A Game of Tins
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Kevin Godbee - Apr 7, 2014
- 5 min read
E. Roberts
Call me a misanthrope, but "All Men Must Die" is an infinitely more appealing tagline than "Winter Is Coming". If living in the Northeast has taught me anything, particularly this year, it’s that there really is nothing redeeming about cold weather. While we don’t have white walkers in New York City—at least according to the Mayor—it seems like the winter has lasted several years already. Times like this are best spent curled up indoors, next to the fireplace, sipping some mulled wine, and indulging in binge-watching television. It is thus with great glee, and a fresh tin of Mac Baren Plumcake, that I hunker down for a Game of Thrones marathon in anticipation of the upcoming season four.
Winter is coming…still….
For the record, I think it’s a shame that tobacco hasn’t found its way to the shores of Westeros. The fantasy genre has a long tradition that is closely associated with the enjoyment of pipes. Most notably of course is J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle Earth; what would the stories be without the hogsheads of Longbottom Leaf liberated from Saruman’s stores at Orthanc, Gandalf taking a smoke break to puzzle out the password to enter the mines of Moria, or Sam and Frodo lamenting their lack of food and pipeweed as they make their way to Mount Doom? It came easy for Tolkein, to be fair, as he was an inveterate pipe smoker himself and modeled his Middle Earth around Victorian England—a time when smoking was commonplace, and not only accepted, but expected. Alas, George Martin’s fantasy world is modeled on medieval England, just prior to the Age of Discovery and the dispersal of the noble tobacco plant far and wide. Unlike Tolkein, Robert Jordan, Gary Gygax and countless other heavyweights of the fantasy genre, Martin is himself not a smoker; perhaps it was an unconscious choice on his part to exclude smoking as a thematic element, simply because it is not part of his world view.
So where am I going with all of this? Bear with me. I’m no fantasy writer, but if I were to play one on PipesMagazine.com, I would naturally feature pipe smoking in nearly every scene and chapter. Catching up with the mini-series adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, I find myself ascribing what I think would be characters’ choices in pipes and tobaccos as much as choosing sides in the quest for the Iron Throne. Joffrey would be a flavored e-hookah smoker, obviously—probably piña colada. Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, was undoubtedly a Brown Irish X man when he could get it—and maybe a Mixture 79 man when he couldn’t. And my favorite character, Tywin Lannister, would certainly have filled his richly carved artisan pipes with Mac Baren’s Plumcake, as I am now.
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| Hear me roar! | |
First, there’s the obvious affinity between Mac Baren’s lion sigil and the lion rampant of the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Mac Baren’s two lions are standing guardant on the lozenge, while the lone Lannister lion rears up on the dexter side. Both houses portray their lions in gold (or), a natural enough choice for wealthy and expansive clans. The Lannister lion is on a field of red, or sanguine, while the Mac Baren lozenge holds a field party per cross gules, or red divided in four quadrants, with gold stars and "HH" for Harald Halberg. Coinicidence? I think not.
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| A Lannister always pays his debts. | |
The Lannisters are rich, exorbitantly rich, rich beyond the imagination of common folk of the realm. Their wealth is in gold, lands, and tradition, and it has made the house strong enough to be the puppet masters behind the Iron Throne. Mac Baren, on the other hand, is rich in tobacco. Their warehouses are the stuff that pipe dreams are made of, and it makes them strong on retailer’s shelves and in our cellars. Who else has stores of vintage Syrian Latakia these days, or decades-old pure Perique? Who else has the recipe to Plumcake, this perfect late-season blend that I’m enjoying now? Nobody, that’s who. They’re one of the largest tobacco producers in the world for a reason. They revolutionized the production of tobacco when Jorgen Halberg returned from America after World War II; the company went on to shape the palates of European and American pipe smokers alike with their fusion of quality leaf and lightly sweet topping, melding the Danish and New World styles.
