The Codger Cabin

[Columbo]

I did the same thing and the Pinkerton was horrible. Pinkerton made a mistake in blending and sent all over the country nearly ruining H&H reputation. SGT sent Pinkerton back to chewing tobacco production permanently for that error. It was a long time before I attempted H&H again.

Pinkerton and end of production B&W SWR hurt both those brands for a while. Pinkerton’s folly tasted like burning play-doh. STG has done a good job with both.

The bigger issue is there are no longer mainstream casual pipe smokers today by the millions. A much larger proportion of today’s pipers are best described as ‘enthusiasts’. Easy prey for the magazines and fancy tin vendors. Nothing wrong with that, but the old classics get sadly overlooked in the rarified air ... sometimes for a very long time.

The same phenomenon happened with cigars a few decades back when that segment revived (there were a lot of very nice $1-2 cigars then that were ignored ... which are now very nice $4-5 ones, lol).

Not every cigar needs to be a Padron ’64. And not every bowl needs to be Dunhill Nightcap in a White Dot.

 

[steveclarkus]

Pinkerton and end of production B&W SWR hurt both those brands for a while. Pinkerton’s folly tasted like burning play-doh. STG has done a good job with both.

The bigger issue is there are no longer mainstream casual pipe smokers today by the millions. A much larger proportion of today’s pipers are best described as ‘enthusiasts’. Easy prey for the magazines and fancy tin vendors. Nothing wrong with that, but the old classics get sadly overlooked in the rarified air ... sometimes for a very long time.

The same phenomenon happened with cigars a few decades back when that segment revived (there were a lot of very nice $1-2 cigars then that were ignored ... which are now very nice $4-5 ones, lol).

Not every cigar needs to be a Padron ’64. And not every bowl needs to be Dunhill Nightcap in a White Dot.

And to think I nearly missed the American standards. Caught on by happenstance a few years ago. I never got caught up in the tin chase as I mostly smoked European classics and some good tobacco shop stuff - likely re-named McClelland blends. I had a good tutor, John Crouch proprietor of the Georgetown Tobacco shop in Alexandria, when I started so I never bought American stuff except for Edgeworth. My codger appreciation began when I picked up a tub of PA followed by tubs of several others back in the 90’s and my appreciation has grown since. I just find the American classic blends to be very well centered and smokeable. They hit the bullseye of why I smoke a pipe now I suppose.

 

[Merk61]

Enjoyed a nice bowl of Velvet on Saturday as the outside temps approached 32 degrees. I believe I bought it as a bulk purchase from Smoking Pipes around 2014 or 2015 and probably didn't realize it was a codger blend. I must say it has aged well and was very satisfying.

Dale

 

[steveclarkus]

I must admit that I've had a lot of trouble understanding Velvet and why many like it so much. I committed to a tub of it a few months ago and when I smoked it, I would get a wonderful sensation more than a flavor but I couldn't repeat it consistently. I just couldn't figure the stuff out. I knew there had to be something in there but just couldn't coax it out. Over the past few days - mostly today actually - I've taken a different approach by packing it very loosely, gravity feed without tamping then smoking it very lightly and very slowly and ignoring the re-lights. I would smoke for a bit and put the pipe down for a bit allowing it to completely cool before relighting and and sipping very gently some more keeping the bowl just warm. Now I'm getting the hidden wonders of this blend which I would define as a "soft" smoke, very nuanced and subtle and quite high on my pleasure scale. I believe I'm going to apply this way of smoking to my other codger blends and see what lies hidden in them as I now expect there are treasures in them yet to be discovered. I suppose it is not true that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

 

[Columbo]

I must admit that I've had a lot of trouble understanding Velvet and why many like it so much. I committed to a tub of it a few months ago and when I smoked it, I would get a wonderful sensation more than a flavor but I couldn't repeat it consistently. I just couldn't figure the stuff out. I knew there had to be something in there but just couldn't coax it out. Over the past few days - mostly today actually - I've taken a different approach by packing it very loosely, gravity feed without tamping then smoking it very lightly and very slowly and ignoring the re-lights. I would smoke for a bit and put the pipe down for a bit allowing it to completely cool before relighting and and sipping very gently some more keeping the bowl just warm. Now I'm getting the hidden wonders of this blend which I would define as a "soft" smoke, very nuanced and subtle and quite high on my pleasure scale. I believe I'm going to apply this way of smoking to my other codger blends and see what lies hidden in them as I now expect there are treasures in them yet to be discovered. I suppose it is not true that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

Smoking these OTC classics shares a lot in common with many Danish blends. The less you can pull on them, the more they surrender their charms. Temperature is everything.

