What's new

So you talked me into it

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
I enjoy different flavors and different blends more during other seasons.

Warm flavors during cold weather (I enjoy Carter Hall and English blends more in the fall and winter). That being said, I am smoking a lot of more "savory" (?) flakes like Irish Flake, Aged Burley Flake and Sunday Picnic now than ever. I don't know. Perhaps my tastes are just evolving as I move along this journey...hard to say.
 
So I tried the cherry cav with some cubed burley. That really helped! A little more burley next time and I'll be there. That was what I was hoping for, hints of sweet cherry without being smacked in the face by it with all the grace and finesse of a 2x4. I think with a little more fiddling with the ratios it'll be darn pleasant on a warm muggy evening.

I'm glad I'm not the only one nodding to the weather. Or the mood the weather puts me in. Or whatever it is. It kind of mashes me want to put a few ounces of a good Virginia away for a few months. I can see the light citrus flavors being a real treat when the summer sun bears down like an angry pagan god.
 
I did something very foolish last night. Mrs. Rookie and I shared a bottle or two of wine. I'm not much of a drinking man, and a cold beer with dinner and 4 glasses of wine and I was feeling pretty good when I had some Stokkebye English Luxury out of the MM Eaton. I inhaled quite a bit. Not enough to really bother me, but enough to notice. I blame that for an upset stomach in the wee hours this morning.
 
Ok, so over the weekend I made a couple observations. Some interesting, some not exactly thunderbolt inspiration. Most I'd like to share with the group.

First and foremost, I REALLY like pipes and pipe tobacco! So much better than cigars. The tastes, the customization, the price (price I'll get in depth with in a second). Cigars, I have to cut out 45 minutes to an hour to smoke. It's not something I can put out and return to later. And if I don't like a blend, I can add to it until it's better. Black Cavendish, I'm looking at you!

Since I've started smoking a pipe a day, I'm smoking around 7 less cigarettes a day. Now, 7 cigs from a two pack a day habit might not seem like a lot, but it's a start. Gets me from two packs to a pack and a half, or 25% (in round numbers). From trying to quit in years past, I know that it's a war of inches rather than miles. That any movement in a positive direction is real progress. To piggyback on that, I've also become less dependent on my anxiety meds. Oh, I still take them, but not as much or often and with much better results between doses. True, my Yamaha Star 1300 motorcycle does the same thing for me, but sometimes I can't ride.

Mrs. Rookie likes the smell of the tobacco. Also the taste of some of them. And she's started to follow me out to the front porch swing when I gather my paraphernalia and head out. We've had more meaningful conversations about, well, everything, in the past 3 weeks than we've had in probably the past 5 years. That's not 100% due to smoking a pipe, I understand that. My head knows it's more to do with us carving an hour and a half a day to sit out together without children. But the correlation cannot be ignored.

While I'm on the subject of Mrs. Rookie, she really likes the smell. She also really likes the taste of different tobaccos on my lips "so freaking much more than cigarettes". To the point where she's become more amorous after the bowl is empty and we go inside. It may seem silly to some, and others might have stronger words than that. But Wednesday we celebrate 20 years of good times and bad, richer and poorer, sickness and health. Anything that gets us acting like 20 somethings has merit.

The variety of past experiences which contribute to my PTSD, one of my less desirable traits is I tend to be fidgety. I have an inability to sit still for any length of time. And smoking a pipe, I'm almost made to sit still for the length of the smoke while tamping, relighting, running a cleaner through the stem. But I'm also watching the fireflies, talking with neighbors walking their dogs, listening to the owl that lives nearby, watching the fox up the street, etc. I'm almost forcing myself to sit still and let my mind wander. Wander and wear itself out.

And the price. I'm saving money like how DE safety razors are saving money. The potential is certainly there. And once I dial my setup in, I really can see myself saving real money. Seriously, the more I think about it, the more my Camels are the tobacco equivalent of Gillette cartridges. At $8/pack, $87 a carton of 10 lasts me around a week. Compared to an average of $2.75/oz. for pipe tobacco, I only have 3 tins and jars (black cav, Jackknife Plug, and an unopened tin of Sea Dog) that haven't paid for themselves in cigs not smoked. Yet!

