So you talked me into it

[steveclarkus]

So, it's 6:15 am right now. Just got to work, but it's not quite time to go in yet. And, for the first time, I just finished a pipe with black coffee. I've never had a first thing in the morning pipe before. I tell you, though, Carter Hall really freaking works! Gentle enough to help with fighting muscle memory (kept trying to inhale) on an empty stomach. Adds a nice component to the coffee, and vice versa. I think I found my new morning commute thing. And with any luck, the joyful aroma of tobacco, anise, and whatever else is in there will stick around long enough to act as sort of poor man's cologne.

Yeah, I know it's a rookie newbie thing to be that surprised by an early morning pipe. But I was really worried about that unconscious inhaling first thing in the morning. I'm happy to report that, while I did inhale a couple/ few times, after a little coughing, everything was just fine. It also tells me something else. That pouch of Carter Hall that now lives in my car's console is in serious contention to become the go-to tobacco for driving, replacing cigarettes.

Nothing Rookie/newbie about Carter Hall

 

[steveclarkus]

So here's a question for those still paying attention. There's a term I've heard being thrown about. Not so much here as other dark scary corners of the interwebs. This term has the ability to turn brother against brother, unless the reader has no brother in which case he has to turn against a male cousin. The reactions are universally either "Run away!" or "It's the best ever!". And in all that, all I can find on my own is, well, it's polarizing. And that has gotten my attention. I hope that someone here can help.

That term is "Lakeland tobacco". All I can gather is Lakelands are a floral tobacco and will ghost a meerschaum given the chance. Is the taste perfume-y, or just the tin or room note? Is it something to look at more (as in look at in my smokingpipes cart) or should I leave that alone for a couple years? What exactly are Lakeland blends (other than blended in England's picturesque Lakeland region)? Why are they so polarizing?
Let me tell you, it's hard asking advice on subjects where the whole damn hobby is YMMV. Objective answers to subjective questions, I know that's not fair for anyone. But I still have to ask.

In other news, I picked up another aromatic yesterday. I do want to look more at aromatics. I think that's be good for work, for smoking in my work truck. Everyone already smokes cigarettes in them, and a nice aromatic tobacco has to be better than that. I have a few cigs stay in the pack for each bowl I smoke, so if I can have more pipes behind the wheel it stands to reason I'll be smoking less cigarettes and making my truck smell better each time. Also I think aros would be nicer for those times when another person is in the truck with me. To that end, I picked up a MM Something, with their Rob Roy bowl in a decent size and a bent stem. That's going to replace my MM Eaton which will be promoted to car pipe.

So PS Optimum is now in the lineup for this. I will try some this coming week and see how I like it as well as Mrs. Rookie and neighbors who happen to pass by. Between Optimum, F&S match, Sutliff Amaretto, and cherry cavendish, that's what I'm starting with. Unless anyone has any other suggestions for tobacco blends that have very well loved room notes?

Definitely give a Lakeland a go. I find them to be a bit nic heavy but they are interesting. I’m sure there is at least one more tin of SG 1792 in my future. I don’t believe you will have to worry about ghosting a cob.

 

[steveclarkus]

F&S is another mild burley aromatic like CH or the like. I'm not sure if it's an old codger brand match, but that same bullet proof burley with a sweetish very light dark fruit with some sort of liqueur spray. It just happens to be the one that struck a cord with me.

So my car's interior is starting to pick up the pipe smell. Much better than cigarettes to be sure! But still not a great smell when stale. But a little air freshener should take care of that I think. But that lead me to a discovery.

I think my grandfather smoked a pipe. Ok, so my parents met, fell in love, and got married in Worcester, Mass. Then came down to Baltimore and made a life here. So a couple/ few times a year, we'd make the 500 more trek up to visit. My grandfather's car had the same smell my car is getting. He never smoked around us, but that Carter Hall in my car is really reminding me of that. Huh, I might have to sit my mother in my car and see if she reacts.
I would really like to say he was a big influence in my life, but he died when I was 8. However, he did instill a deep seeded love and respect for nature. How everything interacts, how nature wants us to work but will take care of us when we do. He taught me to identify morel mushrooms, thickets that would attract grouse, and how to correctly choose a fishing lure for conditions.

