get" list now. Thanks for the insight.
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." -- Albert Einstein
Matches
I would recommend the following pairings:
OJK and HB (of course)
RB and Epiphany
These two pairing would capture just about full spectrum. Epiphnay contains just trace amounts of latakia (I'm not normally a huge fan of latakia but this is so lightly applied that it just works). Epiphany and RB could be the highbrow set and OJK and HB could be the real live codger burlies. I've used these pairings for a couple weeks now and they are great changes of pace from one another. I'll smoke RB and Epiphany for a while and then switch off and have a couple days smoking OJK and HB.
"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure."
This was...
a great review. I assume this is from C&D? Have you tried their other tinned blends?
Riverboat Gambler is on my email order to Craig Tarler tonight!
Appleton, Wisconsin USA
You gotta watch this guy...
He reviews blends in pipes that have not been cleaned in over a year! He may have to rewrite this review!
Appleton, Wisconsin USA
My impression of Riverboat Gambler
While smoking RG, I again read Michael Eaton's descriptive review of this tobacco from C&D. Mike did not exagerate one bit. I agree with his review word for word and I experienced what he described. What more can possibly be said?
Bob Runowski and Craig Tarler have created another very special and unique blend. It could be an all day smoke. It is smooth. Aroma and taste rates right up there with the best of the non-aro's I have ever smoked in my 42 years of puffing.
My wife took one sniff of the tin and said "I like it". She liked it when I smoked it, too. She is a non-smoker. That says a lot for a non-aro.
It has an exciting taste brought out by the condimental leafs of Turkish and Perique while at the same time forming a perfect marriage in flavor with the Virginia and Burley. I love Broken Flake tobacco blends. They pack beautifully and easily in any pipe. It lights well and burns slowly and evenly to the last puff and the wonderful tobacco flavor of each leaf is absolutely present all the way to the last puff. A truly "Premium" tobacco. Another "winner" from these guys.
I am truly thankful for their efforts. It will give me great joy to smoke the entire pound I ordered. And then, I'll order it again.
Appleton, Wisconsin USA