Today wasn't the usual hijinks at The Tobacco Hut, as I made an early day of it. Of course, I don't mean to imply that only when I'm there is it a fun and lively bunch. But since I wasn't there for most of the afternoon, I can't report on it. Any readers of this post are free to fill in the blanks, as it were, in the comments section below.
I arrived around 11:00 am and left shortly after two o'clock, to meet some old friends of the family for dinner. At least I thought I had arrived around eleven o'clock because shortly after I sat down and lit my pipe I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 12:30. What kind of bizarre Twilight Zone was this? Like an alien abductee, was I experiencing "missing time"? Were there probes involved?
When Joe arrived, he too was confused by the weird time vortex and almost left an hour before he had planned. It didn't take long before we solved the mystery of the apparent rip in the space-time continuum. It turns out that Lou had turned the clocks ahead that morning for Daylight Savings Time. He didn't want Dotty to have to adjust the clocks Monday morning, so he did it Saturday morning when he opened. Why he didn't wait until closing time and forestall his customers' confusion will remain a mystery.
Once that was settled, I loaded up my Peterson Donegal #408 (pictured above), purchased many years ago at Lou's, with some of his Alaskan Gold tobacco. This is a fine English blend, light on the Latakia and the perfect amount of bite-free Burley. This is far from the most expensive pipe I own, but it is probably the most consistent, best-smoking briar in my stable. And once again, it didn't disappoint. By the end of the afternoon, nothing was left in the bowl but a fine, light gray ash.
As has been reported earlier, Joe K announced that his son James is planning a trip from Oregon to grace us with his presence sometime in May...and that he wants a party thrown in his honor. Sounds like a certain west-coaster has gotten a little uppity! We will, of course, welcome the store's prodigal son back to the fold and light a cigar in his honor when he arrives. And if he wants to bring some potato salad or something to share, that'd be fine.
Cheers!
- Bob
Wow! Today saw a lot of people at The Tobacco Hut, a lot of cigars being enjoyed, and a lot of passionate debate. I was the first to arrive and I began my afternoon by loading up an Ascorti I haven't smoked in a while with some G.L. Pease Maltese Falcon, a deliciously smooth English blend, rich in Latakia.
Joe arrived soon after and I am pleased to report that he is loving his iMac. Although I'm secretly wishing he'll hate it and just want to give it to me, but I think like most users he'll become a permanent member of the Mac family.
Lou did admit to me that I was right about the satellite/cell phone controversy from last week. I know it killed him to do it, and I'm still not a hundred percent sure he believes it, but it was fun to debate the issue.
Ed B. arrived but only had time to drink a soda or two. In discussing a recent raid at a local crack house where the suspect opened fire on deputies, who immediately returned fire, killing the suspect, Ed introduced us to a technical police term: DRT. The newspaper had reported that the suspected was transported to the hospital and was pronounced dead at the emergency room, but Ed had the inside track and said the suspect was actually DRT - "Dead Right There", meaning essentially dead where he dropped. Gotta love the gallows humor of law enforcement!
Peter arrived and before long Barry showed up. Peter was eager to ask Barry about A-Rod's admission of juicing earlier in his career, and an animated discussion broke out about which team's roster, the Red Sox or Yankees, contained more players who used steroids. I don't think the argument was truly settled, but it was certainly a lively debate.
Joe didn't really participate as he's not much of a baseball follower, but I know he enjoyed the show. Joe is a passionate follower of politics and current events, and it didn't take long for him to take a few friendly jabs at the token liberal in the room - me, your humble narrator.
Paul came in and grabbed a chair and a cigar and jumped into the fray, but not before he and I talked a little about the online cigar discussion board he and Scott (who hasn't been seen in a few weeks, but is excused since he usually works on Saturdays) introduced me to, Cigar Asylum. It's a lively forum that I just joined and am looking forward to participating more in.
Steve arrived a short time later and the discussion soon turned toward the events of the day, including unemployment, the state of the economy, global warming, overpopulation, energy resources, etc. Paul, Peter, Steve, Barry, Lou, and I all had an engaging discussion on the issues, each firmly entrenched in our respective camps. Of course, your humble narrator did find himself fending off some verbal blows from around the room.
I look forward to recovering quickly from my wounds (maybe through the use of steroids) and returning next week for another round.
Cheers!
- Bob
Tonight I'm smoking an Eriksen freehand straight grain (pictured here). I haven't smoked it in awhile - at least six months - and thought it was time to bring it back into the rotation. I'm enjoying a bowl of Frog Morton, which is a delightful English/Balkan blend with just the right amount of Latakia.
