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Post by insignia100 on Dec 3, 2018 14:35:19 GMT -5
12/3/2018
Smokes have been few and far between for me due to weather. It has either been too cold, too windy, or too rainy. I'm trying to resist breaking the seal on everything I have right off the bat because I'm afraid my smoking rate is so slow that the tobacco will dry out before finishing it. This afternoon I was able to get out to revisit SPC Mississippi River, and I've gotta say I really enjoy it. I found today that halfway through the bowl I started to get less sweet Virginias and more of the creamy and smoky latakia. Compared to SPC Mississippi River, the Orlik Golden Sliced I had yesterday was very underwhelming -- bland, no flavor.
The more I smoke Mississippi River the more I feel like this would be a really good spring/summer blend. I may smoke a few more bowls before sealing it up for a few months to save for warmer weather. The Orlik Golden Sliced tin will get placed in a mylar bag (for redundancy) and cellared for now to try at a later date.
Over the next few weeks I want to compare Mississippi River to Escudo (both new and the recently received 3 year old tin) before moving on to the Plum Pudding.
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Post by Legend Lover on Dec 3, 2018 14:56:57 GMT -5
12/3/2018Smokes have been few and far between for me due to weather. It has either been too cold, too windy, or too rainy. I'm trying to resist breaking the seal on everything I have right off the bat because I'm afraid my smoking rate is so slow that the tobacco will dry out before finishing it. This afternoon I was able to get out to revisit SPC Mississippi River, and I've gotta say I really enjoy it. I found today that halfway through the bowl I started to get less sweet Virginias and more of the creamy and smoky latakia. Compared to SPC Mississippi River, the Orlik Golden Sliced I had yesterday was very underwhelming -- bland, no flavor. The more I smoke Mississippi River the more I feel like this would be a really good spring/summer blend. I may smoke a few more bowls before sealing it up for a few months to save for warmer weather. The Orlik Golden Sliced tin will get placed in a mylar bag (for redundancy) and cellared for now to try at a later date. Over the next few weeks I want to compare Mississippi River to Escudo (both new and the recently received 3 year old tin) before moving on to the Plum Pudding. Well done for resisting... I crack everything and I only have a pipe once or twice a week. I find latakia blends work well in the winter. For me anyway. |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Dec 3, 2018 20:37:17 GMT -5
12/3/2018Smokes have been few and far between for me due to weather. It has either been too cold, too windy, or too rainy. I'm trying to resist breaking the seal on everything I have right off the bat because I'm afraid my smoking rate is so slow that the tobacco will dry out before finishing it. This afternoon I was able to get out to revisit SPC Mississippi River, and I've gotta say I really enjoy it. I found today that halfway through the bowl I started to get less sweet Virginias and more of the creamy and smoky latakia. Compared to SPC Mississippi River, the Orlik Golden Sliced I had yesterday was very underwhelming -- bland, no flavor. The more I smoke Mississippi River the more I feel like this would be a really good spring/summer blend. I may smoke a few more bowls before sealing it up for a few months to save for warmer weather. The Orlik Golden Sliced tin will get placed in a mylar bag (for redundancy) and cellared for now to try at a later date. Over the next few weeks I want to compare Mississippi River to Escudo (both new and the recently received 3 year old tin) before moving on to the Plum Pudding. Well done for resisting... I crack everything and I only have a pipe once or twice a week. I find latakia blends work well in the winter. For me anyway. I didn't start going for lat blends until the weather started getting cold. There's something hearty about them that warms the cold, cold, cockles of my dead heart in the winter. insignia100, I'm enjoying your writing. Keep it coming! |
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Post by insignia100 on Dec 13, 2018 19:38:05 GMT -5
12/13/2018
Yesterday I sampled another bowl of MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired. We'll just say... the jury is still out on this one. This is a fairly stout Va/Bur, but not overwhelming. It is, however, a bit boring, though not as bad as Orlik Golden Sliced to my palate. I bought the bulk flake, and it seems to be a bit too dry, despite jarring it as soon as I got it. I'll have to let this one sit for a while and age. Again, it's not offensive, but its not particularly pleasant either.
