Like Neon on the Wall....

12 years ago my father died. Complications from diabetes. He lived into his late 70s, so while it is sad, it is not tragic.

He was a pipe smoker of that generation. His brand was Brindley's Mixture.

I started smoking pipe mostly because he did. I gravitated to my uncle's brand Sutliff Mixture 79, because my uncle, who is still alive and smoking, gave me tubs of the stuff.

I discovered match blends several years ago and decided to try a match blend of Brindley's Mixture. Smoking that brought my fathers presence into my room. So much I all of a sudden wanted to tell him, what I have been doing, getting to know Mom and taking care of her, etc. The effect was very real. All of the old wounds that were never resolved opened again, with great frustration.

OK, I will admit it. I spent the evening sobbing. Smoking and sobbing.

I still have a supply of match Brindley's on hand when i want to visit with my dad. And my brother, who plays my dad's ukulele, has asked for some tobacco to put in the uke case.


I have recently, in the last a year or so, accelerated my evolution as a pipe smoker. I had inherited a lot of things, unquestioningly, from Dad, that are not part of todays pipe community. My dad did not talk about smoking much, and did not socialize when he smoked. My brothers and I learned how to pack his pipe, and how to avoid bothering him as he smoked. Like most pipe smokers I knew as a kid, my dad would never consider pipe smoking a hobby. It was something to do while you did your hobby - amateur radio, playing music, reading, whatever. It was the background music to men's lives then, not something you talked about. I, unfortunately inherited this strong though incorrect aversion to talking about pipe smoking. Even now a wave of embarrassment will come over me as I describe here on line what I like and why.

I also inherited his being a one brand guy. So while I have been, for the last year, trying lots of different things, my exploration has been tainted by too much of a goal of finding "the one" that i will then live with for ever.

When drinking, when a man asks you "what do you want" you need to have an answer. You can't be wasting time hemming and hawing about whether you want an umbrella drink or not. "What'll you have?" "Bourbon and soda, if you've got it." Boom boom boom. That way men can show affection (the proper way?) by having bourbon and soda around when you visit.

Same with tobacco. I think once I find my "one" folks will finally know, unerringly, what to get me for Christmas, and I won't have to hemm and haw myself when wanting to light up.

I don’t want a single blend as a signature blend. My luck is they would quit making it.

Z

I don't think I would like to have a signature blend either. one of the biggest draws in this hobby is the variety that there is out there.

I often see a whole rake of different loose-leaf teas in some coffee shops, and I think it's amazing to have the different varieties to try and choose depending on your mood. When I see them, it reminds me of bulk blends in my local B&M.

When I see pictures of people's cellars, what intrigues me is not the quantity of tobacco, but the different blends that they have.

i'm looking forward to getting to that place some day myself.

For years it was Captain Black original. Then it was Balkan Sobranie, either the Original Smoking Mixture, or 759, then it was Danish Delight. Now it's whatever suits my fancy from the cellar. I suppose it's more that I have a signature pipe than a signature blend.

Though I do not have a signature blend, I will say that I have been deeply saddened that Nightcap is disappearing fast, as are other Dunhill blends. Yes we all know this was going to happen. I just hope I can buy another pd or two before Nightcap is gone.

For near on 30 years it was BS 759 and for the past 20 'twas Royal Yacht. Looking for new one to finish out my smoking days ! 

I have near 3 #s of Arango BS cellared currently but I'm still looking for an all Va blend as my everyday smoke. I'm waiting to hear back from the folks who make that RY match you told me about.

I like too many different blends and types of blend to really identify one as "mine". I'm told that this is a good thing.

Its way too early for me to say for myself. I've got so many more to try and get to know.
With that said, tomorrow arrives ten tins of Presbyterian. I also live on Delmarva which is a bit north of the incoming hurricane Florence. If it were to take a sudden turn (it wont take much) and I’m told to get the hell out, I'm grabbing every bit of Presbyterian I have. Ill grab a few other blends but I'll be making sure I got every last piece of that beautiful blue label heaven.

The old Irish Condor has my vote...can't get it anymore so I eek out what little I have to make it last just one more bowl more.

But, fact is, I love all tobacco...guess that is gonna put me on some list with the Gubmint.