Since I've got the camera out, I thought I'd do what I told maddy I'd do and post a pic of my pipes:
12:00 - Savinelli Autograph straight-grain
01:00 - Roma
02:00 - 1964 Dunhill (group 4)
03:00 - Peterson Sherlock Holmes (you can't tell in this pic, but it's a really nice birdseye)
04:00 - Peterson
05:00 - Mark Tinsky American Apple
06:00 - Nording
07:00 - Mark Tinsky Diplomat
08:00 - Dunhill Cincinnati 1996 (size not stamped, but it's either a 6 or an ODA)
09:00 - Stanwell
10:00 - Savinelli Octavia (very elegant, completely useless)
11:00 - Amadeus (my first briar pipe; basically a Savinelli knock-off)
OOh pretty collection. I like how you arranged them clockwise...makes me think of a comedian I like. "Whenever I'm with friends, I make sure we're standing clockwise. That way if we are photographed, we are easy to identify."
OOh pretty collection. I like how you arranged them clockwise...makes me think of a comedian I like. "Whenever I'm with friends, I make sure we're standing clockwise. That way if we are photographed, we are easy to identify."
So duty, urbi what tobacco have you been smoking lately? I've been smoking a house blend from my B&M called Rasputin lately. Nice burley and cavendish with just a hint of raspberry.
Well, since I'm still learning and experimenting, I haven't done anything very interesting yet. I've been sticking to a 1-blend-per-pipe rule, so that I can more easily identify the flavor of a particular blend. Also, the main point of starting this was to smoke something with a less offensive odor, which I could then smoke in the closed garage all winter long. This has landed me almost exclusively in the realm of aromatics.
I bought some of a blend called Sunset from Tinder Box. I also found an offer for a free Altadis tobacco sampler (even free shipping), so I signed up for that and ended up with 4 pouches of their tobacco (Almondine, Rum & Maple, Irish Creme, and Fox & Hound). The Fox & Hound is a non-aromatic, which is pretty good, although still pretty mild. The Altadis aromatics are all incredibly mild (as most aromatics seem to be, which is a bit disappointing). I haven't really cared for their flavor all that much, although none have been bad. The Tinder Box Sunset was by far the best tasting aromatic, and also seemed to carry the most body of all the tobaccos. I wouldn't mind buying it again, as I smoked the last bowl last week.
I decided to baseline my learning experience by getting some corn cob pipes, and picking up some Captain Black. I've had one bowl of the Captain, and couldn't get much flavor. The aroma was very pleasant, which I believe is why it's so popular. But it's hardly worthwhile to smoke, because it is so mild. Corn cobs are interesting, and seem to add a bit of sweetness to a non-aromatic. They're a shorter smoke (30-40 mins for me), but seem to burn pretty well and not too hot. I have decided to buy a new corn cob to go with each new aromatic I try, in order to get the independent flavor before subjecting it to a caked pipe.
I've started to get the hang of the process, and a typical bowl in a briar will last around 60-75 minutes with 0-1 re-lights. I seem to smoke pretty hot and wet, although through my limited experimentation this seems to be more related to the blend and the pipe than my process. I smoked the Fox & Hound in the Dr. Grabow last night, and it was neither too hot nor too wet. 50 mins sans re-light.
My only local choices are Tinder Box blends, limited Peter Stokkebye and MacBaren at the local cigar shop, Lane 1Q, and Captain Black. Everything else must be purchased on-line. I'm going to pick up some Balkan Saseini and PS Proper English as non-aromatics, and then a couple of aromatics (Vanilla Creme or some other sissy-Mary type stuff). I'd actually be interested in finding an aromatic that actually carries some body to it. Those two seem to be mutually exclusive. When I find myself looking for a fuller-bodied experience, I'll hot box the garage with one of my stogies, and let it air out over the next couple of days.
Interesting. I'm still unable to get through a bowl without relighting. I smoke fairly slow and cool though.
I definetly have some fuller(not full but fuller) body stuff. Some aromatic some not. Shoot me your addy(I can't believe I don't have it) and I'll put together that sampler I promised you a while back.
Don't worry about shipping me anything at the moment. I have 5 blends that I'm currently working through, and figure I'll hold off on purchasing anything until I've spent a couple of them. It's also been nice to use these blends as a way to practice. Besides, tobacco is so cheap it hardly seems worthwhile to ship it... maybe in a trade or PIF at some point we can swap some blends.
I smoke a pipe quite differently from how I smoke a cigar. I draw on a cigar about every 45 seconds or so (they say a minute, but I've timed this out, and it's more like 40-45 seconds). I draw on a pipe about every 15 seconds (they say you're supposed to draw every 25 seconds or so). I was having to do quite a bit of re-lighting, but have found that if I leave the pipe in my mouth longer (I was just holding it like a cigar, and only bringing it to my mouth to take a puff), I can keep the pipe lit pretty easily. Also, I have been using the Frank method to pack (rather than the tri-level method). I get more tobacco into the bowl, and it burns much more evenly, and tamps perfectly. I've also found that you want the tobacco to be oriented vertically rather than horizontally (think of how a cigar gets rolled), in order to get a consistent burn.