The weather has been cold and windy, and I didn't get a chance to smoke over the weekend. I'd like to crack the seal on the Plum Pudding to try tomorrow. I will be out of town for the weekend visiting my parents, so I won't get another chance to smoke again until next week. Stay tuned...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2018 22:33:36 GMT -5
12/13/2018Yesterday I sampled another bowl of MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired. We'll just say... the jury is still out on this one. This is a fairly stout Va/Bur, but not overwhelming. It is, however, a bit boring, though not as bad as Orlik Golden Sliced to my palate. I bought the bulk flake, and it seems to be a bit too dry, despite jarring it as soon as I got it. I'll have to let this one sit for a while and age. Again, it's not offensive, but its not particularly pleasant either. The weather has been cold and windy, and I didn't get a chance to smoke over the weekend. I'd like to crack the seal on the Plum Pudding to try tomorrow. I will be out of town for the weekend visiting my parents, so I won't get another chance to smoke again until next week. Stay tuned... Yeah that is a strong one. I'm not sure I could smoke that all the time but it is a nice addition to drop in rotation with a nice bourbon after a steak!!!! |
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Post by insignia100 on Dec 14, 2018 14:07:04 GMT -5
12/14/2018
I popped the lid on the tin of SPC Plum Pudding Special Reserve. Initial tin note is sweet and smoky, almost reminiscent of BBQ sauce. The compressed caked seems to be pretty moist, leaving residue on knife I used to slice a bit off the block. I loaded up my Peterson Killarney straight pipe and went to town.
Taste is very mild smoky flavor with a particularly nice sweetness coming through on the tip of the tongue. Retrohale is pleasant and mellow, without a single offensive or unwanted characteristic. I did find that it required a lot of relights. In hindsight, drying it out for 30-60 minutes should do wonders in helping it stay lit.
I'm very happy with this blend, and on initial impression it deserves its reputation. It seems to be lighter than the Arango Balkan Supreme that is serving as my de facto Balkan blend that I judge others by, and I'm looking forward to sitting down to do an indepth side-by-side comparison between Plum Pudding and Balkan Supreme. I will be out of down for the weekend, but hopefully on Monday the weather will be nice enough to do some comparisons.
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Post by insignia100 on Dec 17, 2018 14:45:34 GMT -5
12/17/2018
Got to do a side-by-side comparison -- or rather, one bowl in the morning, and another in the afternoon -- between Arango Balkan Supreme and SPC Plum Pudding. I'll go ahead and say it... right now, the Balkan Supreme still reigns supreme. The mild, creamy smoke is simply wonderful. The Plum Pudding flavor is great as well, being much sweeter than the Arango but still balanced and delicious. However, even after 2 hours of drying I still found the Plum Pudding difficult to keep lit. I previously smoked it out of my Peterson Killarney, but today tried it out in my Missouri Meerschaum Charles Town Cobbler (quickly becoming my favorite pipe). The Arango smoked great, but the Plum Pudding kept going out. I'll continue to try it, next in my smaller MM Legend or basket bent briar, to see if I can find a pipe that works well with it.
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Post by Legend Lover on Dec 17, 2018 16:47:14 GMT -5
Loving your documentary. Your coming on great.
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longtom
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Post by longtom on Dec 17, 2018 17:12:09 GMT -5
Brand new smoker here too and I'm reading this thread like an Intro to Pipe Tobacco... awesome thread many thanks...
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priest2705
Junior Member
Posts: 119
First Name: Kenny
Favorite Pipe: Pre-Cadogan GBD Virgin 254
Favorite Tobacco: H&H White Knight, 2004 Christmas Cheer (still finding my way around tobaccos)
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Post by priest2705 on Dec 18, 2018 0:39:10 GMT -5
I'm a new smoker myself and fallowing you on your journey as I start my own
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Post by insignia100 on Jan 21, 2019 12:55:04 GMT -5
Not much to report. It has been too cold for me to comfortably smoke on my deck, and this current arctic blast is making it even more difficult. Worry not -- once the weather warms up I will be back!
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Post by sperrytops on Jan 21, 2019 13:38:32 GMT -5
Insignia100,
Welcome to pipe smoking. The pleasure is in the journey. Every road, every detour, is an opportunity for discovery.
