This morning,Sir John's Flake Virginia in an Altinay.
***What Are You Smoking, December 2025?***
- Thread starter JimInks
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Avo Fogata Toro while playing golf today.
7/23 Pfeifen Huber Virginia Golden Flake in an Altinok.
Newly opened McClelland Christmas Cheer 2014 in a Nording semi rusticated billiard. It may need to be rubbed out a bit more, perhaps some time drying even though it felt OK. Quite a few relights.
Currently chomping on a MM Minicob stoked with PK and will soon gravitate to a cheap flavoured cigar, wondering how to get into this post on the formation of my pipe collection. Not possible for me to be consise - I'm obviously challenged verbosely, but will do my best. Some background, first 
. . . . .
I've always been collecting something, from Topps Baseball Cards as a boy, to comic books, then Mad Magazines . . . then to flyrods, cameras, guns, artwork, ever onward . . . . and now pipes.
I think it is necessary to start from a reference point, so I'll explain what that is, and then post my "first aquisitions," rational, and where it is going from it's initiating point.
Most of yesterday and today have been aclimatizing myself with this new Linux Distro. Worst, though, has been the keyboard - very different orientation than the old laptop. Functioning now, but mis-place my hands frequently.
I've been on this forum for close to two years now, and as they say, the more you know, the more you don't know. Guilty as charged.
I have some very fine pipes, and have said before I need more like I need another hole in my head. But ORDER had to be established, and another Peterson or Savinelli or Brigham was reasonably just too much financially on a pension. So, these pipes, and you've seen them all, form the CORE. What I noticed missing was various SHAPES of some of the exquisite pipes posted by members of this thread. And the COUNTRIES and/or MAKERS of these beautiful instruments. THOSE FACTORS are going to form the direction I'll be going in. So, assumption (being the mother of all screw-ups) being employed, I decided to investigate first the MUXIANG Company. My first pipe was a Muxiang, so I assumed that they'd be a cheap, small "grind-em-out" knockoff and rip-em-off outfit. A bit of research knocked some sense into me. They're huge, and offer pipes into the stratospheric price range. So, I began my purchase there. I came up with these two beautiful pipes as the humble beginnings of my growing collection:
This is a Muxiang Poker, in Olivewood. I didn't have a poker. Now I do. Along with it came this gem:
This is a Muxiang Blowfish Freehand. I didn't possess a Blowfish, or a Freehand. Now I have one. Actually both. And the Journey begins.
I'll explain a little about the choice of olivewood, then go to some Skippable Drivel for a new insight on current madness. Then I'll leave lol.
As you have seen, I have a few other olivewood pipes. They all smoke just fine, thank you very much, but the association goes a bit deeper than smokeability. As a Roman Catholic, old school, I've been surrounded all my life by Nativity Scenes and other treasures made of olivewood. To me, it has more than a wooden meaning. I simply love the stuff, and so I thought it appropriate from several standpoints to select the two starters in this wood.
How does it compare with briar? I might give the traditional standard the edge, but my Mr. Brog Old Army Olivewood would argue with that. It is one of my three or four best smokers. Period. We'll see how these two newbies work out, and go from there. I won't start breaking them in for a while yet - still have a couple of others and a couple of falcon bowls to initiate, so they'll have to wait they're turn.
I'd also mention that I simply will not go the estate pipe route for a collection. I'm going to avoid that rabbithole totally or I'll frankly end up starving to death. SHAPE AND VARIETY OF ORIGIN IS IT . . . . PERIOD.
Speaking of which, it's time for . . . . .
Skippable Drivel: While contemplating this whole scenario, as well as the new distro and catching up on other things around the house, a horrible thought came to me.
Over the past week or so, I've been smoking pretty much only Cobs and Falcons. The horrible thought (and I wonder how many others here would admit the same thing) - I think I'd be perfectly happy for the remainder of my pipe smoking life, to have only Cobs and Falcons.
Two new Falcon bowls, a few new cobs, and a new Falcon Frame that arrived yesterday and today, kinda confirmed this at-present-only-in-my-mind scenario. Basically intended for travel kits and that kind of thing, I got this feeling they'll see considerable at home use!
Let me know if any of you have had the same thought as you look at these final recent arrivals for my travel kits . . . . and growing home use.
See y'all tomorrow. It's Cigar Time, which'll help pass the time waiting for three more pending arrivals!! Cheers!
. . . . .I've always been collecting something, from Topps Baseball Cards as a boy, to comic books, then Mad Magazines . . . then to flyrods, cameras, guns, artwork, ever onward . . . . and now pipes.
I think it is necessary to start from a reference point, so I'll explain what that is, and then post my "first aquisitions," rational, and where it is going from it's initiating point.
