Smoking a bowl of C&D’s “Eight State Burley” from this years release in a Russell’s “Straight Grain” Lovat this evening. I’m not sure it has a true “straight grain”, but it is nice and symmetrical left and right, and does not have a single fill.
Elwood Flake is pretty good. It’s 4 different Virginia with some Oriental. It has a fig casing.
I enjoy it and find the fig to be more subtle than what the four reviews claim. The fig is there but the virginias are more dominate with the Orientals coming in second.
Ashton Guilty Pleasures in a Mr. Brog #81 Maestro... Sidenote: This pipe has been with me on the Danube River, the Rhine River, the Mediterranean, Alaska, the Caribbean and all the countries associated with those locations. It has been a perfect traveling pipe for me. First, it's small and easy to pack. Second, it is equipped to use a 9mm filter. This makes cleaning the pipe less critical (just change the filter), and wait til you get home. Third, the bowl is just the right size for a 45 min. to 1 hour smoke. I personally wouldn't want any more than that while on a vacation. This pipe has seen a lot of places...🙂
@KA9FFJ I have become more dark and cynical over the past 34 days...
I have also know "business" people with that type of attitude. Move into an area, saturate it with product (most of it even good products) or services and move on when the profit margin starts dropping. Now that I say that, it is exactly the way roofing companies operate following a disaster.
@PappyJoe It's sad, but I couldn't agree more. I purchased a few of his pipes with no complaints. They were all both aesthetically pleasing and mechanically well made... No regrets.
A few years ago, there was a company that set up to sell and service decommissioned military Mercedes Benz Unimogs. I really think they are cool, and was tempted to get one with either a radio/command/ambulance box to turn into an off-road beast camper, or one with a frontend loader and a rear mounted excavator….to use….to….uh….dig holes🤔. The loader and excavator can be detached fairly quickly to become a flatbed for “cruising around”🙂. Anyway, they were only “in business” for about three months, then they packed up and left. I’m glad I didn’t buy one, getting parts and service would have sucked.
By the way @PappyJoe Your last two pics surprised me. I would have thought your beard would be close cropped for the summer heat. Don't get me wrong, you're lookin' good...🎅
Relaxing this afternoon with some 7 Seas Royal Blend in a reworked and restemmed noname... Opinion: The thought just occurred to me as I'm enjoying this really good pipe and blend; I find myself feeling fortunate, and at the same time sorry for those who, for whatever reason, deprive themselves of the experience and peace that comes from this hobby...🤔
@KA9FFJ; 7 Seas Royal Blend is blend I tried some years ago. I have an unopened tin in me stash without a date indicating when I put it there. I had written in pencil on the bottom "Bland". I don't claim to be a judge of tobaccos, and don't remember anything about it, I just go with my gut. Glad you like it. Maybe someday I'll try it again.
Smoking a little Mac Baren “HH Rustica Hot Pressed Flake” from 2020 in the little Pete Junior Lovat this evening. I only dried and loaded half a flake because I thought a full flake might not fit. I could have loaded a full flake. I may have to load the other half later🤔. P.S. This stuff is spicy🌶️
Our pipe club meeting was a little light last night with only 8 people showing up. It was the final meeting for one pipe smoker who is moving to the Birmingham, Alabama area in two weeks. Sorry to lose him but he will be within 20 minutes of The Briary, one of the top two pipe shops in the south. They also have an active pipe club over there that meets on the second Saturday of each month.
We did have a new pipe smoker join us last night as well. He was a former cigarette smoker who had to quit because of work who then switched to cigars. Then he discovered he could spend less money on an ounce of pipe tobacco than on a cigars and the pipe tobacco would last a lot longer.
Picked up two tins that I haven't smoked before at the pipe shop last night. I opened a tin of C&D Night Train and smoked a bowl. It will make a nice alternative to the aromatics I normally smoke. I have mentioned this in the past, sometimes I like a good non-aromatic blend to smoke before I switch to an aromatic. I find it works like a palate cleanser and opens up the senses to whatever you smoke better.
