Been making homemade pizzas for the past 25 years or so during the cooler months and even though our kids are gone we still like to do it.
My wife joked as I was taking a picture of the finished pizza to post " how are you going to make that a pipe themed picture" to which I replied "I'm going to give it a hood ornament".
Poker made by an artisan polish pipe maker, filled post dinner with Comoy's Cask 11
I decided I wanted a change so I opened a 4 year old tin of C&D String Duster, no Latakia, a mild aromatic with rum and maple. It's good in the first cob I smoking now maybe I'll break out my old Peretti Acorn briar for round two!
I thought I would give some C&D “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” from 2018 a go this afternoon. I stuffed it….I mean carefully and lovingly loaded it into my Peterson XMAS 2021 SH “Watson”. I am pairing it with a cuppa Java.
I'm starting the day with G&H Balkan Mixture in an MM Diplomat. The coffee maker missed the cup, big mess plus waste for the worms! I cracked open a tin each of G. L. Pease Spark Plug and Gaslight to air a bit before starting a comparison later this afternoon.
Doing some Stokkebye 24 Nougat in a reworked noname. I was drawn to this pipe at an estate sale because of the silvery stem. The stummel initially was a very dull near solid dark brown, but the mechanics were excellent. The best thing I did aesthetically for that pipe, was to strip it and 2-tone stain it. Really shows off the grain that was hidden before...
I tried slicing a block of G. L. Pease Gaslight on a meat slicer and ended up with broken flake! Loaded up an MM Pride and it is one tasty tobacco, no worse for the wear.
Interesting solution! I was planning on sharpening a fish filleting knife but decided to try the slicer first. I put a block of Sparkplug through the slicer on the food processor and finished it in an herb grinder. I find the two plugs to be the deepest flavored tobaccos on the market but haven't found a convenient way to prep them for a pipe.
I've have a large filppy jar full of Peter S. English Luxury sitting in my daily rotation selection for many years but have been distracted by other blends.
The current contents are at least 4 years old; man did this blend improve with age, smoked a bowl this afternoon while mowing leaves to mulch over the garlic beds.
It was so good that I checked my cellar to see if there was more (there wasn't) so I ordered a pound just to start the process again.
Smoking some Captain Black “Royal” for the break-in bowl in this Peterson 2019 POY Chubby 999. Hey, I’m working through my new and unsmoked (after my refurbishment) pipes. I removed the bowl coating, drilled the airway to make sure it was cleared to 4mm, and chamfered the tenon before loading it for the first time.
Ok, so I noticed some reddish “buildup” on the face of the stem on the new Pete POY 2019. After my first smoke I decided to give it a swab of Everclear…yep, it was stain, butt loads of it. I then proceeded to swab out the shank with the Everclear…oh my. I thought the stem/shank fit was a bit tight🤔. Well no wonder, it was loaded with stain. The stem fits more like it should now. I think it will get better when it dries out too. Good news though, it smoked fine, no gurgles even before the shank de-staining. By the way, after I removed the bowl coating earlier with Everclear, I also swabbed out the “no small amount” of stain that was in the bowl…ahem…covered by the bowl coating of course. Did I mention, I hate mimes, clowns, and women that use heavy makeup? It is covering up something “sketchy” and is deceptive, just like bowl coatings in pipes😖. Do you think the pipe might smoke even better now? I hope so.
Starting the day with Charring Cross in a Diplomat.
@RockyMountainBriar Thanks for the input! I don't buy ropes or plugs often. I used a plug cutter at a local tobacconist and somebody beat me to it when he was closing shop. On a different note how do you drill out the airway of a bent stem?
@beerandpipes Clays are a bit different. I just got one too and it gets HOT. It's a small bowl but I was able to smoke all of it. I'm not a huge fan but I did want to try it.
If my memory serves me correctly, which is a 50/50 chance, my very first pipe was a drug store (probably a Medico) pipe which was an apple. Although that pipe was broken YEARS ago, every time I see an apple, it takes me back to that time of my life. So while doing some Lane LL7, it came as no surprise that nostalgia struck as I selected this refurbed Alligator... A safe and healthy Thanksgiving to all...
I have 3 medicos, an "apple" that is well over 50 years old (purchased in 1964 when I was a sophomore in high school). I smoke them regularly and i think they smoke as good as any of my pipes do. In fact I think they smoke better than a lot of my pipes that cost significantly more. They are all briar (I think they went to "brylon" for awhile, I know Grabow did). I have a tendency to look past some of my other pipes to bring a Medico into play. I am sure I will have other opinions, but some of the expensive pipes often smoke less than my satisfaction. I will also smoke my Bones" pipes more than my expensive pipes. I also have several Dr. Grabow briar pipes that occasionally get called upon, and again in my estimation do not rise to the Medico experience......hey, it could just be my old age?
Comments
I was drawn to this pipe at an estate sale because of the silvery stem. The stummel initially was a very dull near solid dark brown, but the mechanics were excellent.
The best thing I did aesthetically for that pipe, was to strip it and 2-tone stain it. Really shows off the grain that was hidden before...
For Gaslight, I brought a single-edged razor blade to bear. Sliced the baccy paper thin. An interesting blend….
Interesting solution! I was planning on sharpening a fish filleting knife but decided to try the slicer first. I put a block of Sparkplug through the slicer on the food processor and finished it in an herb grinder. I find the two plugs to be the deepest flavored tobaccos on the market but haven't found a convenient way to prep them for a pipe.
Refurbished antique/vintage tobacco slicers and plug cutters work well🙂
@RockyMountainBriar
Thanks for the input! I don't buy ropes or plugs often. I used a plug cutter at a local tobacconist and somebody beat me to it when he was closing shop. On a different note how do you drill out the airway of a bent stem?
Has every known tool to man.
Clays are a bit different. I just got one too and it gets HOT. It's a small bowl but I was able to smoke all of it. I'm not a huge fan but I did want to try it.
Although that pipe was broken YEARS ago, every time I see an apple, it takes me back to that time of my life.
So while doing some Lane LL7, it came as no surprise that nostalgia struck as I selected this refurbed Alligator...
A safe and healthy Thanksgiving to all...
A little cinnamon spice tea to go with my MM cob with some Mark Twian 😎
I have 3 medicos, an "apple" that is well over 50 years old (purchased in 1964 when I was a sophomore in high school). I smoke them regularly and i think they smoke as good as any of my pipes do. In fact I think they smoke better than a lot of my pipes that cost significantly more. They are all briar (I think they went to "brylon" for awhile, I know Grabow did). I have a tendency to look past some of my other pipes to bring a Medico into play. I am sure I will have other opinions, but some of the expensive pipes often smoke less than my satisfaction. I will also smoke my Bones" pipes more than my expensive pipes. I also have several Dr. Grabow briar pipes that occasionally get called upon, and again in my estimation do not rise to the Medico experience......hey, it could just be my old age?