Ageing without hoarding

[AimlessWanderer]

Pipe day!

Sample smoke #2 - Gawith Hoggarth Bob's Chocolate Flake

Weapon of choice - Parker of LondonSquare Panel
(Dunhill second - Group 4)
Amount packed - Around half the sample, maybe 3g
Lower half folded and stuffed, top half rubbed out

No pic. Didn't take my phone out with me.

One match almost got it charred and lit, and a second was needed to get a full coal. This seemed more of a Lakeland than I remember. Still a nice smoke, but less chocolatey than I recall. The chocolate was more noticeable on the aftertaste.

It's a lovely sunny afternoon, and the smoke seemed a little heavy for the occasion. Probably more of an evening tobacco. Maybe I'm going to need more than one tobacco in play at once, although that would make a tin last nearer four months than two. That's going to need some thought, mainly in terms of keeping the tobacco smokeable for that long.

I did enjoy the smoke, but after about 40 minutes, I knocked it on the head. Too heavy a taste for that time of day. As to ageing, I think there is potential for this tobacco to mellow a bit, though it would still likely be an armchair smoke, rather than a deck chair smoke.

Smoke again? Yes
Smoke regularly? Semi-regular. Evenings only
Keep in stock? Maybe

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Supplemental to reply #161:

The tobacco smoked much better rubbed out than folded as stuffed. I just revisited the bowl, and what's left in there is about half the folded flake, but it just tastes like dottle, even though there should be more smokeable tobacco left. Seems like a fair bit will be going to waste. I'll certainly be rubbing out the rest of the sample when I smoke it.

 

[KellyG]

My hand crafted (I cut the lid off with my pocket knife ) pipe storage unit is already full

View attachment 1106406

So if the cobbler goes in, something else has to come out

(basically, I refuse to go into double figures )

Good Sir, you obviously need a larger box or perhaps another box or crate. We are here to expand your thinking. And your pipe accumulation!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Good Sir, you obviously need a larger box or perhaps another box or crate. We are here to expand your thinking. And your pipe accumulation!

More pipes would be completely wasted on me, Kelly. I only smoke around 25g per month, and tend to stick to one blend till it's finished. As such, I'll probably stick to the same two pipes for about a month - the larger dedicated pipe for long smokes, and the smaller "smoke anything" pipe for short smokes.

I do actually have a couple of cheap semi-disposable meers on route for sampling, and three of the nine that are already here are currently unsmoked. Once I've worked through the samples, I'll go back down to single digits. There's no need, justification, or interest for me to own more.

 

[brandaves]

Supplemental to reply #161:

The tobacco smoked much better rubbed out than folded as stuffed. I just revisited the bowl, and what's left in there is about half the folded flake, but it just tastes like dottle, even though there should be more smokeable tobacco left. Seems like a fair bit will be going to waste. I'll certainly be rubbing out the rest of the sample when I smoke it.

I wouldn't think of dottle as "wasted tobacco". Some tobaccos just aren't going to end in a bowl of white ash. You said you got a good 40 minutes out of the bowl. I'd say you got your money's worth. My two cents, but I wouldn't count dottle as a strike against a blend.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I wouldn't think of dottle as "wasted tobacco". Some tobaccos just aren't going to end in a bowl of white ash. You said you got a good 40 minutes out of the bowl. I'd say you got your money's worth. My two cents, but I wouldn't count dottle as a strike against a blend.

I do take your point, but I think it would have smoked further had I rubbed it out. Not necessarily a strike against the blend, but an observation of what I should consider doing differently. It doesn't affect the three point summary at the end. It's still more of an evening tobacco than daytime, but a very pleasant evening smoke. I would just need something else to hand, should I want to sit out in the sun with a smoke.

I do need to consider that daytime vs evening smokes quandary. Maybe I need to think about splitting a tin up over several small jars or something. If I split a tin into 5x10g dollops, I can have two or three tobaccos on the go in a month, and know the rest will still be in good order when I get to it. Only smoking 25g-ish total per month, but of more than one blend, means each tin will be open a very long time. The other alternative, is I ditch tobaccos which I can't enjoy at any time of day, but that means not enjoying the pleasant evening smokes this would give.

Maybe some of the smaller bail tops jars I used for snuff would be suitable.

 

[brandaves]

I do take your point, but I think it would have smoked further had I rubbed it out. Not necessarily a strike against the blend, but an observation of what I should consider doing differently. It doesn't affect the three point summary at the end. It's still more of an evening tobacco than daytime, but a very pleasant evening smoke. I would just need something else to hand, should I want to sit out in the sun with a smoke.