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Post by monbla256 on Jan 21, 2019 15:10:12 GMT -5
You've had quite a journey so far and you have taken your lessons quite well! Continue on as it is a lifelong journey which will bring many ups and downs though the downs are always educational as well as the ups. ! Your assesment of Balkan Supreme is spot on as it is probably THE finest Balkan made today. Since you also enjoy some aros, here's one which I smoke regularly, Petersons Connoisseur's Choice, a blend of virginia with a slight flavoring of vanilla/maple that just adds a nice room note to the sweetness of the Va's. No burley, no goop at the end, just a nice sweet va which smokes cool and dry to the end. Stay with it and don't try to smoke everything at once, take your time, learn a blend as you have the rest of your life for this endevor ! 
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Post by insignia100 on Jan 27, 2019 10:31:00 GMT -5
1/27/2019
Finally got a morning to myself. Despite the chill it was still manageable since there was no wind. I cracked open a jar of Kramer's Father Dempsey. Initial impressions are somewhat disappointing. Perhaps it is due to my affinity for Arango Balkan Supreme and my tendency to compare all English/Balkan blends against it, but it lacked that nice creamy sensation I get from Balkan Supreme. On a whole I found it to be a rather mild smoke out of my MM Charles Towne Cobbler and a bit underwhelming, however I would like to try it out in my MM Legend and/or my Peterson before totally passing judgement.
In a bit of a twist, I decided to revisit a tobacco I haven't tried since November. I've been focusing my efforts on English/Balkan blends since discovering Peter Stokkebye English Luxury and subsequently Arango Balkan Supreme. Instead, I decided to detour into the VaPer world and revisit my open tin of Escudo. I feel like I have a much better appreciation for this tobacco now that I have more experience. I still think it is more of a spring/summer blend, though the Perique spice was a welcome change. I was smoking out of my small basket pipe, and had to cut it short because this pipe tends to gurgle terribly. Overall it is definitely a lighter smoke, still full of flavor, and definitely one I will revisit in warmer weather.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jan 27, 2019 12:00:56 GMT -5
1/27/2019Finally got a morning to myself. Despite the chill it was still manageable since there was no wind. I cracked open a jar of Kramer's Father Dempsey. Initial impressions are somewhat disappointing. Perhaps it is due to my affinity for Arango Balkan Supreme and my tendency to compare all English/Balkan blends against it, but it lacked that nice creamy sensation I get from Balkan Supreme. On a whole I found it to be a rather mild smoke out of my MM Charles Towne Cobbler and a bit underwhelming, however I would like to try it out in my MM Legend and/or my Peterson before totally passing judgement. In a bit of a twist, I decided to revisit a tobacco I haven't tried since November. I've been focusing my efforts on English/Balkan blends since discovering Peter Stokkebye English Luxury and subsequently Arango Balkan Supreme. Instead, I decided to detour into the VaPer world and revisit my open tin of Escudo. I feel like I have a much better appreciation for this tobacco now that I have more experience. I still think it is more of a spring/summer blend, though the Perique spice was a welcome change. I was smoking out of my small basket pipe, and had to cut it short because this pipe tends to gurgle terribly. Overall it is definitely a lighter smoke, still full of flavor, and definitely one I will revisit in warmer weather. have you tried it in a cob? |
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Post by insignia100 on Jan 27, 2019 12:39:34 GMT -5
The Escudo? Probably, back in November, but I cannot remember definitively.
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longtom
Junior Member
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Post by longtom on Jan 29, 2019 13:46:08 GMT -5
As I think you are discovering, from reading this, that flavourtown is actually in the non-aro varieties This thread continues to be awesome and I keep coming back to it... Not to thread-jack but finding out how true the above is... my original buy was almost all aro's, wasn't consciously trying, just ended up that way... The one non-aro I wound up with, was a real Lat-heavy Balkan that scared me off a bit. Since that time I've tried this one below... a little lighter on the Lat and really enjoying... sorry for being tacky and leaving the price tag on... |
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Post by insignia100 on Mar 16, 2019 20:11:15 GMT -5
It has been a while since I've had a chance to partake in some baccy. This week has been beautiful, and I've been able to enjoy a few bowls. Just today I enjoyed a bowl of SPC Mississippi River while seasoning a new charcoal grill. I've been focusing on Arango Balkan Supreme and a few other English blends, but I did pop the lid on a tin of C&D Redburn that I'm looking forward to trying (its not very goopy, and seems to *hopefully* be a fairly lightly cased aromatic).
