Oh.. And that blue liquid at a barbershop. Can't get that smell out of my memory.
That Old School Aroma
- Thread starter GreatWhiteNorthPiper
- Start date
In Greece in the 80s the “pipe smell” was 99% Captain Black or Clan.
@Sgetz I could imagine the Sealed Knot re-enactors going to the pub in costume on the last night before the smoking ban in 2007, drinking ale out of pewter tankards and smoking their clay pipes. I think they'd have smoked Condor or St Bruno, possibly Erinmore. Whatever they were smoking, I bet the pub must have smelled so good; I can almost smell all that pipe smoke!
I know exactly what you mean. The tobacco shop my Grandfather went to when I was a kid made custom blends, and the stuff they made for him smelled fantastic. I can still smell it in one of his pipes. Unfortunately, I was too young to think about asking his recipe while he was alive, and the shop closed down decades ago...so I'll likely never find a match.
For me, it's sir Walter Raleigh. That's what my Papaw smoked. 1Q will also do it, because that's what the pipe shop in the mall smelled like.
Other classic codger blends are Edward G. Robinson, Iwan Ries Three Star Blue, Granger, and Field and Stream.
Growing up in Southern Ontario in the 60s, the quintessential pipe smoke aroma was Sail. There is both a regular and aromatic blend. If I recall they both have a great masculine aroma. I checked and they're still available both in Canada and the US.
A friend of mines father was an avid pipe smoker. Always had 10 tin stacks of Smokers Haven Krumble Kake on hand. He also loved Barking Dog in the foil packets and had them everywhere. The one that about choked me to death was Green Briar (shudder) . He always kept it on hand if he had a cold or sinus problems. He had an account at Smokers Haven in Columbus and Carrousel in Cincinnati...
This is such a great point, and also a total bummer. No matter how well our current tobacco choice captures that nostalgic aroma, we'll never know it. We have to rely on someone else with a similar memory telling us if it smells like that. It's a fascinating thing the way we get so used to certain smells that we no longer smell them. I do 2 loads of "dog laundry" a month just to ensure that my house doesn't smell like a kennel and I don't know it, lol. When you come home from vacation after a week or two you can smell your own home. It's a weird phenomena.To someone who is smoking a pipe, we have gotten totally used to the briar aromas. But, as a kid, I always remember that smell of warmed briar, no matter what the blend was that was smoked in it. But, after we get used to that aroma, we can no longer smell it... like I suppose most people don't smell themselves anymore. But, then I get stuck in an elevator with someone, and I end up wondering if they are aware that they smell.
60's-70's in our neck of the woods would have been Prince Albert.
You could pipe it or roll it. My grandfather did both.
You could pipe it or roll it. My grandfather did both.
Had a dream recently that I was walking around the edge of my barn looking at the wood and paint and could smell someone smoking SWR nearby. It made me feel like my grandfather was there with me.
The blends that have stood the test of time have a deep meaning and personal connection with us, even if you don’t smoke them. Long may they be enjoyed.
The blends that have stood the test of time have a deep meaning and personal connection with us, even if you don’t smoke them. Long may they be enjoyed.
Here in Alberta most pipe smoking Grandpas used to smoke Amphora or Prince Albert. Whenever an old man sees me with a pipe they almost always tell me they smoked Amphora. My uncles and father smoked Drum in RYOs and pipes. Sail and Old Port were also around.
Interesting regional differences. Was it marketing induced for different areas or just what stores were ordering for the OTC brands?
Cherry aromatics were also popular back in the day.
Danish blends like Amphora and Sail ruled the roost in the 70's as did Borkum Riff.
Those were for Galing.
Codger blends were always popular with old guys.
And of course Mixture 79
Danish blends like Amphora and Sail ruled the roost in the 70's as did Borkum Riff.
Those were for Galing.
Codger blends were always popular with old guys.
And of course Mixture 79
seriously a great blend. It does have a quality I'd call classically pipey.
