Breaking in a "new" old pipe

I posted pictures of the Dr. Grabow Commodore I recently refurbed...was finally able to venture outside for a smoke today (been a marsh fire burning a few miles away that has kept the neighborhood filled).  First smoke was H&H Beverwyck...also got to break in my new tamper (made from a pipe I had been given some time back).  I think I did a decent job on the pipe...I'd opened the draw up and it was noticeable from the outset.  I experienced no ghosting or bitterness and was surprised how neutral the new mud floor was in the bottom of the bowl (I expected some flavor something but got nada).  My smoking has a variable rhythm and even at a quick pace the bowl barely got warm.  It was nice to be outside again...being cooped up has been a bit much the last couple of days.  Good to see the sun and breathe air that didn't smell like burning leaves. 

I've also picked up a couple of other to be refurbed items and will post the work on those as they arrive and progress.

First pipe restoration

Got this pipe the other day (Dr. Grabow Commodore) and it was in sore need of some work:

I didn't fully photo document the work...but this was when I reamed the bowl all the way down:

After reaming, I noted that the bottom of the bowl was well below the draft hole so I had to apply "pipe mud" and allow it to dry.  After much sweat and elbow grease these are the "after" photos:

I'm looking forward to testing out my cleaning and restoration as soon as conditions permit.  We've got a marsh fire burning not too far away and as the A/C runs the house smells like what I'm sure the curing of Latakia smells like and being outdoors is a hundred fold worse.

Open call to pipe makers

I post this knowing that a) no one is really likely to ever read it and b) even if they read it the chances of having this call filled is very unlikely.

I post this more for US Domestic pipe makers as sending tobacco abroad can be a dodgy area.  My request: two pipes, one classic straight saddle-bit billiard, one classic straight saddle-bit bulldog, of a Group 3 size (smaller is better than larger), with cumberland stems.  The finish is to be smooth and fills are to be avoided (having played with briar I understand that sometimes big pits occur and there isn't a way to sand it out or carry on without a fill), but grain pattern here isn't my concern (I like grain and am always astounded by (nearly) flawless straight and flame grained pipes, as well as those that exhibit birdseye patterns that go throughout the pipe, but they are the exception, not the rule).  The non-negotiable: the engineering...I've been playing around with some pipes I own and through personal experience I tend to agree with Rick Newcombe's internal design (as far as draft hole, mortise, etc.).  The pipes have to meet those guidelines.  Finish color is a negotiable - needs to look good with the Cumberland stem. 

What I offer:  One sealed 8 oz. tin of GL Pease Bohemian Scandal and two sealed 50g tins of Murray's era Dunhill MM956 that are at least 5-6 years old delivered to you.  Current estimated value of the tins is close to $200. 

Any takers?  You can contact me at r e n o l e s a t y a h o o d o t c o m if you are a maker who is interested in this offer.

Changes

I've long been an Anglophile...the English are an interesting people and their food and culture interest me greatly.  I visited London a few years ago (having long been a dream vacation) and was overwhelmed by their hospitality and courtesy.  At the time I was mostly a cigar guy and knowing some of the merchants came in handy.  But anyway...I digress.  Back to the point, or at least somewhere closer in the general vicinity. 

Change #1:  I've been a coffee drinker (or guzzler) for as long as I can remember.  Of late, I've been cutting back on coffee and drinking black tea (mostly English production).  I haven't encountered caffeine withdrawals and have been enjoying it equally as well as coffee.  I'm not giving up coffee, but the tea is winning out. 

Change #2:  I've been tinkering around with some of my pipes, opening draft holes, thorough cleaning, etc.  I've also been doing some restores (bought an older Grabow off eBay and had one given to me last Christmas) and learning a great deal.  I had a current production Kaywoodie Standard Billiard I had smoked once or twice and wasn't impressed (or disappointed).  About a week or so ago I cut the stinger (drinkless attachment) off just below the threads, filed it flat, and then lightly filed the interior of the remaining stub.  Fired it up today with Peretti's Royal Blend...cool, dry, flavor rich smoke...some pipes do respond better to certain tobaccos and this one was one of those...a fairly classic saddle bit billiard...with a rich English tobacco...near pipe nirvana. 