Anyways, that's what I've come up with so far.

ETA: I also realized that a can of ginger ale will make me control my cadence the way a good bay rum aftershave will make me pay more attention to shaving. Canada Dry treats a bit tongue how Captain's Choice Co9T treats a shaving nick.
 
Last edited:

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
Ok, so over the weekend I made a couple observations. Some interesting, some not exactly thunderbolt inspiration. Most I'd like to share with the group.

First and foremost, I REALLY like pipes and pipe tobacco! So much better than cigars. The tastes, the customization, the price (price I'll get in depth with in a second). Cigars, I have to cut out 45 minutes to an hour to smoke. It's not something I can put out and return to later. And if I don't like a blend, I can add to it until it's better. Black Cavendish, I'm looking at you!

Since I've started smoking a pipe a day, I'm smoking around 7 less cigarettes a day. Now, 7 cigs from a two pack a day habit might not seem like a lot, but it's a start. Gets me from two packs to a pack and a half, or 25% (in round numbers). From trying to quit in years past, I know that it's a war of inches rather than miles. That any movement in a positive direction is real progress. To piggyback on that, I've also become less dependent on my anxiety meds. Oh, I still take them, but not as much or often and with much better results between doses. True, my Yamaha Star 1300 motorcycle does the same thing for me, but sometimes I can't ride.

Mrs. Rookie likes the smell of the tobacco. Also the taste of some of them. And she's started to follow me out to the front porch swing when I gather my paraphernalia and head out. We've had more meaningful conversations about, well, everything, in the past 3 weeks than we've had in probably the past 5 years. That's not 100% due to smoking a pipe, I understand that. My head knows it's more to do with us carving an hour and a half a day to sit out together without children. But the correlation cannot be ignored.

While I'm on the subject of Mrs. Rookie, she really likes the smell. She also really likes the taste of different tobaccos on my lips "so freaking much more than cigarettes". To the point where she's become more amorous after the bowl is empty and we go inside. It may seem silly to some, and others might have stronger words than that. But Wednesday we celebrate 20 years of good times and bad, richer and poorer, sickness and health. Anything that gets us acting like 20 somethings has merit.

The variety of past experiences which contribute to my PTSD, one of my less desirable traits is I tend to be fidgety. I have an inability to sit still for any length of time. And smoking a pipe, I'm almost made to sit still for the length of the smoke while tamping, relighting, running a cleaner through the stem. But I'm also watching the fireflies, talking with neighbors walking their dogs, listening to the owl that lives nearby, watching the fox up the street, etc. I'm almost forcing myself to sit still and let my mind wander. Wander and wear itself out.

And the price. I'm saving money like how DE safety razors are saving money. The potential is certainly there. And once I dial my setup in, I really can see myself saving real money. Seriously, the more I think about it, the more my Camels are the tobacco equivalent of Gillette cartridges. At $8/pack, $87 a carton of 10 lasts me around a week. Compared to an average of $2.75/oz. for pipe tobacco, I only have 3 tins and jars (black cav, Jackknife Plug, and an unopened tin of Sea Dog) that haven't paid for themselves in cigs not smoked. Yet!

Anyways, that's what I've come up with so far.

ETA: I also realized that a can of ginger ale will make me control my cadence the way a good bay rum aftershave will make me pay more attention to shaving. Canada Dry treats a bit tongue how Captain's Choice Co9T treats a shaving nick.
Good observations all my friend. It sounds to me like you're a pipe smoker! There are plenty of people who have successfully kicked a cig habit with pipes if that is your ultimate goal.

Sounds like you're getting some ancillary benefits as well...some I'd like to getting myself ;) I couldn't agree more with those observations. My pipes do a lot for me. I'm happy to hear you are enjoying things and hope if there is anything we can do to aid in your transition you'll let us know.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Ok, so over the weekend I made a couple observations. Some interesting, some not exactly thunderbolt inspiration. Most I'd like to share with the group.