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| When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. | |
The lions, the legacy, and the wealth are all well and good, but here’s the clincher: Per Georg Jensen is a dead ringer for Tywin Lannister, at least as portrayed by the brilliant Charles Dance, of course. Have you ever seen the two of them in the same room? I thought not. And though House Greyjoy was a contender for Plumcake, due to their nautical association, they lost out due to lack of class—this is a blend that is as classy as it gets, fit for a king, or, in Tywin’s case, a kingmaker. With just a pinch of Latakia spicing up the body and lending a hearty smokiness, the rich base of ready-rubbed burley flake and fine ribbons of Virginia roll over the tongue like languid waves, sweetened by the special Mac Baren Original Cavendish. Adding to the hint of sweet and savory at the edges is the light topping of Jamaican rum, subtly detectable on the charring light and through the top of the bowl as a background essence. It displays true tobacco flavor, leathery and sharp at the edges, with a definite tannic character that is not dissimilar to a medium-bodied red wine on the back of the palate.
Which House would you choose?
While not everyone may agree with my assessment of Plumcake being the choice for House Lannister, the smoke itself is full and fulfilling, and the 100-gram tin, at the proper moisture level for enjoying straight from the can, is more than ample enough to last through a weekend’s indulgence indoors. I’ll stick by my contention that this is the perfect smoke for Lord Tywin to sit pensively next to the hearth with while he contemplates the administration of the five kingdoms, lending itself easily to long, slow sessions in capacious chambers. In fact I find this blend remarkable in a larger bowl, really able to express its full range only when stuffed to the brim of my group fives and larger.
Which character do YOU think would smoke Plumcake?
Written by Kevin Godbee
15 Responses
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There’s a pipe in my collection that I cannot bring myself to smoke, though I’ve had it for more years than I care to recall. It’s old, or shall I say, well experienced; that experience, that oldness came to it long before it was in my possession. The pipe is an old Comoy’s Grand Slam from the 1940s. The shape (#93), a slightly canted, stack billiard (sometimes referred to as a Belgian) is right up my alley, and it’s a beautiful example of it. It came to me with some wear and tear; nothing unusual for an old pipe, but more the signs of one that has been well loved, smoked a lot, treated as a favorite tool, cherished, in a sense, by frequent use. It’s the pipe equivalent of a vintage car that’s been driven a lot, enjoyed fully and maintained adequately, rather than one kept in a spotless garage, dusted and detailed weekly, brought out only for leisurely Sunday drives, or to be ogled behind the ropes at the next Concours d’Elegance. 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It revivified a long dormant memory that is mine, and mine alone, and that’s enough. I keep it in a drawer with other old English pipes. In some ways, it’s nothing special, just a nice old pipe. I don’t lavish it with any particular care that arguably befits the hidden treasure that it holds. It’s not in a special box, or displayed preciously in a glass cabinet. Every once in a while, I take it out, point my nose bowlwards, and every time, those memories return just as powerfully as they did the first time. I have no idea how long it’s been since its last owner smoked it, but in the years I’ve had it, there seems to have been very little degradation of the aroma, and that’s […]
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 634! Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Warren Ertle. Warren is an extremely accomplished musician with a PhD in music. He started early as a percussionist in sixth grade. Later his grandmother got him a cheap Casio keyboard which he taught himself to play. He started playing in blues bands in high school, and has been a pianist with jazz big bands for years. Even though he was already a professional musician, he took his first real piano lesson when he enrolled in college with his studies in classical music. He is of course a pipe smoker. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
Soon now, supposedly, our neighborhoods will shift from grinning pumpkins, skeletons in various assortments, and zombies dashing about to pretty reindeer, angels, and flashing lights illuminating homes with sparkling stars and laughing, scurrying Santas. But, lest we forget, there is the turkey season, fancy pie aromas wafting from kitchens, and a national pardon of a big Tom Turkey. Remember, now, that only one of these holiday personalities is a pipe smoker. And that is the hefty, bearded fellow in a bright red suit sitting in a sleigh with a herd of deer hitched up and ready to streak across the globe, bringing tidings of joy and many presents. Ok, the scene is set for the next couple of months, right? So, before we get too far off the beaten path, let’s just take a deep breath of fresh autumn air, shall we? Ahh. That’s better, isn’t it? What’s got the Pundit in a snit is not all the Halloween spooks who came a-jostling for candy. 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A fact is not a truth until you love it—Shelby Foote. A parting thought: It is said that famed Southern author William Faulkner carried a packed pipe in a coat pocket wherever he went. That’s one effective way to deal with workday conflicts and confusion. A calm and objective judgment in our everyday human affairs, as the quantum man said.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 633. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about what’s new at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss tobacco growing, what happens to the leaf, and provide updated information on where tobacco is being gown today. Tobacco production originated in the United States and we were once the #1 producer. It’s quite different now.
