squire Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 To a great extent they are unchanged. The old Half and Half blend was created around 1910 and I was sitting in my office one afternoon smoking a bowl of it when an elderly friend dropped by. He said, "You're smoking Half and Half aren't you?" Yes, I said, "I thought so he replied, my Father smoked Half and Half". Bill was 83 when he made that comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeTraveler Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I've been a pipe smoker for 20+ years. The codger blends (nickname used in the pipe smoking forum world) are great smokes. I keep tubs of Prince Albert, Carter Hall and Sugar Barrel at hand at all times. When I'm in the mood for a heavier smoke, I reach for a latakia-forward blend. Cornell & Diehl's DaVinci comes to mind, but most any English will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Just cause we codgers walk slow doesn't mean we think slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Boiler Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks for the answers everyone. I really don't need another vice hobby, but this is very intriguing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waiahi Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Just as the rising price of Single Malt back in 2008 got me to enter the world of Bourbon...(What happened? Good Bourbon is almost as expensive nowadays!!!!), I recently picked up a pipe to try and save an increasingly expensive taste in cigars.I'm a Champagne guy with a beer budget, and that seems to apply to all my vices!I just can't stand cheap cigars, nor most cheap whiskeys. So I went to my local smoke shop and picked up some pouches of pipe weed.So far.......I'm really liking Borkum Riff's Bourbon Whiskey pipe tobacco. Goes great with Bourbon! (Ya think?) I had a bowl of it last night while drinking some WT101 Rye. I found out that I actually like the taste of pipe tobacco with Bourbon, Rye, Scotch and tequila better than with cigars!I also got a 5 lbs. bag of Ohm silver pipe tobacco (a Kentucky Burley) - which is really just RYO cigarette tobacco, cut wider to avoid cigarette tax rates...but it's still a decent tobacco smoke.Here's the deal though, I also got a couple of oz. of Black Cavendish, which is great on it's own, but I think works better blending it with the Ohm RYO. The Ohm has more nicotine than the Black Cav, but mixing the too, I get the Cav taste with the Burley nic kick.I have yet to try any of the english blends, but from what I heard (echoed in this thread), one shouldn't use it in a pipe other than one dedicated to only english tobacco as the flavoring will overpower aromatics.I also picked up an oz. of CAO's cherry bomb...a vanilla/cherry flavored pipe weed. I like that one too, but to me, it's more like a dessert smoke rather than something I'd enjoy while drinking.I dunno, I really like robust, strong cigars like Partagas, Padron and Casa Magna, but I'm finding the milder, sweet pipe tobaccos quite enjoyable.I just bought a $25 Medico straight stem pipe to start with. I'll have to wait until my next pay day to grab another pipe and give those english blends a tryout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNovaMan Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 You might consider buying a corn cob pipe or two so you can get into some different tobaccos sooner. People who know will tell you cobs smoke wonderfully. Just make sure it's a real Missouri Meerschaum, not a worthless Chinese knock-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirpuddingfoot Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I'd also recommend going for an "estate" pipe unless you don't have any issues building a cake over 50 bowls, or you can't stand the thought of putting your mouth on a used stem. You can get some great pipes for a small fraction of the cost. Many shops will ream out estate pipes thoroughly, but they'll still build up a nice cake much faster so you can get a nice cool smoking 20-30 minute bowl.Beyond that, like bourbon, pipe tobacco and pipe styles are almost entirely personal preference.As far as english tobaccos go, I think McClelland Dark English (this was my Grandpa's preferred smoke) is an excellent introduction to Latakia blends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Boiler Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Lots of good, quick estate deals on Ebay. You might do better price-wise on your own hunting, but even after shipping you should be able to find something decent for less than $15 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Hey guys, ordered two Missouri Meerschaum "Diplomat" corn cob pipes and they arrived today: Also got some Medico filters. Now I just need to decide what type of tobacco to use for my first attempt at smoking a pipe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Smoked two bowls of cheapo Captain Black white pouch last night. Not bad stuff but I had to keep doing relights. Picked up some Captain Black gold pouch today along with some Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey (heh). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bllygthrd Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I like English pipe tobaccos ... Samuel Gawith - Squadron Leader, Dunhill - My Mixture 965 and Ashton - Artisan's Blend ... yum. But, that's my current taste ...BTW ... enjoy your new pipes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I like English pipe tobaccos ... Samuel Gawith - Squadron Leader, Dunhill - My Mixture 965 and Ashton - Artisan's Blend ... yum. But, that's my current taste ...BTW ... enjoy your new pipes!I just ordered some tobaccos from pipesandcigars.com. I got 2oz of Lane 1-Q, and a tin each of Dunhill Nightcap and Mixture 965. Looking forward to trying something other than Captain Black and Borkum Riff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalessin Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 (edited) I'm glad you're branching out! While I no longer smoke regularly (I have a cigar or smoke a pipe perhaps once every two years), the mass-market blends are mostly just... blah. Have you