It’s ideally even less than sipping; it’s bonding your draw to your breathing cadence. Your breathing IS the draw. Minimum air movement, just enough to keep them barely smoldering. Don’t hunt for the flavor ... your breathing will coax it out without looking for it. Occasionally holding your breath (and the draw in your mouth) forces retrohale without a lot of oral gymnastics.

Pull on them too hard, and an OTC‘s flavor disappears (or worse), and many a Danish will flat out bite you. Once you’ve overheated it, you’ve lost the bowl. When someone describes billows of smoke with these, they’re almost always pulling them too hard. It should barely waft out of your mouth once it’s going.

If you’ve packed it right, given it a little kindling on top and a little time to relax in the bowl before first light, it can go this way every time.

You would be surprised how many experienced pipers never master a breathing draw. They puff away like teenagers slurping down milkshakes.

I know I sound like a broken record. But it’s how the old dinosaurs taught me decades ago. Those ancient codgers could coax hours out of a bowl. Less is more.

 

[steveclarkus]

Smoking these OTC classics shares a lot in common with many Danish blends. The less you can pull on them, the more they surrender their charms. Temperature is everything.

It’s ideally even less than sipping; it’s bonding your draw to your breathing cadence. Your breathing IS the draw. Minimum air movement, just enough to keep them barely smoldering. Don’t hunt for the flavor ... your breathing will coax it out without looking for it. Occasionally holding your breath (and the draw in your mouth) forces retrohale without a lot of oral gymnastics.

Pull on them too hard, and an OTC‘s flavor disappears (or worse), and many a Danish will flat out bite you. Once you’ve overheated it, you’ve lost the bowl. When someone describes billows of smoke with these, they’re almost always pulling them too hard. It should barely waft out of your mouth once it’s going.

If you’ve packed it right, given it a little kindling on top and a little time to relax in the bowl before first light, it can go this way every time.

You would be surprised how many experienced pipers never master a breathing draw. They puff away like teenagers slurping down milkshakes.

I know I sound like a broken record. But it’s how the old dinosaurs taught me decades ago. Those ancient codgers could coax hours out of a bowl. Less is more.

No you don’t sound like a broken record at all. It can’t be said too often. There is an art to it after all.

 

[RookieGuy]

Smoking these OTC classics shares a lot in common with many Danish blends. The less you can pull on them, the more they surrender their charms. Temperature is everything.

It’s ideally even less than sipping; it’s bonding your draw to your breathing cadence. Your breathing IS the draw. Minimum air movement, just enough to keep them barely smoldering. Don’t hunt for the flavor ... your breathing will coax it out without looking for it. Occasionally holding your breath (and the draw in your mouth) forces retrohale without a lot of oral gymnastics.

Pull on them too hard, and an OTC‘s flavor disappears (or worse), and many a Danish will flat out bite you. Once you’ve overheated it, you’ve lost the bowl. When someone describes billows of smoke with these, they’re almost always pulling them too hard. It should barely waft out of your mouth once it’s going.

If you’ve packed it right, given it a little kindling on top and a little time to relax in the bowl before first light, it can go this way every time.

You would be surprised how many experienced pipers never master a breathing draw. They puff away like teenagers slurping down milkshakes.

I know I sound like a broken record. But it’s how the old dinosaurs taught me decades ago. Those ancient codgers could coax hours out of a bowl. Less is more.

What you say makes a lot of sense. I've yet to master proper cadence. That's very helpful.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Tried some more SWR mixed with a little black Cavendish in a Butz-Choquin bent brandy today. Still not sure if I *love* SWR, or if the Cavendish is a little too dry, but the blend made for a nice quiet smoke. This weekend I'll try mixing my mystery chocolate-maple blend with SWR and then with Half & Half

 

[steveclarkus]

Tried some more SWR mixed with a little black Cavendish in a Butz-Choquin bent brandy today. Still not sure if I *love* SWR, or if the Cavendish is a little too dry, but the blend made for a nice quiet smoke. This weekend I'll try mixing my mystery chocolate-maple blend with SWR and then with Half & Half

I had the same experience with SWR as you and just put it up for a while. I’ve been smoking it more lately and has begun to grow in me. It seems many of the codger blends have subtleties that just aren’t readily available at first blush and it takes some time to warm up to them. I’m finding these codger blends to be more and more interesting and they are guiding me to better smoking habits. They don’t give up their secrets easily.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I had the same experience with SWR as you and just put it up for a while. I’ve been smoking it more lately and has begun to grow in me. It seems many of the codger blends have subtleties that just aren’t readily available at first blush and it takes some time to warm up to them. I’m finding these codger blends to be more and more interesting and they are guiding me to better smoking habits. They don’t give up their secrets easily.

