@RockyMountainBriar Tried the stem/polish stem cleaner on an old pipe that needed it. Took a VERY small amount on my index finger and gave it a very light covering, then rubbed the stem with medium pressure. After hand buffing, it was noticeable better. However, I tried following that up with a very light buffing on the wheel. I must say, that stem wound up almost glassy looking. It was as close to looking like a new stem as you can get, even with micropads! But, that was just one stem. So I'll have a better idea of what it can do after a few more trials. Stay tuned... By the way great looking pipe!
Well, it was a day late, but it’s here👍🏻. I have been looking for the SG “Grousemoor Plug” for a few years now. I finally snagged some. The GH “Jamaica Flake” a.k.a. (“Rum Flake”) has cool tin art, what a sucker I am🙂. I really love that they have dropped the stupid “tin art thrashing” warning labels. We will see what it tastes like. The description is Virginia, Burley, Rum….so far so good…..licorice? and vanilla. I like black licorice, and if I was to guess, I’d say the tin popped, I can smell it, and it is wonderful without even having removed the cellophane safety/tamper? seal. The “Escudo”….well I just needed another tin, sometimes they are tough to acquire.
@PappyJoe Fairview Heights, IL. About a 25 minute drive from my house here in Granite City. There is a HUGE shopping area there. If I had to guess, I'd say at least 2 to 3 hundred stores. The sad thing I learned yesterday is that this Tinderbox will no longer carry tinned tobaccos, only their blends. The owner put a great sale on their tinned blends late last year and I picked up about 4 or 5. But I had no idea they were not going to restock. It was disappointing to say the least... not to mention their pipe selection has dwindled to about 30 pipes. Remembering the old days, it really is sad. But at least I can pick up some of their decent blends now and then...
@KA9FFJ Yea, Tinderbox seems to be slowly moving toward extinction. I asked where because there is a Tinderbox in Mobile, AL that I occasionally stop into on road trips to see which of their blends are in stock.
I won a raffle last night at our pipe club meeting. The shop where we hold the meetings was a Tinderbox location until the owner decided to retire about 7 years ago. Apparently they were doing some cleaning and they found a box containing several Ascorti pipes. The pipes were made as Tinderbox store pipes and stamped with the location. The current owner made the decision to use them as raffle items at our pipe club meetings. I won last night. Not bad for a $10 raffle ticket.
@PappyJoe Yea, I saw the pic. It's a pretty good looking pipe IMHO, and Ascorti, in my recollections, is a nicely made pipe, both aesthetically and mechanically...
@opipeman Thanks. Big fan of burley blends. Also I popped in a shop recently and picked up some "classics" although they are not burley blends. Prices were really good.
Finally received my order from Esterval's in Germany. Only took 16 days from the day I placed the order. It should have been delivered last Monday but there were some undisclosed shenanigans between DHL and US Customs. The package "cleared" Customs on May 11 according to tracking but then had to be sent back to Atlanta for clearance on May 14. The loot:
Elwood Flake Number 2 (2 50g tins) - Fig Flavor
HU Coming Home (1 50g tin) - Honey Rose Oil Nuts
HU The Untouchables (5 50g tins) - Cedar Rose Geranium
Michael Apitz Blue Canary (100g tin) 1 Apple Cinnamon Vanilla
@opipeman Our son who is a chef was with me when I lit it up and he said it smelled like fresh figs. I picked up some of the fig notes and taste but it didn’t overwhelm the tobacco.
@RockyMountainBriar One of my school friends who lived about two houses over from us, had two gigantic fig trees in their bag yard. I know now that these were fig trees that were old and grew wild. They were so big that we would build a platform in it during the summer. So we ate fresh figs for two summers before we moved. Fig Newtons were my favorite cookie until I had to stop eating sweets. I've never associated figs with dirt but I have associated figs with Perique.
A Dr. Grabow Sculptura that I picked up off of ebay for restoring (cleaning) and some solani tins that the country squire had. Came for the aged burley flake but couldn't resist the VaPer. Excited to try both.
I received some “loot” today from “The Briar Fellowship”. I was intrigued by a 100% Oriental tobacco blend that was featured in a blog somewhere (I’m old, I forget). I am a fan of Oriental blends, so a blend made from 100% Orientals sounded great. I went to the site and also found a pipe, well three pipes that I am looking for. I purchased one, the Peterson “Great Explorers” “Scott” pipe, I could only afford one at this time. I also purchased 100 grams of the tobacco blend “Leaves of Athelas”. I was sent another couple of sample blends, and a screw-top tobacco tin as freebies👍🏻
@opipeman Will do. I’m looking forward to the “Leaves of Athelas”, but the other two, not so much, they have Latakia in them, “Nepenthe” and “Gates of Argonath”🤢.
