A Bakker's Dozen

[brandaves]

If you stay away from strongly aromatic tobaccos and Latakia blends you won’t need to dedicate your pipes. Perhaps just having separate pipes for those exceptions. When you try a new blend, stick with it exclusively for at least a week before going to another. It takes some time to understand a blend enough to get a comparison to another. I believe it is better to concentrate on the simplest blends in the beginning to develop your palate as well.

If you think you will like Virginia blends then I would recommend dedicating a pipe to those. Virginia blends have subtleties you'll miss with even the hint of ghosting. I have aromatic dedicated pipes, English dedicated pipes, Burley/Dark Fired dedicated pipes and then Virginia pipes.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

If you think you will like Virginia blends then I would recommend dedicating a pipe to those. Virginia blends have subtleties you'll miss with even the hint of ghosting. I have aromatic dedicated pipes, English dedicated pipes, Burley/Dark Fired dedicated pipes and then Virginia pipes.

Mine are divvied up as:
Aromatic
English or anything with Latakia
Lakeland
VaPers and lightly topped Virginias
Plain Virginia

I try to have one large bowl (roughly 20mm x 40mm) and one small bowl (roughly 16/18mm x 30mm) for each type. The rest of my pipes are general use for smoking anything in... including all the above

 

[Bakker1964]

If you think you will like Virginia blends then I would recommend dedicating a pipe to those. Virginia blends have subtleties you'll miss with even the hint of ghosting. I have aromatic dedicated pipes, English dedicated pipes, Burley/Dark Fired dedicated pipes and then Virginia pipes.

I was thinking of two pipes per Blend style. I was going to keep my two MM Cobs for the Virginias. The Churchwarden is going to likely be for aromatics.
That leaves my Morgan Bones, Lorenzetti and Brigham to be sorted. The Lorenzetti and Brigham are similar sized pipes, so I will likely split them up. Maybe the Bones and the Lorenzetti for Burleys, and the Brigham for English.

Mine are divvied up as:
Aromatic
English or anything with Latakia
Lakeland
VaPers and lightly topped Virginias
Plain Virginia

I try to have one large bowl (roughly 20mm x 40mm) and one small bowl (roughly 16/18mm x 30mm) for each type. The rest of my pipes are general use for smoking anything in... including all the above

Interesting . . . I never thought of bowl size as a factor. Why do you do that?

 

[steveclarkus]

I was thinking of two pipes per Blend style. I was going to keep my two MM Cobs for the Virginias. The Churchwarden is going to likely be for aromatics.
That leaves my Morgan Bones, Lorenzetti and Brigham to be sorted. The Lorenzetti and Brigham are similar sized pipes, so I will likely split them up. Maybe the Bones and the Lorenzetti for Burleys, and the Brigham for English.



Interesting . . . I never thought of bowl size as a factor. Why do you do that?

I find bowl size to affect the taste of the tobacco. My preference is a bowl approaching a 2:1 height to diameter ratio. I recently noticed the difference while smoking a pot which was close to 1:1 I believe that is the reason I am so fond of cobs which typically have relatively narrow chambers.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Interesting . . . I never thought of bowl size as a factor. Why do you do that?

Firstly, because I don't always want a long smoke and smoking a smaller bowled pipe seems better than the same amount in a part filled large pipe. That doesn't feel right. It's like making half a cup of tea. Why would anyone do that? I don't mind having half now, and half later though,

Secondly, because even within the same family of tobaccos, blends can smoke differently in different pipes. One blend might be a little overwhelming in a larger bowl, but just right in a smaller one, or it might taste bland in a small bowl, and much fuller in a large bowl.

Having that second pipe gives me chance to clean/air one out while continuing to enjoy the same tobacco, and I'll then fall back on the general/wildcard pipes if I want to keep smoking it while the first pipe is still airing. Makes sense to me for that second pipe to be different.

 

[Bakker1964]

Interesting . . . and something to think about as I consider new purchases.

 

[Kentos]

The theory that I read is the more different tobaccos there are in a blend the wider the bowl you would want. The thought is a wider bowls ensures all the different tobaccos burns equally together giving you the intended flavors, vs a narrow bowl that may only allow a few to burn at one time. I don’t necessarily subscribe to that notion, but some chunkier blends may benefit from that.