First and foremost, I REALLY like pipes and pipe tobacco! So much better than cigars. The tastes, the customization, the price (price I'll get in depth with in a second). Cigars, I have to cut out 45 minutes to an hour to smoke. It's not something I can put out and return to later. And if I don't like a blend, I can add to it until it's better. Black Cavendish, I'm looking at you!

Since I've started smoking a pipe a day, I'm smoking around 7 less cigarettes a day. Now, 7 cigs from a two pack a day habit might not seem like a lot, but it's a start. Gets me from two packs to a pack and a half, or 25% (in round numbers). From trying to quit in years past, I know that it's a war of inches rather than miles. That any movement in a positive direction is real progress. To piggyback on that, I've also become less dependent on my anxiety meds. Oh, I still take them, but not as much or often and with much better results between doses. True, my Yamaha Star 1300 motorcycle does the same thing for me, but sometimes I can't ride.

Mrs. Rookie likes the smell of the tobacco. Also the taste of some of them. And she's started to follow me out to the front porch swing when I gather my paraphernalia and head out. We've had more meaningful conversations about, well, everything, in the past 3 weeks than we've had in probably the past 5 years. That's not 100% due to smoking a pipe, I understand that. My head knows it's more to do with us carving an hour and a half a day to sit out together without children. But the correlation cannot be ignored.

While I'm on the subject of Mrs. Rookie, she really likes the smell. She also really likes the taste of different tobaccos on my lips "so freaking much more than cigarettes". To the point where she's become more amorous after the bowl is empty and we go inside. It may seem silly to some, and others might have stronger words than that. But Wednesday we celebrate 20 years of good times and bad, richer and poorer, sickness and health. Anything that gets us acting like 20 somethings has merit.

The variety of past experiences which contribute to my PTSD, one of my less desirable traits is I tend to be fidgety. I have an inability to sit still for any length of time. And smoking a pipe, I'm almost made to sit still for the length of the smoke while tamping, relighting, running a cleaner through the stem. But I'm also watching the fireflies, talking with neighbors walking their dogs, listening to the owl that lives nearby, watching the fox up the street, etc. I'm almost forcing myself to sit still and let my mind wander. Wander and wear itself out.

And the price. I'm saving money like how DE safety razors are saving money. The potential is certainly there. And once I dial my setup in, I really can see myself saving real money. Seriously, the more I think about it, the more my Camels are the tobacco equivalent of Gillette cartridges. At $8/pack, $87 a carton of 10 lasts me around a week. Compared to an average of $2.75/oz. for pipe tobacco, I only have 3 tins and jars (black cav, Jackknife Plug, and an unopened tin of Sea Dog) that haven't paid for themselves in cigs not smoked. Yet!

Anyways, that's what I've come up with so far.

ETA: I also realized that a can of ginger ale will make me control my cadence the way a good bay rum aftershave will make me pay more attention to shaving. Canada Dry treats a bit tongue how Captain's Choice Co9T treats a shaving nick.
Good move. The longer you smoke pipes, the better it gets. You obviously have good tastes as you are a Camel smoker - my choice for many years until I was finally able to give them up. Don’t make the same mistake I did for fifty years and ignore the “drugstore” tobaccos. There are some really good ones for much lesser cost than the tinned stuff - Velvet, Sir Walter Raleigh, Half and Half, Prince Albert and Carter Hall just to name a few. They will form a very good base for the beginning of what will be an endless search. Half and Half is my current favorite but such things change in a dime you know. And, don’t forget, a man can never have too many cobs - great smoking pipes for almost no cost. Enjoy your venture my friend!
 
Yeah, those cobs are impressive how they smoke. Or, rather, impressive how they some once you yank the filter out. For a cheap $7-$15 pipe, they punch way above their weight. I'm not ready to say they're better than my briar, but they sure aren't worse! To the point where I'm seriously looking at getting a few more. I'm really digging the Mark Twain and that Patriots Pack in the box.