I took the advice of a few people on the last thread I posted and picked up a Molina Zebrano bull dog pipe, and it is quickly becoming my favorite pipe. Say what you will, but I'm finding that I much prefer a filtered pipe over non-filtered ones. It's a shame, because I really like my Peterson Killarney, but it would be better if it had a filter. I've also been using the Brigham Dri-Kule pipe screen with a lot of success. Again, say what you will, but I'm finding the bowl easier to pack, easier to keep lit, and easier to smoke than without it.
My goal for this spring is to finish off some of my open tobacco before I break the seal on any more tins. This is a tall order, and I welcome any well wishes in this endeavor!
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Post by pepesdad1 on Mar 16, 2019 20:17:00 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum, insignia100 from central north Florida. When you try the Plum Pudding...imagine that same flavor and taste but about 100X smoother and silkier...that is what you will get if you buy a tin of Plum Pudding Special Reserve...it is in the same vein as the regular Plum Pudding just more refined and smoother...just another one you'll have to try.
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Post by roadsdiverged on Mar 16, 2019 20:42:03 GMT -5
Welcome back insignia100. I've really enjoyed this thread and how well written it is. Keep it up and keep on puffin! |
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Post by Legend Lover on Mar 17, 2019 8:18:46 GMT -5
Welcome back, and good to know you're enjoying your new pipe
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Post by Baboo on Mar 17, 2019 11:04:59 GMT -5
12/17/2018 Got to do a side-by-side comparison -- or rather, one bowl in the morning, and another in the afternoon -- between Arango Balkan Supreme and SPC Plum Pudding. I'll go ahead and say it... right now, the Balkan Supreme still reigns supreme. The mild, creamy smoke is simply wonderful. The Plum Pudding flavor is great as well, being much sweeter than the Arango but still balanced and delicious. However, even after 2 hours of drying I still found the Plum Pudding difficult to keep lit. I previously smoked it out of my Peterson Killarney, but today tried it out in my Missouri Meerschaum Charles Town Cobbler (quickly becoming my favorite pipe). The Arango smoked great, but the Plum Pudding kept going out. I'll continue to try it, next in my smaller MM Legend or basket bent briar, to see if I can find a pipe that works well with it. For best of both worlds, try a 50/50 mix of PP Reserve & Arango B Supreme. |
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Post by insignia100 on Mar 18, 2019 18:03:39 GMT -5
Blech! Okay... I've come to the solid conclusion that I am NOT a burley fan! I tried some Wessex Burley Sliced several months with poor results. I noticed an ashy, acrid taste on the back of my tongue after the first few puffs, and the flavor never improved. I jarred the slices up and intended on saving it for a future date. Back in November I picked up a tin of C&D Redburn, hoping it might make for a nice smoke. I popped the tin last night, and was initially encouraged by the tin note. I decided to give it a try this evening, but lo and behold, that same ashy, acrid taste, with a rough burning sensation on retrohale. Wholly unpleasant! I've decided that I'll be steering away from anything with a significant burley component for the time being, and may look into rehoming this tin of Redburn for someone else to enjoy!