I love the shout out to Robert Jordan. I am currently between the seventh and eighth book in the Wheel of Time and love how Jordan inserts pipe smoking at all the right moments. I love how he describes entering into a tavern or inn as always having a blue grey haze from the “tobac” smoke.
What I would do for a taste of Two Rivers Tobac…
Tyrion is the only good Lannister lol.
Good article.
I tried Plumcake a while back and ended up trading it for Chocolate and Honey. I’m not a fan of Latakia and it made itself very known in the few bowls I had of it.
Tyrion is one of the good ones from House Lannister that is if he is really a Lannister there is rumor that he maybe a bastard dragon. But all my bow before the She-Wolf of House Stark for she is hungry for Golden Lion’s meat and thirsts for blood. ALL BOW before Queen Arya Queen Of The North and Alpha She-Wolf of House Stark!
Now I tried Plumcake while back enjoyed it having been thinking of picking up a tin and giving it another try.
…the tobacco that always pays its debts.
Tyrion is the best character, but Jaime will develop into an awesome guy this season.
I just loathe GoT so I don’t think any of the characters deserve Plum Cake.
Where did that clay pipe come from?
From my pipe rack, birdseye. It’s a common clay from turn-of-the-century Germany that I use on nearly every tobacco review tasting.
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Tyrion is also my hero. Him and Arya.
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cosmic–thank you for picking up that ball that I dropped!
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@lincoln–Robert Jordan’s personal pipe was recently on the ‘bay–I was unfortunately outbid.
Without a doubt, the White Walkers all smoke Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake.
Ah Mac Baren’s Plumcake!
One of my favoirtes!
Might be a bit far sighted but I bought 6 tins and am anticipating smoking one up front and cellering the rest for 10-20 years to allow the flavors to blend a bit more for a special occasion like retirement (oops that is less than 10 years!) or my 70th birthday (oops again) or maybe my 50th wedding anniversary (that’s about right). Its the good stuff.
“…..this is the perfect smoke for Lord Tywin to sit pensively next to the hearth…”
….or on the toilet waiting for an arrow?
I was thinking what type of pipes and tobacco would some of our Game of Throne characters would be smoking?
Lord Tywin Lannister – Pipe: Dunhill – Tobacco: Dunhill Night Cap or Mixture 965.
Tyrin – Pipe: Peterson Church Warden or Bent Dublin Castle – Tobacco: Old Dublin.
Jaime Lannister – Pipe: Castello Poker – Tobacco: Mac Baren Mixture Scottish Blend.
Jon Snow – Pipe: Savinelli Alligator – Tobacco: Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme
Greyjoy’s – Joe Case Pokers – Tobacco: Mac Baren HH Vintage Syrian Or HH Old Dark Fire.
Just one thing …
Living in Minnesota, I’m sorta fond of winter. For one, camping: no bugs, no sunburn, and no crowds.
Two, it means more fish and deer for us.
Three, only happy, cheery friendly people live up here. The mean ones who don’t have friends all die off in the winter.
Four, you never have to lose weight: no one’s ever gonna see your body anyway.
… Which takes us back to the “death and winter” thing.
🙂
My all time favorite… this is all I buy.