Gleaning the dregs o' the day...

Whatcha have? Whatcha know? Whatcha do?
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Kip
International Hillbilly
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Gleaning the dregs o' the day...

Post by Kip » Wed Jun 13, 2018 8:59 am

I realize we're posting bits of useful information in the pipe threads that may be useful for someone down the road. I think I'll start collecting them here in a catch-all thread. Maybe one day I'll split it out into more specific threads, but for now I'll just throw random tidbits into it....
White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise....

User avatar
Kip
International Hillbilly
International Hillbilly
Posts: 3204
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:18 pm
Location: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Contact:

Re: Gleaning the dregs o' the day...

Post by Kip » Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:01 am

That pipe is very interesting looking. Does the extra length of the shank help keep the smoke cool?
There are many people who'd say so. I'm not one of them. I don't think that extra inch does much to cool the smoke - you can make more difference by altering your cadence, etc. It's just another shape to me. This particular shape is called a Canadian, FWIW. The Canadian is defined by its length (usually in the 7"+ range), generalized "billiard" shape (another shape name), and oval shank cross section.

There used to be a school of thought about selecting the right pipe shape based on your face, if you can believe it. Some tobacconists would lead you toward straight/bent, size differences, and shape based on which what they thought you'd be best suited for, or which just "looks right" for you. Go figure.

Maybe there's some redeeming bit of aesthetic merit there. I consider it pure hokum, which is why my collection is so wildly eclectic. Or, maybe it's just because I don't look right with any of them.

Meh. Either way, I'm old enough not to give two hot squirts what most people think of me.
White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise....

User avatar
Kip
International Hillbilly
International Hillbilly
Posts: 3204
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:18 pm
Location: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Contact:

Re: Gleaning the dregs o' the day...

Post by Kip » Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:07 am

So with all the pipes you been smoking recently I am curious which one is your favorite goto? And do you have a favorite tobacco blend that is still available? Do you smoke specific tobacco in certain pipes or just whatever you grab? I hear a lot about ghosting but have never noticed it before. I do try to keep aromatic out of my english/virginia blend pipes.
Favorite pipe: Hard to say, but I have a AA grade Barbi that would be far, far beyond my means now. It has the most superb straight grain around its entirety and lovely birdseye on its bottom side. It smokes perfectly every time, with proper tobacco. Other pipes can produce a perfect smoke; the Barbi does it as if there's no other option. I'm a little sheepish to admit it, but even after my mass sell-off for the move, I still have somewhere around 100 pipes so it's hard to say. Don't even ask how much tobacco I have ratholed in Florida. My past indiscretion pays off now in leaner times :)

Favorite blend: Oof. That's like picking a favorite child. I'm a huge fan boy of Greg Pease. If I had to choose from current production, I'd probably go with GLP Abingdon when I want hard-hitting latakia punch; Westminster or Charing Cross for something lighter but still with an English profile. Another beloved English is MacBaren's HH Vintage Syrian. My favorite VA would be Marlin Flake (Rattray). Favorite VA/Perique = Escudo. Favorite Burley is MacBaren's Navy Flake, although it has other stuff in it. Burley alone doesn't do much for me. I'm not a huge aromatic guy, but C&D's Crooner and C&D Autumn Evening are favorites when the mood hits. There are dozens more blends I enjoy as well. These are just what I'd pick first for a desert island experience.

I have dedicated pipes to specific blends, but generally just stick to a blend 'family'....broadly speaking, I sort pipes into groups like Virginia or VA/Per, English, Burley and associated blends, and aromatics. A few are slightly more specific (i.e. *milder* English blends only, etc.) Ghosting, in my mind, is possible; but it won't happen from an occasional bout with something different. Constantly smoking a heavy English then switching to a light VA will make the VA taste weird. A good ream, scrub, and alcohol treatment will take out pretty much any ghosts of tobacco past if you ever want to change up a pipe. Even if you just persist in smoking something new, eventually the new cake in the bowl will cover up the past. You're right about aromatics. If something is going to taint the flavor of a pipe, it's heavily cased aromatics. I've had a few pipes that required major work to exorcise the ghost of Mixture 79, which is favored by old codgers that smoke all day and enjoy the taste of anisette. Yes, it happens. No, it's not as bad as most people pretend. People act as if their palates are attuned to individual molecules when they talk about ghosting. Much of it is in their imaginations.
White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise....

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