Stand Back! While I elucidate.

  Didn't think I'd be back so soon, did you? Good, like to keep you on your toes.  I may be changing the description of my blog soon. As I said last time, I've been spending more and more time with other hobbies, plus, I haven't had the stretches of time necessary to enjoy a pipe as often as when I started this thing. To that end, I may be throwing in yammering about music, modern culture, science, or why at times I wish I could have been gay (Today's my 10th anniversary, by the way). Is that O.K. with everybody? I'll still try to focus on the pipe stuff, but this may get me to the keyboard more than twice a year.

  Speaking of pipes, I'm currently smoking a Virginia/Perique concoction of my own.....concocting..... out of a Peterson Shamrock billiard. The blend is something I have started calling "Virginia Assembly" because it's several other blends (which weren't great on their own for one reason or another) thrown together, and then balanced out with a measure (or several) of Perique, and a breath of Oriental. Learning from my own mistakes (See "The Terror and Delight of Blending your own" an earlier post) I mix in a larger container now, before stuffing the blend into a jar. The English melting pot has mellowed out through the same practice. I call it "English commonwealth" now. Clever names seem to help distract me from the mediocrity of the tobacco. I smoke them because they don't upset me like their individual components, and they make me appreciate the actual GOOD tobaccos that I have. I am also too cheap to throw anything away.

  Speaking of cheap, don't shy away from from the so-called "drug store" blends. They are often affordable alternatives to fancy tobacconist choices, and several are quite good in their own right. Captain Black is always popular, and easy to find. It comes in several varieties, all aromatic, but none are too sweet. If you are lucky enough to find Half and Half, Carter Hall, Granger, or Kentucky Club, give them a chance. These are all Burley or Burley/Virginia blends with a long history of quality and consistency. In the case of Kentucky club, it is a cube cut Burley. These can be tricky to smoke the first time out, but once you figure out how to keep it burning without  plugging up your pipe, I find it mild, pleasant, and just downright fantastic for the price. Walnut is a rare blend, but one of the only off-the-shelf English blends around. I haven't tried any yet myself, but I've heard it compared to Frog Morton, a perennial favorite among English smokers. I'm not saying you'll love them all, our opinions are bound to differ, but those little pouches behind the counter hold a world of delight for the pipe smoker. If it comes in a two pound bag, it's probably not worth gambling on, though.

I found my notebook

  Welcome back! Sorry I haven't been on in a while. A real long while. There's been a whole lot going an, among others, I got distracted with other hobbies. Guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, shooting, reloading, reading (mostly about hobbies), and looking for a job. I've cut down on looking for a job. A fellow can only handle so much rejection. But enough about me, let's talk about your pipe!

Talking Pipe, Volume 2: Your Pipe

  First and foremost, get to know the thing. There are only two parts of most pipes: the bowl, which can be made of a number of different materials, and the mouthpiece, usually made of a hard rubber. There can be a band or collar of metal or other material around the wood where the mouth piece joins. The most important thing to remember here is to never remove the mouthpiece from the pipe while it is still warm. There are a number of reasons for this, but the bottom line is, it could crack the neck of the pipe.

  There are is a wide choice in materials used to make the bowl of the pipe: Briar is the most common, being the best wood for even heat distribution and not absorbing liquid from tobacco."Briar" is actually the root burl from a heath shrub, which grows along the Mediterranean sea. It grows very slowly, and usually in loose sandy soil, so pits form in the wood where sand is trapped during growth. The most desirable pipes have no pits, and are perfectly smooth all the way around. These may later be finished rough, but the lack of pits ensures a more even burning smoke. Recently, a process has been developed to harvest pieces of burl without killing the shrub, ensuring that older, more dense root is available for use.

  Next comes meerschaum, a clay like substance (actually a sort of petrified microscopic dendrite sea creature) that is also only found in certain Mediterranean regions. It absorbs no flavor, and allows exceptionally clean burning smokes, but must be handled with care. it is very fragile, and shouldn't even be touched with bare skin while warm. The exterior is finished with a blend of special oils (containing whale oil!) and the oils stick to skin when the pipe is warm. The oils SLOWLY change color while the pipe is being smoked, so the entire pipe darkens with careful use. It is a mark of pride among meerschaum smokers to have a perfectly darkened pipe with no inconsistencies (blemishes, blurs, or fingerprints) to mar the wonderful golden red color  that can cover the pipe. It is rumored that the type of tobaccos smoked can vary the aging color, but this is yet to be proved. It is important to remember with briar and meerschaum that you rest the pipe at least 24 hours between use. Both materials can retain heat a deceptively long time, and abuse can cause the bowl to crack.

