I really enjoyed this show. And I especially enjoyed the much longer interview on OomPaul.com. (Olie's show is exactly what I had expected the PipesMagazine show to be like when I first listened: in-depth, NPR-like, nothing extraneous. And I've learned now that it's the kind of show PipesMagazine specifically decided not to do.)
I'll say this, though: I found Brian's explanation of how he categorizes "pipe" people and "tobacco" people a bit unexpected. I consider myself a "tobacco" person. But that's because my main pleasure in pipe smoking comes from exploring a wide range of blends and brands. To be a "reviewer" of blends. That doesn't mean I don't have a lot of pipes or appreciate the beauty of a high-grade pipe or anything like that. But it means my focus is primarily on exploration and discovery. (I do have favorites I keep returning to, of course.) I think of this like a restaurant reviewer.
But according to how I interpreted Brian's definition, he seems to see a "tobacco" person more like someone who has found a good meal he enjoys --say, meatloaf --so he orders meatloaf at every restaurant he visits. This is like the guy who only smokes Penzance. While I'd call him a "Penzance" person, I wouldn't call him a "tobacco" person, because he's not educating his palate with a variety of blends and styles. He doesn't know tobaccos, per se; he only knows Penzance.
Any of this make sense?
Bob
