You can now visit the forums, create a username, and post. (If you see this please help out by creating a thread or two (or five) and answering someone else's.) The forums will be undergoing some light maintenance involving appearance only.
Note: Yesterday while I thought everything was online, everything wasn't for a while. Since then, users have registered and there are active topics. Check it out.
Earlier:
I sent the following email to everyone who has participated on the Tamp and Puff Forums. In case you haven't seen it and are interested, this is what I sent:
I am writing you because you have participated on the Tamp and Puff Forums in the past and felt you should know about upcoming changes.
Good news and bad news.
The good news is I will be changing the server software the Tamp and Puff Forums operate on. The new software is more powerful and has many more features than the existing software. The discussion experience at Tamp and Puff Forums will improve.
The bad news is all the content at the old site (our posts) will likely disappear. This was a very difficult decision to make, but being usage of the forums is growing, and the demand for better software increasing, I thought the pruning would be better done now than later.
You have my sincerest apologies. I don't like to see what I've contributed there go away either. Your past participation has been appreciated. I hope you will continue to support the new incarnation of the forums.
Keep an eye on http://smokingpipetobacco.com for further developments and news about the new software going active. I will not intrude with another email like this one but felt you should know. Feel free to reply with any questions.
Composed of Burleys, two cuts of Virginia, Latakia and Perique. For those who enjoy true natural tobacco flavor, one of my most popular lighter English blends.
Here is an example of a blend that truly uses Latakia as a condiment. This rounds out and touches up the earthy burleys and leaves the pepper from the Perique to deal with the tang and sweetness from the Virginia.
No. 72 has lots of high notes and a clean dry finish. The proportion of Perique here is pushing the envelope but doesn't quite step out of bounds. Those who like Virginia/Perique blends and burley should not be off put by the amount of Latakia here and enjoy this approach to what I'd call a classic American blend.
This will work great in warm weather or as a spicy all day smoke. Try this one in a variety of pipes as the bowl size and pipe engineering makes all the difference.
Blender's description:
Created by J.M. April 2007 A carefully well balanced blend creating a mild but full bodied flavor. A Kentucky Burley ripened to the fullest flavor. This is a winner with our customers, no other Burley like it!
In the pouch, the tobacco is soft to the touch, mostly medium with flecks of black. The pouch aroma is slightly sweet with maybe just a hint of Vanilla. This is another tobacco that is a joy to fill, light, and smoke.
The flavor while smoking is very smooth and mellow. There are much stouter burley blends out there, but this is just right for starting the day with a cup of coffee or enjoying in warm weather. I can barely detect any added flavor and the sweetness is subdued. Whatever processing this tobacco underwent has driven out any hint of harshness or capacity to nip the tongue.
As the bowl progresses the burley flavor deepens without going bitter and the sweetness subsides even further. The most serious burley aficionados may find this lacking in the body and strength department, but those looking for a well behaved, neutral flavored, straightforward burley smoke will likely find a keeper.
It is a light English blend of Virginias, Burleys, Latakia and Perique and is topped off with a bit of Wilke's unique fermented black cavendish. Truly a social English.
This is a very agreeable blend in all ways. While 193 does lean to the lighter side, I find the flavor and body entirely satisfying and I can enjoy this any time of the day. The foundation of Burley, Virginia, and Latakia is not obscured by the smidgen of Perique or the fermented black cavendish.
This amount of Perique is perfect for adding a tidy amount of zing to an English type blend of this sort. The fermented black cavendish is either not overly sweet to begin with or applied sparingly enough to twist in an additional layer of flavor without getting in the way of a clean finish.
Like all the Pipeworks and Wilke blends, this arrived plenty moist and required some drying to reach a moisture level that appeals to me. Once there it loads and burns beautifully with no bite. I expect this easy-going blend will appeal to most pipe smokers unless they have no tolerance for Latakia or Perique in any amount.
