So you talked me into it

[steveclarkus]

That works out about the same price each for those ~28g samples, as the 5g samples I just received today. £16.95 for 8. UK tobacco prices hurt. Not as much as Canadian and Australian tobacco prices though, I think those guys have it even worse

Almost exactly. Pipe tobacco was much cheaper until the Federal government imposed cigarette tax on all tobacco products. When I was in college cigs were twenty five cents a pack. I believe they are around five dollars now. Glad I gave them up.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

When I was in college cigs were twenty five cents a pack. I believe they are around five dollars now. Glad I gave them up.

Approaching £10/pack here. Thankfully, I haven't smoked those for years.

No discounts on bulk pipe tobacco either. A 50g tin is roughly £15-£17 depending on the blend, but buy a 500g box, and you'd be very lucky to save £5 total over buying 10 tins.

Thankfully, I only smoke the equivalent of 6 tins a year, so it's not too much hardship for the occasional bowl of happiness. At roughly 20 smokes a tin, it's still less than £1 per bowl.

 

[steveclarkus]

Approaching £10/pack here. Thankfully, I haven't smoked those for years.

No discounts on bulk pipe tobacco either. A 50g tin is roughly £15-£17 depending on the blend, but buy a 500g box, and you'd be very lucky to save £5 total over buying 10 tins.

Thankfully, I only smoke the equivalent of 6 tins a year, so it's not too much hardship for the occasional bowl of happiness. At roughly 20 smokes a tin, it's still less than £1 per bowl.

You are paying a bit more than we are. I just paid $13.59 for a 1.75 ounce tin of Escudo, $8 for Orlik and $9 for Erinmore Flake and $13.50 for Mac Baren Plumcake. Those should be easy to compare to your prices. I’m too lazy to do the conversions. The samples I ordered are remakes of some old drugstore brands which I liked or never tried. In 1968, I befriended the owner of Georgetown Tobacco and bought various bulk blends and missed out on the drugstore stuff.

 

[Kentos]

Almost exactly. Pipe tobacco was much cheaper until the Federal government imposed cigarette tax on all tobacco products. When I was in college cigs were twenty five cents a pack. I believe they are around five dollars now. Glad I gave them up.

10.00 in Hawaii.

 

[steveclarkus]

Wow!

 

[brandaves]

That vanilla maple sounds intriguing. That might be worth looking for. But honestly, a lot of the descriptions you all are giving sounds like I should learn to smoke a little better first before trying them.

This is what I tell people. Learn to smoke Prince Albert and Carter Hall...buy an Amphora Sampler. $30 and you can try 5 different blends featuring all the big hitting varieties. @radrick96 did that.

 

[RookieGuy]

You're not the first one to recommend the Amphora sampler. Payday is Friday!

Also, I think I screwed something up. I had the English, and then the next day I smoked the Escudo from the same pipe. The first quarter to third of the bowl, I was still getting that heavy smokey English. Is that normal? Thanks!

 

[KellyG]

You're not the first one to recommend the Amphora sampler. Payday is Friday!

Also, I think I screwed something up. I had the English, and then the next day I smoked the Escudo from the same pipe. The first quarter to third of the bowl, I was still getting that heavy smokey English. Is that normal? Thanks!

If your English blend is fairly Latakia heavy, then you will likely get some mild "ghosting". But it will recede with continued Virginia blend smokes. There are some blends, the Lakeland varieties, I'm told, that will do some serious ghosting.

I've found over time I've segregated my blend families to certain pipe styles, and that helps the ghosting issue, but that is more an accidental happening than anything done with purpose.

Pipe smoking has a learning curve, but it is a fun curve.

 

[RookieGuy]

That's what I figured. Well, it looks like I have an English blend pipe. A bit earlier than I was planning, but I was planning on it eventually. That's cool, though. Do aros do the same thing? Or is that brand dependent?

