A Bakker's Dozen

[Bakker1964]

I could not resist, and ran about 2/3 of a bowl of Half & Half through my Savinelli. Oh man is it a smooth smoker. Relights only because the wife and I were chatting, easy draw with VERY little warming of the bowl in hand. And that larger bowl fits my mitt quite nicely.

When I find a "favourite" blend, I know which pipe it's going to.

 

[brandaves]

I could not resist, and ran about 2/3 of a bowl of Half & Half through my Savinelli. Oh man is it a smooth smoker. Relights only because the wife and I were chatting, easy draw with VERY little warming of the bowl in hand. And that larger bowl fits my mitt quite nicely.

When I find a "favourite" blend, I know which pipe it's going to.

Happy to hear she's a smoker as well as a looker. I had no doubt.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I can't really get the benefit of room note while smoking. I taste the tobacco but that's all I'm able to detect.

Yup, me too.

 

[eaglesgift]

Yup, me too.

Me three The only way I can smell a room note is if I go back outside to the open porch where I smoke, after I've finished, and some of it clings under the roof.

 

[Bakker1964]

I have a tin of Mac Baren HH Kentucky Old Dark Fired that I think I want to open and put into my Zulu Dog. How long should it dry? I'm in bed in three hours.

 

[brandaves]

I have a tin of Mac Baren HH Kentucky Old Dark Fired that I think I want to open and put into my Zulu Dog. How long should it dry? I'm in bed in three hours.

I don't have a problem packing Dark Fired fresh so long as its loose. YMMV.

 

[Bakker1964]

Broke it up by hand, pulling the flake apart. Tore the long strands into smaller ones and stuffed it into the bowl. Tamped it down just enough to clear the rim and fired it up.

The Zulu Dog is now a "Kentucky/Burley" pipe.

Dry, the ODF smells like a peated scotched aged in sherry casks. There is a raisin and plum fruitiness under the smoky aroma. No saltiness like I have smelled in English blends, though.
Smoking, I get no "room note" which is standard for me. What I did get was some very strong flavours, likely because this smoke barely warmed the bowl, despite a few extra relights. Flake will take some adjustment on that score. I noted very light sugars from the stem, and a slow build of white pepper spiciness as I got further into the bowl. The smoke very thick and wafting. The overall flavour was a nutty quality, very much like some young bourbons.

Sorry if this sounds like a booze review (I used to write them as a hobby), but I thoroughly enjoyed this smoke, and it's the first time I have been able to say more about a Blend than "I liked it".

There will be more tins of this purchased in the future for aging, though it is likely not going to be an every day smoke. Nothing untoward, but I am starting to feel a bit of a nicotine rush. That, too, is something I will need to get used to.

 

[brandaves]

Broke it up by hand, pulling the flake apart. Tore the long strands into smaller ones and stuffed it into the bowl. Tamped it down just enough to clear the rim and fired it up.

The Zulu Dog is now a "Kentucky/Burley" pipe.

Dry, the ODF smells like a peated scotched aged in sherry casks. There is a raisin and plum fruitiness under the smoky aroma. No saltiness like I have smelled in English blends, though.
Smoking, I get no "room note" which is standard for me. What I did get was some very strong flavours, likely because this smoke barely warmed the bowl, despite a few extra relights. Flake will take some adjustment on that score. I noted very light sugars from the stem, and a slow build of white pepper spiciness as I got further into the bowl. The smoke very thick and wafting. The overall flavour was a nutty quality, very much like some young bourbons.

Sorry if this sounds like a booze review (I used to write them as a hobby), but I thoroughly enjoyed this smoke, and it's the first time I have been able to say more about a Blend than "I liked it".

There will be more tins of this purchased in the future for aging, though it is likely not going to be an every day smoke. Nothing untoward, but I am starting to feel a bit of a nicotine rush. That, too, is something I will need to get used to.

ODF definitely satisfies in the vitamin n category. I agree that it's a very pleasant bold flavor. If you think you might enjoy more heavier blends with bold flavor in that realm there are plenty of excellent tobaccos that scratch the same itch. I love the C&D Sansepolcro Small Batch, Peterson's Irish Flake, HH Burley Flake, Solani Aged Burley Flake (When you can find it), the C&D Burley Flake line (#1 is my favorite so far), War Horse RR and Bar (Red tin), Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky (the Virginia brightens up the Kentucky in this one taking the edge off a bit). Those are all solid picks in that wheelhouse although many don't contain DFK...just bold flavors and with a burley base. DFK has one of the most potent nicotine hits of any tobacco variety and many varieties of burley fall closely behind it. There is so much out there to try and enjoy!