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Post by Legend Lover on Mar 18, 2019 18:10:05 GMT -5
Blech! Okay... I've come to the solid conclusion that I am NOT a burley fan! I tried some Wessex Burley Sliced several months with poor results. I noticed an ashy, acrid taste on the back of my tongue after the first few puffs, and the flavor never improved. I jarred the slices up and intended on saving it for a future date. Back in November I picked up a tin of C&D Redburn, hoping it might make for a nice smoke. I popped the tin last night, and was initially encouraged by the tin note. I decided to give it a try this evening, but lo and behold, that same ashy, acrid taste, with a rough burning sensation on retrohale. Wholly unpleasant! I've decided that I'll be steering away from anything with a significant burley component for the time being, and may look into rehoming this tin of Redburn for someone else to enjoy! At least now you know. I would suggest you revisit this in a few months or years. You never know, your tastes might have changed by then. 😉 |
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Post by Lady Margaret on Mar 18, 2019 18:34:36 GMT -5
Really well written and excellent observations. It seems you're taking to this rightly. I've just one observation... Damn right!  no prejudice there. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Mar 18, 2019 18:38:06 GMT -5
Really well written and excellent observations. It seems you're taking to this rightly. I've just one observation... Damn right! no prejudice there. None at all... 😉 |
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Post by peteguy on Mar 18, 2019 22:18:03 GMT -5
Blech! Okay... I've come to the solid conclusion that I am NOT a burley fan! I tried some Wessex Burley Sliced several months with poor results. I noticed an ashy, acrid taste on the back of my tongue after the first few puffs, and the flavor never improved. I jarred the slices up and intended on saving it for a future date. Back in November I picked up a tin of C&D Redburn, hoping it might make for a nice smoke. I popped the tin last night, and was initially encouraged by the tin note. I decided to give it a try this evening, but lo and behold, that same ashy, acrid taste, with a rough burning sensation on retrohale. Wholly unpleasant! I've decided that I'll be steering away from anything with a significant burley component for the time being, and may look into rehoming this tin of Redburn for someone else to enjoy! Burley is my least favorite as well. Sometimes I don't notice it but other times, WOW so awful. I would jar and let your burley sit for a few years. In the meantime you have lots of VA's, VAPers and English stuff to smoke.  |
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Post by insignia100 on Mar 23, 2019 12:44:56 GMT -5
3/23/2019
Yesterday a rubbed out some SPC Mississippi River and let it dry out for several hours (unintentionally, kinda forgot about it...). The smoke was definitely better than trying to smoke right out of the tin, however it was too dry and smoked a bit too hot. I may try drying in hour increments to see where the sweet spot is. I find that right out of the tin it is very difficult to keep lit, even though its not particularly wet. Interestingly, straight out of the tin there is a strong sweet taste right off the back, but with drying that sweetness is subdued and seemed to allow the other tobaccos to be more prominent and balanced.
I recently picked up a bag of Nording Keystone clay pellet "filters" to try in my non-filtered pipes. I really like the shape and feel of my Peterson Killarney pipe, but it has a bad habit of gurgling compared to my filtered pipes. I'm interested to see how well these clay pellets help absorb excess moisture while smoking.
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Post by insignia100 on Mar 25, 2019 10:43:14 GMT -5
3/25/2019As I was leaving the gym this morning I decided to drive down the road to the B&M where I got my first MM corncob pipe. As I step through the door and inhale deeply, enjoying the odor of a building full of tobacco, I walk over to the corner dedicated to pipes. This establishment is dedicated primarily to cigars, but they do have a decent selection of no-name pipes (many marked Made in Italy) and a case of Peterson pipes (among some others that I didn't recognize). As I'm browsing their selection, which is mostly aromatic tobaccos, I glance over to my left and lo and behold, two tins of Esoterica Tobacciana catch my eye! I picked up a tin of And so to bed and Margate. The best part is they were $16/each! (To give some context, they were selling tins of Capstan Original Navy Flakes and Ready Rubbed for $21/each, compared to $14.35 from Tobaccopipes.com.) I also picked up another corncob, just because... I'll probably sit on these tins for a while before opening them. I'd like to develop my palate further before trying these, mainly to try to determine if all the hype is warranted. 
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Post by Legend Lover on Mar 25, 2019 11:24:30 GMT -5
3/25/2019As I was leaving the gym this morning I decided to drive down the road to the B&M where I got my first MM corncob pipe. As I step through the door and inhale deeply, enjoying the odor of a building full of tobacco, I walk over to the corner dedicated to pipes. This establishment is dedicated primarily to cigars, but they do have a decent selection of no-name pipes (many marked Made in Italy) and a case of Peterson pipes (among some others that I didn't recognize). As I'm browsing their selection, which is mostly aromatic tobaccos, I glance over to my left and lo and behold, two tins of Esoterica Tobacciana catch my eye! I picked up a tin of And so to bed and Margate. The best part is they were $16/each! (To give some context, they were selling tins of Capstan Original Navy Flakes and Ready Rubbed for $21/each, compared to $14.35 from Tobaccopipes.com.) I also picked up another corncob, just because... I'll probably sit on these tins for a while before opening them. I'd like to develop my palate further before trying these, mainly to try to determine if all the hype is warranted. I can't speak for the tobaccos except that they are held in VERY high regard. However, you'll not go wrong with that Country Gentleman. |
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no prejudice there.