Which brings us to Change #3:  Royal Blend.  I've had this cellared for almost a year now and the change has been incredible.  At first it was a good tobacco, but the components had yet to "settle" together.  Today the Virginias were sweet, the Latakia smoky, and the Orientals were spicy and fragrant.  I've been away from Latakia/Orientals for the summer due to heat, buteven in the humid today it was a very good smoke.  Hopefully my employment condition changes soon and I can get more of Royal Blend to cellar.

Another Spot Review Tuesday

The fact that I've had two Tuesday's in a row that I've done spot reviews on is purely unintentional.  Since, given the heat outside, I am able to maybe get through one pipe a day (and sometimes not even that), I sort of smoke whatever comes to mind in the morning.  Today was another baccy I'd received a couple of weeks ago and finally decided to test: C&D Three Friars.  Somewhere in a distant, dusty corner of my brain, I think I've tried this tobacco before.  I cannot be certain at this moment and it doesn't really matter right now.  First impressions:  this is somewhat stern stuff.  The air outside was very still so I was able to use matches to light the pipe.  False light went well, the tobacco blooming up eassily, and then it took the match very well at true light.  It wanted to bite some at true light (given, I was puffing a bit rapidly) but settled down promptly and became a nice smoke.  I'm a big VaPer fan and this one was a little different...the pepper of the Perique poked in now and again but the Va and Burley component kept it from being too spicy.  There were also hints of sweet and fruit from the Va and Perique that carried neatly on the body of the Burley.  I got about halfway through before the heat and humid got to me...not that it'll be better this afternoon (unless it rains) but I have DGT'd the rest and will update accordingly at that time.

Following procedure...

Ordinarily, I tend to eschew conversations such as this one.  I fall into the camp of "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke".  However, I recently read an older post of Neill Archer Roan's A Passion for Pipes here discussing tobacco chamber geometry and flavor and I began to think (frequently a dangerous proposition).  Neill eloquently put forward a very well thought out and researched discussion of the hows and whys regarding larger pipes for "bigger" tobaccos - in the sense of flavor interplay and nuance.  I'm not going to argue the topic with him as I've done no research, but through personal experience I can, for the most part, agree with him.  It did make me wonder if the inverse is equally true?  For less complex (an ill-fitting description at best as the chemistry of the combustion of tobacco and the mechanisms of the perceptions of taste are anything but simple) tobaccos, are smaller bowls with narrower chambers a better choice?  I said following procedure for a reason.  The scientific method, something often ignored in research today, goes a little like this:
     1. Define a question
     2. Observe
     3. Form a hypothesis
     4. Experiment
     5. Analyze results
     6. Interpret data & draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
     7. Publish (a pro-tobacco discussion???  I'm crazy, not delusional)
     8. Retest (usually done by others)  - my thanks to Wikipedia for the steps (I have summarized them)

I've got my question and I have inadvertently begun to observe and experiment, sans hypothesis.  I had been enjoying Carter Hall tobacco in a Dr. Grabow Duke billiard/dublin and had noticed that the flavor was mild, but quite nice as noted in my spot review below.  I tried the same tobacco in a larger bowl this morning - an Algerian briar bulldog (group 3/4) and while there was still flavor, I found it to be greatly muted.  I have also tried Sail Green in a smaller pipe (another Dr. Grabow, of group 2/3 size) and found it again to be mild, but the interplay of the Oriental, Latakia (there appear to be very small pieces in my pouch...dark brown/black specks in the golden leaf), and Cavendish was quite nice...I will need to test the tobacco in a larger bowl to successfully begin to form a hypothesis. 

Lows, Highs, and back down to Lows

Friday ended my part-time Summer employment.  I was both sad and happy.  I found a way to be glad at the end of a thing but because I cared and still care about the place I was working and the people I was working with I am concerned that the things I put in place were already showing signs of reversing.  Some was to be expected - my replacement wasn't me...they will do things their own way.  The rest, well, I did all I could do and it is no longer mine to be responsible for, as a friend of mine noted. 

Friday also was a hectic day.  I got an urgent request to pick up an acquaintance at the airport.  He is a fellow brother of the leaf and I greeted him with a little surprise (he is a student).  Had an unsmoked pipe that I'd owned for years (and was in no race to break in) and some tobacco that was good, but wasn't exactly my cup of tea, that I passed along to him.  There is some odd pleasure I derive from a well placed gift like that.  He is now a two-pipe piper and his leaf stock should readily see him through the academic year.  There is a small contingent that he knows...methinks I have the foundation of a new club. 