A straight grain pipe is characterized by the grain of the bowl, the pattern of which is straight up and down (or relatively so), from the bottom of the bowl to the top. It is just this aesthetic that makes straight grain pipes so desirable. Typically, a straight grain pipe will have equally attractive birdseye on the top and bottom edges of the bowl. The birdseye is the grain of the wood seen edge-on, and usually create very distinct whorled patterns.
Does a straight grain pipe smoke better than a pipe which is not so well-endowed? This is always a debatable issue, but it's been my experience that they smoke the same. In fact, it can be argued that a pipe in which the birdseye is on the inside and outside of the bowl, rather than the top and bottom as in a straight grain pipe, provides the better smoke. The reasoning is that the birdseye, which is essentially the "pores" of the wood, carry the heat and moisture away from the bowl, offering a cooler, dryer smoke. My guess is that any advantage is negligible at best.
Typically, straight grain pipes are more expensive because the source briar is relatively rare. It's not often that a pipe carver discovers a piece of briar that will yield a straight grain, which drives the price up due to its scarcity.
I only have a couple in my collection, but there is something just a little more satisfying when smoking a pipe that is especially beautiful and rarer than most. The quality of the smoke is the same as similar quality pipes, but there is an intangible quality that is difficult to describe.
In the end though, at least for me, it is the smoking quality that really determines how well I like a pipe. The Eriksen has always been a good smoker for me, so the straight grain on it is just the frosting on an already good cake.
Cheers!
- Bob
More often than not when I light up a pipe, it's among friends - usually other pipe or cigar smokers at the Tobacco Hut on Saturdays. There is a social quality inherent in smoking that draws people together. Maybe it's nothing more than people who share a common interest spending time together at one of the few places left outside of the home that allows smoking. That's a topic for another post though.
Smoking is also a solitary activity for me. Occasionally I'll head to the back porch or patio on a pleasant evening, pack my pipe with a stout English tobacco like Dunhill Nightcap, and puff away. Gazing up at the stars while smoking a pipe is a great combination that provides ample opportunity for reflection and relaxation.
Years ago I actually smoked at my desk at work. There were about a dozen cigarette smokers in the office, and another gentleman and I smoked pipes. I don't recall any cigar smokers, and at the time I was smoking mostly aromatic tobaccos. I don't think I had discovered English tobaccos at the time, but like to think that even if I had, I would have been sensitive to others around me and stuck with the aromatic.
At that time, I was working part time at a Tinder Box, and my tobacco of choice was a honey-flavored blend that I always received compliments on. As my wife will now attest, not too many compliments come my way when I smoke the English tobaccos. But, at least to my palate, they taste better than a typical aromatic.
Nowadays, pipe smoking is practically an anachronistic novelty and if I'm smoking in public, I invariably get comments about what I'm doing, usually positive. I guess I remind people of their grandfather or favorite uncle, which isn't a bad thing. The problem, of course, is that public smoking venues are few and far between.
Because of the anti-smoking movement, I'll probably be forced into solitary smoking if I want to enjoy my pipe. Or maybe the speakeasy will spring up as smoking is forced underground. Sigh...
Cheers!
- Bob
Typically I smoke a pipe, but occasionally I enjoy a cigar. A pipe can last me a few hours, whereas a cigar is a quicker and more convenient smoke. If I’m going for a walk, perhaps, I prefer the cigar over the pipe. Usually when I smoke my pipe, I need a flat surface nearby to rest the pipe, and keep the tamper, lighter and pipe cleaners at the ready. I’ve never been a “hands-free” pipe smoker, but that can be accomplished easily with a cigar.
Interesting thing about smoking a pipe versus a cigar. With pipe tobacco, I usually prefer a more full-flavored, richer blend. However, with cigars I prefer a much milder smoke. I’m not sure exactly why that is, but puffing on a full-flavored cigar will not result in a pleasant experience. Maybe the overall nicotine level in cigars is higher than pipe tobacco.
A couple days ago I enjoyed one of my favorite cigars, an Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Natural. I was in a cigar store and looking for an Ashton Magnum, but the store didn’t carry Ashtons at all. I went instead to one of the first cigars I started smoking many years ago, the 8-5-8. I’ve always considered it one of the best values in cigars. At $4-5 a stick, it’s a perfect size and shape and always delivers a nice, smooth smoke.
As usual, the 8-5-8 did not disappoint. It’s certainly not the most trendy cigar on the market, but I smoke for the pleasure of it, not for any other reason. I enjoyed it thoroughly after a hearty dinner and my wallet was only a few dollars lighter for it.
As much as I enjoyed the cigar, it will be good to fill up a pipe with a good English tobacco, heavy on the Latakia, and take fire to briar!
Cheers!
- Bob
