The Codger Cabin

[Salty O'Rourke]

With many young men back from the war, not all of whom could go to college, and no GI Bill, the 1920's were definitely the era of the correspondence school. Studying while smoking. Not a bad deal.

Going to school from home. The more things change ...

...

The people scanning these in for me tell me there are now over 700 of them. So I'll try to post one a day for a while as my schedule permits. Not too many for the 1920s. But the era of tobacco we now talk about really takes off after 1930.

Wish I could get one of those he-man big-pay jobs...guess I just don't read the right ads.

My grandfather was one of those returning doughboys. He only had a 6th grade education (which, if you look at some of the textbooks of the day, was pretty comprehensive, especially the mathematics curriculum) but the only time I ever saw him not wearing a white dress shirt, tie, and black oxfords was when he was hunting or fishing, or in his workshop. He was also the kind of guy who would tackle a job whenever he noticed a problem, and so it was not unusual to see his knife-edge creased trousers and black oxfords sticking out from under his car.

He smoked Prince Albert when he had a pipe going, but most often smoked cigarettes until the grandkids badgered him to quit.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[brandaves]

A dose of nicely dried Half & Half in a small GBD bent apple -- it looks like the pipe in the American School ad above! -- gave me a pleasant early a.m. smoke. There was a little pepperiness at the back of my tongue afterward, that I don't get with Raleigh, Carter Hall, or Match Field & Stream, but do get with EGR. Anybody else have that? Or am I just puffing those tobaccos too fast? I get 20 minutes on a small bowl, so I don't think I'm burning them up too quickly.

I only get pepper with Perique, you won't find any in H&H. Do you mean some light tongue bite or actual spicy peppery flavor?

 

[Benzadmiral]

I only get pepper with Perique, you won't find any in H&H. Do you mean some light tongue bite or actual spicy peppery flavor?

No, not a flavor exactly. Maybe it is a light tongue bite. Is there perique in the Robinson blend? Because I have very much the same result with it as I do with Half & Half.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Some Sir Walter this morning in my Peterson system pipe. No tongue bite there, and a hint of something nutty in the smoke as well.

 

[Columbo]

No, not a flavor exactly. Maybe it is a light tongue bite. Is there perique in the Robinson blend? Because I have very much the same result with it as I do with Half & Half.

There is a very light touch of spices in both H&H and EGR (very very light), but nothing that should come across as ’peppery’. I don’t get the sense from your reports that you are oversmoking it either.

Tastes are a complex, individualized thing. Give it a couple more days to see if it was something transitory.

 

[Columbo]

Some Sir Walter this morning in my Peterson system pipe. No tongue bite there, and a hint of something nutty in the smoke as well.

The nutty should be the burley. SWR will never bite you.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

[For Mike H.]

 

[Benzadmiral]

The RCA Super-Het cost $225 in 1926??? That would have been quite an outlay even for the Roaring Twenties!

 

[RookieGuy]

The RCA Super-Het cost $225 in 1926??? That would have been quite an outlay even for the Roaring Twenties!

Well, the first Blu-ray players cracked 4 digits when they first came out. Compact disk players weren't much cheaper accounting for inflation. And you could have bought a base model Benz plus one with all the Gucci upgrades for the price of a first year Tesla. It costs to be an early adopter of new technology.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[Benzadmiral]

I asked this morning at the large Walmart where I usually shop for groceries. No, no pipe tobacco at all. (The clerk peered at me as if I'd asked for Egyptian mummy dust.) Next time I'm in the grocery where I found the Carter Hall, I'll grab another packet.

 

[steveclarkus]

My ability to taste returned today and I began the day with EGR and really got the
Essence of this subtle but lovely blend. I do believe this tin is going to turn into a tub. It is definitely a keeper. This evening is being dedicated to SWRA which shares many characteristics of EGR. I will still have an occasional bowl of an English, Balkan or VaPer but my heart is definitely with traditional American blends now and only a select few of those I believe.

 

[steveclarkus]

I asked this morning at the large Walmart where I usually shop for groceries. No, no pipe tobacco at all. (The clerk peered at me as if I'd asked for Egyptian mummy dust.) Next time I'm in the grocery where I found the Carter Hall, I'll grab another packet.

Finding pipe tobacco in grocery and drug stores is heading for a thing of the past unfortunately. No one carries what I would call a selection. My grocery has tubs of SWR and Captain Black and pouches of SWRA but that’s about it. Great selection of chewing tobacco if you chew. I just order tubs of what I like now. I wish STG would get on the stick because there I one very important tub missing from the lineup

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[ksblazer]

Any of you guys like any of the Amphora blends?

I have a pouch of the Original and like it for a nice change of pace. It burns well and I'd say it has stronger flavor and more nicotine than my 2 favorite Codger/OTC brands PA & CH.

 

[Columbo]

Any of you guys like any of the Amphora blends?

I have a pouch of the Original and like it for a nice change of pace. It burns well and I'd say it has stronger flavor and more nicotine than my 2 favorite Codger/OTC brands PA & CH.

It’s been a long long time since I smoked it. My recollection is that it was good tasting, but I didn’t prefer it as a daily. So I never stocked it in my cellar. Maybe I should revisit it one of these days.

But that’s what change-of-pace blends are for. If you like it, smoke it up!

 

[RookieGuy]

Any of you guys like any of the Amphora blends?

I have a pouch of the Original and like it for a nice change of pace. It burns well and I'd say it has stronger flavor and more nicotine than my 2 favorite Codger/OTC brands PA & CH.

I've had some in the past. Can't really say I was a fan of it. On paper, it should have worked. But for my varying mileage, not so much.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[Benzadmiral]

Gee, just 10 cents, in stamps yet . . . and note that there is no need for a postal code on the form. This was long before ZIP codes, of course, but as America got more crowded, postal zones became necessary.