So it's in his honor I have this next bowl of Carter Hall. I wish I could have known you better, Grandpa.



I'll be back to my old jovial self with the next post.

Field and Stream is indeed an old codger blend. I believe it was Gerald Ford’s mainstay way back when. I don’t recall having ever smoked it so I’ll have to keep it in mind.

 

[steveclarkus]

I think I am going to sit down with a bowl and read this thread from the start . . . it might save me some coin (or cost me a LOT MORE).


I'm about several hours behind Rookie on this road trip, with 9 x 50g samples inbound and a 50g package of Amphora being used to season my first pipe. The wife has encouraged the switch from cigars, as she keeps mentioning her Grandfather and his pipe habit, and I am nothing if not indulgent.

I am hopeful this thread will help avoid some pitfalls and poor acquisition decisions. Many thanks, gents. Always nice to follow a well trodden path.

Don’t worry. Just keep trying samples and you will begin to zero in on what you are searching for but don’t get in a hurry. Some tobaccos will suit you when your mind is busy and others will suit you when you want to give the brain a break. Back in my Father’s Day, most settled on a single blend but with on line availability, I believe the one tobacco thing is very much a thing of the past. I stick to three or four similar blends but I do keep several smaller jars of various tobaccos to keep from getting bored with my favorites. I could go with a single blend if necessary but that would not be by choice.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Definitely give a Lakeland a go. I find them to be a bit nic heavy but they are interesting. I’m sure there is at least one more tin of SG 1792 in my future. I don’t believe you will have to worry about ghosting a cob.

I do like several Lakeland (Ennerdale, Coniston, Grousemoor, etc) but can't abide 1792. The plug form is Cob Plug, which I think is a spelling mistake. I think it should be Cow Plug, because it's... fit for nothing but fertiliser.

 

[steveclarkus]

I do like several Lakeland (Ennerdale, Coniston, Grousemoor, etc) but can't abide 1792. The plug form is Cob Plug, which I think is a spelling mistake. I think it should be Cow Plug, because it's... fit for nothing but fertiliser.

Hey I just ate part of a cow. It was good.

 

[RookieGuy]

I think I am going to sit down with a bowl and read this thread from the start . . . it might save me some coin (or cost me a LOT MORE).


I'm about several hours behind Rookie on this road trip, with 9 x 50g samples inbound and a 50g package of Amphora being used to season my first pipe. The wife has encouraged the switch from cigars, as she keeps mentioning her Grandfather and his pipe habit, and I am nothing if not indulgent.

I am hopeful this thread will help avoid some pitfalls and poor acquisition decisions. Many thanks, gents. Always nice to follow a well trodden path.

If I can in any way help, I'd be happy to.

I think my favorite part of this has been going in it without a plan. Just try a bunch of different tobaccos and see what sticks. Not a method of recommend,
In other words don't follow me, I don't know where I'm going! But you're welcome to come along for the ride.

 

[Hirsute]

I do like several Lakeland (Ennerdale, Coniston, Grousemoor, etc) but can't abide 1792. The plug form is Cob Plug, which I think is a spelling mistake. I think it should be Cow Plug, because it's... fit for nothing but fertiliser.

Yeah, 1792 has Tonquin bean, which kind of puts it in a different class than other Lakelands.


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[brandaves]

Yeah, 1792 has Tonquin bean, which kind of puts it in a different class than other Lakelands.


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@steveclarkus is a Tonquin bean fanatic...

 

[steveclarkus]

@steveclarkus is a Tonquin bean fanatic...