 

[steveclarkus]

The theory that I read is the more different tobaccos there are in a blend the wider the bowl you would want. The thought is a wider bowls ensures all the different tobaccos burns equally together giving you the intended flavors, vs a narrow bowl that may only allow a few to burn at one time. I don’t necessarily subscribe to that notion, but some chunkier blends may benefit from that.

I never considered that but it is quite possible. I rarely smoke blends that have more than three varieties, occasionally Walnut which has seven but that is a rarity. I smoke Sutliff Ready Rubbed 90% of the time. I’m just a codger with simple tastes.

 

[RookieGuy]

That doesn't feel right. It's like making half a cup of tea. Why would anyone do that?

This is a great line and one that will get used at work! And I never thought about it before, but I did the same size thing but for home and travel. My commute is a half hour, so anything that smokes more than a half hour is a waste. At home, I have all the time I want.

@Bakker1964, I do the two pipes per blend thing and I really like it. I just rotate them in the lineup as I'm getting it. I'm still playing around with it all too perfect the Rookie system, but right now I'm going to try for a straight and bent for each.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

This is a great line and one that will get used at work! And I never thought about it before, but I did the same size thing but for home and travel. My commute is a half hour, so anything that smokes more than a half hour is a waste. At home, I have all the time I want.

@Bakker1964, I do the two pipes per blend thing and I really like it. I just rotate them in the lineup as I'm getting it. I'm still playing around with it all too perfect the Rookie system, but right now I'm going to try for a straight and bent for each.

Don't get me wrong, I do short fill occasionally. Usually when I haven't put out enough tobacco to dry, or I'm digging the last few crumbs out of the corners of the pouch, but I don't intentionally part fill a pipe.

As to straights and bents, I prefer slightly bent or curved pipes to full bent or straight, although I do like all mine. However, none of my pipe pairings are all straight, or all full bent. There's at least one in each "set" that's gently bent.

 

[Bakker1964]

If nothing else, pipe smoking and it's ancillary activities will teach me patience. I have most packages delivered to my work address, as it shaves a day off delivery times, and generally avoids "porch pirates". My lovely Savinelli purchase is now on it's way from Italy, with a projected delivery date of Friday. One catch . . . our facility is closed on Fridays because I take PTO each week to use up vacation time. So, I will now have to wait through the weekend, until it redelivers on Monday . . .

 

[brandaves]

If nothing else, pipe smoking and it's ancillary activities will teach me patience. I have most packages delivered to my work address, as it shaves a day off delivery times, and generally avoids "porch pirates". My lovely Savinelli purchase is now on it's way from Italy, with a projected delivery date of Friday. One catch . . . our facility is closed on Fridays because I take PTO each week to use up vacation time. So, I will now have to wait through the weekend, until it redelivers on Monday . . .

That's a quick turn around from the factory to hand! Especially during these times. Can't wait to see it. I love a nice fat author shape.

 

[Bakker1964]

Well, I have not received it, but yeah. VERY quick.

 

[KellyG]

That's a quick turn around from the factory to hand! Especially during these times. Can't wait to see it. I love a nice fat author shape.

The last two the POY’s over at PSD have been Radice’s. The shipping time from the Radice shop in Cucciago, Italy to my front door in SW Kansas has been less than 48 hours; FedEx International. I can’t mail a letter across the state that quickly.

 

[Bakker1964]

As expected . . . $22.20CAD in fees from UPS before they will deliver. One wonders what my $20.00 shipping fees paid for, then. **sigh**

 

[brandaves]

As expected . . . $22.20CAD in fees from UPS before they will deliver. One wonders what my $20.00 shipping fees paid for, then. **sigh**

Sorry friend...

 

[Bakker1964]

Meh . . . I was not surprised. Still a reasonably good deal, and an incredibly quick delivery transit. And, Monday night, I'll be loading some Codger Blend into it for the first bowl. I'll be over it by then.

 

[RookieGuy]

Codger is the best for a new pipe! Nothing breaks in briar like a good old American burley blend. And that author shape is a beauty! That is going to be in the next round of save up for pipes.

That sucks about your shipping though! In the end, your pipe costs $42 more than it should. But then, for such quick turnaround it might be worth the cost. Well, like you say, soon enough you'll be sitting on your [smoking area] enjoying a good and relaxing smoke.

 

[brandaves]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[Bakker1964]

I'll just leave this here...

Mine's purtier . . .

but a Series III is likely in my future.