Simply put, DGT is just lighting a pipe, smoking some of it, and waiting until later to finish the rest. The twist is that with some tobaccos, most often Virginias and Virginia blends, this improves the flavor and behavior of the pipe.
What prompted this post was a bowl of McClelland's blending Virginia. McClelland Virginias, for some reason, are far more likely to nip my tongue than Rattrays, C&D, and other Virginias. As soon as I noticed the nip, I set the pipe down to see how it would respond to DGT.
This evening, 24 hours later, there it is waiting for me. To my delight, this particular VA blend responded exceptionally well and I just finished a tasty smoke without a hint of the usual McClelland bite.
What's behind this is likely a stoving of the tobacco. Stoving is a process commonly used to treat tobaccos before the are added to a blend.
This doesn't always improve a blend. Many blends, especially cigar blends, will taste worse. Its always worth a try, especially if what you're smoking has a lot of Virginia.
Know of any blends that do especially well with DGT? Let me know if the comments below.
I was beginning to worry. Every time I'd visit pipesandcigars.com I'd check to see if Russ has turned out anything new. My wait is over. Two new blends - a lighter English reminiscent of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe and a burley cake that may bring back memories of the old Edgeworth slices.
Following are the blend descriptions for each directly from pipesandcigars.com:
Classic Burley Kake
Classic Burley Kake is a new blend that pays homage to old-time Burley flakes and cakes. Using Tennessee and Kentucky Burleys, ranging from lighter white to darker mahogany, and a bit of matured red Virginia, this sliced cake tobacco is a traditional American-style blend.
We start with four different types of Burley, the aforementioned Tennessee and Kentucky, plus two different premium white Burleys. Then we add a red Virginia for a maple-like sweetness. Then we use all-natural flavors- cocoa, rum and anise and steam the tobaccos with the flavorings and firmly press and slice it. The aroma is mellow and pleasant, and the taste is lightly sweet with a large volume of smoke.
Hearken back to a simpler time when the sight of a pipe in someone’s mouth while walking down the street was common, and the scent of pipe tobacco was everywhere. Give Classic Burley Kake a try and go back in time.
The new Classic Burley Kake is a similar type of tobacco to Edgeworth Sliced. We're not attempting to to copy Edgeworth, but rather provide smokers with a blend that is similar to yet still unique.
Daybreak
After receiving some calls and emails from members of the New York Pipe Club lamenting the loss of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe, we wanted to develop a blend with similar characteristics to EMP. After a number of "tweaks", we sent a sample to the club, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We're now making it available to the general public. Try this traditional English mixture of sweet Virginias, fragrant Orientals and rich, smoky Latakia.
As soon as I can get my hands on these two and have time to get to know them, you'll see reviews. Expect to see some more of my old favorite Hearth and Home blends reviewed as I revisit those.
Have a favorite Hearth and Home blend? Let's hear about it in the comments.
Manufactured from dark leaf 'whole leaf', rather than strips the mid rib (or stem) gives the "birds eye" effect. A strong smoke which was particularly favoured by the fishermen, as the finer cut mean the tobacco was easier to light and to keep in on board ship.
While I am not a stranger to the Lakeland tobaccos, most of what I've smoked has been the perfumed stuff. Dark Birdseye has none of the added scent allowing unadulterated exposure to these fabulous dark tobaccos.
The description says "strong smoke." Believe it. I have a pretty substantial tolerance for nicotine but I can feel the effects before I've smoked a third of the bowl. Dark Birdseye is best smoked on a full stomach.
The taste is out of this world. For some reason, pipe tobacco of this type hasn't seen a lot of popularity in America. This will be an unfamiliar experience for those who haven't tried Lakeland tobaccos. It comes on strong from first match and holds its dimensions of flavor throughout the bowl.
I pick up something along the lines of cedar wood with cigarish notes atop a body that is very earthy and full. The room note is probably not pleasant for others, but I pick up a lot of the fragrant nuances in the side stream smoke as I puff and the bowl smolders.
