Dan Tobacco Salty Dogs/Castello 55

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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,236
Alaska
My first (maybe only?) review of pipe or tobacco...
For those not interested in long winded, self serving, don't give a f**k diatribes, suffice IT to say, Dan Tobacco Salty Dogs is really goddamn good, and if you smoke flakes or plugs and you don't have a Castello 55.......well.........you'll probably be alright. There are a lot of good pipes out there. But you should have one someday, if all that's good in the world is on your side.
For you poor, bored, sorry, tired eyed bastards that have nothing better to do in the middle of the night (or day by the time you read this?) than read some n00bs "review" of some tobacco in some pipe....well, I love you guys, because most nights I am right there with you. Read on. I hope you get something out of it, if not something of worth, then at least something to keep you reading, and carrying on, into the wee hours, laughing at some n00b.
Dan tobacco's Salty Dogs is really goddamn good, but I didn't think so at first. I cut it thin off the massively dense, mini-chocolate bar-like plug. Shockingly tiny for the $18.50 50g plug I thought I bought. But once it was in my hand, Jesus God, it's dense and dark. How the hell could this be a Virginia/Perique blend? It looks like a goddamn Gawith Rope in square form, but denser! I think with a little mortar I could build a house out of this! I sliced off one thicker chunk. It was a real bitch to rub out. So I sliced off a thinner chunk. It rubbed into basically ribbon cut, much easier. I combined the two and gave them a solid 1.5 hours of drying time while making some Moose sirloin chili. After my wife and I enjoyed a bowl of chili......and a half.....with cheddar, sour cream, and green onions of course...........I went out on the back deck to look over the vast, silty Knik river for my after dinner smoke. Given the rum topping on this blend, I poured myself some 23 year Kirk and Sweeney Rum in a snifter to go along with the smoke, and a deep, dark giant ball jar of Surly Brewing Company's Darkness Imperial Stout. I was not planning on re-entering the house sober. Out on the back deck with the mountains and forest before me, I lit up.
At first, I thought, ah SHIT! This mother won't light. I did one charring light. I did a second as usual. Then I relaxed into the breath method. And....it went out. I did another charring light..........it went out again. Shit, I thought. Too little drying time. I f**ked up. But after the 4th light........she took off! And after that...........BLISS. This tobacco....earthy, rich, subtly spicy, FANTASTIC. The rum topping is nowhere near as strong as i expected to be, after viewing the thick dark plug that I put into a jar a few hours back. However, as the bowl moves on, it gets a little bit more noticeable. What also gets a little more noticeable, is the nicotine. I was disappointed in the nic-hit half way through the bowl, but moving into the second half it beings to creep up on me out of the darkness. I started to taste the rum even more as well. As the Alaskan sun sets at 10:35 PM, I begin to really feel it. Moving through the first half of the bowl, I get an almost chocolate like flavor as this tobacco gets even richer. It is complimented by an odd and surprising creaminess. I thought the perique would be spicier by now, but oddly enough, I'm kind of glad it's not, as this tobacco is..........weird.......but amazingly good. Still so hard to believe this is a va/per, it so rich and creamy, and strongly bold. But there is a subtle spicy, figgy note that I assume must be the perique, but it is far from the starring player. Make no mistake, this tobacco is RICH! Especially in the second half of the bowl. I really changes A LOT half way through........for the better.
I'll pause here to sing the praises of this pipe. I have one castello 26. It's a good pipe. I also have a Castello poker. It's a good pipe. But this 55. Flakes. Plugs. I have not found a better pipe for these cuts. At first this pipe shape, with it's jaunting John Cleese chin, seemed ugly to me, but now, after a while, I find beauty in it. They are expensive. Is it worth the money? That's up to you. For me.......YES. Especially when purchased at Tabaccheria Corti. The best prices on Castello pipes (new ones, anyway) I have found. The smoke is completely effortless to maintain. The briar warms ever so slightly all the way through, without getting hot AT ALL. After this bowl was finally lit, it smoked easily and forgivingly until it became the mythically fine white ash. I had to hold myself back from chugging this blend and abusing the briar during the second half, as the smoke was so effortless and the tobacco began to really come into it's own.
As the smoke moves into it's final third, my wife ( who I told I would be smoking for around an hour or so) comes out to check in on me.......how much longer will it be? I don't know.......I'm already an 1.5 hours into this bowl.......where has the time gone? I tell her 15 minutes, damn well knowing it will likely be 30. And 30 it is. Somehow, this tobacco becomes better and better and better the further it burns down. Similar to those rare cigars, that somehow defy the usual harshness and heat of the final few inches, this bowl seems to only get richer, better, and more complex as it burns through the dottle. It is the pipe tobacco equivalent of a nubber.
Towards the end, the imperial stout and rum starts to get to me. Rather than go inside and face the wrath of my wife after nearly two hours of pipe smoking, her taking care of our 3 month old the whole time, I whip it out and piss through the small hole in our back second story porch filigree railing into the black currant bushes. She'll never know. After this I finish the last of the bowl, and nothing is left but ash. I am legitimately upset that this bowl is finished, although I now realize it is for the better, as the alcohol I have been consuming along side it has begun to get to me. The aftertaste of the tobacco sets in, pleasantly. And I walk out of this blissful experience, and back into the real world inside the cabin. Goddamn what a bummer.
It's my turn to feed the baby. So I wash my hands, change my shirt, pick that kid up and feed her. I am content. I am happy. And as soon as this kid is fed, I am ordering more Dan Tobacco Salty Dogs. This is truly exceptional tobacco. For those of you wondering if some plug in a pouch is worth the exorbitant price tag......my answer is...an emphatic and resounding............YES. I'd say the same for the pipe.
Get at least one pouch and try it for yourself, but this is one of the most decadent and unique tobaccos I have experienced as of yet, easily in my top 5.
Well, that's enough rambling. Like most of us I have to drag my ass into work tomorrow and navigate the unending barrage of fat-backed unreasonable clients, snarky ungrateful coworkers, and the beautiful and sordid camaraderie that makes up 8 to 12 hours of my every day life. Good luck to all of you in the same journey, one more day into the future. Selah.
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
While a 55 will never find its way into my collection, I did get 20 plugs of Salty Dogs to pair with one of my Weavers a few years back when Dan Tobacco first released it.