Toquin was the original flavoring in Half and Half before the FDA banned it. I expect the current spices flavoring it were an attempt to imitate the original and not lose customers. Just my uneducated opinion. Perhaps that is the reason I like H & H. There is an effort to have the FDA remove the ban and it would be interesting if Surliff created an Original H & H Match

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Toquin was the original flavoring in Half and Half before the FDA banned it. I expect the current spices flavoring it were an attempt to imitate the original and not lose customers. Just my uneducated opinion. Perhaps that is the reason I like H & H. There is an effort to have the FDA remove the ban and it would be interesting if Surliff created an Original H & H Match

Can't remember if I mentioned this, but there are - or were - several SG pipe tobaccos with corresponding snuffs. Golden Glow, Celtic Talisman, Firedance, Grousemoor.... and 1792. The corresponding snuff for that is/was Elmo's Reserve.

 

[Bakker1964]

@ RookieGuy, I would not use hand sanitizer in the pipe! It contains more than alcohol, stuff you don't want to inhale or taste. If you can't get grain alcohol, Bacardi 151 rum will do. If you wouldn't drink it, don't use it, that includes isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.

Even if it's USP Isopropyl Alcohol (food grade)?

 

[steveclarkus]

Toquin was the original flavoring in Half and Half before the FDA banned it. I expect the current spices flavoring it were an attempt to imitate the original and not lose customers. Just my uneducated opinion. Perhaps that is the reason I like H & H. There is an effort to have the FDA remove the ban and it would be interesting if Surliff created an Original H & H Match

Can't remember if I mentioned this, but there are - or were - several SG pipe tobaccos with corresponding snuffs. Golden Glow, Celtic Talisman, Firedance, Grousemoor.... and 1792. The corresponding snuff for that is/was Elmo's Reserve.

I Saw a YouTube review on Golden Glow recently. And Elmo’s will be in my next snuff order is it anything like Spanish Gem?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I Saw a YouTube review on Golden Glow recently. And Elmo’s will be in my next snuff order is it anything like Spanish Gem?

I really like Spanish Gem, but Elmo's is nothing like it in my opinion. Spanish Gem has brandy leading, and Elmo's has tonquin. Elmo's is also coarser.

 

[brandaves]

Even if it's USP Isopropyl Alcohol (food grade)?

Most prefer Everclear if available in your area. It's cheap and will kill the nasty stuff.

 

[Bakker1964]

Thank you everyone! I feel much better knowing this can be saved. I don't have any humidity beads...yet! But will by tonight.

I was so disappointed last night. It smells so wonderful and had nothing but glowing reviews. To have it burn that hot and dry was, well, now in the past. I look forward to trying it again!

I imagine that a Boveda Pack will accomplish the same thing, and you can buy small ones (8g) for easier fit into your jars.

 

[steveclarkus]

Most prefer Everclear if available in your area. It's cheap and will kill the nasty stuff.

Listerine works very well as well and won’t damage the finish on a pipe.

 

[steveclarkus]

I really like Spanish Gem, but Elmo's is nothing like it in my opinion. Spanish Gem has brandy leading, and Elmo's has tonquin. Elmo's is also coarser.

I get mostly Vanillaish flavor from Spanish Gem but then I haven’t tasted brandy in years. I have trouble relating tobacco flavors to food flavors anyway. People say Burley has a nutty taste but I don’t see it. On the other hand I’ve never had a nut that tasted like Burley either.

 

[brandaves]

I imagine that a Boveda Pack will accomplish the same thing, and you can buy small ones (8g) for easier fit into your jars.

This only if a blend gets crunchy...most blends will need drying prior to smoking. You won't want a hydration pack in most tobaccos as most are already too wet to smoke.

 

[Bakker1964]

If I can in any way help, I'd be happy to.

I think my favorite part of this has been going in it without a plan. Just try a bunch of different tobaccos and see what sticks. Not a method of recommend,
In other words don't follow me, I don't know where I'm going! But you're welcome to come along for the ride.

I quote the Master . . .

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;


I am not known much for planning. I tend to leap into my enthusiasms with both feet and everything that is attached. Trying to quell that with piping but, as you so eloquently mentioned, there is an abundance of experiences to be had.

So, yes, I will continue to follow along . . . but I think I will start my own thread for my journey. One, it will keep me from cluttering yours with inane questions and, two, will give me my own catalogue of lessons.

Cheers.