There is no tongue bite whatsoever. The strength of the blend deters a heavy smoking cadence anyway. The shag cut, also rare among pipe tobacco commonly smoked in the U.S. takes a bit of getting used to. This is a good candidate for the air pocket method of filling the pipe. You may also want to try it in a smaller bowl.
If you have smoked this, please leave your thoughts on this blend in the comments below.
Today I depart from my general rule about sticking to talking about pipe tobacco write about a pipe in my collection. I am a pipe smoker not a pipe collector. That requires a collection of pipes. This can become confusing.
I admire the collections of the "real" collectors - the ones that go for the grain, the names, the perfection in every detail. I've observed the serious pipe collector from afar enough to understand there is a lot that goes into the collection value of a pipe. I respect that aspect of the hobby we share, its just not my cup o' tea.
Admittedly, my tastes in pipes has crept up over the years. I've burned my tongue and fingers on a basket pipe or two early on. These days I'm willing to spend a lot more for confidence a pipe will smoke well - I just haven't hit the point where I want to pay for much else.
Tobacco on the other hand - that is where I am a nut. I buy, open, and sample far too much tobacco - too much because I often don't get around to smoking it all. That's my compulsion and I'm keeping it. I could go the rest of my life without buying another pipe, but I don't think I could refrain from buying new tobaccos. I tried to go a year and only made it six months.
That in mind, here is the story. I was deployed to Iraq. I had not brought my pipes with me. I had wasted too many tins on an earlier deployment to Afghanistan to an extremely dry climate and dust. That just wasn't good smoking weather and wasn't good for the tobacco.
I spent a good amount of my free time in Iraq window shopping on the internet. A pipe collector would have been looking at pipes, I was reading about tobacco. I made a list of all the tobaccos that caught my interest, prioritized them, and when I was almost done put in an order for them to be delivered to my home in time for my arrival. I ordered a crazy amount of tobacco and felt like the order wouldn't be complete without a pipe so I went for a "cheapie."
It was one of those lower end Savinellis with the balsa insert. No grain, factory cut, but I did and do like the shape. When I arrived home and settled down, I tore into my tobacco order. I had a lot of catching up to do. Here and there I'd throw a bowl in the new Sav and before long realized I was reaching for it a lot.
That pipe saw a lot of use in the following months. Eventually, it began creeping to the back of my rotation as I continued to add more pipes but its never been forgotten and every time I pull it off the rack I am surprised how well it smokes, how nice it feels in my hand or clenched comfortably in my jaw.
As good as it smokes, this will also always be my "Iraq pipe." That ended up being my last deployment. I never had the chance to treat myself to a better pipe at the end of a deployment because I never got to go back before I retired. If I had to thin the herd down to my favorite dozen, that pipe would remain in my collection and I'd say goodbye to pipes I'd spent much more on.
One of the pipes to go would be my birth year Dunhill. This one is the exception to the rule. It smokes horribly - like a basket pipe. I keep it only for the fact it was made in my birth year and I wouldn't want to push off a crappy smoker on someone else. Bad pipe purchases stop here.
If I could only keep 12, I'd keep the dozen that give me the best smokes. There may even be some tilt for pipes that have a story, that were given me by someone special etc. But the Dunhill has to go.
Tell me in the comments below about any pipes you have a special attachment to.
This is one of those old timey blends you can smoke all day.
Blender's description:
One of the oldest Wilke recipes. Virginia and Burleys are mixed with a non-aromatic Black Cavendish tobacco and topped with a generous amount of superior Latakia creating a traditional medium strength English blend. A rich mellow blend in the true British tradition.
This blend has a medium amount of Latakia. I wouldn't want any more in this blend because I might miss the tangy sweetness from the Virginia or that faint toastiness from the unflavored black cavendish. The burley is applied just enough to round it out with some body.
