This is from the excellent "Hearth & Home" series distributed by PipesAndCigars.com.  The manufacturer's description reads as follows:

"Larry Loerzel, one of our regular store customers, and connoisseur of English/Balkan blends had tried Ten to Midnight, and although he liked it, he was looking for something a little fuller and different. Based on his preference, we blended a full, traditional Balkan using Orientals that were more “buttery” and amped-up the Latakia. This blend is now a big hit among our full-bodied English fans; a cool-smoking, very rich mixture."

This mixture is a classic medium cut, rather dark in color although by looking closer, there is some variety in there.  But when you look at this tobacco, the main thing that strikes you is the incredible aroma of spice, leather and molasses.

The tobacco is on the dry side to the touch, similar to C&D's usual hydrometry.  15 to 30 minutes "drying" time is all it needs.

Lighting is easy, nothing fights back or stands up.  The burn is very good and even and the pipe stays lit easily.

Initially, the main flavor is similar to that of a campfire.  The smoke is cool, salty, savory, and then becomes spicy.  The tobacco tastes lightly woody and earthy but is dominated by the spice.  There is a definite fruit element in there that reminds me of juicy cherries.  As the bowl progresses, the spice intensifies, becomes deeper and triggers the heat receptors like a habanero pepper would. 

After roughly half the pipe, the taste becomes very deep and dark, the fruity character fades and the spicy character takes over.  The earthy side of the blend really comes forward now and gives the smoke a leathery taste that intensifies towards the end of the bowl.

Larry's Blend is my favorite Balkan blend.  It is medium in nicotine but full in flavor! 

To make them easier to find and link to I arranged each video on a separate page. See the navigation section above.

The videos cover a pretty wide range of topics - how to fill your pipe, how to light it, how to take care of a pipe, pipe tobacco choices for a new pipe smoker, and what you need to get started. They are great for someone new to pipe smoking and hopefully some of the seasoned pipe smokers will enjoy them and pass them on too.

If you have watched them, let me know what you think - also include any ideas for other videos in the comments below.

Weekly

These are the same as they have been. If you've been subscribed and receiving my summary (about) every week, and that's exactly how you like it, you don't need to change a thing.

These go out once a week (or when I get time to put them together) and usually include some extra stuff that I do not post anywhere else. Think of it as a "newsletter."

Daily

These aren't necessarily sent every day and they may be sent more than once a day. They are sent any time I post something new to this site which is, on average, a few times a week. The thing is, you'll know exactly when something is posted.

In addition, daily subscribers will also receive the same email each week the weekly subscribers do. You won't miss a thing by subscribing to the daily updates.

Important!

If you want to switch from the weekly to the daily, just sign up for the Daily and you will automatically be unsubscribed from the weekly. This will prevent you from seeing duplicate emails in your box. Don't worry, all the content on the weekly is also sent to the daily list.

My thoughts, as I say there:

Personally, and I do mean personally, burning characteristics weigh heavily in my total appreciation of any blend. Anyone who has read my pipe tobacco reviews will see that because I mention it in nearly every review.

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.

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.

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.

Please watch the video and discuss it in this thread on the forums.

So, here's the deal: I've changed the rules so you no longer need to be registered or logged in to post comments. I still recommend you do register if you haven't already post comments while logged in. That way, you can set up your avatar and stuff like that, but just to throw your two cents in (and we want your two cents!) I've made it more convenient to just start typing and hit post.

How about starting right now? Tell us below what you've been smoking lately and how you like it. Then find a post on some of your favorite blends and comment on those two.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

I am often asked to suggest online retailers. I've dealt with quite a few and had a lot of good experiences. There are plenty of reliable business people out there keeping our hobby alive.

Rather that go down a list and possibly forget someone, I think it better to offer a few guidelines I employ when buying online. If you have never purchased from a particular business before, here is what I suggest:

1. Before you order, establish contact. Make sure they answer their phone or email. If they aren't available to help you make a purchase, chances are they won't be there to resolve any problems that may arise in a timely manner.

2. If you're active on any pipe smoking discussion forums like Tamp and Puff, watch for good things being said. You can ask for suggestions, but know that on most forums, saying anything negative (no matter how true) is frowned upon so people will refrain from sharing bad experiences. On the other hand, one person's gripe may be just that - an isolated situation.

3. When buying pipes, examine the pictures and description carefully. Online auctions should also list the measurements of a pipe - its length, chamber diameter, height, and outside bowl diameter. Without these measurements pictures alone can be deceiving.

4. Always ask questions. I like to ask sellers if a pipe will pass a pipe cleaner effortlessly and if the drilling is centered and at the bottom of the tobacco chamber.

5. Know ahead of time what their shipping options are. If a shipping option isn't listed on their web site, call them and ask - they may be willing to be flexible.

6. Usually you receive a confirmation message of some sort when a purchase is made and the items are shipped. If not, its a good idea to call them the next day and ask if everything is good to go. Some merchants will hold your order if something is out, cancel it if they have a hard time with your credit card, etc. Any number of problems can come up. To avoid waiting for the shipment that never comes communicate.

Have any other tips? Please post them in the comments below and discuss.