Most of yesterday and today have been aclimatizing myself with this new Linux Distro. Worst, though, has been the keyboard - very different orientation than the old laptop. Functioning now, but mis-place my hands frequently.
I've been on this forum for close to two years now, and as they say, the more you know, the more you don't know. Guilty as charged.
I have some very fine pipes, and have said before I need more like I need another hole in my head. But ORDER had to be established, and another Peterson or Savinelli or Brigham was reasonably just too much financially on a pension. So, these pipes, and you've seen them all, form the CORE. What I noticed missing was various SHAPES of some of the exquisite pipes posted by members of this thread. And the COUNTRIES and/or MAKERS of these beautiful instruments. THOSE FACTORS are going to form the direction I'll be going in. So, assumption (being the mother of all screw-ups) being employed, I decided to investigate first the MUXIANG Company. My first pipe was a Muxiang, so I assumed that they'd be a cheap, small "grind-em-out" knockoff and rip-em-off outfit. A bit of research knocked some sense into me. They're huge, and offer pipes into the stratospheric price range. So, I began my purchase there. I came up with these two beautiful pipes as the humble beginnings of my growing collection:
This is a Muxiang Poker, in Olivewood. I didn't have a poker. Now I do. Along with it came this gem:
This is a Muxiang Blowfish Freehand. I didn't possess a Blowfish, or a Freehand. Now I have one. Actually both. And the Journey begins.
I'll explain a little about the choice of olivewood, then go to some Skippable Drivel for a new insight on current madness. Then I'll leave lol.
As you have seen, I have a few other olivewood pipes. They all smoke just fine, thank you very much, but the association goes a bit deeper than smokeability. As a Roman Catholic, old school, I've been surrounded all my life by Nativity Scenes and other treasures made of olivewood. To me, it has more than a wooden meaning. I simply love the stuff, and so I thought it appropriate from several standpoints to select the two starters in this wood.
How does it compare with briar? I might give the traditional standard the edge, but my Mr. Brog Old Army Olivewood would argue with that. It is one of my three or four best smokers. Period. We'll see how these two newbies work out, and go from there. I won't start breaking them in for a while yet - still have a couple of others and a couple of falcon bowls to initiate, so they'll have to wait they're turn.
I'd also mention that I simply will not go the estate pipe route for a collection. I'm going to avoid that rabbithole totally or I'll frankly end up starving to death. SHAPE AND VARIETY OF ORIGIN IS IT . . . . PERIOD.
Speaking of which, it's time for . . . . .
Skippable Drivel: While contemplating this whole scenario, as well as the new distro and catching up on other things around the house, a horrible thought came to me.
Over the past week or so, I've been smoking pretty much only Cobs and Falcons. The horrible thought (and I wonder how many others here would admit the same thing) - I think I'd be perfectly happy for the remainder of my pipe smoking life, to have only Cobs and Falcons.
Two new Falcon bowls, a few new cobs, and a new Falcon Frame that arrived yesterday and today, kinda confirmed this at-present-only-in-my-mind scenario. Basically intended for travel kits and that kind of thing, I got this feeling they'll see considerable at home use!
Let me know if any of you have had the same thought as you look at these final recent arrivals for my travel kits . . . . and growing home use.
See y'all tomorrow. It's Cigar Time, which'll help pass the time waiting for three more pending arrivals!! Cheers!
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Some Mahogany in the Bones. Very nice tobacco; like 1792 lite.
yes, they sure are. I have seen them 4 times in my life. Once in Michigan, once in WA, once in Yukon Territory, and once, several years ago, here, believe it or not. They said the solar flares last night made it possible to see them farther south than usual. They are awesome!
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CRFwP 2025 in a Peterson Donegal Rocky 69.
Relaxing after a wonderful salad, chicken legs and sugar snap peas dinner with strawberries for dessert. I'm near the first third of this bowl of year 2014 Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match In a black sandblasted full bend 2025 Rinaldo YY Lithos dublin with a tapered amber tortoise shell acrylic stem. Community Coffee, neat, is my drink. Daisy the Feral Princess is improving. She's only been in and out twice while I was eating dinner. She's in right now lying by my feet. Harry spent much of the day sleeping under the kitchen table, and he went out about twenty minutes ago. Tomato the Brave has been in to eat and run today.
Yeah . . . . have trouble with that, too. Should really leave the filter in because I seem to be very susceptible to tongue bite, but . . . .
Nice pipe btw!!
The peppermint was definitely in the background. The milk was there in a pretty small amount as well. The predominant flavor was that of a creamy malty stout. I was half expecting some candied dark beer concoction, but was relieved that wasn't the case. I have 3 more so I might actually go with a latakia blend next time.
Nice acquisition, and happy birthday!
First time smoking Ravenwood 11th Day of Christmas on this 11th day of December, in a Chacom Christmas '25 bent brandy.