There is definitely a pleasant smoky taste to both Raleigh and Half & Half. Since I smoke mostly outdoors now, I'm not sure what sort of room note they leave -- but the quick whiff I get from time to time is very, well, "welcoming," I guess you'd say. They both light easily and burn well, if I've done my job correctly in packing the pipe. I get 20-25 minutes from a half bowl, which as I recall is about right.

An interesting hobby, this . . . especially since I've come back into it already well set up with pipes and other gear. And the continuing reprovisioning, of tobacco, is pretty darn inexpensive compared to stuff like watches and cars!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Smoked a small bowl of Half & Half this am: a pleasant 20 minutes' smoke out in the early pre-dawn darkness, which would be interesting in itself. I must have packed the pipe (a small no-name straight with a forward-canted bowl) just right, as even sipping at the blend I got steady puffs of smoke. Now to my nose I have a faint impression of something woodsmoky, not overpowering, but hints. Very nice.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I'm done with the old Tinder Box VBL tobacco, Black Cavendish I guess. I loaded it into my thick-walled Lorenzo, but either I packed it too tightly or it's too old to burn right. I kept having to relight and draw hard. At last I gave up, knocked the load out, and refilled with some Half & Half. Much better.

I used to like Cavendish quite a bit. Maybe this stuff should just be for a tiny pinch in blends, or maybe the stuff is just not usable any more.

 

[steveclarkus]

I'm done with the old Tinder Box VBL tobacco, Black Cavendish I guess. I loaded it into my thick-walled Lorenzo, but either I packed it too tightly or it's too old to burn right. I kept having to relight and draw hard. At last I gave up, knocked the load out, and refilled with some Half & Half. Much better.

I used to like Cavendish quite a bit. Maybe this stuff should just be for a tiny pinch in blends, or maybe the stuff is just not usable any more.

I don’t care for black Cavendish either. No harm, no foul.

 

[steveclarkus]

My deep dive into PA continues. I’ve been smoking it for days now and haven’t tired of it. I have most of my last pouch remaining and when it is finished, I’ll give the Match PA another look with more educated taste buds.

 

[Benzadmiral]

My deep dive into PA continues. I’ve been smoking it for days now and haven’t tired of it. I have most of my last pouch remaining and when it is finished, I’ll give the Match PA another look with more educated taste buds.

You're diving into PA, I'm doing Half & Half. The last 3 pipes I smoked, Saturday, Sunday, and today were all with H & H. I've got a tin of EGR coming by Friday, and I plan to give it an inaugural try on Saturday morning. But there is something very pleasant about H & H, especially if I pack it just right.

 

[steveclarkus]

You're diving into PA, I'm doing Half & Half. The last 3 pipes I smoked, Saturday, Sunday, and today were all with H & H. I've got a tin of EGR coming by Friday, and I plan to give it an inaugural try on Saturday morning. But there is something very pleasant about H & H, especially if I pack it just right.

I like H & H very much. It is the only tobacco my father smoked back in the day where many pipers were one blend men. A bygone era.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I like H & H very much. It is the only tobacco my father smoked back in the day where many pipers were one blend men. A bygone era.

Which, I think, is part of the attraction of it for me: a link to a time when you could stroll down to the corner drugstore on a soft evening after dinner and pick up some aspirin and a pouch of H & H, and the latest issue of The Saturday Evening Post to read while you smoked.

 

[steveclarkus]

Velvet is another codger blend I’m enjoying more. Like PA it is best packed loosely (gravity fed in Velvet’s case) and smoked casually. If drawn to hard and overheated, you will not get the flavor at all. When smoked well, it is a delicious blend.

 

[Columbo]

Velvet is another codger blend I’m enjoying more. Like PA it is best packed loosely (gravity fed in Velvet’s case) and smoked casually. If drawn to hard and overheated, you will not get the flavor at all. When smoked well, it is a delicious blend.

Love your comments. All we need now are more park benches for us springtime pipers.

 

[RookieGuy]

Love your comments. All we need now are more park benches for us springtime pipers.

Plenty of logs out in the woods. Something wonderful about sitting on a log in a forest enjoying a good pipe.