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My Journey into the Leaf

Leaf: Rattray's Exotic Passion
Pipe: Bent Missouri Meerschaum
Notes:

I wasn't excited about moving back to aromatics after sampling so many fine tobaccos, but Exotic Passion was excellent! It smelled great before lighting, was a little hollow on first light, then greeted me with whispers of a floral orange flavor mixed with bready sweetness.

I'm not great at smelling the room note while things are going on, but I did smoke this one in the garage and went in and out a few times - it didn't strike me as particularly wonderful smelling. It just sort of smelled like someone had smoked a pipe, which I like, but not sure everyone likes that. It could also be that I'm just too close to it to notice the real room note.

Halfway through I added a cup of coffee to the mix, and it really took off. Seemed to enhance to flavor of the smoke and the coffee.

Overall, really pleasant.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
While I do enjoy many untopped blends, I actually quite like the occasional aromatic, particularly if it's made by someone who does good untopped tobaccos too. I stay away from the extremities of the spectrum though. No gloopy aromatics that you need to wring out first, and no Latakia bombs either.

There's a nice broad centre ground of easy smoking tobaccos, from Squadron Leader to Celtic Talisman (to use Sammy G's as an example), and that's where I like to play. I also like non-Cavendish aromatics too, like Condor Long Cut, University Flake, Rum and Maple, and some of the other Lakelands too.
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Leaf: Rattray's Exotic Passion
Pipe: Bent Missouri Meerschaum
Notes:

I wasn't excited about moving back to aromatics after sampling so many fine tobaccos, but Exotic Passion was excellent! It smelled great before lighting, was a little hollow on first light, then greeted me with whispers of a floral orange flavor mixed with bready sweetness.

I'm not great at smelling the room note while things are going on, but I did smoke this one in the garage and went in and out a few times - it didn't strike me as particularly wonderful smelling. It just sort of smelled like someone had smoked a pipe, which I like, but not sure everyone likes that. It could also be that I'm just too close to it to notice the real room note.

Halfway through I added a cup of coffee to the mix, and it really took off. Seemed to enhance to flavor of the smoke and the coffee.

Overall, really pleasant.
Exotic Passion is one of the aromatics that I’ll be keeping around. I’m going to try and PIF quite a lot of aromatic tobacco over the next year as I try to trim my cellar back to manageable levels.
 
Leaf: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake
Pipe: Bent Missouri Meerschaum
Notes:

Let me start off with: I'm even a little hesitant to post this write-up, as I don't think I gave it the amount of time it needed.

Fresh off my great experience with Exotic Passion, I was excited to dive into this one. Right away, I loved the look of the flake, and it smelled of cocoa powder. I wadded up part of a flake, shoved it into the bowl, then sort of coarsely rubbed out a bit to top the bowl off.

Unfortunately... I didn't get a whole lot out of it. I tasted a tiny bit of sweetness, maybe a split second of very faint chocolate, and lots of floral notes. The tobacco was smooth and cool and lasted FOREVER. I was about an hour or so into the smoke when I needed to quit - knocked the bowl out and saw there was at least HALF a bowl left! I regret having to end early, and thought I was much farther along. I know now to give myself at least two hours (or drastically reduce the amount I load) for the next time.

This might be a funny comment - but the ash was really neat. It became incredibly fine and silky, and was pretty to look at.

Overall, I need to give this another try with more time (or less tobacco). I also want to try rubbing out the whole bowl. There is definitely some experimenting I can do with this one.


Unrelated - I ended up buying a dublin meerschaum off the bay. I'll post pictures when it comes in!
 
Leaf: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake
Pipe: Bent Missouri Meerschaum
Notes:

Let me start off with: I'm even a little hesitant to post this write-up, as I don't think I gave it the amount of time it needed.

Fresh off my great experience with Exotic Passion, I was excited to dive into this one. Right away, I loved the look of the flake, and it smelled of cocoa powder. I wadded up part of a flake, shoved it into the bowl, then sort of coarsely rubbed out a bit to top the bowl off.

Unfortunately... I didn't get a whole lot out of it. I tasted a tiny bit of sweetness, maybe a split second of very faint chocolate, and lots of floral notes. The tobacco was smooth and cool and lasted FOREVER. I was about an hour or so into the smoke when I needed to quit - knocked the bowl out and saw there was at least HALF a bowl left! I regret having to end early, and thought I was much farther along. I know now to give myself at least two hours (or drastically reduce the amount I load) for the next time.

This might be a funny comment - but the ash was really neat. It became incredibly fine and silky, and was pretty to look at.

Overall, I need to give this another try with more time (or less tobacco). I also want to try rubbing out the whole bowl. There is definitely some experimenting I can do with this one.


Unrelated - I ended up buying a dublin meerschaum off the bay. I'll post pictures when it comes in!
This one is a little different breed. I don't smoke many aros anymore but enjoy this one. I like to get it going a little bit more than usual on the top end for everything to really meld. I use a no-name meer with a solid group 4 bowl, rub it out and normally allow it to sit out all night before smoking with morning coffee. It still doesn't smoke hot or act like it would bite even in a meer.
 
This one is a little different breed. I don't smoke many aros anymore but enjoy this one. I like to get it going a little bit more than usual on the top end for everything to really meld. I use a no-name meer with a solid group 4 bowl, rub it out and normally allow it to sit out all night before smoking with morning coffee. It still doesn't smoke hot or act like it would bite even in a meer.
Great info! Thanks @8 Track - I'll give that a try.
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Leaf: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake
Pipe: Bent Missouri Meerschaum
Notes:

Let me start off with: I'm even a little hesitant to post this write-up, as I don't think I gave it the amount of time it needed.