Fresh GLP Quiet Nights in a post-2009 Stanwell 83 bent billiard.
2018 Viprati in my Castello 4 square.
Trying some Ravenwood Moose Marmalade in a 2001 Big Ben Pipe of the Year. 
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Now smoking year 2012 Stonehaven in a straight black sandblasted 1957 Barling Exel 249 Fossil T.V.F. black billiard with a silver banded military mount and a black ebonite tapered stem. When I came back inside after taking the trash can to the street, Daisy the Feral Princess grabbed my foot and started nibbling and bunny kicking it. I picked up a catnip sock, and she spent time doing the same thing to it.
Peterson Deluxe Navy Rolls in a Dunhill 33 FT and Ginger Tea on the side
Both the olive woods are beautiful pipes!Currently chomping on a MM Minicob stoked with PK and will soon gravitate to a cheap flavoured cigar, wondering how to get into this post on the formation of my pipe collection. Not possible for me to be consise - I'm obviously challenged verbosely, but will do my best. Some background, first
I've always been collecting something, from Topps Baseball Cards as a boy, to comic books, then Mad Magazines . . . then to flyrods, cameras, guns, artwork, ever onward . . . . and now pipes.
I think it is necessary to start from a reference point, so I'll explain what that is, and then post my "first aquisitions," rational, and where it is going from it's initiating point.
Most of yesterday and today have been aclimatizing myself with this new Linux Distro. Worst, though, has been the keyboard - very different orientation than the old laptop. Functioning now, but mis-place my hands frequently.
I've been on this forum for close to two years now, and as they say, the more you know, the more you don't know. Guilty as charged.
I have some very fine pipes, and have said before I need more like I need another hole in my head. But ORDER had to be established, and another Peterson or Savinelli or Brigham was reasonably just too much financially on a pension. So, these pipes, and you've seen them all, form the CORE. What I noticed missing was various SHAPES of some of the exquisite pipes posted by members of this thread. And the COUNTRIES and/or MAKERS of these beautiful instruments. THOSE FACTORS are going to form the direction I'll be going in. So, assumption (being the mother of all screw-ups) being employed, I decided to investigate first the MUXIANG Company. My first pipe was a Muxiang, so I assumed that they'd be a cheap, small "grind-em-out" knockoff and rip-em-off outfit. A bit of research knocked some sense into me. They're huge, and offer pipes into the stratospheric price range. So, I began my purchase there. I came up with these two beautiful pipes as the humble beginnings of my growing collection:
View attachment 437390
This is a Muxiang Poker, in Olivewood. I didn't have a poker. Now I do. Along with it came this gem:
View attachment 437391
This is a Muxiang Blowfish Freehand. I didn't possess a Blowfish, or a Freehand. Now I have one. Actually both. And the Journey begins.
I'll explain a little about the choice of olivewood, then go to some Skippable Drivel for a new insight on current madness. Then I'll leave lol.
As you have seen, I have a few other olivewood pipes. They all smoke just fine, thank you very much, but the association goes a bit deeper than smokeability. As a Roman Catholic, old school, I've been surrounded all my life by Nativity Scenes and other treasures made of olivewood. To me, it has more than a wooden meaning. I simply love the stuff, and so I thought it appropriate from several standpoints to select the two starters in this wood.
How does it compare with briar? I might give the traditional standard the edge, but my Mr. Brog Old Army Olivewood would argue with that. It is one of my three or four best smokers. Period. We'll see how these two newbies work out, and go from there. I won't start breaking them in for a while yet - still have a couple of others and a couple of falcon bowls to initiate, so they'll have to wait they're turn.
I'd also mention that I simply will not go the estate pipe route for a collection. I'm going to avoid that rabbithole totally or I'll frankly end up starving to death. SHAPE AND VARIETY OF ORIGIN IS IT . . . . PERIOD.
Speaking of which, it's time for . . . . .
Skippable Drivel: While contemplating this whole scenario, as well as the new distro and catching up on other things around the house, a horrible thought came to me.
Over the past week or so, I've been smoking pretty much only Cobs and Falcons. The horrible thought (and I wonder how many others here would admit the same thing) - I think I'd be perfectly happy for the remainder of my pipe smoking life, to have only Cobs and Falcons.
Two new Falcon bowls, a few new cobs, and a new Falcon Frame that arrived yesterday and today, kinda confirmed this at-present-only-in-my-mind scenario. Basically intended for travel kits and that kind of thing, I got this feeling they'll see considerable at home use!
Let me know if any of you have had the same thought as you look at these final recent arrivals for my travel kits . . . . and growing home use.
View attachment 437397
View attachment 437401
See y'all tomorrow. It's Cigar Time, which'll help pass the time waiting for three more pending arrivals!! Cheers!