Hearth & Home (pipesandcigars.com) Virginia Spice - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

Note: I would like to say that I have seen two descriptions on this blend. I have a copy of the old description from 2005 that says that this blend contains cigar leaf. The current description does not say this. I do see pieces of tobacco in this blend that look like cigar leaf, so I assume that it is still used in this blend and have included it in the ‘Tobaccos’ part of the information break down.

The pouch aroma of this blend is sweet, slightly spicy, tangy, and with a hint of, what I would call, plum. I love the way that this blend smells. I love when a Virginia or a Virginia/Perique blend has that tanginess that tingles my nose and makes my mouth water when I smell it. The moisture content of this blend is perfect for smoking immediately with no drying time needed.

I loaded up my pipe using the two step method and proceeded to the charring light. The charring light presented a nice tobacco taste with light hints of sweetness and spice. I also picked up on a little pepper in my nose. I can already tell that this is a very good blend and I settled in for a nice relaxing smoke. Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Introduced to Further Raise Federal Taxes on Pipe Tobacco

By Bob Tate

Hold onto your pipes people, here it is.
On January 13, 2010, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and co-sponsor Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) introduced bill H.R. 4439 to congress to raise the federal pipe tobacco tax from $2.8311US per pound to $24.78US per pound and “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose the same rate of tax on pipe tobacco as is imposed on roll-your-own tobacco.”

At the time of this article, this has not been reported by any news agency. This seems to be the way that all anti-tobacco legislation has been happening as of late. “Do not report on it until is has already passed” and I am sick of them sneaking their laws in and not letting the public know until after it is passed.

If this bill passes, the average increase to your favorite blends will be about:
$2.43US per 50gr
$2.74US per 2oz
$4.86US per 100gr
$10.98US per 8oz
$21.95US per 16oz
$24.15US per 500gr
These prices would be added onto the price you are currently paying for those amounts of pipe tobacco. So with the average price of 100gr tin McClelland Frog Morton being about $13.20US, the new price would be $18.06US! That is outrageous! Read the rest of this entry »

Troost Special Cavendish - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

The pouch aroma of this blend is of a straight forward tobacco smell with a hint of plums. The moisture content is on the dry side, but it is not so dry that it is to the crumbly point. This is a ready rubbed that I needed to rub out a little to separate the strands of tobacco. I loaded the pipe using the two step method and proceeded to the charring light. On the charring light, I was met with a straight forward tobacco taste and aroma with a very light sweetness to the aroma and taste. I settled in for the smoke to see where this blend would go. Read the rest of this entry »

Peterson Merry Xmas 2009 and a Happy New Year - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

In the tin aroma of this blend I am picking up on vanilla, bourbon, a very slight twang to the nose, and a smell that reminds me a lot of cherry cordials. I know that there is no cherry flavor or anything cherry in this blend, I am just telling you what it smells like to me. The vanilla was the predominate aroma. I picked up no scent of baked apples at all. The tin aroma is very Christmassy and reminds me of the Holiday Season. I like it a lot! The moisture content is a little on the moist side and some drying time would help out quite a bit. Read the rest of this entry »

McClelland Holiday Spirit 2008 - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

The tin aroma of this blend smells really good and reminds me of some of the smells that are encountered during Holiday baking. Dark rum is the predominate aroma and there is a hint of dark chocolate and I also picked up on a slight hint of coffee. The moisture content is a little on the moist side and some drying time wouldn’t hurt. I smoked it right from the tin with no drying time and it smoked well with no problems. The cut on this blend is pretty chunky with some large pieces of leaf. Read the rest of this entry »

Hearth & Home (pipesandcigars.com) Egg Nog - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

Tis’ the season for some Eggnog!

The tin aroma of this blend is excellent and instantly invokes memories of the Holiday Season. I am picking up on the rum, cinnamon, and nutmeg aromas, but I am not picking up on any of the vanilla. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t there though. The tin aroma of this blend is very complex and there is a lot going on, so it is probably hiding in there somewhere. It does not smell anything like actual Eggnog, it is more of just the Christmas and Holiday spices that most people are accustomed to smelling around the Holidays. So, just in case you were worried about smoking “actual” Eggnog in your pipe, don’t be (although I wouldn’t mind doing that during the Holiday Season, lol). The moisture content is perfect for smoking as soon as I received it. Read the rest of this entry »

McClelland Christmas Cheer 2006 - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

This excerpt is taken from the paper insert inside of the lid of the tin:
This 2006 blend is made with a special selection of ripe orange-red flue cured Virginia from the Old Belt crop of 1999. Picked at its peak, it is rich in flavor and naturally sweet and mellow. Read the rest of this entry »

Tobacco Pipe Packing Methods - Part 2 (Videos)

By Bob Tate

This is a companion piece to my article, Tobacco Pipe Packing Methods. I apologize that it took me so long to get this piece up, but here it is. It is the video tutorials on how to do the methods described in Part 1.

I am not going to repeat the written directions as you can read them in Tobacco Pipe Packing Methods – Part 1. I am just going to post the videos in this article so that you can see visual instructions that go along with the written instructions. I am going to post the videos in the same order as the methods are listed in Part 1.

So, here they are! Read the rest of this entry »

Thomas Point Pipe Club Inaugural Meeting and Pipe Event

By Bob Tate

PipesMagazine.com, in association with The Chesapeake Cigar Company, has started a new local pipe club in Maryland. The name of the pipe club is, The Thomas Point Pipe Club. As of this time, the club will be having monthly meetings on the third Tuesday of every month (except on Holidays) starting in January. The December meeting will be held the same day as the event. Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Tobacco Milonga - Pipe Tobacco Reviews

By Bob Tate

The tin aroma of this blend is a heavy caramel and vanilla aroma, caramel being a little more prominent than the vanilla. It smells almost like a caramel-vanilla flavored cup of coffee. The moisture was good for smoking right away, but a little drying time might not hurt. The tobacco is more of a ready rubbed and a little chunky. I didn’t rub it out any, I left it the way it was, loaded my pipe, and proceeded to the charring light.

On the charring light I was greeted by a lovely vanilla aroma with a hint of caramel to it. The vanilla also was more prominent in the taste as well. This surprised me a little as the caramel was more noticeable in the tin aroma. I finished lighting the pipe and settled in for the smoke. Read the rest of this entry »