I do need to consider that daytime vs evening smokes quandary. Maybe I need to think about splitting a tin up over several small jars or something. If I split a tin into 5x10g dollops, I can have two or three tobaccos on the go in a month, and know the rest will still be in good order when I get to it. Only smoking 25g-ish total per month, but of more than one blend, means each tin will be open a very long time. The other alternative, is I ditch tobaccos which I can't enjoy at any time of day, but that means not enjoying the pleasant evening smokes this would give.

Maybe some of the smaller bail tops jars I used for snuff would be suitable.

I think splitting the tins up certainly gives you more flexibility as far as when you enjoy them. You can freely have whatever blend you are in the mood for. I think would prefer that if it were me.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

The two sizes of jar that I used for small quantities of snuff, look like they'll hold a third to a half of a tin of tobacco. Here's a couple of empties that need washing out.

I'll have to bend/cut/rub flakes out to fit in there, but at least it will (should) keep 1/2 to 2/3 of the tobacco in good order for later, so I can eek the tin out over a longer time scale. I think larger jars would hold too much air, defeating the purpose.

The seals on these aren't fantastic though, so I'd "age" the tobacco in their original tins, and only divide it up once it's time to crack open a tin. A third of a tin in each of those jars, and a third left in the tin, might give me the flexibility of timescale I need, if I do go down the route of having multiple tobaccos in play. Ideally, I could do with splitting a tin over four jars, and then I know that two jars a month (one of a daytime smoke, and one of a nighttime smoke) would be 25g consumed, but again, too much air in the jar I reckon.

The other option, would be to use larger jars, to hold 5x10g baggies. One jar, one tin, but controlled/visible rate of consumption.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Another decision I have to make, is which sample or tobacco to use in popping the cherry on the virgin Poker I just received. The legend I received with it, and the two cheap meers that are on the way, require less thought. Fill, light, smoke. Done.

Now the intention of the poker was either a miscellaneous "smoke anything" pipe for long smokes (the bowl is 20mm dia x 40mm deep), or a dedicated pipe for either Virginias or Perique blends. Therein lies the dilemma. Virginias burn hotter, so maybe not best choice for breaking in a pipe, but breaking it in with another tobacco, means it's potentially tainted right from the start.

Flake would burn slower, but the only pure Virginia flake I have, is some Full Virginia Flake, which is one of the first for ageing. VaPer flakes I do have. St James Flake, Louisiana Flake, etc. Again, that means deciding it'll be for VaPers right from the start. It is a wider bowl than common wisdom suggests for pure Virginia (which I'm thinking of using the Legend for), so why not declare this my Perique pipe? Unless I decide I don't like Periques!

It'll still burn hottish, so I'll have to be on best behaviour. My break in routine is just smoke it, and let the pipe sort itself out (I'm not the sort to intentionally cake a pipe, nor artificially patina a carbon steel knife, they do that themselves). I'll probably do a little reading, and figure out which of the flakes I have has the lowest Perique, so if I'm not a fan, I can use the pipe for generic long smokes, without carrying too much Perique ghosting.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Also, I forgot to update you lot on what samples I actually received. The original listing did say they may have to make substitutions. Blends in black are as advertised, red struck out is what was unavailable, and blue is what replaced it.

Virginia Burley
Gawith Hoggarth - Best Brown Unscented
Gawith Hoggarth - Coniston Cut Plug
Gawith Hoggarth - S Twist RM - Rum (Sweet Twist Rum)
Gawith Hoggarth - Red
Mac Baren - Old Dark Fired
Ogdens - Original Flake
Peterson - Sherlock Holmes
Peterson - University Flake
Benson & Hedges - Special (Mellow) Virginia
Germains - Brown Flake

Virginia Perique
Charatan - Victorian Mixture
Charatan - Rolls
Robert McConnell - Glen Piper
Peterson - Irish Oak Cask (Same thing?)
Rattray's - Hal O'the Wynd
Rattray's - Old Gowrie
Charatan - Black Flake
Samuel Gawith - St James Flake
Samuel Gawith - Cabbie's Mixture
Gawith Hoggarth - Louisiana Flake

English - all as advertised
Charatan - First Bowl
Charatan - Eventide
Comoy's - English Mixture
Mac Baren - HH Latakia Flake
Peterson - Old Dublin
Peterson - Balkan Delight
Planta - Presbyterian Mixture
Samuel Gawith - Squadron leader