@Zouave1864 Stokkebye 24 Nougat is on of my standbys.. I decided to try it after I found out a few years ago it was the tobacco used in LOTR. Really enjoy it and have been using it ever since...
Comments
Tried the stem/polish stem cleaner on an old pipe that needed it.
Took a VERY small amount on my index finger and gave it a very light covering, then rubbed the stem with medium pressure.
After hand buffing, it was noticeable better.
However, I tried following that up with a very light buffing on the wheel.
I must say, that stem wound up almost glassy looking. It was as close to looking like a new stem as you can get, even with micropads!
But, that was just one stem. So I'll have a better idea of what it can do after a few more trials.
Stay tuned...
By the way great looking pipe!
Sweeeeeeeet.
Where is that Tinderbox located?
Fairview Heights, IL.
About a 25 minute drive from my house here in Granite City.
There is a HUGE shopping area there. If I had to guess, I'd say at least 2 to 3 hundred stores.
The sad thing I learned yesterday is that this Tinderbox will no longer carry tinned tobaccos, only their blends.
The owner put a great sale on their tinned blends late last year and I picked up about 4 or 5. But I had no idea they were not going to restock. It was disappointing to say the least... not to mention their pipe selection has dwindled to about 30 pipes.
Remembering the old days, it really is sad.
But at least I can pick up some of their decent blends now and then...
Yea, Tinderbox seems to be slowly moving toward extinction.
I asked where because there is a Tinderbox in Mobile, AL that I occasionally stop into on road trips to see which of their blends are in stock.
I won a raffle last night at our pipe club meeting. The shop where we hold the meetings was a Tinderbox location until the owner decided to retire about 7 years ago. Apparently they were doing some cleaning and they found a box containing several Ascorti pipes. The pipes were made as Tinderbox store pipes and stamped with the location. The current owner made the decision to use them as raffle items at our pipe club meetings. I won last night. Not bad for a $10 raffle ticket.
Yea, I saw the pic. It's a pretty good looking pipe IMHO, and Ascorti, in my recollections, is a nicely made pipe, both aesthetically and mechanically...
Great choices, Brother.
Finally received my order from Esterval's in Germany. Only took 16 days from the day I placed the order. It should have been delivered last Monday but there were some undisclosed shenanigans between DHL and US Customs. The package "cleared" Customs on May 11 according to tracking but then had to be sent back to Atlanta for clearance on May 14.
The loot:
Elwood Flake Number 2 (2 50g tins) - Fig Flavor
HU Coming Home (1 50g tin) - Honey Rose Oil Nuts
HU The Untouchables (5 50g tins) - Cedar Rose Geranium
Michael Apitz Blue Canary (100g tin) 1 Apple Cinnamon Vanilla
Charlatan Special Edition 160th Anniversary (100g tin) - Plum Vanilla Mirabelle
Danish Mixture Carribbean Dream (2 50g pouches) - Orange & Coconut
Danske Club Ocean Blue (2 50g pouches) - Sambuca & Licorice
Danske Club White Roses (1 50g pouch) - Rose, Vanilla & Brandy
Nice haul. Looks like some interesting flavors.
I am trying the Elwood Flake 2 right now. It is a nice, smooth smoke. The flavoring is Fig, but is not overpowering.
Fig??, not sure what that would taste like. I hope you will continue to review your new stash.
Our son who is a chef was with me when I lit it up and he said it smelled like fresh figs. I picked up some of the fig notes and taste but it didn’t overwhelm the tobacco.
Interesting, I dislike figs (they taste like dirt), but Perique I like🤔
One of my school friends who lived about two houses over from us, had two gigantic fig trees in their bag yard. I know now that these were fig trees that were old and grew wild. They were so big that we would build a platform in it during the summer. So we ate fresh figs for two summers before we moved. Fig Newtons were my favorite cookie until I had to stop eating sweets. I've never associated figs with dirt but I have associated figs with Perique.
Let us know what the tobacs are like.
Will do. I’m looking forward to the “Leaves of Athelas”, but the other two, not so much, they have Latakia in them, “Nepenthe” and “Gates of Argonath”🤢.
Wow, what a haul.
Stokkebye 24 Nougat is on of my standbys..
I decided to try it after I found out a few years ago it was the tobacco used in LOTR. Really enjoy it and have been using it ever since...