  My favorite pipes are probably my clays. They absorb no flavor from previous smokes (as long as you keep 'em clean), they burn exceptionally clean, imparting every bit of flavor your tobacco has to offer, and you don't need to worry about resting a clay pipe. Ever. You want more of that last smoke? Load up and go again. It'll be fine. Sure, you can't hold it with your teeth. Heck, if it's like mine, you can't hold it with your hand anywhere near the bowl, either. Does that stop me? Of course not.

  There are other materials you'll see at the pipe shop, too. Corn cob pipes have been around forever, and they're not going anywhere. Do they work? Yes. The work pretty well. And they're cheap. I keep a few around for camping trips and parties where I may drop my pipe, or forget it on a table. Eventually, they'll burn themselves away anyway. So if you need a disposable pipe, and don't mind the taste of flaming corn (I kind of like it once in a while) pick one up. There are hardwood pipes, too. Cherry, maple, there are others, too. I group these with corn cobs. Throw away pipes. They look just funny enough to be cool, and I wouldn't worry about loosing one, I just don't care for them. My opinion, I guess.

I would stay away from other materials. Aluminum, glass, and (Blech) brylon. Aluminum overheats and puts other chemicals into the smoke, glass get the tobacco too hot, and won't trap any of the tars, and brylon? Blech. Brylon is a material pipe makers came up with in the late '60s to make cheap, customizeable pipes out of. It's just a heat resistant plastic, so it can be shaped and colored however they feel. One problem: It's shit. Enough said.

  Last important note, them I'll stop. If you like your pipe, treat it right. Clean it every time you smoke. EVERY TIME. It doesn't take a lot of work. While it's warm, pass a pipe cleaner all the way through the mouth piece. In to the bowl if you can manage it. This is pretty simple with straight pipes. With bent pipes, it can be tricky if not downright impossible. Luckily, it's not necessary. Get the pipe cleaner as far into the pipe as you can, pull it back out, blow through the mouthpiece (to blow out any debris you may have dislodged, any any excess moisture) and run the pipe cleaner through again. Simple, right? If you like (and I do) now is a good time to rub the pipe down with a soft cloth. I use the bottom of my shirt more often than not. It buffs the pipe, removes unwanted oils and whatever may have been on your hands, and keeps the mouthpiece clean and black. Once per year, I use bristled pipe cleaners (they look like candy canes with a VERY thin red stripe), dip them in a pipe sweetener (any good whiskey or rum will do) and clean every bit of the inside of the pipe. Bowl too. You shouldn't clean the bowl too often. You actually want an even layer of "cake" there to protect the wood. I inspect this "cake" during my annual cleanings, and ream it back if it's more than 1/8" thick.

  Whew. That's pretty much it this time. Don't expect any more essays like this. I'll the rest fairly trim. I didn't talk about "gimmick" pipes (moisture traps, filters, exchangeable bowls, or carbureted models) because I don't care about them. Stay away from them. See "Brylon". I forgot meerschaum lined briar pipes. These are magic. If you have one in good condition, treasure it. It combines the best of both worlds.Thanks for hanging on 'till the end. Until next time: Smoke well.

Came and Went

Yesterday was international pipe smoking day, and it was just over too fast. I smoked 3 different blends, in three different pipes, and all of them were ho-hum, at best. That's what I get for trying new things: joy mingled with disappointment. They were all house blends from pipesandcigars.com, under their house brand name: Hearth and Home. I've sampled some truly wonderful blends from them, and some that I didn't care for at all, but that's true of all tobacco companies. The three I tried yesterday fit into neither category.
  The first was called "LJ Heart Burley" a blend made specificly for pipe maker Lannes Johnson, who selected this mixture to send as a sample to his pipe customers. In their own words, it's "Two different types of nutty Burley are laced with an unusual cube cut Virginia and a Burley-based natural toasted Black Cavendish for a splash of non-flavored sweetness." In my words, it's a somewhat mild, extremely dry blend that produces a decent amount of smoke with very little flavor. I've smoke several bowls of this, as of this date, and my opinion hasn't changed. It's not BAD, per say, but not something I'll seek out to buy more of.
  The needs of family call, so I'm off, but hopefully I'll find time to send up the rest of my ho-humbug soon.

My new hero.