considered visiting a tobacconist, as in the kind that can blend pipe tobacco for their customers? If you were up here around Boston, I'd recommend a trip to L.J. Peretti (http://www.ljperetti.com), right next to Boston Common. They're 140 years worth of old-school custom blending, full-service tobacconist. They'll work with you to find exactly what's to your taste. Unfortunately, a quick search on the net doesn't turn any outstanding stores in Lexington KY, though if Florence isn't too far, Straus Tobacconist might be okay. Sadly, I'm not too good with the geography out your way. Unfortunately, it looks like pipes and tobacco are really out of fashion compared to cigars, and many of the good old stores are fading away. Edited July 12, 2013 by Kalessin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I'm glad you're branching out! While I no longer smoke regularly (I have a cigar or smoke a pipe perhaps once every two years), the mass-market blends are mostly just... blah. Have you considered visiting a tobacconist, as in the kind that can blend pipe tobacco for their customers? If you were up here around Boston, I'd recommend a trip to L.J. Peretti (http://www.ljperetti.com), right next to Boston Common. They're 140 years worth of old-school custom blending, full-service tobacconist. They'll work with you to find exactly what's to your taste. Unfortunately, a quick search on the net doesn't turn any outstanding stores in Lexington KY, though if Florence isn't too far, Straus Tobacconist might be okay. Sadly, I'm not too good with the geography out your way. Unfortunately, it looks like pipes and tobacco are really out of fashion compared to cigars, and many of the good old stores are fading away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bllygthrd Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Thanks Kalessin. To be honest I'm kind of intimidated to walk into a tobacconist regarding pipe tobacco. Cigars are different because I think I have a decent knowledge of them. I know next to nothing about pipe tobacco!Tobacconist's love fresh fish that want to learn ... they become loyal customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Another vote for the Peretti shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNovaMan Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Smoked two bowls of cheapo Captain Black white pouch last night. Not bad stuff but I had to keep doing relights. Sometimes you have to let the tobacco dry out a little for it to smoke nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalessin Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 (edited) Thanks Kalessin. To be honest I'm kind of intimidated to walk into a tobacconist regarding pipe tobacco. Cigars are different because I think I have a decent knowledge of them. I know next to nothing about pipe tobacco! Edited July 15, 2013 by Kalessin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Boiler Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Thanks Kalessin. To be honest I'm kind of intimidated to walk into a tobacconist regarding pipe tobacco. Cigars are different because I think I have a decent knowledge of them. I know next to nothing about pipe tobacco! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Just opened my order from PipesandCigars.com. I ordered a tin each of Dunhill Mixture 965 and Nightcap along with 2oz of Lane 1-Q. The 1-Q smells great as I thought it would and I can't wait to try it. However, I just opened the tin of Mixture 965 and holy crap does this smell smokey! A lot like an Islay single malt! Same goes with the Nightcap though it's a little more subdued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Variable Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Just opened my order from PipesandCigars.com. I ordered a tin each of Dunhill Mixture 965 and Nightcap along with 2oz of Lane 1-Q. The 1-Q smells great as I thought it would and I can't wait to try it. However, I just opened the tin of Mixture 965 and holy crap does this smell smokey! A lot like an Islay single malt! Same goes with the Nightcap though it's a little more subdued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalessin Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I can't wait to hear the results from the order... :-)While you're sampling, I might as well add: Right now it's high summer, and the thick, heavy blends are probably going to be a bit too much to take. Winter is when I tend to really want to light a pipe with one of the heavy latakia blends; right now I have no urge to smoke anything, though I might consider a light mild tobacco. Wait for cooler weather for the heavy stuff, especially if you're limited to smoking outdoors (as I am). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Blacksmith Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I really like virginia and va/per blends, but in the summer it's all I can smoke. No heavy aromatics or latakia blends in the summer at all, and burley just doesn't taste right to me.Orlik Golden Sliced and Dunhill DeLuxe Navy Rolls are two of my favorite summer blends. And right now Pipes and Cigars have them on sale! (no affiliation, except a happy customer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 So far I've tried the Lane 1-Q and the Dunhill Mixture 965. Haven't gotten to the Dunhill Nightcap yet. I found the 1-Q to be similar to Captain Black white, but better. And the Mixture 965 reminds me of a robust cigar. Sorry, that's as detailed as I can get! I think I will follow your advice guys, and leave the heavier stuff for later in the year when the weather is cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bllygthrd Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 So far I've tried the Lane 1-Q and the Dunhill Mixture 965. Haven't gotten to the Dunhill Nightcap yet. I found the 1-Q to be similar to Captain Black white, but better. And the Mixture 965 reminds me of a robust cigar. Sorry, that's as detailed as I can get! I think I will follow your advice guys, and leave the heavier stuff for later in the year when the weather is cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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