I used to work at a bar and grill as a cook. Each Thursday the Camel girls would come by in skirts cut way too high and tank tops cut way too low. But they'd have coupons for $1 packs of Camels. They weren't my brand at first, but at a buck a pack, they got to be my favorite PDQ. My hope with the pipes was they'd replace my cigars (which they did in spades). That they're in serious contention to replace my Camels, that's better than I could have hoped! I'm not there yet, that'll take a good long while. But I seem to be heading that direction.

And you all finally talked me into the codger brands. Picked up a box/ pouch of Carter Hall from what I thought was a tobacco shop. Had a cigar store Indian out front and big old neon signs that advertised cigars. 6 worn out rejects from a basket, a box of Chinese cobs, one single MM that had a layer of dust on it and a spider in it. H&H, Prince Albert, SWR, SWRA, each and every Captain Black. But they did have everything for your herbal smoking/ consumption needs. I didn't want a head shop showing up on my card, so I could only pick one and Carter Hall came up heads. Tonight after the sun goes down and it's not 95 degrees (heat index 104) I look forward to trying it. If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'm in for a treat.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Yeah, those cobs are impressive how they smoke. Or, rather, impressive how they some once you yank the filter out. For a cheap $7-$15 pipe, they punch way above their weight. I'm not ready to say they're better than my briar, but they sure aren't worse! To the point where I'm seriously looking at getting a few more. I'm really digging the Mark Twain and that Patriots Pack in the box.

I used to work at a bar and grill as a cook. Each Thursday the Camel girls would come by in skirts cut way too high and tank tops cut way too low. But they'd have coupons for $1 packs of Camels. They weren't my brand at first, but at a buck a pack, they got to be my favorite PDQ. My hope with the pipes was they'd replace my cigars (which they did in spades). That they're in serious contention to replace my Camels, that's better than I could have hoped! I'm not there yet, that'll take a good long while. But I seem to be heading that direction.

And you all finally talked me into the codger brands. Picked up a box/ pouch of Carter Hall from what I thought was a tobacco shop. Had a cigar store Indian out front and big old neon signs that advertised cigars. 6 worn out rejects from a basket, a box of Chinese cobs, one single MM that had a layer of dust on it and a spider in it. H&H, Prince Albert, SWR, SWRA, each and every Captain Black. But they did have everything for your herbal smoking/ consumption needs. I didn't want a head shop showing up on my card, so I could only pick one and Carter Hall came up heads. Tonight after the sun goes down and it's not 95 degrees (heat index 104) I look forward to trying it. If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'm in for a treat.
I Remember buying Camels for $2.10 a carton. Must be older than you!
 
That, or you started smoking earlier than I did.

That Carter Hall wasn't bad at all! I think a few more bowls to see for sure if it's for me. But either way, like the cobs, it's punching above it's price point.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
That, or you started smoking earlier than I did.

That Carter Hall wasn't bad at all! I think a few more bowls to see for sure if it's for me. But either way, like the cobs, it's punching above it's price point.
Agree - Carter Hall is good along with a few other OTC’s. Can’t wait for the PS Cube. I was in Walmart today and bought a large wide mouth Mason Jar for its 🏡. Just received a 12oz tin of Velvet and had two more cobs thrown in the order - just can’t have too many 😂.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
That, or you started smoking earlier than I did.

That Carter Hall wasn't bad at all! I think a few more bowls to see for sure if it's for me. But either way, like the cobs, it's punching above it's price point.

All the money you’re saving with cobs, codgers, and DE blades buys more or better booze. At least that’s how I play it out.

And you’re still shaving and smoking better than most guys.

Mrs. Columbo calls it ‘spaving’.
 
Mrs. Rookie does like her cute quaint little Virginia wineries. And I'm starting to learn there's more than 2 kinds of wine (red and white). But the money I'm saving is going into the motorcycle. I still have things on her that aren't chrome. And a couple of stock parts. Stock parts have no business on a cruiser!

I think you'll like the cube, Steve. Just have to play around with packing it. But I've been impressed with everything from Stokkebye. Kind of a Buick line. A real step up from Chevy but not as spendy as Caddy. And the great thing is even if it's not your cup of whiskey, it mixes in so well with anything else you might want to make last.
 
