While traveling through Kansas City today, I stopped in at Outlaw Cigar Shop. As the name suggests, they specialize mostly in cigars but do have a small pipe and tobacco area. There was a decent selection of tinned tobaccos, all of which I have cellared. As I went to a wall that had pipe pouches, pipes and accessories, I noticed some tobacco tins scattered throughout the display as “decoration”. Lo and behold, I asked if they were for sale and they indeed were! The clerk said he forgot about them and that all of the Esoterica and Samuel Gawith stock has been long sold out. I guess the pipe Gods we’re smiling upon me today.
I received an unexpected bonus at work recently. What does one do with new found spoils? Pad the cellar, of course. I picked up a few of my favorites and added some I‘ve been wanting to try for awhile too.
@Balisong ~ No, but I am swinging by that cigar shop tomorrow to browse. This was actually from 2 online orders. One from The Briary and the other from Boswell's. They happened to arrive at the same time.
Just received my L. J. Peretti order. I bought my first decent pipe and first non OTC blend from them back in the seventies. I've tried many of their aromatics long ago, this time I bought an ounce or two of their non aromatic offerings with Virginia, Oriental/Turkish and Latakia. Here's the list:
@motie2, it was $85 in total and I haven't bought much this year! I was reminiscing about the time I walked out of the shop with a tobacco they guaranteed would fend off New Hampshire mosquitoes. That was my intro to lat bombs!
@motie2 ~ If it hadn't been for an unexpected bonus at work (conveniently timed with a Esoterica\Sobranie drop at my local B&M) I wouldn't be as freewheeling with disposable income. The portion I set aside for tobacco purchased is sadly about depleted.
I have very little restraint...I received a heavenly smelling package today. A few tobaccos I have been wanting to get for awhile. I guess I have some restraint, because I did not get any Lakeland Dark, which is on my list. Go figure, I see they have St. James Flake in tins today....Oh well, the heavenly box aroma is the St. James Flake. More is better, right? P.S. The new “modern” label lettering on the tins sucks. I liked the old “Kendal Cream” and “Chocolate Flake“ tin lettering better. What the hell is this KC Flake and CH Flake, to lazy to type it out, saving printing ink? Lame.
As a side note, The fresh St. James Flake smells like good strong black tea😋 The Chocolate Flake smells like Cēpacol (the stuff that is used as an analgesic for a sore throat)😖. I hope it smokes better than it smells. The Kendal Cream smells faintly like some spice herb I can’t quite place? Tarragon, Basil, Sage, Mint?
My most recent purchase was at the last CPCC meeting. I bought two oz of a blend called Two Blends. I mentioned that I really don't enjoy latakia. The blender said that she put only a handful of latakia in a 10 lb batch of the blend. Sorry, even that was more than I really enjoy.
What will probably be my last purchase from the local B&M I've supported for the last five years:
1 50g tin Solani Tropical Mango Flake. 1 100g tin Peterson Summertime
The b&m was a Tinderbox which became a Mayan Import location. The main Mayan Import is on Magazine Street in New Orleans and while it caters mainly to cigar smokers, it had an okay selection of pipes and pipe tobaccos. The second location is in the French Quarter (currently closed due to the pandemic) and it catered only to tourist cigar smokers. That left the Metairie location which I supported because it always had a very good selection of pipes and pipe tobacco but, more importantly, the two main employees had extensive knowledge in pipes and pipe tobacco and both were also pipe smokers. They were both let go after the pandemic grant money ran out in May. The owners decided to move the employees from the French Quarter store to the Metairie location.
The rear ends of a cross between a horse and a donkey not only know less about pipes and pipe tobacco than I know about flying a space shuttle, they are rude and basically don't give a gnat's ass about pipe smokers.
A friend and member of the New Orleans Pipe Club is retired and normally spent four or five hours a day sitting in the shop and helping out (for no pay). He was in there having a pipe a couple of weeks ago. A new pipe smoker came into the shop and asked about a new pipe. The guy behind the counter opened the case holding some of the pipes and walked away. Then the customer started asking questions about pipe tobacco and was basically told to "read what the tin says". My friend went over and started talking to the new pipe smoker and helped him pick out a pipe and a couple of tins of tobacco. A sale was made.
After the customer had left, the asshole behind the counter told my friend, "You don't work here, don't interfere with our customers."
When we start holding meetings again, it won't be at Mayan Imports.
Well, I had searched for it in the past, but the other day after smoking a bowl, I decided to search for it once again. Low and behold, I found two more tins at an online tobacconist I had not “popped” before👍🏻
Comments
Another score!
Quite the purchases lately! Did they all come from that cigar shop?
Jeez Louise! Where do y'all get all that disposable income? I'm green with envy.....
Great mini-epic! Thanks for your response....,
To round out the order I added an ounce each of:
P.S. The new “modern” label lettering on the tins sucks. I liked the old “Kendal Cream” and “Chocolate Flake“ tin lettering better. What the hell is this KC Flake and CH Flake, to lazy to type it out, saving printing ink? Lame.
The fresh St. James Flake smells like good strong black tea😋
The Chocolate Flake smells like Cēpacol (the stuff that is used as an analgesic for a sore throat)😖. I hope it smokes better than it smells.
The Kendal Cream smells faintly like some spice herb I can’t quite place? Tarragon, Basil, Sage, Mint?
I’m with you on the latakia. A pinch in 10lbs would still be too much.
What will probably be my last purchase from the local B&M I've supported for the last five years:
1 50g tin Solani Tropical Mango Flake.
1 100g tin Peterson Summertime
The b&m was a Tinderbox which became a Mayan Import location. The main Mayan Import is on Magazine Street in New Orleans and while it caters mainly to cigar smokers, it had an okay selection of pipes and pipe tobaccos. The second location is in the French Quarter (currently closed due to the pandemic) and it catered only to tourist cigar smokers. That left the Metairie location which I supported because it always had a very good selection of pipes and pipe tobacco but, more importantly, the two main employees had extensive knowledge in pipes and pipe tobacco and both were also pipe smokers. They were both let go after the pandemic grant money ran out in May. The owners decided to move the employees from the French Quarter store to the Metairie location.
The rear ends of a cross between a horse and a donkey not only know less about pipes and pipe tobacco than I know about flying a space shuttle, they are rude and basically don't give a gnat's ass about pipe smokers.
A friend and member of the New Orleans Pipe Club is retired and normally spent four or five hours a day sitting in the shop and helping out (for no pay). He was in there having a pipe a couple of weeks ago. A new pipe smoker came into the shop and asked about a new pipe. The guy behind the counter opened the case holding some of the pipes and walked away. Then the customer started asking questions about pipe tobacco and was basically told to "read what the tin says". My friend went over and started talking to the new pipe smoker and helped him pick out a pipe and a couple of tins of tobacco. A sale was made.
After the customer had left, the asshole behind the counter told my friend, "You don't work here, don't interfere with our customers."
When we start holding meetings again, it won't be at Mayan Imports.
A well founded rant, sir.