 

seldom

Lifer
Mar 11, 2018
1,035
940
Didn't thoroughly read the whole review but I'll mention that in Germany Salty Dogs goes for €10 (about $11). If you are buying from a German seller (say to get HU blends) it may be worth getting some of this too. Of course there are shipping costs to consider.
I've some young ones too (1 year old and 2 years old). It is still hard and tiring at times, just hard and tiring in different ways then when they were tiny babies. Right now the 1 year old has teeth coming in, so no sleep in our house last night! Good luck with the little one and wife. I make sure my wife gets a little down time away from the kids. It makes all of our lives easier. It also allows me to slip away with the dogs and enjoy a pipe sometimes without drama.

 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,236
Alaska
I've some young ones too (1 year old and 2 years old). It is still hard and tiring at times, just hard and tiring in different ways then when they were tiny babies. Right now the 1 year old has teeth coming in, so no sleep in our house last night! Good luck with the little one and wife. I make sure my wife gets a little down time away from the kids. It makes all of our lives easier. It also allows me to slip away with the dogs and enjoy a pipe sometimes without drama.
Hard and tiring in different ways sounds great. If it is going to be difficult, it might as well be different, haha. Honestly I love it though, best thing in the world, but also super hard. You know, what you hear everyone say, but don't understand until you actually have a kid. The most amazing/difficult/awesome/tiring thing ever. I try to give my wife as much time away from the kid as possible. But with me being the primary bread winner and having to work every day, she unfortunately bears the brunt of the kid related toil as of right now. We are a good team though. Nobody is perfect but we do a pretty good job of carrying each other between carrying the baby. I thank God every day she was foolish enough to do this with me :)

 

burleyboy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2019
862
4,473
Europe
That is one review virtuoso! Now I'm in need of some Salty Dogs...
Also I wish you the best for your Daughter and wife. Our daughter is three years now and it's getting calmer and more relaxed with her. Pipe smoking helped me a lot to make it through the more difficult time.

 
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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,236
Alaska
Other than I will be buying no more pipes or tobacco, I find the 55 to be one of the least aesthetically pleasing shapes.
I agree. While not quite as ugly as the Savinelli 320, it is equally, if not more, outstanding when it comes to smoking flakes and plugs. Both of those shapes I bought simply for their reputation as great smokers, and I'm glad I did on both counts. They may look like a smooth turd and a Jay Leno caricature, but they truly do smoke amazingly well. The aesthetics of the 55 have grown on me over time though. The 320 not so much, haha.
I can respect the buying lockdown though. I've attempted it twice, and so fair failed. But at least cut down...... :D

 

jfred

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 30, 2018
118
6
Thanks for that excellent and entertaining review. I have a fair stash of Salty Dogs and more than a handful of 55s, but until now, I never paired them. I'm going to remedy that for my next smoke.