And if I'm right in my line of thinking, I need to get a pipe to replace the newly dedicated English Cob (which sounds so pleasant!). I'm sorry, honey, but I have to. And it probably should be a bent stem, because both of mine are straight.

 

[brandaves]

That's what I figured. Well, it looks like I have an English blend pipe. A bit earlier than I was planning, but I was planning on it eventually. That's cool, though. Do aros do the same thing? Or is that brand dependent?

And if I'm right in my line of thinking, I need to get a pipe to replace the newly dedicated English Cob (which sounds so pleasant!). I'm sorry, honey, but I have to. And it probably should be a bent stem, because both of mine are straight.

I doubt your pipe is really "ghosted" by one bowl...but if you're looking for excuses to buy more pipes the enablers around here aren't going to stop you As Kelly said, the Latakia flavor will subside unless you want to dedicate the pipe.

Aromatic tobaccos are some of the biggest ghosting culprits. You'll find this in estate pipes a lot. Nothing that can't be corrected with a restore. I have two cobs that are aromatic only pipes...

 

[RookieGuy]

I was really hoping to hear yeah, I gotta get a new one. And loud enough for Mrs. Rookie to hear.

 

[RookieGuy]

So it's been a pretty long week. It's Friday. I think tonight I give the English another chance on a full stomach. With a tall cool glass of iced tea on my porch swing. Being out in the woods smoking a pipe was really great, but I think I chose the wrong tool for that job. I liked the lighter Escudo while fishing.

In other news, either tomorrow or Sunday I'll be visiting my local tobacconist. I want to see what a cavendish is all about. And whatever else catches my eye. Perhaps if the right basket or cob pipe speaks to me?

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

I doubt your pipe is really "ghosted" by one bowl..

One bowl is all it takes sometimes. It all depends on the blend, palette sensitivity, type of pipe, etc..

 

[AimlessWanderer]

One bowl is all it takes sometimes. It all depends on the blend, palette sensitivity, type of pipe, etc..

... and I think smoking tobacco that's a little too wet as well. I had that with some Lakeland. Fresh from the packet (it was loose weighed, so not quite as moist as tinned, but moist enough) it would ghost far more than if I aired it before I smoked it.

 

[RookieGuy]

You know, Wanderer, that very well could be. The both times I tried the English, I haven't been in a position to dry it out first. I guess that leads to this question. How do you guys dry out your 'baccy on the go?

I remembered a name the other night, something from my past. Black Cavendish! When but a small Rooklet myself, I used to go with my dad into the Faders at the mall (for those who remember Faders, mall tobacco stores, and malls) as he'd get a "cigar worth a [fill in your favorite 4 letter word]. And back in the mid 80s, the menfolk would be standing around smoking pipes and cigars right there. I saw the clerk open up the big jar of black Cavendish and load up what I remember being a giant pipe (probably an Oom Paul (or Hungarian) or calabash). But that smell! I remember being blown away by it. Sweet, but more complex than just that. No cherry or vanilla or chocolate, no flavor I recognized. Just a complex sweetness that apparently stuck in my head for 26 years waiting to be fondly remembered. Funny how memory works.

So this afternoon when I go to the store, Cavendish, a burly blend, and a VA blend. And see if I can find a cob or decent basket pipe with a bend (both of my cobs are straight). And Mason jars! Gotta remember them, ziploc bags are not good for storage. Well, wish me luck in about 3 hours!

 

[radrick96]

You know, Wanderer, that very well could be. The both times I tried the English, I haven't been in a position to dry it out first. I guess that leads to this question. How do you guys dry out your 'baccy on the go?

I remembered a name the other night, something from my past. Black Cavendish! When but a small Rooklet myself, I used to go with my dad into the Faders at the mall (for those who remember Faders, mall tobacco stores, and malls) as he'd get a "cigar worth a [fill in your favorite 4 letter word]. And back in the mid 80s, the menfolk would be standing around smoking pipes and cigars right there. I saw the clerk open up the big jar of black Cavendish and load up what I remember being a giant pipe (probably an Oom Paul (or Hungarian) or calabash). But that smell! I remember being blown away by it. Sweet, but more complex than just that. No cherry or vanilla or chocolate, no flavor I recognized. Just a complex sweetness that apparently stuck in my head for 26 years waiting to be fondly remembered. Funny how memory works.