My wife had requested that we get out of town for a day and so we did so today, driving over to Gulfport.  We visited an outdoor (or open air as I think it was called) flea market (the first I've ever visited that I think I could have readily purchased or acquired actual fleas should I have sought them out or stepped wrong).  I have never in my life see so many tools at a flea market.  Sears, Home Depot, and Lowes alike don't stock this many.  There were also the tables filled with stacks and stacks of various bits and bobs clearly marked "Made in China" (as if the packing cases they were being pulled from weren't owners of 100 pt type bearing same).  I didn't know if I should have been horrified or laughed (I did the latter, as well as not purchasing one) at the sight of several new in box tobacco pipes from China...they looked to be a dual bowl arrangement of some form (I didn't inspect them closely) all for the bargain price of $3.  I did search the open vendor (several had covered their wares but had yet to arrive for market opening) tables for estate tobacciana and found absolutely nothing.  I did find what appears to be a very neglected Gillette Superspeed for a very fair price and I will be restoring it over the next couple of days (I find several of my hobbies odd...I collect shaving razors, estate pipes, and I cook...all of which require significant efforts to render the purchased items into a useable form...I may yet turn out to be creative, but not in a normal, artistic manner).  The downside (the back to low point again) is that I haven't had a pipe in two and a half days.  I plan on rectifying that situation as soon as possible. 

Carter Hall revisit:  I had another bowl of CH the other day...equally as good as the first.  I also went back to the source and bought half of the stock he had.  I don't understand the dearth of OTC's in this area...this city seems to be mostly tobacco friendly (well, maybe tolerant is a better word...the state has enacted no-smoking laws and continues to try to toughen them but leave it to New Orleans to mostly ignore what others are doing).  I suppose I could try to request that some stores order certain tobacco related goods...I can request they carry certain foodstuffs, why not tobacco too?  I do know that CH has earned a place in my rotation, a rotation it seems that is changing some, but change seems to be one of the few constants in life.  I know that not long after I gain meaningful employment again I will be buying a tub or two of CH to have around. 

Three on Tuesday

Another spot review...this time it is a post-lunch smoke of Hearth & Home Beverwyck.  No drying time required for this one as it comes fairly dry already.  Cut is interesting...lots of cubes with some smaller pieces of cut leaf, and the odd large bit of leaf.  The pipe of choice was a recently cleaned Parker Bark billiard and the smoke was accompanied by some Cafe Bustelo brewed in an Aeropress (in the style of an Americano).  I refueled the Zippo and this took the light easily - needed both a char/false and a second/true light to get it going but well worth it.  On the pipesandcigars.com website this tobacco is described thusly:

An interesting, old-time blend, named after the original Dutch name for the city of Albany, NY (our home). Three different cube cuts (a Burley, a Virginia and a hybrid) are blended together with smoky Latakia, and spicy-sweet Perique. One of our regulars compares it to some of the original NYC Wilke mixtures. If you like Barking Dog, Revelation, Walnut or Country Doctor, give this a try.

I had read this description and was intrigued and had corresponded with Russ O (the blender) in the past about it...never seemed to order it until recently.  Glad I finally did.  Russ seems to have a knack for developing very solid, popular blends, some of which have some nostalgia value to them.  I've never had one of the NYC Wilke blends and may not get a chance to try any of their current incarnations (through vtpipes.com) but if this is similar to some of the tobacco available in the 40's - 60's or 70's all I can say is "Wow!"  I will not hide my love of Latakia and Perique.  This blend puts them together very well - sweet, spicy, nutty, creamy...for cooler temps this could become a favorite...and it isn't so bad in the heat, either.  Anyway...review...first impressions were that this tobacco is similar to L.J. Peretti's D-7485, one of my all time favorites.  There are some noticeable differences though...this is a bit sweeter and definitely spicier that 7485, which sets it apart.  Burned evenly and fairly cool through about halfway.  It had picked up some moisture and didn't want to stay lit after that so I emptied the bowl (not a regular DGTer...never seem to get back to the pipe the next day).  A very positive encounter and I look forward to trying more of this as it ages (I have it in a Ball jar) and seeing how the blend matures. 