 

[eaglesgift]

ODF definitely satisfies in the vitamin n category. I agree that it's a very pleasant bold flavor. If you think you might enjoy more heavier blends with bold flavor in that realm there are plenty of excellent tobaccos that scratch the same itch. I love the C&D Sansepolcro Small Batch, Peterson's Irish Flake, HH Burley Flake, Solani Aged Burley Flake (When you can find it), the C&D Burley Flake line (#1 is my favorite so far), War Horse RR and Bar (Red tin), Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky (the Virginia brightens up the Kentucky in this one taking the edge off a bit). Those are all solid picks in that wheelhouse although many don't contain DFK...just bold flavors and with a burley base. DFK has one of the most potent nicotine hits of any tobacco variety and many varieties of burley fall closely behind it. There is so much out there to try and enjoy!

Stop it, you're getting me all excited.

 

[Bakker1964]

Yeah . . . going to have to work my way up to stronger nicotine Blends. But I appreciate the suggestions just the same. Buying moratorium in place for now. SMOKING will be the priority.

 

[RookieGuy]

That's the fun part, Bakker! It took me a bit to figure that out, but it really can be. This is where you start really learning.

 

[Bakker1964]

PTO for me today, so the wife and I took a drive to small-town Ontario . . . Listowel to be exact, because there is a factory yarn outlet there. Yup . . . I drove an hour + with my wife, so she could shop for yarn. At least I could carry the basket. After which we had a pleasant lunch in a local diner. Of late, my Missus has been perusing pipe shapes online, and generally learning a smidge about our hobby and it's tools. So, during lunch, she flashes me her phone, which is displaying a tobacconists in Kitchener Waterloo, named Walper's. Apparently it's over a century old. So, being the agreeable sort that I am, we travel a bit further, navigate our way through several bits of road construction, and K-W's generally confusing road layout (There is King St N, S, E & W and it's the SAME road), until we find the place.

Gentlemen, if any of you are, like me, within an hour of Kitchener-Waterloo, you owe yourself a trip out to Walper's. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help you find what you want, and even stuff you didn't know you wanted. I went with the idea of maybe picking up a new soft flame lighter.

Instead, we purchased to of their House Blend Aromatics (Plumberry and Cherry Pie, based on the wife's nose). Who am I to argue? At $31.50CAD for 50 gm, it's not a bad deal for Ontario. I also selected a tin of Squadron Leader (which I know I overpaid for, but I am okay with it). Lastly, a pipe caught her eye, as soon as we walked in the door, so she insisted we buy it, despite it being outside our predetermined budget of being equal to her yarn purchases. So, I am now the proud owner of a Butz Choquin Calabash, as well as some more baccy.

.

And I still want a new lighter.

 

[RookieGuy]

Won't be long now and you'll have a smoking buddy! And that's a very nice pipe you/ she got. I've never heard a bad thing about the brand.

Stopping until B&M stores can be so much fun. If the guy behind the counter knows pipes, such a wealth of information. And there's something about being able to get the tin note before you buy. I figure I'm overpaying compared to online. But I'm really renting that guy behind the counter plus a surcharge for being able to have it in hand as soon as money is exchanged.

It's a shame about the lighter though .

 

[Bakker1964]

Buying House Blends is my "thank you" for the expertise I have yet to acquire.

 

[steveclarkus]

Won't be long now and you'll have a smoking buddy! And that's a very nice pipe you/ she got. I've never heard a bad thing about the brand.

Stopping until B&M stores can be so much fun. If the guy behind the counter knows pipes, such a wealth of information. And there's something about being able to get the tin note before you buy. I figure I'm overpaying compared to online. But I'm really renting that guy behind the counter plus a surcharge for being able to have it in hand as soon as money is exchanged.

It's a shame about the lighter though .