The other tin I bought was C&D's Pirate Kake. I know I've probably smoked a tin of Pirate Kake in the past but I deferred to my wife's desire to sit outside with me while smoking my pipe. She didn't like the "burning tire on a wood pile" aroma.
Smoking some Trafalger's, a private blend from Davis and Son. I found them while vacationing in Wilmington, North Carolina. This was a wonderful English blend from a real old school B&M.
Smoking a break-in bowl of C&D “Espresso” in my new RubyBark 3111. I couldn’t pass up a 25% discount. I’m such a sucker for the RubyBark finish with a nice grain and the Lovat shape. I am smoking it with an innertube and it’s smoking beautifully. I did expect it to gurgle this early in its life, but it’s not👍🏻. I like the innertubes, when they work, they keep the airway and shank nearly pristine.
Comments
Thank you for the info.
By the way, that phin looks nearly identical to the two I have👍🏻
@Corey562
Last Active May 6, 2023 according to his profile page
Hard to believe…..
I see him posting on facebook quite often.
I guess he figures he sold all the pipes he could to those of us active on this forum.
I wouldn't want to think that, but you're probably right...
Sidenote:
This pipe has been with me on the Danube River, the Rhine River, the Mediterranean, Alaska, the Caribbean and all the countries associated with those locations.
It has been a perfect traveling pipe for me.
First, it's small and easy to pack.
Second, it is equipped to use a 9mm filter. This makes cleaning the pipe less critical (just change the filter), and wait til you get home.
Third, the bowl is just the right size for a 45 min. to 1 hour smoke. I personally wouldn't want any more than that while on a vacation.
This pipe has seen a lot of places...🙂
I have become more dark and cynical over the past 34 days...
I have also know "business" people with that type of attitude. Move into an area, saturate it with product (most of it even good products) or services and move on when the profit margin starts dropping. Now that I say that, it is exactly the way roofing companies operate following a disaster.
It's sad, but I couldn't agree more.
I purchased a few of his pipes with no complaints. They were all both aesthetically pleasing and mechanically well made...
No regrets.
Your last two pics surprised me. I would have thought your beard would be close cropped for the summer heat.
Don't get me wrong, you're lookin' good...🎅
Believe it or not, I've never had the itching or sweating problems some guys claim they have during the summer months.
Besides, who would trim a glorious beard like this and how would I grown it back by November?
Opinion: The thought just occurred to me as I'm enjoying this really good pipe and blend; I find myself feeling fortunate, and at the same time sorry for those who, for whatever reason, deprive themselves of the experience and peace that comes from this hobby...🤔
Bravo.
Inspirational Post of the Year.
7 Seas Royal Blend is blend I tried some years ago. I have an unopened tin in me stash without a date indicating when I put it there. I had written in pencil on the bottom "Bland". I don't claim to be a judge of tobaccos, and don't remember anything about it, I just go with my gut. Glad you like it. Maybe someday I'll try it again.
P.S. This stuff is spicy🌶️
We did have a new pipe smoker join us last night as well. He was a former cigarette smoker who had to quit because of work who then switched to cigars. Then he discovered he could spend less money on an ounce of pipe tobacco than on a cigars and the pipe tobacco would last a lot longer.
Picked up two tins that I haven't smoked before at the pipe shop last night. I opened a tin of C&D Night Train and smoked a bowl. It will make a nice alternative to the aromatics I normally smoke. I have mentioned this in the past, sometimes I like a good non-aromatic blend to smoke before I switch to an aromatic. I find it works like a palate cleanser and opens up the senses to whatever you smoke better.
The other tin I bought was C&D's Pirate Kake. I know I've probably smoked a tin of Pirate Kake in the past but I deferred to my wife's desire to sit outside with me while smoking my pipe. She didn't like the "burning tire on a wood pile" aroma.