Spot Review Tuesday

Ok...Monday is officially gone and we can get on with things.  Two spot reviews today.  For reference, a spot review is an initial impression of a tobacco...typically smoking the first bowl of a blend (be it tinned, pouched, or otherwise).  Today we have two...first up is Carter Hall.  Carter Hall, CH from now on, is produced by John Middleton, a division of Altria.  I let my initial bowlful dry for about thirty minutes, give or take five minutes (pre 7 am I'm not keeping exact times) and then loaded it in a gravity fill methodology (pinch of tobacco, dropped in bowl, light press down, onto the next pinch, etc.).  The pipe was a new (never smoked) Dr. Grabow Duke Billiard (Gr. 1 to 2, max), sans filter.  Took off from false/charring light (didn't need to touch this one up).  Initially I noticed that this is a mild tobacco but in this instance mild does not mean tasteless.  All the information I can find denotes this as a blend of burley and Virginia tobacco.  The body is medium and the VA and burley play very nicely with each other...body, depth, and a gentle sweet-spiciness.  As the bowl progresses the flavor adds a hint of nutty-earthiness without becoming bitter, sour, or otherwise untoward.  I really relaxed and enjoyed this bowl...took me 40 minutes and had a small dottle in the bottom of the bowl still to go.  I'd never tried CH before, lumping it, regrettably, into the "drug store Burley category" along with Prince Albert (PA from now on)...which is to say so mild as to be tasteless and apart from the clouds of smoke I didn't know it was still lit.  This could very easily become a go-to tobacco for me...enough flavor that I really enjoy it, easy on the tongue, and affordable ($3.50 for the pouch locally, will be looking for a tub if my enjoyment continues).  I'm looking forward to continuing to evaluate this tobacco.
Next up...Captain Black Royal Blend produced by Lane, Ltd, now a division of Scandinavian Tobacco (parent of Orlik and other blenders/brands).  The sample has been allowed to dry for about three hours (it is an aromatic and while not as "goopy" as some, is still a bit more wet than I like to load in my pipe).  Pouch aroma is very sweet vanilla and the tobacco is a very fine ribbon cut gold cavendish with some larger pieces of black cavendish mixed in.  The pipe for this test is my newly christened aromatic pipe...a rusticated/bark finished (it isn't smooth, let's go with that) "London Briar" billiard with a lucite stem stamped "Italy".   I noted on packing that the aroma, while still sweet vanilla, had diminished some during the drying.  Had a little trouble with lighting - less the tobacco and more that the Zippo needs fuel (will remedy ASAP)...once the lighter cooperated the tobak took flame readily and we're off.  Note: I enjoyed this pipe with a cup of PG Tips tea with milk and a little sweetener.  First eighth of bowl provided fantastic aroma but not much else.  Flavor kicked in about 1/4 bowl in and was very mild, with traces of sweet and vanilla.  Smoke progressed well, staying mostly dry (no gurgling, at least).  Flavor remained mild throughout...I'm not sure what the constituent tobacco(es) are here but it twanged a couple of times like Bright VA, may have just been cased Burley for all I know,never really showed that it wanted to bite.  The bottom quarter or so (may have been slightly less) provided a plug of fairly wet tobacco that didn't want to stay lit and having enjoyed a second 40 minute smoke today,I decided to turn it out and be done.  My thoughts: this isn't a bad tobacco.  It is very mild, provides a nice room note (I smoke outside and frequently catch the aroma of my pipe), and isn't harsh on the tongue.  It isn't a tobacco I'd keep all the time (the pouch aroma can be a little cloying and has to remain outside of my tobacco storage area) but I will, from time to time, enjoy a pouch as something different.  My only grievance is the mildness, I tasted more from my tea than the tobacco.  I will continue to evaluate these thoughts through the pouch...they, like the CH thought, are subject to change.

Today's winner is the Carter Hall...at less than half the price (locally) of the Captain Black Royal (locally almost $8/pouch) it would be my preferred smoke.

Monday rant...

