Episode 88 Pipe smoking

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PCR
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Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by PCR » Tue Oct 28, 2014 12:45 am

Well done Kip!

This is a perfect off shoot for you and Craig. I'll bet many of your listeners (including myself) really enjoy a pipe and the pipe discussion you had with all of us. A good pipe is a nice get away. I'll cast my vote for more pipe talk. I've been enjoying English blends as of late (Virginia, Latakia, Turkish orientals) care to give us a recommendation of these types tobaccos you've tried and enjoyed? McClelland #14 is really good. Thanks!

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kurtdesign1
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Re: Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by kurtdesign1 » Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:01 am

We're really pleased to hear this.
There's been a positive reception to the idea of a pipe focused show for some time now and I am glad we finally were able to pull it together. The format was a little more video focused than I think we both would have wanted but that should change as we move past the basics. Perhaps next show when I demonstrate a novice's tactics we do it again but I can't imagine another reason to alienate one set of viewers/listeners other than that.

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Steve D.
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Re: Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by Steve D. » Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:45 pm

Craig, I'll get you a pipe if you don't have one for the next pipe show. Can't have a pipe show sans pipe! Get it together, man.

Enjoyed the show and look forward to more.

I am making the effort to smoke my pipe at least a few times a week and while it is cutting into my cigar time, I am getting the hang of it. Key = dry it out before packing the bowl. Not uncommon to keep it lit for 30 minutes or more.

Enjoying Rattay Old Gowrie. Smells good enough to eat.


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kurtdesign1
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Re: Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by kurtdesign1 » Thu Nov 06, 2014 8:26 am

Steve D. wrote:Craig, I'll get you a pipe if you don't have one for the next pipe show. Can't have a pipe show sans pipe! Get it together, man.

Enjoyed the show and look forward to more.
We may not have the most listeners but we sure as hell have the best. Amazing!

RockPaperScissors
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Re: Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by RockPaperScissors » Fri Nov 21, 2014 8:12 pm

I really enjoyed Episode 88. Kip is as knowledgeable about pipes as he is about cigars. I'm making my wish list for Santa, asking for a pipe and a couple tins of tobacco. I'd appreciate some suggestions on what varieties of tobacco that I should ask Santa to bring me. As I'm a pipe novice, mild to medium blends would probably best suite a novice pipe smoker?

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Kip
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Re: Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by Kip » Fri Nov 21, 2014 8:39 pm

RockPaperScissors wrote:I really enjoyed Episode 88. Kip is as knowledgeable about pipes as he is about cigars. I'm making my wish list for Santa, asking for a pipe and a couple tins of tobacco. I'd appreciate some suggestions on what varieties of tobacco that I should ask Santa to bring me. As I'm a pipe novice, mild to medium blends would probably best suite a novice pipe smoker?
Mild-medium can be found in just about any blending style, but....

if you're set on smoking aromatics (flavored; pretty much what 99% of the population thinks of when they hear "pipe tobacco"), I'd go with something of good quality. Cornell & Diehl do a good job with striking this balance. I'd suggest specifically Autumn Evening. It's quality leaf with a delicious maple/vanilla topping.

Virginias are a strange bunch. Generally, they run sweet in flavor (no overt flavorings are added; this is from the processed sugars in the leaf). However, they have a few potential drawbacks: 1.) they burn your tongue like a rabid badger until you get your cadence just about perfect, 2.) If you smoke too fast (see #1) they can also turn acrid in a hurry, and 3.)some of them carry deep nicotine loads. Additionally, they're quite nuanced. There is great reward to be found in a good VA or Virginia/Perique blend....but the dedication to the craft is significant. Definitely worthwhile, but if you try them early on you might be psychologically turned off of them later...when they'd be most enjoyable.

English blends are an amazing world to explore. You can try hundreds of blends and not like them...then the next one is the best thing since sliced bread. The number of different flavor components to be developed in an English style blend are endless based on the blender's access to localized oriental varietals. For a traditional search, hit the well known blends (Dunhill My Mixture 965 if you can find it). McClelland does a decent job, but have a very specific flavor that some folks don't care for. Very polarizing. Cornell & Diehl also do a great job with this. Their Star of the East blend if fantastic, but is a latakia powerhouse. It's a campfire in your bowl. Finally, Greg Pease (GL Pease) is my absolute favorite blender in this style. His English and Balkan blends are legends in their own time. I tend to favor Westminster and Charing Cross in terms of what's available today. He makes something for everyone...try any of them! His blends run from milketoast mild to kick-you-in-yer-teeth bold. Check his website; he has pretty decent descriptions for each blend.

Burley is peculiar in its own right. It has less flavor inherently than the other blends...but will soak up anything around it. It's a fantastic carrier to stretch over-potent leaf into something smokeable. At the same time, there are some wonderful burleys that stand alone and give a delightful nuttiness not found in other blend styles. Heck, even the venerable Prince Albert has some merit (gasp!). Traditional American burley blends are mostly ghosts of their former glory, but there are a few out there. Once again, Cornell & Diehl are very good at what they do. The reason they keep coming up is that they blend well over 200 different pipe tobaccos, they're good at what they do, and they're one of the most commonly available "quality" pipe tobaccos on the market. They aren't widely available outside the U.S., though. You might have to do some trading to get them outside our borders.

That's a starting point off the cuff. I'll ponder some more after I'm not up against a show prep time....
White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise....

RockPaperScissors
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Re: Episode 88 Pipe smoking

Post by RockPaperScissors » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:50 pm

Thanks Kip.

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