What Are You Smoking - December 2017

CokeClassic at this desk, '06 965 in gourd calabash loaded for later. Soon headed here

www.chatzy.com/thebriarpatch

Ed Duncan, Batavia, NY

Now smoking year 1936 Briggs Mixture in a smooth medium bend 2002 Peterson Sherlock Holmes Series Milverton with a sterling silver band and a black vulcanite p-lip stem. Watching Perry Mason.

Watching a biopic on Gianni Agnelli of Fiat on HBO. Inspired to smoke my Castello. Working on a tin of Black House and sipping my third Southern Tier 'Barley Pop' as Dino is fond of calling them. The fire is crackling warm and fragrant as well. Nice contrast to the cheap Chinese Christmas Tree.

Having some lemon pound cake and channeling our pipe smoking friend from Greece.  

Now enjoyin HU Fayyum in my Grabow Royalton Bent Bullie. Still sippin McClellands.

2010 Amphora Original (Brown) in a 1990s slight bend black Sasieni 4 Dot Ruff Root Dark 4 Dublin with a black vulcanite stem.

You and he may be onto something. I have had this experience with a few blends recently and have been very pleased. As a relative novice, I find that beyond flavor benefits, it solves many of my smoking mechanic issues. Such as pipe gurgle.

And what a great story. My first briar was also a Grabow. It's still the pipe I tell my friends to buy as their first when they thumb their noses at cobs. But that is a great story. So often you hear of people working for a company losing the feel for the romantic aspect of how we the fans view their work. It's good to see pride is alive and well with someone.

Justin and Dino,
Great story and great observation. I had a similar experience, but a not as nice outcome. My dad's company, which I retired from, printed liquor labels. Back then our biggest accounts were in Kentucky. Those companies used to sell their wares to other companies, like food stores, with the food store's label. Way back when we used to make a bottle (I was a kid) that was obviously Heaven Hill, but it had the letters JEH. My father told me a few years ago that it was private stock for J. Edgar Hoover. OK, I digress...
Not sure who the original supplier was but in the Forties (Guessing) through the early Seventies the company made labels for Harold's Club in Reno. The labels were funny. Had a thin guy with a top hat and a barrel suit having lost his money there.
Fast Forward to 1993. Wife and I took a trip out west. Stayed across the street from Harold's Club. If you have ever seen it, it was all about nostalgia. I went to their museum and showed them some of their labels I wanted to gift them. These were one of a kind. I was not only met with indifference, I was almost brushed aside. The club closed down a few years later. I still love the damned club and memories

Yeah, that's a bummer Charlie.  Cool story though. I've always been a complete geek for history and nostalgia.  In all honesty, I have a hard time understanding people who are not. 

You know, Charlie. I have a similar story, though in a different context. As a teenager, I was really into punk rock. One of my favourite bands was a group called The Dead Kennedys. This was around the time I picked up my first guitar and their guitarist (East Bay Ray) was a huge figure to me. A very singular guitarist who was in an original class of his own. For my twenty-first birthday my girlfriend got us tickets to a show. She was very beautiful (and only 18 years old I might add) and managed to talk the roadie into getting us back stage. When I met Ray, I was nearly overcome. I instantly went into a tirade on guitar theory and how he had shaped me as a musician and he brushed me aside and hit on my girl. Haha He was in his 50s mind you and she was a teenager.. The art meant nothing to him at that point. One of the biggest letdowns of my younger years. For me it was like meeting The Wizard of Oz. I saw behind the curtain and the rose light that once bathed him as an artist in my view was gone. I could not for the life of me understand how someone could have so little pride in their art.

Skiff in a Peterson army mount

Embers, was that you who wrote that hilarious poem about Black Frigate on the 'other forum?'. It escapes me, but I recall a line where it mentioned sinking their ship and leaving them with Carter Hall for their pipes. Haha

Edward G Robinson's Pipe Blend in a Goussard PyPi for breakfast. Will continue with the EGR in a couple of cobs at work.

Just past the half way mark of this bowl of Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match in a very much appreciated 1979 brown, slight bend grain etched flat front Stanwell Rego 969-48 (09) with a black vulcanite stem. This will end my smoking day.