Fresh off my great experience with Exotic Passion, I was excited to dive into this one. Right away, I loved the look of the flake, and it smelled of cocoa powder. I wadded up part of a flake, shoved it into the bowl, then sort of coarsely rubbed out a bit to top the bowl off.

Unfortunately... I didn't get a whole lot out of it. I tasted a tiny bit of sweetness, maybe a split second of very faint chocolate, and lots of floral notes. The tobacco was smooth and cool and lasted FOREVER. I was about an hour or so into the smoke when I needed to quit - knocked the bowl out and saw there was at least HALF a bowl left! I regret having to end early, and thought I was much farther along. I know now to give myself at least two hours (or drastically reduce the amount I load) for the next time.

This might be a funny comment - but the ash was really neat. It became incredibly fine and silky, and was pretty to look at.

Overall, I need to give this another try with more time (or less tobacco). I also want to try rubbing out the whole bowl. There is definitely some experimenting I can do with this one.


Unrelated - I ended up buying a dublin meerschaum off the bay. I'll post pictures when it comes in!
This was my first impression of this tobacco as well. It’s now one of my favorites and hopefully I’ll always have some in the cellar. I completely rub it out and let it dry for a while. Dry time will vary depending on whether or not I get busy and forget about the tobacco. At least an hour, but I’ve gone as many as 6 with no noticeable difference. I like a shallower wide bowl for BOb’s CF. I usually smoke it in my dedicated Lakeland pipe which is a bones bulldog with a wide bowl.
 
Leaf: Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake
Pipe: Bent Missouri Meerschaum
Notes:

Forgot to post this - smoked a bowl a few days ago, but only did a single coin. I actually preferred the double coin! I didn't have time for a long smoke, so thought I could cut it short with just the one... and the flavors weren't the same. I still got the sweetness like last time, but it required more relights, the smoke wasn't a rich, and it overall just felt a little hollow.
 
New pipe came in!

I mentioned I've been on the prowl, and I finally pulled the trigger on an unsmoked meerschaum off ebay. There were only a couple of pictures - the stem looked askew (but I was pretty sure it was installed backwards), but the size looked right and the price was right at $40 shipped.

It came in and looks great! It is block meerschaum, I rotated the stem and it fits perfectly flush on all sides, it passes a pipe cleaner great, and it feels really nice in the hand.

I took some measurements:
Overall Length: 5 3/4"
Bowl Diameter: 3/4"
Bowl Depth: 1 1/2"
Weight: 22g

The stem looks like an SMS stem, so possibly one of theirs?

There are two small flowers/leaves etched onto the pipe. One along the side/top and another on the side. I would have preferred a completely smooth pipe, but they are so small and light, they actually add just a touch of interest which is nice.

I also really like the shape - it almost looks like a mix between a dublin and a cutty.

Here are some pictures!

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EDIT to add: The pictures aren't showing up when I click "post" - but they are showing up when I edit... so I'm not sure what is happening there. Hopefully they will show up.
 
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Leaf: Squadron Leader
Pipe: Small Meerschaum (Dublin SMS?)
Notes:

I broke in the new meerschaum with some Squadron Leader. The small bowl was perfect for a 40 minute smoke. I LOVED the experience. The weight made the pipe completely disappear while held. The smoke looked pleasing drifting out of the slightly forward canted bowl.

The smoke was cool and thick, and Squadron Leader delivered the earth, spice and sweetness from last time. Smoked down to clean ash with a couple of relights. Great first smoke in the new pipe!
 
New pipe came in!

I mentioned I've been on the prowl, and I finally pulled the trigger on an unsmoked meerschaum off ebay. There were only a couple of pictures - the stem looked askew (but I was pretty sure it was installed backwards), but the size looked right and the price was right at $40 shipped.

It came in and looks great! It is block meerschaum, I rotated the stem and it fits perfectly flush on all sides, it passes a pipe cleaner great, and it feels really nice in the hand.

I took some measurements:
Overall Length: 5 3/4"
Bowl Diameter: 3/4"
Bowl Depth: 1 1/2"
Weight: 22g

The stem looks like an SMS stem, so possibly one of theirs?

There are two small flowers/leaves etched onto the pipe. One along the side/top and another on the side. I would have preferred a completely smooth pipe, but they are so small and light, they actually add just a touch of interest which is nice.

I also really like the shape - it almost looks like a mix between a dublin and a cutty.

Here are some pictures!

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proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php


EDIT to add: The pictures aren't showing up when I click "post" - but they are showing up when I edit... so I'm not sure what is happening there. Hopefully they will show up.
Very nice pipe. Is it the lighting, or is the meerschaum actually a very pale blue?
 
Beautiful. I'm jelly. lol That really is such a nice, understated pipe, in all respects. Love it!
Thanks John!

When I ordered it, I really wasn't expecting much. It really surprised me in person. Very happy with it! Size and shape are just perfect.

I can't wait to see how it looks as it starts to color. I've never owned a meerschaum pipe, but after watching some videos on them and seeing some aged ones, I became intrigued.
 
Thanks John!

When I ordered it, I really wasn't expecting much. It really surprised me in person. Very happy with it! Size and shape are just perfect.

I can't wait to see how it looks as it starts to color. I've never owned a meerschaum pipe, but after watching some videos on them and seeing some aged ones, I became intrigued.
I had one meerschaum, a carved bent model, in the '80s. As I recall the first smoke had an interesting aroma, sort of like cooking an egg, though not anywhere as lingering. After the first smoke it went away and the pipe was quite nice. I think it must have been broken or lost in one of my moves between '89 and '01, because it's not in the box with the briars.
 
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