There is little better than befriending a knowledgeable person in a tobacco shop. Stay close and tend to your lessons.It is very much in the shop’s interest to bring a new customer along. Well worth the premium paid.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

PTO for me today, so the wife and I took a drive to small-town Ontario . . . Listowel to be exact, because there is a factory yarn outlet there. Yup . . . I drove an hour + with my wife, so she could shop for yarn. At least I could carry the basket. After which we had a pleasant lunch in a local diner. Of late, my Missus has been perusing pipe shapes online, and generally learning a smidge about our hobby and it's tools. So, during lunch, she flashes me her phone, which is displaying a tobacconists in Kitchener Waterloo, named Walper's. Apparently it's over a century old. So, being the agreeable sort that I am, we travel a bit further, navigate our way through several bits of road construction, and K-W's generally confusing road layout (There is King St N, S, E & W and it's the SAME road), until we find the place.

Gentlemen, if any of you are, like me, within an hour of Kitchener-Waterloo, you owe yourself a trip out to Walper's. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help you find what you want, and even stuff you didn't know you wanted. I went with the idea of maybe picking up a new soft flame lighter.

Instead, we purchased to of their House Blend Aromatics (Plumberry and Cherry Pie, based on the wife's nose). Who am I to argue? At $31.50CAD for 50 gm, it's not a bad deal for Ontario. I also selected a tin of Squadron Leader (which I know I overpaid for, but I am okay with it). Lastly, a pipe caught her eye, as soon as we walked in the door, so she insisted we buy it, despite it being outside our predetermined budget of being equal to her yarn purchases. So, I am now the proud owner of a Butz Choquin Calabash, as well as some more baccy.

.View attachment 1163221


And I still want a new lighter.

VERY nice calabash, Bakker. Partially rusticated pipes always get me drooling, and that's a beauty!

 

[eaglesgift]

PTO for me today, so the wife and I took a drive to small-town Ontario . . . Listowel to be exact, because there is a factory yarn outlet there. Yup . . . I drove an hour + with my wife, so she could shop for yarn. At least I could carry the basket. After which we had a pleasant lunch in a local diner. Of late, my Missus has been perusing pipe shapes online, and generally learning a smidge about our hobby and it's tools. So, during lunch, she flashes me her phone, which is displaying a tobacconists in Kitchener Waterloo, named Walper's. Apparently it's over a century old. So, being the agreeable sort that I am, we travel a bit further, navigate our way through several bits of road construction, and K-W's generally confusing road layout (There is King St N, S, E & W and it's the SAME road), until we find the place.

Gentlemen, if any of you are, like me, within an hour of Kitchener-Waterloo, you owe yourself a trip out to Walper's. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help you find what you want, and even stuff you didn't know you wanted. I went with the idea of maybe picking up a new soft flame lighter.

Instead, we purchased to of their House Blend Aromatics (Plumberry and Cherry Pie, based on the wife's nose). Who am I to argue? At $31.50CAD for 50 gm, it's not a bad deal for Ontario. I also selected a tin of Squadron Leader (which I know I overpaid for, but I am okay with it). Lastly, a pipe caught her eye, as soon as we walked in the door, so she insisted we buy it, despite it being outside our predetermined budget of being equal to her yarn purchases. So, I am now the proud owner of a Butz Choquin Calabash, as well as some more baccy.

.View attachment 1163221


And I still want a new lighter.

I spent weeks looking at a smooth finished one of those online but I never bought it. I love the shape.

 

[Bakker1964]

Missus was on it as soon as we walked in. She's always liked the shape. Bit showy for me, but no denying that it's a looker.

Dedicated another pipe to Burley/Kentucky blends. This time it's my Lorenzetti.

 

[Bakker1964]

Missus was on it as soon as we walked in. She's always liked the shape. Bit showy for me, but no denying that it's a looker.

Dedicated another pipe to Burley/Kentucky blends. This time it's my Lorenzetti.

 

[Bakker1964]

So . . . a question. Can a pipe be "wet"? Allow me to explain . . .

Put two bowls through my new calabash pipe last yesterday. I was somewhat surprised that both bowls ended up with thick "resin-like" cake on the walls of the bowl. A finger swiped round the inside came away coated in what looked like black ink. Both times, to slightly varying degrees. I chalked this up to not allowing the aromatic blends smoked to dry much, if at all, before smoking them, and thought little more of it. Just now, I finished another bowl of aromatic in the same pipe and, again, a very thick residue showed up on the pipe cleaner I ran round the inside of the bowl, and I noticed a "wet" spot at the bottom. This time, the tobacco has been sitting in a non-airtight tin for a couple of days, so it cannot still be too moist, can it?

There was a distinct gurgle towards the end of the bowl, but only once. I am just wondering if it's possible for a pipe design to actually collect/cause moisture, or if it is more just the nature of aromatics to require significant drying before use.