Flake, Plug & Twist - all as advertised
Mac Baren - Navy Flake
Gawith Hoggarth - Bobs Choc Flake
Gawith Hoggarth - Sweet Rum Twist
Gawith Hoggarth - (black) Pigtail
Peterson - 3p's Plug
Peterson - Irish Flake
Samuel Gawith - 1792 Flake
Samuel Gawith - Cannon Plug

 

[AimlessWanderer]

So in summary, my next pipe will likely be whichever of my Perique flakes has the least Perique, in my new Parker Poker. No special break-in process, just fill, and try to smoke slowly.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

So in summary, my next pipe will likely be whichever of my Perique flakes has the least Perique, in my new Parker Poker. No special break-in process, just fill, and try to smoke slowly.

... and it seems the Louisiana Flake will be the one.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

Germains - Brown Flake

That was a substitute? Awesome score! Germain's is some high quality smokes. It's usually pretty hard to find here across the pond.

 

[steveclarkus]

Also, I forgot to update you lot on what samples I actually received. The original listing did say they may have to make substitutions. Blends in black are as advertised, red struck out is what was unavailable, and blue is what replaced it.

Virginia Burley
Gawith Hoggarth - Best Brown Unscented
Gawith Hoggarth - Coniston Cut Plug
Gawith Hoggarth - S Twist RM - Rum (Sweet Twist Rum)
Gawith Hoggarth - Red
Mac Baren - Old Dark Fired
Ogdens - Original Flake
Peterson - Sherlock Holmes
Peterson - University Flake
Benson & Hedges - Special (Mellow) Virginia
Germains - Brown Flake

Virginia Perique
Charatan - Victorian Mixture
Charatan - Rolls
Robert McConnell - Glen Piper
Peterson - Irish Oak Cask (Same thing?)
Rattray's - Hal O'the Wynd
Rattray's - Old Gowrie
Charatan - Black Flake
Samuel Gawith - St James Flake
Samuel Gawith - Cabbie's Mixture
Gawith Hoggarth - Louisiana Flake

English - all as advertised
Charatan - First Bowl
Charatan - Eventide
Comoy's - English Mixture
Mac Baren - HH Latakia Flake
Peterson - Old Dublin
Peterson - Balkan Delight
Planta - Presbyterian Mixture
Samuel Gawith - Squadron leader

Flake, Plug & Twist - all as advertised
Mac Baren - Navy Flake
Gawith Hoggarth - Bobs Choc Flake
Gawith Hoggarth - Sweet Rum Twist
Gawith Hoggarth - (black) Pigtail
Peterson - 3p's Plug
Peterson - Irish Flake
Samuel Gawith - 1792 Flake/
Samuel Gawith - Cannon Plug

Gawith 1792 is one I used to enjoy. VA/Kentucky/Tonquin Bean topping

 

[AimlessWanderer]

That was a substitute? Awesome score! Germain's is some high quality smokes. It's usually pretty hard to find here across the pond.

Yup. Surprise addition. Though according to the brief description I've seen, it doesn't contain burley....

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Gawith 1792 is one I used to enjoy. VA/Kentucky/Tonquin Bean topping

I'm not a fan of that tonquin bean. I had to dilute 1792 quite heavily to make it smokeable in the past. Not too fond of Elmos Reserve either, which is the snuff equivalent.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Yup. Surprise addition. Though according to the brief description I've seen, it doesn't contain burley....

In fact... it's pure Virginia flake, which is EXACTLY what I need for the first bowl in the virgin Poker.

Bonus!

 

[steveclarkus]

I'm not a fan of that tonquin bean. I had to dilute 1792 quite heavily to make it smokeable in the past. Not too fond of Elmos Reserve either, which is the snuff equivalent.

I think I remember liking it but holding off on ordering. Found an empty tin in a drawer so must have liked it enough to finish the tin. Schippers Tabac has Tonquin in it and I loved the stuff when I was wandering around Europe - cigarettes and pipe.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I think I remember liking it but holding off on ordering. Found an empty tin in a drawer so must have liked it enough to finish the tin. Schippers Tabac has Tonquin in it and I loved the stuff when I was wandering around Europe - cigarettes and pipe.

I'll be adding that sample, and any others I don't care for, to a frankensmoke blend. Basically just mixing them all with some plain shag tobacco to dilute them out.

 

[Kentos]

Just on a tangent, I think after it all boils down, aging tobacco IS hoarding, since you are not buying for immediate consumption. In this case I don’t consider it a negative term tho lol. Hoarders Unite!!