A recent experience with A website finally has me off my rear, and putting up a new post.
  I've ordered several times from pipesandcigars.com, without any issue. My most recent order arrived with two obviously different tobacco blends having the same label. A simple mistake that anyone could make. I knew what I ordered, and knew that one was a Virginia blend, and one a burley, but my nose just wasn't up to snuff to determine which was which. I decided to call customer service, and they handed the phone over to Russ Oullette, who blends Hearth and Home tobaccos. He quickly straightened me out with a simple description of what the burley blend looks like. Apparently, if there's a problem with one of his own blends, he just handles it himself!
  If you haven't tried Hearth & Home tobaccos, I strongly recommend it.I've sampled 9 of their blends so far, and I guess that I should start reviewing them soon, because they make almost everything I've written about so far pale in comparison. I've been finding more time to smoke my pipe lately, so there's really no reason to shy away from writing about it.  Just this morning I was smoking my first bowl of Hearth & Home "Old Companion", and loving every puff.
   I won't have time to write more for over a week, but more will be coming. I just wanted to take an opportunity to share my fantastic experience with pipesandcigars.com, and thank my new hero of blending AND customer service, Russ Oullette!

Villager 1888 Mid Day

"A mixture of double steamed black Cavendish, blended with Burley, Oriental, and light Virginia tobaccos.  A delightful aroma and top note vanilla and exotic fruit make this a mild and pleasant smoke in the early afternoon."
  If you were at the memorial day party at the ranch, This is what smelled so good.  Now you all know my secret. If you weren't there, if you didn't smell it, I'm not sure where to start describing it. That "exotic fruit" seems to be mostly coconut, and "mild and pleasant" pretty much nails the flavor. I actually had people yell at me because it smelled so good!  There's very little I can say about this besides how wonderful it is! If you're lucky enough to find it (a tin runs about $6.50. The cheapest tinned tobacco EVER) just buy one. I think the whole line of Villager is great, but this one takes the cake. That's why I saved it for last.  I'm not into the sugary sweet stuff as much any more, but this is so mild that it doesn't bug me enough to put me off. It's GREAT around other people, because everyone seems to like the smell. If you're not really a pipe smoker smoker, but WANT to look dignified, get yourself a glossy black pipe (always stylish) and a tin of this (tins just make you look classy) and light with a match. Within no time, people will be asking where you attended finishing school. Don't tell them the truth. As a matter of fact, fuck the truth. If wanted the truth they wouldn't have asked such a stupid question.
  Sorry. I'm a little off track. Got some bad medical news from my mechanic, and it has me in a mood. Guess WHICH mood, and win a prize! See y'all next time, when I may just admit I was way off about something I already reviewed.

Villager 1888 Late Night

It took me a while to figure this on out. It's a partial flake, made of Virginias and black cavendish, and flavored with Irish whiskey. It sounds good right? and it is, but only if you smoke it right. Flake tobaccos are unique in that they give the smoker a myriad of options for preparation. MOST flakes are best when worked to the level of fineness the smoker prefers, and then dried for an hour or so before loading the pipe. Not this one. In the spirit of convenience, they packed this in the tin at the optimal level of smokability . I tried working it to a finer consistency (which I usually prefer) and it was unpleasant. I let it dry for a while, and it burned too hot. Finally, I gave up the fancy stuff, retreating to a "Fold and Stuff" tactic, and presto! A wonderful smoke. It's surprisingly not as sweet as other Virginias, or cavendish, but mild and refined. The room note is pleasant and sweet, and also the only place one might detect any evidence of whiskey. I certainly couldn't TASTE whiskey. A good all day smoke, nothing extraordinary, but certainly not lacking anything either.

  Out of the three blends from Villager, this is the most mellow. Early Day is pungent and smokey (as an English blend should be) and Mid Day is.... well, I'll tell you about it next time.

Villager 1888 Early Day

First, let me apologize for taking SO long to get back to the keyboard. It's been a hell of a month. Second, let's jump right in. This is my first ever review of a tinned tobacco, Villager 1888 (by Peter Stokkebye) Early Day. This is an English blend, described on the tin as "Mature golden Virginias blended with oriental leaf and Latakias from the Balkan region. The rich share of Latakia makes this blend a true English classic with the characteristic smokey room note"
  The orientals are taste-ably present, but the latakia definitely dominates the blend.  The virginias do sweeten the blend, but cause it to burn a little hot for an english blend. The villager 1888 line is a good bang for the buck, being one of the cheapest tinned tobaccos around, but holding a flavor and quality of a premier blend. The early morning blend isn't AS fine as some other english blends I've smoked, but the convenience of the tin definitely balances that out.
  I've had to relight once or twice near the bottom of the bowl, but with minimal maintenance, it burns to a fine, white ash every time. I'd definitely  buy a tin of this for vacation, or when I know I won't be around the house for a few days, for the security of a well kept english I can pack anywhere, anytime, and enjoy well enough to sate my own spoiled tastes. A well done job for a nominal cost.
  Thanks for staying 'till the end! Hopefully, I'll be able to post once or twice a week for a while now, so stay tuned for the rest of the Villager 1888 line!