So this afternoon when I go to the store, Cavendish, a burly blend, and a VA blend. And see if I can find a cob or decent basket pipe with a bend (both of my cobs are straight). And Mason jars! Gotta remember them, ziploc bags are not good for storage. Well, wish me luck in about 3 hours!

I’ve been going to hobby lobby and michaels for mason jars, all the small 4oz size are gone here. I’m resorting to amazon probably. Praying half my jars won’t be broken haha

As for cavendish, it is good! Very cool memory you have with some tobacco though. I wonder if there’s a barbershop anyplace with a few outdoor chairs where they smoke their pipes still... Cool story.

 

[brandaves]

One bowl is all it takes sometimes. It all depends on the blend, palette sensitivity, type of pipe, etc..

That's true enough for some Lakelands on others.

... and I think smoking tobacco that's a little too wet as well. I had that with some Lakeland. Fresh from the packet (it was loose weighed, so not quite as moist as tinned, but moist enough) it would ghost far more than if I aired it before I smoked it.

Lakeland certainly can ghost with one bowl! Rare outside of that and some particularly strong plugs. He was talking Latakia...even Pirate Kake doesn't ghost after only one bowl. My thought anyway. Mind you my experience is limited.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Mind you my experience is limited.

Mine too!

 

[brandaves]

You know, Wanderer, that very well could be. The both times I tried the English, I haven't been in a position to dry it out first. I guess that leads to this question. How do you guys dry out your 'baccy on the go?

I remembered a name the other night, something from my past. Black Cavendish! When but a small Rooklet myself, I used to go with my dad into the Faders at the mall (for those who remember Faders, mall tobacco stores, and malls) as he'd get a "cigar worth a [fill in your favorite 4 letter word]. And back in the mid 80s, the menfolk would be standing around smoking pipes and cigars right there. I saw the clerk open up the big jar of black Cavendish and load up what I remember being a giant pipe (probably an Oom Paul (or Hungarian) or calabash). But that smell! I remember being blown away by it. Sweet, but more complex than just that. No cherry or vanilla or chocolate, no flavor I recognized. Just a complex sweetness that apparently stuck in my head for 26 years waiting to be fondly remembered. Funny how memory works.

So this afternoon when I go to the store, Cavendish, a burly blend, and a VA blend. And see if I can find a cob or decent basket pipe with a bend (both of my cobs are straight). And Mason jars! Gotta remember them, ziploc bags are not good for storage. Well, wish me luck in about 3 hours!

Cavendish is a condiment tobacco and is actually a process (heat and pressure) as opposed to a leaf (Burley is often used in the Cavendish process). It is used in blends to add body and a touch of sweetness. A lot of aromatic blends use Cavendish because it accepts casing well. Lane BCA comes to mind...there are many Cavendish based aromatics but it is used for body and added sweetness in many blends.

As for drying its difficult to do on the go. At home I just lay the tobacco out on a paper towel for a half hour or so (depending on the moisture of the baccy). I like it a little crispy but not crumbling. This can be difficult in high humidity climates...you want the Baccy to lose moisture, not gain it. Anyway, that's my process. Others will do things differently.

 

[brandaves]

I’ve been going to hobby lobby and michaels for mason jars, all the small 4oz size are gone here. I’m resorting to amazon probably. Praying half my jars won’t be broken haha

As for cavendish, it is good! Very cool memory you have with some tobacco though. I wonder if there’s a barbershop anyplace with a few outdoor chairs where they smoke their pipes still... Cool story.

Wal-Mart here has the least expensive jars (for Ball and Kerr). That's where I go. About $7ish for a 12 pack of 4oz jars.