So last night I packed up my briar with some of the CH. I'm starting to learn the value of that brand. That seems to be a very good smoke for times where your not thinking about smoking. I'm reading articles, listening to the night sounds, enjoying a nice cool night's breeze. I was sipping away when I noticed the foolish pipe went out. So I grabbed my trusty Bic and sparked it up, applied flame to bowl, and started gagging. I had finished it and that's why it went out! In case anybody was wondering, lighting ash and briar in a pipe will not taste good at all!
 

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
CH is a great smoke, particularly with a cup of coffee. Nutty chocolaty goodness.
 
So last Friday I received a $50 gift card from work. The fellas voted right there to give it to me. That made me feel really good considering I've been busting my butt since the start of the whole pandemic. It's nice to get the recognition. I took that card to my local tobacconist and got this little cutie.
20200711_120513.jpg

It's not much, an apple shaped H.I.S. brand. But it passes a cleaner and should be good for the English blends I like. And while I was there, I grabbed a couple ounces of Burley Light W/O Bite. That I'm looking forward to trying.

The store I went to, the clerk there was fairly high up in another now defunct tobacco store. He is retired, but keeps this job as a way to get out of the house and smoke his pipes. We had such a great conversation, that dude is a fount of knowledge and information. That's a very nice change of pace from either the kids filling the space behind the counter or the guys who know cigars inside out but all they can tell me about pipe tobacco is what they have and how much it costs. And the ride out there was 50 minutes each way through beautiful country on my motorcycle.

This was the same place I got the Haunted Bookshop from. He asked how I liked it. I told him it had real potential, but it came from the last of the jar and, while not so dry it was unsmokeable, it wasn't far away. He was very apologetic. Said about a week ago he had a conversation with that guy about not doing that. And he threw in an ounce on the house. Said it was very decent and I should give it a fair shot at its best. The store does a brisk trade in cigars, they wouldn't loose anything by not doing that. But he still felt the need to correct what he thought was a wrong. That he was there, knowledgeable about pipes and pipe tobacco and willing to shoot the breeze for a good half hour, will keep me coming back. But that level of dedication gets me to say here, umpromted, if anyone is in the area, Davidus Cigars in Westminster, MD is definitely worth checking out.
 
Last edited:

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
So last Friday I received a $50 gift card from work. The fellas voted right there to give it to me. That made me feel really good considering I've been busting my butt since the start of the whole pandemic. It's nice to get the recognition. I took that card to my local tobacconist and got this little cutie.
View attachment 1124651

It's not much, an apple shaped H.I.S. brand. But it passes a cleaner and should be good for the English blends I like. And while I was there, I grabbed a couple ounces of Burley Light W/O Bite. That I'm looking forward to trying.

The store I went to, the clerk there was fairly high up in another now defunct tobacco store. He is retired, but keeps this job as a way to get out of the house and smoke his pipes. We had such a great conversation, that dude is a fount of knowledge and information. That's a very nice change of pace from either the kids filling the space behind the counter or the guys who know cigars inside out but all they can tell me about pipe tobacco is what they have and how much it costs. And the ride out there was 50 minutes each way through beautiful country on my motorcycle.

This was the same place I got the Haunted Bookshop from. He asked how I liked it. I told him it had real potential, but it came from the last of the jar and, while not so dry it was unsmokeable, it wasn't far away. He was very apologetic. Said about a week ago he had a conversation with that guy about not doing that. And he threw in an ounce on the house. Said it was very decent and I should give it a fair shot at its best. The store does a brisk trade in cigars, they wouldn't loose anything by not doing that. But he still felt the need to correct what he thought was a wrong. That he was there, knowledgeable about pipes and pipe tobacco and willing to shoot the breeze for a good half hour, will keep me coming back. But that level of dedication gets me to say here, umpromted, if anyone is in the area, Davidus Cigars in Westminster, MD is definitely worth checking out.
Nice briar my friend! Pandora is winking at you...although if you are able to kick your cig habit with the pipe you could just about go on a pipe spending spree and still save money (food for thought) ;)

Your tobacconist is right, Haunted Bookshop is a great smoke. Enjoy!
 
Top Bottom