Dug into the bottom of the cellar and found some Dunhill Ready Rubbed that's been there for 2 years. Decided to load it into an Edwards I just finished cleaning.
Just got some 3P’s... never smoked plug before I broke it up like leaf but had to continually relight what am I doing wrong by the way great flavor ... thanks
Plug Tobacco from The Pipeman's Handbook (attached for your downloading pleasure)
<<Most of the UK plugs and bars are so dense, it's difficult enough to cut them with a knife, much
less light them. Inserting them whole is out of the question. I usually cut off a slice with a very
sharp knife, cut that slice into tiny cubes or squares and then rub it out as much as possible. Even
then it's somewhat hard to ignite..... Plugs require a sturdy, thick blade knife with a very sharp edge. Use the knife to cut across the
grain to produces slices, AKA flakes, to your desired thickness. I prefer them thinner than an 1/8 of an inch. Once you have them cut you place the flakes between your palms and rub them out.
This will provide you with a very smokable consistency. Fore ropes I use an exacto razor. I cut
the rope into thin curlicues (coins about the same thickness as Escudo) that I either smoke as is
or rub out to a finer consistency...... While cutting along the grain seems to make logical sense in terms of
sheer effort expended, what you'll get is a sheet that may or may not rub out depending on how
dry the plug is. Gotta cut across it, which means you need something really sharp..... Personally, although it's hard to do and sometimes a pain, I *like* cutting the plug by hand. It's
part of the ritual for me. However, at one time when I was not feeling like doing the cutting for
an awfully long time, I found that the "slices" blade of one of those grater things worked pretty
well. I'm sure you could find one with a nice sharp blade (ginsu would be cheap and low
maintenance) and an adjustable thickness that would do the job on most plugs. Some of them are
pretty darn hard though, so you might still end up needing to use a strong, sharp knife (pocket
knives are not a good idea as they often can't handle the pressure, and the blade just snaps off). >>
I'm enjoying my first pipe after getting into a car accident on Tuesday (thanks Chicago weather). I'm fine, and it wasn't my fault, but my car was totaled. I'm relaxing with C&D's Morley's Best in my Marvic cutty egg.
Thanks everyone. As the crash happened, I wondered if I'd make it out alive, but thankfully no one was hurt. For all the talk about smoking being bad for you, I think cars are the bigger threat, haha.
Sorry to hear about your accident @thebadgerpiper. To bad your car was totaled but that's what insurance is for. Glad you were able to walk away unhurt.
@thebadgerpiper.glad you're ok after that accident. Just be aware it's not unusual to experience pain days after an accident, particularly if the impact was severe. Take care.
Pipe club meeting last night. One of the guys had some tobacco he found on line named Bar Harbour which I tried. Nice sweet rum flavor and aroma. Also smoked some Peterson Hyde Park, Boswell's Christmas Cookie and another blend I forgot the name of. In honor of the pending Dunhill apocalypse, a couple of us smoked some Dunhill Ready Rubbed.
I'm in pursuit of a new blend to get. having no lead way on my current selection of pipe tobacco i'm hoping if I get something different my bite won't happen. pipe smoking ain't easy
Just placed a Dunhill order with Smokingpipes.com for five tins each of Elizabethan, London Mixture, Standard Mixture, and Ye Ole Sign. Should arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
Comments
Decided to load it into an Edwards I just finished cleaning.
<<Most of the UK plugs and bars are so dense, it's difficult enough to cut them with a knife, much less light them. Inserting them whole is out of the question. I usually cut off a slice with a very sharp knife, cut that slice into tiny cubes or squares and then rub it out as much as possible. Even then it's somewhat hard to ignite..... Plugs require a sturdy, thick blade knife with a very sharp edge. Use the knife to cut across the grain to produces slices, AKA flakes, to your desired thickness. I prefer them thinner than an 1/8 of an inch. Once you have them cut you place the flakes between your palms and rub them out. This will provide you with a very smokable consistency. Fore ropes I use an exacto razor. I cut the rope into thin curlicues (coins about the same thickness as Escudo) that I either smoke as is or rub out to a finer consistency...... While cutting along the grain seems to make logical sense in terms of sheer effort expended, what you'll get is a sheet that may or may not rub out depending on how dry the plug is. Gotta cut across it, which means you need something really sharp..... Personally, although it's hard to do and sometimes a pain, I *like* cutting the plug by hand. It's part of the ritual for me. However, at one time when I was not feeling like doing the cutting for an awfully long time, I found that the "slices" blade of one of those grater things worked pretty well. I'm sure you could find one with a nice sharp blade (ginsu would be cheap and low maintenance) and an adjustable thickness that would do the job on most plugs. Some of them are pretty darn hard though, so you might still end up needing to use a strong, sharp knife (pocket knives are not a good idea as they often can't handle the pressure, and the blade just snaps off). >>
I will be waking up to Second Breakfast by The Country Squire in my Huckleberry Finn MM.