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  1. J

    Esoterica Brighton: First Impressions

    Brighton has been my favorite Esoterica blend to date, been enjoying it for years especially after McClelland's closing in 2017. Sadly, my own experience indicates it's another one of those blends that took a turn down in flavor and consistency after 2019, along with Stonehaven and Dunbar.
  2. J

    Remembering McClelland Red Virginias

    I did not care for their aromatic, except I did like the bulk 2000 blend (red VA flake with some kinda old fashioned faint topping). There is no replacement for their VA blends, nor their Grand Oriental blends :(
  3. J

    Remembering McClelland Red Virginias

    40th, Blackwoods Flake, Christmas Cheer
  4. J

    Stacking/Storing Firewood

    I have a Pacific Energy insert and love it. 6-inch SS liner and I clean at least once a year, so pine is no problem and it lights pretty fast on last night's coals. This year's stack is a mixture of pine, maple, birch, elder, and my neighbors old Bradford pear trees that got cut down in the...
  5. J

    Carolina Reaper Dethroned: Pepper X is the New King of Peppers.

    I don't chase heat for heat's sake, but to me a ripe ghost pepper has a wonderful floral and tropical fruit taste. Sliced very thinly with some cream cheese on crackers and a good beer on the side make a great snack.
  6. J

    What Retired Blends Would you Bring Back?

    McClelland's Blackwoods Flake McClelland's Drama Reserve Rattray's Hal O the Wind from 15-20 years ago, before it got the current saccharine overtone
  7. J

    Favorite Wing Sauce and Preferences

    Buffalo wing sauce = 1 part Franks Red hot to 1 part melted butter (real butter). Deep fry the wings then dunk them in above. No breading or other bulls*$t.
  8. J

    Smoke color

    Here's an observation: with cigars, you'll notice that the mouth end smoke is greyish white, but the charred end gives off blueish smoke. On my BBQ, I wait until smoke turns blueish and no longer grey, otherwise meat gets a bitter tinge.
  9. J

    Let’s See your Guitars!

    Thanks! I've gone through a bunch of Les Pauls over the years, and these two are keepers. I'm still on the lookout for a P90 version, but in no hurry. Neither of the last pic are actually Fenders though. The tele is a Johnston Custom that was made for me: 60s style but with ebony fretboard...
  10. J

    Let’s See your Guitars!

    That old 1976 I had, I really should have kept. It was played to death by prior owners, and it felt like an old pair of tennis shoes. It had nearly no frets left, and the pickups were too low for my tastes at the time. Forgot to mention that Bogner 4x12 is also a magical piece, from the late...
  11. J

    Let’s See your Guitars!

    I'll play (no pun intended). Been doing this for a while, and whittled down to the following keepers. 2000 R7 with CreamT '57 GT pickups. Fat and sassy, like western Carolina BBQ My #1 - 2007 Chambered R8 with Peter Florance Voodoo '59 pickups. This is like Pittsburg style filet with...
  12. J

    Let’s See your Guitars!

    I once had a 1976 start that looked identical, so they did a good job on the reissue.
  13. J

    Vulcanite Composition

    For some reason the only vulcanite stemmed pipe that doesn't go green just being in my presence is an old Dunhil from the 1950s. Every other one is an oxidized nightmare no matter how I pamper it. Get the stems replaced with lucite and you'll never have to fuss again.
  14. J

    What Music Are You Listening to - July, 2023

    Some Kyuss. It's Saturday, which is beer day.
  15. J

    MIght Be Time to Quit?

    HA! Actually none, so that's a testiment to this community :D Thanks for all the kind words and support. Fortuntely, it's just the pipe that is still off taste-wise. "Healthier" things, like fresh green beans from the garden, have never tasted so awesome as they do today.
  16. J

    MIght Be Time to Quit?

    That's what I was leaning towards, at least in the short term.
  17. J

    MIght Be Time to Quit?

    Ha! I do enjoy bourbon periodically and have a sizeable stash, but I'm more of a beer guy. I've also had a few cigars over the last year, and they were mostly enjoyable - not as much as years prior, but I'd say 80%. I attribue that to a mixture of my altered taste and the overall lack of...
  18. J

    MIght Be Time to Quit?

    I've been smoking pipes and cigars daily for almost 30 years now for the utter enjoyment of it, and swithed to 90% pipes about 15 years ago, so I'm not a newb. Averaged at least 3 or 4 bowls a day. I always got great visceral satisfaction out of it (taste and smell), never for the nicotine. VA...
  19. J

    How Do Tobacco Taxes Compare with Marijuana Taxes?

    Big Bro didn't get squat from my plants.
  20. J

    Oriental Blend Recommendation

    Since the extinct has already been mentioned, yeah those were great Oriental blends and I have yet to find any new blends that match the round, buttery sweetness of the Grand Oriental blends. Drama Reserve was my all time favorite of that line. I may give the Geometrie a try, but I've been...