If I try to smoke the pipe too slowly, it runs the risk of going out. Also, with the mild-bodied tobacco, I tend to smoke it faster because I don't feel I've gotten much out of the preceding draw. Although I do seem to have gotten much better at keeping them lit, to the point that I could probably slow it down to around 75-90 minutes (90 was my longest smoke), and not have more than 1-2 re-lights. Naturally, I've been tracking all of this in a spreadsheet
Expensive tobacco? What in the world is expensive pipe tobacco? I haven't even seen stuff for more than about $10-12 per tin. Compared to cigars, pipe smoking is almost free!
Well I have some Davidoff, Frog Morton, and another brand I can't remember. Frog Morton was $25 for 100g, Davidoff was $30 for a 50g tin and the other was around $10/oz. Still cheaper than cigars. BTW I didn't pay much if anything for these. I was given some and given a very good deal on the others.
OOh pretty collection. I like how you arranged them clockwise...makes me think of a comedian I like. "Whenever I'm with friends, I make sure we're standing clockwise. That way if we are photographed, we are easy to identify."
That is awfully pricey.. The Davidoff stuff I've seen on-line usually goes around $10-12 for a 50g tin. Frog Morton -- is that the McClelland blend that's all loaded up on Latakia? Sounds like your kind of blend $10/oz for tobacco is more than I've ever seen, but if you figure you get about 8 or 9 bowls from an ounce, you're still barely out a buck a smoke. As long as you can keep your mitts off the high end pipes, smoking is pretty economical. Plus, since it's not nearly as trendy, you don't run the risk of being a major tax target under the new administration
A 100g tin would take me a long time to smoke through. I've been doing a bowl about 4 nights a week all winter. A 100g tin is probably worth about 30 bowls... so that'd take me nearly 8 weeks to smoke through if it was the only blend I was using! Maybe I should start smoking twice a day
What are these packing methods you speak of? I've never heard of the Frank method or the tri-level method. I've never heard of a method with a name at all.
OOh pretty collection. I like how you arranged them clockwise...makes me think of a comedian I like. "Whenever I'm with friends, I make sure we're standing clockwise. That way if we are photographed, we are easy to identify."
Mitch Hedburg?
Indeed.
Stoplights and bananas are exactly opposite. With a stoplight green means go, yellow means hold up and red means stop. With a banana green means hold up, yellow means go and red means, where the f*ck did you get that banana.
OOh pretty collection. I like how you arranged them clockwise...makes me think of a comedian I like. "Whenever I'm with friends, I make sure we're standing clockwise. That way if we are photographed, we are easy to identify."
Mitch Hedburg?
Indeed.
Stoplights and bananas are exactly opposite. With a stoplight green means go, yellow means hold up and red means stop. With a banana green means hold up, yellow means go and red means, where the f*ck did you get that banana.
haha, I love it. I don't even know how many times I've watched his Comedy Central special, the uncut, extended version, and I laugh my ass off each time. Good stuff right there.
OOh pretty collection. I like how you arranged them clockwise...makes me think of a comedian I like. "Whenever I'm with friends, I make sure we're standing clockwise. That way if we are photographed, we are easy to identify."
Mitch Hedburg?
Indeed.
Stoplights and bananas are exactly opposite. With a stoplight green means go, yellow means hold up and red means stop. With a banana green means hold up, yellow means go and red means, where the f*ck did you get that banana.
haha, I love it. I don't even know how many times I've watched his Comedy Central special, the uncut, extended version, and I laugh my ass off each time. Good stuff right there.
My roommate said to me, 'I'm gonna go shave and use the shower, does anyone need to use the bathroom?' It's like some weird ass quiz where he reveals the answer first.
He has me in tears everytime I watch him...such a shame he's gone.
I know its quite sad. Did you know that the reason he performed most of the time with his eyes closed wasn't bc he was stoned(although he probably was), it was actually bc he had terrible stage fright.
went out and purchased a pipe the other day. and some captain black. white package. it was quite pleasant. ordered a couple tins online Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader and Cornell and Diehl serenity series Comfort blend. anxiously awaiting its arrival. happy smoking...
So I proceeded to spend this morning reading through this entire thread, and all it did was intensify my desire to pick up pipe smoking. Wish I had any cash to pick up a pipe - I have like 4 ounces of pipe tobacco already, and nothing to smoke it in.