There are things I could gripe about but only one thing I'm going to gripe about today...mail delivery.  Our regular postman has been on vacation for more than two weeks now and my early mail delivery has been 6 pm.  Normally we get mail between 11 and 12...tonight was the cake taker...8:30 pm for mail.  One of my neighbors let me know that the guy who is delivering our mail is running his regular route (a rather long route) and then coming to deliver our mail.  I haven't met the fill-in and apart from the late delivery (something mostly outside his control) he hasn't done anything to merit aggravation...but can't the local office have an extra driver or two for such situations?  Maybe one of the facility staff who covers??  Carrier pigeons???  I just hope my regular guy comes back soon.  Ok...rant over.

My latest Dr. Grabow order arrived...got a lovely Riviera bulldogesque and a Duke billiard.  Tomorrow, if the humidity stays low, will be Carter Hall, Captain Black Royal, and then I'm not sure...but I'm hoping tomorrow will be a multiple bowl day.  Time to pack it in for Monday.

Sunday Twofer

As noted, I'm keeping tabs on my adventures into things...I opened the pack of CB Royal...very sweet vanilla aroma...and a fine ribbon, almost shag cut, tobacco.  Will put some out to smoke either tomorrow night or Tuesday AM. 

In the midst of testing some waxes...bought Iwan Ries Halcyon II and Paragon waxes the other day and just tested HII on a Parker Bark billiard...the finish was in good shape on this pipe (I've cleaned it recently, but haven't smoked it in a while)...there is a somewhat better shine to the finish (it's a bark/rusticated finish...shine is a relative term).  Will continue to catalog the tests and hopefully add some pictures as well...got a candidate for the Paragon in mind...needs a clean and then a polish. 

About time to cashier out for the day...tomorrow the fun begins.

Lessons Learned and Un-learned

I've come to recognize that I've been a pipe and tobacco snob.  For many years of enjoying this hobby I thought that the best "experience" would be high-end tinned or "boutique" tobacco enjoyed in a Dunhill or Ashton pipe (for production pipes, my thoughts on "art" pipes is for another post).  I admit and submit to you, gentle reader, that this is not the case.  Of late, due to a reduction in personal economy, I have been trying more American blenders, like L.J. Peretti (great flake & Amerenglish tobacco, not the cheapest, but excellent value), Russ O of pipesandcigars.com (Russ is fairly new to me...and turns out marvelous products), and Cornell and Diehl (the call to them alone is worth it for the great conversations and knowledge that they give out so freely).  I'm also revisiting "drug store" tobacco...some of which is really quite pleasant, with a little extra attention.  Yesterday was a classic example - I had ordered a pouch of Sail Green (the description fascinated me and the reviews were mostly good) and stumbled upon a small, but lovely Dr. Grabow Grand Duke rhodesian (had a round shank which spells rhodesian in my book) in my travels yesterday.  I purchased the pipe and when I returned home I let the Sail dry for maybe 30 minutes and then loaded the pipe and had an enjoyable 35 minutes on the patio watching the storm front roll in.  That combination taught me about Oriental tobaccos - that perfume/incense like quality in the burn and that musty hay like aroma in the pouch.  It also taught me that Cavendish isn't a dirty word (if this tobacco is top dressed/flavored/whatever, it is very faint)...in fact the softly sweet vanilla quality of the Cavendished Virginia melded beautifully with the Oriental. 
Getting back to the snobbery reversal...in my errand running Saturday (which always seems to take three times longer than it should, and costs a fair bit more too), I also found a drug store that stocks most of the OTCs - Prince Albert, Half & Half, Captain Black (Gold, White, Royal), Carter Hall, Granger, and some others.  I picked up a pack of CB Gold & Royal and a pack of Carter Hall and will be testing those out (after some attention...seems that for many tobaks a good drying is in order) in a Grabow or maybe a Kaywoodie. 

So lesson learned: price alone is not an indicator of value nor of end user satisfaction.  Lesson(s) unlearned:  a good smoke doesn't need to cost a mortgage payment to buy the set up for. 

This does not mean I won't buy another tin of something "expensive" or "boutique" but it does mean I will try more to evaluate a tobacco on its merits rather than price and hype (or complaints).  I had started this blog over at pipesmagazine.com but have had several issues getting the posts to work so I'm back here at Blogger.  I am looking forward to recording my encounters with pipes, tobacco, retailers, and others here.