For me there is absolutely nothing wrong with the aesthetics of a 55, and they fit so well in the hand.
Looking forward to your next review :puffy:

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
I can respect the buying lockdown though. I've attempted it twice, and so fair failed.
After thirty years of collecting and culling many pipes, I'm at a place where my cellar will outlive me with more than enough pipes to smoke it.
Both of those shapes I bought simply for their reputation as great smokers
You'll find that in every well drilled pipe. One blend smokes and tastes the same to me regardless of which pipe I smoke it in. I can understand the love of the shape though, I have an affinity for obscure shapes that others find less appealing.

 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,236
Alaska
Thanks! Yeah, the pipe is certainly helpful.......Nice new avatar btw! Billions of Bilious Blistering Blue Barnacles!!! My brother (14 years my senior) handed down all his old Tin Tin comics to me when I was young. The rock.

 

burleyboy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2019
862
4,473
Europe
Thanks, alaskan! I have read them all over and over again! Thats very generous of your brother. I still like them as an adult... And even my daughter likes, when I'm reading it to her... She alsways asks what the certains thins in the pictures are...Today, I have read one of them to her and found that new avatar... I absolutely had to use it, bacause the Captain's speech bubble says "Now at first, I'll calmly smoke a pipe"... Then, in the next panels, he does not find his matches and gets mad... I could not remember, that he had ever literally talked about pipes in the books.

 

burleyboy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2019
862
4,473
Europe
Haha! Good to know these words in several languages! It's fascinating from today's point of view, how much smoking was going on in a childrens' comic book.

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
It looks like a goddamn Gawith Rope in square form, but denser! I think with a little mortar I could build a house out of this! I sliced off one thicker chunk. It was a real bitch to rub out. So I sliced off a thinner chunk. It rubbed into basically ribbon cut, much easier. I combined the two and gave them a solid 1.5 hours
I don’t even try to go for chunks with true plugs, just shave some off. Little rubbing out or additional dry time is needed, IMO.
And if the 55 shape doesn’t float your boat, try a straight pot 17.

 

seldom

Lifer
Mar 11, 2018
1,035
940
Came back to read this more thoroughly. You're a good writer alaskanpiper! In fact it inspired me to prepare some Salty Dogs (cube cute) for a walk with the not-so-salty doggies. I'll be walking to a favorite pond with them to enjoy a pipe in solitude and enjoy some of this plug. Cheers!
By the way the fireweed here in Germany is blooming near to the top. As I recall from my years in Alaska, when the very top of fireweed bloomed it was a matter of weeks (5-6) before the snow flew again. I hope you're enjoying these late August days!

 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,236
Alaska
And if the 55 shape doesn’t float your boat, try a straight pot 17.
Oh, the 55 floats my boat. Bigtime. Amazingly good smoker right out of the gate. Can't wait until I can justify getting another one somehow, haha.
Came back to read this more thoroughly. You're a good writer alaskanpiper! In fact it inspired me to prepare some Salty Dogs (cube cute) for a walk with the not-so-salty doggies. I'll be walking to a favorite pond with them to enjoy a pipe in solitude and enjoy some of this plug. Cheers!
By the way the fireweed here in Germany is blooming near to the top. As I recall from my years in Alaska, when the very top of fireweed bloomed it was a matter of weeks (5-6) before the snow flew again. I hope you're enjoying these late August days!
Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the blend on your lunt with the doggos! Lunting with my bloodhound is one of my favorite things in the world. See a couple of our favorite spots below. The first is a 10 minute walk from my house, the other a 10 minute drive, then 20 minute hike.
Re: Fireweed. In southcentral Alaska, that used to be the case, but now the fireweed seems to bloom fully by late July, and we usually don't get snow until late October anymore :( In most other parts of the state 5-6 weeks is probably about right.
But I am certainly enjoying late august, as it is starting to cool back down, at least during the evenings, after an epic heatwave summer. That and moose season starts this weekend, which is essentially the Alaskan version of Oktoberfest, as it is by far the most popular form of harvest here, and the end of the season (late september) happens to coincide with Oktoberfest itself so everyone has a big party to celebrate and share in the harvest. It is a wonderful time of year, my favorite. Everyone's freezers are stocked with summer fish, and it's time to go spend some real time in the woods with family.
Bloodhound Lunts...
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