¨The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea¨ - Isak Dinesen
¨Only two people walk around in this world beardless - boys and women - and I am neither one.¨
Comments
12:00 - Savinelli Autograph straight-grain
01:00 - Roma
02:00 - 1964 Dunhill (group 4)
03:00 - Peterson Sherlock Holmes (you can't tell in this pic, but it's a really nice birdseye)
04:00 - Peterson
05:00 - Mark Tinsky American Apple
06:00 - Nording
07:00 - Mark Tinsky Diplomat
08:00 - Dunhill Cincinnati 1996 (size not stamped, but it's either a 6 or an ODA)
09:00 - Stanwell
10:00 - Savinelli Octavia (very elegant, completely useless)
11:00 - Amadeus (my first briar pipe; basically a Savinelli knock-off)
However, not pictured is a big ol' Pioneer calabash.
I'll have to take some pics of mine as well one day, I guess.
I bought some of a blend called Sunset from Tinder Box. I also found an offer for a free Altadis tobacco sampler (even free shipping), so I signed up for that and ended up with 4 pouches of their tobacco (Almondine, Rum & Maple, Irish Creme, and Fox & Hound). The Fox & Hound is a non-aromatic, which is pretty good, although still pretty mild. The Altadis aromatics are all incredibly mild (as most aromatics seem to be, which is a bit disappointing). I haven't really cared for their flavor all that much, although none have been bad. The Tinder Box Sunset was by far the best tasting aromatic, and also seemed to carry the most body of all the tobaccos. I wouldn't mind buying it again, as I smoked the last bowl last week.
I decided to baseline my learning experience by getting some corn cob pipes, and picking up some Captain Black. I've had one bowl of the Captain, and couldn't get much flavor. The aroma was very pleasant, which I believe is why it's so popular. But it's hardly worthwhile to smoke, because it is so mild. Corn cobs are interesting, and seem to add a bit of sweetness to a non-aromatic. They're a shorter smoke (30-40 mins for me), but seem to burn pretty well and not too hot. I have decided to buy a new corn cob to go with each new aromatic I try, in order to get the independent flavor before subjecting it to a caked pipe.
I've started to get the hang of the process, and a typical bowl in a briar will last around 60-75 minutes with 0-1 re-lights. I seem to smoke pretty hot and wet, although through my limited experimentation this seems to be more related to the blend and the pipe than my process. I smoked the Fox & Hound in the Dr. Grabow last night, and it was neither too hot nor too wet. 50 mins sans re-light.
My only local choices are Tinder Box blends, limited Peter Stokkebye and MacBaren at the local cigar shop, Lane 1Q, and Captain Black. Everything else must be purchased on-line. I'm going to pick up some Balkan Saseini and PS Proper English as non-aromatics, and then a couple of aromatics (Vanilla Creme or some other sissy-Mary type stuff). I'd actually be interested in finding an aromatic that actually carries some body to it. Those two seem to be mutually exclusive. When I find myself looking for a fuller-bodied experience, I'll hot box the garage with one of my stogies, and let it air out over the next couple of days.
I definetly have some fuller(not full but fuller) body stuff. Some aromatic some not. Shoot me your addy(I can't believe I don't have it) and I'll put together that sampler I promised you a while back.
Don't worry about shipping me anything at the moment. I have 5 blends that I'm currently working through, and figure I'll hold off on purchasing anything until I've spent a couple of them. It's also been nice to use these blends as a way to practice. Besides, tobacco is so cheap it hardly seems worthwhile to ship it... maybe in a trade or PIF at some point we can swap some blends.
I smoke a pipe quite differently from how I smoke a cigar. I draw on a cigar about every 45 seconds or so (they say a minute, but I've timed this out, and it's more like 40-45 seconds). I draw on a pipe about every 15 seconds (they say you're supposed to draw every 25 seconds or so). I was having to do quite a bit of re-lighting, but have found that if I leave the pipe in my mouth longer (I was just holding it like a cigar, and only bringing it to my mouth to take a puff), I can keep the pipe lit pretty easily. Also, I have been using the Frank method to pack (rather than the tri-level method). I get more tobacco into the bowl, and it burns much more evenly, and tamps perfectly. I've also found that you want the tobacco to be oriented vertically rather than horizontally (think of how a cigar gets rolled), in order to get a consistent burn.
If I try to smoke the pipe too slowly, it runs the risk of going out. Also, with the mild-bodied tobacco, I tend to smoke it faster because I don't feel I've gotten much out of the preceding draw. Although I do seem to have gotten much better at keeping them lit, to the point that I could probably slow it down to around 75-90 minutes (90 was my longest smoke), and not have more than 1-2 re-lights. Naturally, I've been tracking all of this in a spreadsheet
I really need to try the Frank method.
A 100g tin would take me a long time to smoke through. I've been doing a bowl about 4 nights a week all winter. A 100g tin is probably worth about 30 bowls... so that'd take me nearly 8 weeks to smoke through if it was the only blend I was using! Maybe I should start smoking twice a day
I'll see what I can turn up, maddy.
Smells good but doesn't taste like much.
¨Only two people walk around in this world beardless - boys and women - and I am neither one.¨