Welcome to the seventh instalment of the Brown Leaf Member’s Spotlight The Brown Leaf is like a virtual Brick and Mortar tobacconist. The armchairs are tattooed with body prints of the regulars, friendly faces are never too far away and we all have one thing in common; our love of tobacco products and enjoying the stories shared with those that share our passion. This is a chance to get the know those familiar faces and discuss our beloved leaf.
This time we will be sitting down, and having a pint with.... Ronnie aka alpster
Q: Ronnie, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview.
A: My pleasure.
Q: So tell us a bit more about yourself.
A: I will be 60 in October
I have 3 kids all grown (presently campaigning for grandkids, LOL)
My wife is the most beautiful, amazing person I know.
I am a self employed, Licensed NJ Land Surveyor and Pastor/elder at my church.
My hobbies are in no order of importance: Fishing, carving/collecting pipes and cigars, restoring/collecting/honing straight razors, building custom fishing rods
Welding and metal fabrication. Fixing/making stuff in general.
Steward in the Straight Razor Forum.
Very blessed by God to have everything I need and most of what I want. I'm a happy guy!
Q: Quite a few hobbies you have there, and a sneaky plug for the straight razor forum on here
So how did your interest in fine tobacco start?A: On a vacation with my kids to Lancaster, PA in 2013 we stumbled into a Tobacco shop in a tourist trap. Bought a couple of basket pipes and a cob and some bulk aros that smelled real good, but were hard to smoke. LOL It was a funny picture of me, my wife and three grown kids (2 girls and a guy) trying to smoke cheap pipes and wet tobacco in a hotel parking lot. Like most things in my life, I felt challenged to find out how to do this thing properly. I was already a B&B member and noticed the Brown Leaf Forum and the rest, as they say, is history.
Q:
Sounds fantastic, and like a great family moment. I’d love to know a bit more about your carved pipes, and certainly a peek at your collection of fine tobacciana.A: I started carving pipes from a kit and a "Carve Your Own Pipe" challenge here on the BL forum. It was a ton of fun, so I made some more and collected more tools and am currently tooling up to really do some next level work. As far as my tobacco stuff, well, every time I want to stop collecting stuff, the fine gents here tend to encourage (cough ..*enable*..cough) me to "DO IT". It is a fun hobby that I enjoy a lot.
Q: Those sure are some beautiful pipes. So what is your favourite pipe, is it one you carved, or one you bought? And while we are at it, what is your favourite pipe tobacco?
A: As pipes go, I more have a favorite type than a particular pipe. I really like the Savinelli 'Hercules' line of pipes and I have 1/2 a dozen of them. They hold a lot of baccy and, to me, smoke cooler with less fuss and are easy to clean & care for. For tobaccos, I favor English and Balkans blends for everyday smokes and VAs and VaPers for special occasions. If I could only have one, it would be 'Arango Balkan Supreme'. Tex Law sent this to me as a BL Christmas gift and and I have since bought six more pounds of it. LOL
Q: 6pounds?! You must really like that blend lol. So how much pipe tobacco do you currently have stashed away? And how many pipes do you have for smoking what I am guessing are gargantuan amounts of pipe baccy?
A: There is about 35lbs in my cellar right now. I smoke all the pipes in the rack so I guess about 36. I really don't smoke that much, really only a few times a week. Early on, I began hoarding very hard to get blends like Penzance & Stonehaven, Balkan Sobranie, etc. then, the FDA threatened the supply of tobacco and I chose to stock up. I am planning to grab one or two more bulk orders for the cellar and I will be set for life. Some of the stuff I have should age beautifully and give me a lot to look forward to.
Q: That is quite a stash you have, now lets get on to cigars. I know you have quite a collection from your Fridgidor thread. So tell us, how many do you have when you last counted?
A: I have a virtual humidor on "Cigargeek.com" that shows about 650 right now. I had another 150 or so on order a couple of weeks ago and the vendor couldn't deliver as agreed, so it got cancelled. Much like the pipe tobacco, I have a decent supply for quite sometime to come. I will likely hit the brakes and concentrate on acquiring smaller numbers of 'special' sticks going forward. I also have traded away and pifed quite a few recently. The answer to the how many, is currently about 650.
Q: The fridgidor is just incredible, and that is an incredible collection. What cigar do is your favourite go to cigar? And in counter, what is your favourite special cigar?
A: I put my cigars in 3 classes. There are some good, cheap, buck or two, sticks that I smoke on the tractor cutting the grass or when fishing when I don't want to think about it too much. Mark Twains, RP Connecticut Fumas and CI Knock-offs fit here. Then there are very good smokes for after dinner or a walk in the woods. Cohiba Red Dots, RP Royal Vintage and Romeo Y Julieta 1875s land in this camp and then there's the "pasty resistence" as we said in the South. Arturo Fuente, Padron Anniversary, My Father LeBijou and DE-Liga Privada #9. I'll smoke one of these when my first grandkid is born. Can't really choose a #1 favorite.
Q: Some great smokes there, the “pasty residence” being exceptional smokes. I am sure all the members are drooling at your collection now. Ronnie, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, it has been an absolute pleasure.
A: Pleasure was certainly all mine, Till. What little I know about the Brown Leaf I learned right here. Its a privilege to hang with this group and I am grateful for the experience.
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