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  1. renfield

    That Awful Eternity

    ... between when you’ve somehow managed to swat the pipe out of your own mouth and the pipe hits the floor. You know instantly that there’s absolutely no way to get to it in time so you have only to watch as it sails in its parabolic arc on the way to the concrete floor. Then there’s the sound...
  2. renfield

    No Time Like the Present

    Having some time off over the holidays gave me time to meditate. This last year I’ve unexpectedly lost a friend, a long time co-worker and a relative. Each time it struck me that we can make all the long range plans we want, but it can all be over in a blink. Pondering a cellar with many tins...
  3. renfield

    Merry Christmas Everybody

    I hope you’re all enjoying the holiday and finding some good cheer and goodwill to others in your corner of the world. Renfield
  4. renfield

    GH Dark Plug at 2 Years

    I’d smoked about half of this hunk of compressed pitch two years ago, and then set it aside in a mason jar. The mood struck and I fired some up again tonight. The aging has had little discernible effect on this tobacco. After a bowl in a Randy Wiley acorn I feel like I’ve smoked about a mile...
  5. renfield

    Scratching the Penzance Itch

    I’m enjoying a bowl of Watch City Nor’Easter in an old GBD Prince and am getting the same smooth, smoky sweetness I recall from Penzance. I don’t have any Penzance left to do a side by side comparison but Nor’Easter immediately reminded me of Esoterica’s offering. I’m sure it’s different but...
  6. renfield

    An Observation on John Cotton’s Double Pressed Virginia

    Normally I dump ash once or twice through a bowl, depending on many factors. I’m about a quarter of the way through a tin of DPV and have noticed that it seems to do much better with a fairly thick layer of fine ash to moderate the burn. YMMV. I enjoy straight Virginias but this is the first...
  7. renfield

    HU Tobacco - Nashville County

    Note: This tobacco is not available through any US distributors. I ordered from Esteval’s. No hassles other than the order sat in The German shipping / customs system for a couple of weeks after Esteval’s shipped it. This is a Virginia / Burley / KY blend. It has a licorice top note that is...
  8. renfield

    March Meerschaum Madness

    Anybody else celebrating the White Goddess and giving their meers some extra love this month? Dig out that meer you don’t smoke often enough and get reacquainted. Smoke the same meer every day. Smoke a different meer every day. Smoke the same tobacco in a different meer each week. Just...
  9. renfield

    C&D Pirate Kake at 4 Years

    A general, or at least oft repeated, rule of thumb is that latakia-forward blends aren’t prime candidates for long term aging. Generally true or not, IME Pirate Kake benefits enormously from moderate aging. A blend of burleys, orientals and a whopping 75% latakia, Pirate Kake is full, smooth...
  10. renfield

    50 Years Ago

    I’m enjoying the post Christmas quiet with a contemplative smoke. Contemplating that it’s been exactly 50 years since Apollo 8 first took man out of Earth’s orbit. While orbiting over the lunar farside Anders, Borman an Lovell were entirely out of any possible contact with any other humans...
  11. renfield

    Kudos for Meerschaum Market

    I recently placed an order with Meerschaum Market and had to exchange one of the items. They sent the replacement and a return label in a very timely fashion with no hassles. A class act in my book. No affiliation other than being a satisfied customer. Ren
  12. renfield

    Cracking the Code on C&D Redburn

    This newish blend has been getting a fair amont of favorable attention and on an impulse I cracked open a tin with a few months on it. In general most Burley blends don’t do it for me and Redburn wasn’t wowing me either. I’d been cutting slices with a knife and rubbing them out, resulting in...
  13. renfield

    Blairgate - Mixing Things Up

    I’ve been working through a tin of Blairgowrie and was looking for a bit of a change up. I mixed a 50/50 blend of Blairgowrie and Esoterica Margate. The two blends compliment each other quite well. The subtleties of Blairgowrie are bolstered by a deeper sweetness and rounder mouth feel...
  14. renfield

    R.I.P. Art Bell

    The late night radio host of Coast to Coast A.M. has passed away at home at the age of 72. His show focused on the paranormal and conspiricies. Whether you believed what the guest was espousing or not the show was usually amusing. Doubly so if Art was subtly poking fun at his guest, and the...
  15. renfield

    Drucquer & Sons Blairgowrie DGT and Relights

    I’ve been working through a tin of Blairgowrie and recently had a bowl interrupted by a phone call. I must say that upon relighting this resulted in some nice flavors coming to the fore. I’m going to have to try the DGT on this one. I rarely ever bother with this but in this case it’ll...
  16. renfield

    Drucquer & Sons Blends Under the Radar?

    I recently cracked a tin of Blairgowrie and have really been enjoying it. The usual GLP finesse is present and the blend is nuanced without requiring constant attention to technique to enjoy its subtleties. For some reason these D&S recreations don’t seem to get mentioned very often. On...
  17. renfield

    A History of McClelland Tobacco Company

    This was linked to in a thread in another forum, so rather than link to a link to a link here's the text. I believe this is from 1997. History of McClelland Tobacco Company by Mary McNiel THE HISTORY To tell the true, full history of McClelland, I have to go back 30 years to 1967 when I...
  18. renfield

    Which Would You Rather Have Back

    McClelland red Virginias or Syrian Latakia?
  19. renfield

    Frog Morton Question

    I recently got around to opening a 5 year old tin of the Frog. The contents of the tin are almost entirely black, with only a very few lighter bits. I’m curious if it’s age or if it starts out this way. The flavor is very subdued, even beyond what I’d expected. I know it’s supposed to be on...
  20. renfield

    Naked 320 Love

    I was finally able to score an unfinished Savinelli 320 at Pipes and Cigars last week. These things sell out quickly every time they are available. I can see why there's so much love for this shape. It smokes wonderfully and without effort. Only a week in and maybe10 bowls through it and...
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